Google Suite to Microsoft 365 Migration Notice
Some of you may know GEM has been making a transition to Microsoft Office 365. GEM has offered this service and the Office 365 apps at no cost to its employees since Annual Conference 2019. GEM is in the process of making the full transition to Microsoft 365 from Google's G-Suite (Gmail) and other platforms.
What this might mean for you is a change in how you send and receive e-mails, and how you share files if you use Google Drive through gemission.org. Do not worry, your e-mail address will remain the same throughout and after the transition, but you may access your email differently. OneDrive will replace Google Drive for file sharing; OneDrive offers us better file security and significantly more space to better suit GEM's needs.
This change is a proactive step towards a few goals:
- An effort to become more unified and efficient in how we operate regarding e-mail and file sharing. (One platform instead of two.)
- GDPR compliance.
- A more secure communication platform for GEM.
Timeline
Summer 2018 -Migration Announced at Annual Conference, Office Apps Available to Missionaries
Spring 2019 - Implementation plan of migration is developed by GEM board, leadership and CIM
Spring 2020 - Serial migration of accounts begins by GEM IT
Now - Migration is in process and approximately 20% complete.
End of Calendar Year 2020 - Migration completion goal.
Spring 2021 - External forwarding disabled from GEM e-mail accounts.
Summer 2021 - GEM Google accounts will be decommissioned permanently
The Migration Process
All e-mails, contacts and calendar items are copied from your Google account to Microsoft account directly. Files in Google Drive are copied directly to a folder in OneDrive named "Google Drive".
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my e-mail address change?
No. Your e-mail address will remain the same. Each user should have an address in the format [email protected]. (The only exception is users associated with non-U.S. sending centers. You might have a [email protected] or [email protected], etc.)
Do I need to notify my supporters and/or contacts of this change?
No. Your contact information will not change.
Am I going to lose e-mails or files?
Your mailbox is transferred to the new system intact. All folders and labels will be copied to the new mailbox.
Can I use my e-mail during this change?
Absolutely. You will not lose access to any e-mail during this change.
What if I need help accessing my new account?
You will be set up with a meeting with someone from GEM Information Services via telephone or video call to get your new account added to your devices and your old account removed. No major changes will be made to your account outside of this meeting.
I am already using Microsoft 365 with my gemission.com account. Does that mean I do not have to do this?
You still need to meet with someone from IT to finalize the closure of your Google account. Your primary username will also need to be adjusted to [email protected].€ Your gemission.com address will become an alias.
What about my Google Drive files?
Your files in Google Drive will be copied to the OneDrive associated with your GEM Microsoft 365 account.€ Google Forms are proprietary to Google and cannot be transferred.€ Active forms will need to be recreated in Microsoft Forms.€ The two platforms are almost identical in operation.
Any sharing permissions you have set up with others will be lost. If you regularly collaborate with others on files in your Google Drive, you should make note of those files and set up permissions for them in OneDrive once you are migrated.
Files in your Google Drive that are not owned by you but shared with you by someone else will not be copied to your OneDrive. These relationships will need to be reestablished once the other users are migrated. If this will present a problem for your regular workflows, notify IT and your migration will be coordinated with the other parties.
How much storage space do I get on OneDrive?
You will have 1 TB of storage space on OneDrive.€ That is significantly larger than the space provided on Google Drive. (30 GB)
Can you migrate my Google Photos also?
Google Photos is a separate platform we do not have the ability to access for you. We can assist you in moving your photos to OneDrive if you would like.
You can find out more about the Microsoft 365 platform at this link. If you want to learn about a specific application, you can select it from the list of apps on the center of the page.
Send questions or concerns to [email protected]