Ideas for Mail and Calendaring for 50,000 Users

[Alma J Wetzker]

Jason Joines <joines at bus.okstate.edu> Wed, 27 Aug 2003 09:00:25 -0500
>  We just got a new CIO at the university where I work.  One thing he is 
> about to do is get rid of all the different mail systems and have one 
> big combined system for all employees and students.  That'll be about 
> 50,000 users.
> 
>  At the moment the predominant faculty/staff mail system is Lotus Domino 
> on windows 2k and the predominant system for students is Sun Internet 
> Mail Server on Solaris.  He intends to replace these with ms exchange on 
> windows 2k.  There is a small chance he will listen to suggestions to 
> consider non-exchange options.
> 
>  Any suggestions?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Jason Joines

The recent virii incidents ought to be sufficiently fresh to make a 
point about downtime vulnerability.  At the U of MN students can connect 
inside the firewall.  A single machine infected outside and then logging 
in inside will compleatly bypass the firewall.

I am not sure about cost savings specifically but linux should mean 
fewer machines, therefore fewer support resources, therefore fewer 
ongoing costs.  In the current economy, universities seem to be getting 
squeezed pretty good.

It all depends on the CIO's goal.  If he wants to have the largest staff 
and biggest budget, stress the threat of downtime.  (It is already 
assumed that he is susceptible to FUD, at least from M$.)  If he wants 
to show efficiency and budget cutting know how, stress simplicity and 
cost savings.