Update on Google Groups

May 2, 2011

University Relations

Memorandum from Karl Kowalski, OIT Executive Director User Services

I would like to take a moment to clear up some facts, rumors and deadlines regarding the move of departmental (FY, FA, etc.) uaf.edu accounts to new GoogleApps accounts.

Some FACTS:

• 400 = the number of old departmental/group accounts


• 200 = the number of new Google Group accounts which have been created


• 130 = the number that replaced old FY accounts. The additional are new groups.


• 61,000 = the number of total GoogleApps accounts for the UA System

Two years ago, OIT underwent a security audit and review. In that audit, shared accounts in which multiple users share a single account name and share a password were identified as a security risk and one we needed to remedy. Regardless of our move to Google Apps, the University needed to stop this practice and no longer issue such shared accounts. Just because we have always done it that way does not mean that it is a good thing.

The old uaf.edu departmental accounts will NOT go away until we have a solution in place that meets your business needs. We had originally targeted December 2010, then moved that to June 30, 2011, but it is clear there are still many more departmental accounts to move. Your accounts will NOT go away June 30th.

When you sign up for a new Google group account your old one does not go away until you tell us you are ready to fully use your new account. This gives you time to work with it to meet your departmental requirements and get any assistance you may need.

At a very basic level, a Google Group Account will serve as a replacement email address for your departmental account, e.g.,  fymydept at uaf.edu = uaf-mydept at alaska.edu

How that address now gets used depends a great deal on how you manage your incoming and outgoing communications through the old account. We can assist you with mapping that business process and configuring your new account. But you do need to sign up for your new address so you have your new email to work into your publications. We can forward that new account to your old account until you are fully ready to use the new one. To sign up visit www.alaska.edu/google/groups/.
In addition, we're learning that there are as many ways people use what they call a “departmental account” as there are people, perhaps more. There has been no way, thus far, to produce a cookie cutter approach or matrix for departments to follow nor a simple solution in the training we provide.  We understand this has created frustration and confusion and for that we — I — apologize. We have communicated through many channels that we are available and willing to come and meet with you and your department to listen to your current business processes and help you map a path to transition your accounts. Many of you have taken us up on that; many have not. That offer still stands.

Some departments have developed an elaborate work flow through the shared account that can't be duplicated in GoogleApps mail or Google Groups. But the initial sign-up and establishment of a new group address can.

For departments that are more complicated, we have other GoogleApps tools that we are investigating and can make available. We are currently looking at available customer relationship management add-ons that will allow departments that need it to create the more complicated workflows. This add-on will simply be another tab in your GoogleApps suite.

You may have heard that there are other options for creating what people are calling departmental accounts and that OIT is just refusing to turn them on. There are resource accounts within the directory and “blind” departmental accounts within Google with proxy access, but each of those has drawbacks that are either in conflict with other business processes you all have articulated or are in conflict with the no shared account and shared password security policy. Additionally, they make you more dependent on OIT to manage your group account and members than does the Google solution.

I want to assure you that your existing departmental accounts will not go away until we have a solution that meets your needs. Please understand, however, that will require us to work together to arrive at a workable solution and may require some modification of the way you currently do things. We will work hard at minimizing that. We are continually looking at ways to use the tools we have at hand, supplement those tools and solve problems. We appreciate your patience and willingness to work with us to implement a suite of collaborative communication tools from which we can all benefit.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I am always willing listen.