Northwestern Embraces New E-mail Options for NU Community

In an effort to support a growing number of popular and versatile e-mail software options in the marketplace, Northwestern University Information Technology (NUIT) is joining a growing number of universities ending distribution of future versions of Eudora e-mail client software and recommending more secure and reliable choices.

Many industry-standard e-mail and communication technologies, such as Outlook, Outlook Express, Entourage, and Apple Mail are providing more flexibility and added feature benefits while successfully integrating with centralized University enterprise systems.

In addition, the number of new Eudora users at Northwestern has been steadily dropping in recent years, evidenced by ever-decreasing number of software downloads from the NUIT Web site. This makes it no longer cost-effective to continue to provide a centrally funded site license.

Note: NUIT will continue technical support of current versions of Eudora, but will not purchase or distribute any future versions of Eudora after September 1, 2006. Users are encouraged to use this time to research their options and choose an alternative e-mail client.

Faculty, staff, and students currently using Eudora are encouraged to switch to an alternative e-mail client. Most e-mail programs operate in the same manner and offer similar features and functionalities. NUIT recommends that Windows users explore Outlook or Outlook Express, while Mac users are encouraged to look into Apple Mail or Microsoft Entourage.

These University-recommended e-mail options are freely available, usually bundled with most computer operating systems, and offer numerous features and tools. They also meet NUIT's criteria to work effectively with Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Northwestern's new directory structure, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), and provide automatic vendor security patches and updates. Each will accept importation of Eudora data, including your address book.

NOTE: The migration of your Eudora e-mail messages and address book to a new e-mail client is optional. You may still choose to use Eudora as your preferred e-mail client, or keep Eudora for easy access to old e-mail. NUIT will continue support of Eudora for the foreseeable future. After September 1, 2006 the University will not provide additional software upgrades and will eventually discontinue support when vendor support ends.

How you configure your e-mail software can make a major difference in your productivity. Consult NUIT's E-mail Software Configuration Web page for detailed set-up instructions.

Eudora users also have the option of migrating their e-mail messages and address book into another e-mail application. NUIT has provided easy to use, step-by-step procedures for moving data into Outlook 2003, Outlook Express, Entourage, or Apple Mail.

For questions, please contact your local technical support person or the NUIT Support Center at 847-491-HELP (4357), or send e-mail to consultant@northwestern.edu.