Upcoming Microsoft 365 Environment Changes

November 13, 2024
A person sits as a computer

Update: Beginning Friday evening, November 15 (after business hours), through Saturday evening, November 17, users may not be able to send/receive email from their PNW email. No emails will be lost, they will simply be queued and re-sent/received on Saturday evening. This only affects faculty and staff; student Google mailboxes are not affected.

On November 18, Purdue IT will finalize the process of merging the Purdue Northwest and Purdue West Lafayette Microsoft 365 environments. A website has been created to gather and share information about this important project.

See Project FAQs

How Will This Affect Me?

  • PNW usernames, email addresses, passwords, etc. are not changing.
  • On Nov. 18, 2024, signing in to Microsoft tools (office.com, Word, Outlook, etc.) and macOS computers will require you to use “username@purdue.edu” instead of “username@pnw.edu”. Again, this will not change your email address, simply the way you sign into your Apple computer, email, and other Office applications.
    • You will also need to sign out of email/Microsoft apps on mobile devices, and sign back in with “username@purdue.edu” and your current password. OR uninstall those applications and reinstall, which will prompt you to reauthenticate.
  • We have engaged a vendor that will be moving over your data (with few exceptions listed below.)
  • We expect a short service interruption during the migration on the evening of Nov. 17 or the morning of Nov. 18. The timing will be communicated early and often so that you can plan accordingly.

What Is Being Merged?

  • Exchange (email)
  • OneDrive
  • Teams
  • SharePoint
  • Microsoft 365 Groups
  • Distribution Lists

Why Are We Doing This?

  • As we continue to do more work within the Microsoft 365 environment (SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, etc.) we are receiving more requests for collaboration options between the PNW and PWL environments. This merge will make that collaboration easier and more streamlined.
  • With two environments, it is becoming increasingly difficult to support. This merge will allow for more opportunities for support, hopefully decreasing support times and increasing reliability.

What Will Not Be Migrated Automatically?

  • Personal 1:1 and group Teams Chats, Forms, Power Platform and Yammer/Viva Engage will not be migrated.

Note: None of the work that was/is being done to migrate from the H, R, M, drives etc. (on-premises storage drives) will be lost. In fact, it will make this process easier. All files moved to the PNW OneDrive/SharePoint will be automatically migrated. Care will be taken to ensure that no files are lost.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the CSC. You can check the IT Status page for updates during the migration or visit this website for up-to-date information about the project.