Outlook / Microsoft365 Transition FAQ
- Jason Blunk
Last updated: 5/6/25
Moving from Zimbra to Outlook in General
Q: When is Earlham transitioning from Zimbra to Outlook?
A: Earlham will transition on Thursday, June 19, 2025. This impacts all http://earlham.edu email accounts including: Faculty, Staff, undergraduate students, graduate students, alumni, retirees, etc.
Incoming, outgoing, and previously received email will be unavailable from the close of business on Wednesday, 6/18, until the transition completes.
This transition will impact all users of Earlham email tools including employees, retirees, students, and alumni.
Q: Are Bethany employees and students impacted?
A: Yes, Bethany Seminary employees and students will be transitioning to an email solution hosted by Bethany. Bethany’s team will announce details. This FAQ is focused on impact for Earlham users.
Q: Are graduating seniors impacted by this change?
A: Yes, the accounts for graduating seniors will be migrated to Outlook. As previously announced, Earlham’s Class of 2025 will have access to their Earlham email through 8/31/25. This will support a transition period and ensure a smooth transition for those continuing in Earlham’s graduate programs. After 8/31 all access to send, receive, and view email, calendar and other information in the Earlham account will be removed. If you have not established a personal email account, we recommend a web email like gmail.com and http://outlook.com .
Q: What will ITS migrate from Zimbra, and what will users be required to migrate themselves?
A: Please reference the below table.
| Earlham Employees & Emeriti | Students & Retirees | Alumni |
ITS | TBD* | TBD* | |
Calendar | ITS | User | User |
Contacts | ITS | User | User |
Briefcase | User | User | User |
* ITS is testing an option for bulk transitioning email for student and retiree accounts; calendar and contacts will not be migrated. ITS is developing a recommendation for user migrated items; we anticipate having it by the end of May.
Migrating Contacts: https://earlham.atlassian.net/wiki/x/BgBfpw
Migrating Calendars: https://earlham.atlassian.net/wiki/x/AQCBpw
If an individual falls into multiple categories (such as an employee who is an alumni), the account will be treated based on the hierarchy of:
Employee & Emeriti
Students & Retirees
Alumni
Q: Will all of the changes occur this summer?
A: The transition for email, calendar and contacts occurs on June 19, 2025.
Additional features and changes will follow. These include:
MS Office: The Microsoft Office 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc) will be available to employees and students both online and installed on their computer. Visio is also available with some limitations (like today). Editing documents stored in box will still be easiest through the box integration with MS365 accessed within box - just like it is today.
MS Teams: Employees and students will have access to MS Teams for virtual meetings and collaboration. Unlike Zoom, there is not an additional cost to departments for this access. We anticipate access before classes start in August.
MS Authenticator: During the Fall 2025 semester we will introduce multi-factor authentication using Microsoft’s Authenticator app for all users (including students and retirees). Employees will migrate from Duo to MS Authenticator. There will be specific communication about this change, and it planned during the middle of the semester so most individuals are on campus and can more easily reach support.
CoPilot: CoPilot is Microsoft’s AI assistant (similar to ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini). The tier included with our current license enables interacting with an AI based on an LLM that is also covered by Earlham’s Microsoft agreement - meaning interactions are not used for training CoPilot.
Other features we’re exploring include a scheduling tool similar to Calendly
Specific functionality questions
Q: What happens to my Zimbra tags in the transition?
A: Zimbra tags will not migrate over to Outlook. However, Outlook supports categories, flags and reminders to support similar workflows. Details are available in this Outlook tutorial Set categories, flags, or reminders - Microsoft Support.
Q: Will my Zimbra filters migrate to Outlook?
A: No, due to technical differences in how Zimbra and Outlook store filters, current filters will not be migrated. Outlook supports robust rule creation, and you will need to set up new rules to manage your emails. Detailed instructions can be found in Set up rules in Outlook - Microsoft Support.
Q: What’s the plan for shared mailboxes?
A: We will continue to support shared email accounts (ex: itspurch@earlham.edu) in Outlook. However, the way they function will change slightly. This transition may take a few extra days to complete. Stay tuned for further updates from IT.
Q: Will my shared folders migrate as they are?
A: Folders within your email account will migrate. ITS is testing if the sharing permissions will also transfer.
However, ITS recommends transitioning to a shared mailbox instead of sharing specific folders to ensure continuity during staff changes.
Q: What if I use a third-party email client?
A: ITS will support Outlook and MacMail. If your email client uses Microsoft’s “modern authentication methods”, it should work as expected; IMAP connections will not be supported. Microsoft provides details in this help article: Modern Authentication Methods now needed to continue syncing Outlook Email in non-Microsoft email apps - Microsoft Support
Q: Will Duo still work for employees? Will others be required to start using Duo?
A: We are actively evaluating our authentication methods. As of the beginning of April our plan is to continue to support Duo for employee multi-factor authentication (MFA) similar to how it functions today.
We anticipate introducing a MFA requirement for other users (including students and retirees) during the fall semester. As a cost savings approach we are also exploring transitioning employees from Duo to Microsoft’s Authenticator tool for MFA; this change would occur during the fall semester.
Q: Can I create email templates in Outlook?
A: Yes, you can create email templates in Outlook following the official Microsoft guide. However, we are unable to migrate current templates programmatically. Please see Microsoft’s Email Template Guide.
Training
Q: Where can I find training for Outlook?
A: Microsoft provides many training resources. ITS recommends starting with: Outlook training - Microsoft Support