The email infrastructure for staff is undergoing significant revamp in the past few months. Namely, we are switching to a new platform for messaging and collaboration based on the Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 technology. This new platform is intended to replace the aging iMail email infrastructure largely based on technologies from Sun Microsystems (now acquired by Oracle).

While the old iMail system has served the University for around ten years, it is apparently failing to keep up with latest user needs and new technological requirement. Over the years, Microsoft Exchange has evolved to become a popular and scalable messaging and collaboration platform for enterprises including higher education institutes all over the world. It offers electronic mail, calendaring, contacts and tasks in one integrated platform. It also supports email sharing and calendaring functions which are important in today business collaboration.

To fully enjoy the functions of Exchange, users are recommended to use Outlook 2010/2011 in Windows/Mac environment. For users who can only access to web browsers, the web-based Outlook Web App (OWA) is recommended. It gives you most of the same set of features and user experience as the Outlook software. It supports the most common web browsers including Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and Internet Explorer. For users who are on the road, Microsoft Exchange supports the synchronization of the same set of data with any mobile devices running iOS, Android etc. Besides, it provides opportunities for other future add-on applications on a unified communication platform.