The owners of project accounts with mail access will be contacted separately and asked to inform us of the persons authorized to access them. This is to ensure that all people who work with the account can continue to do so.
What needs to be done?
In the week before the change of your mail account, you will be informed by e-mail about the upcoming change. You will also receive references to further information and documentation. In the following, we summarize the key points for you.
We recommend that you take this opportunity to update to the latest Microsoft Office version. This is now available to you in the Software Center. On computers of the University of Innsbruck, you can find this via the search in the Windows Start menu.
A) Data transfer
When it comes to data transfer, you don't have to take any action. All data is transmitted by the ZID in the background.
B) Mail access
Individual measures may be necessary when accessing the e-mails. What these are depends on your mail program. Below you will find notes on the most frequently used clients:
Outlook
Outlook requires a restart in the course of the changeover. This means that you have to close the program once and reopen it. Usually, you can continue working after the restart without any further precautions. In some cases, Outlook requires a new login. Please follow the instructions here . After that, you can continue working without any further changes.
Outlook on the web
If you want to access your data via "Outlook on the Web" ("Outlook Web Access"), please use the following new address for the mail portal: https://outlook.microsoft
Other mail programs
You can find appropriate support in the documentation on the university's mail system and the most common mail programs. However, you are also welcome to contact your contact the Technical Support or the Service Desk, if you have questions.
Mail program on the mobile phone
If you have integrated your mailbox into a mail program on your mobile phone, please delete the previous account and re-integrate the mail system as a Microsoft 365 account. (Note: This does not apply to the university app, you simply have to update it, see next point).
University app
An update of the app that supports the new mail system is already available for download in the App Store.
C) Further information and help
The ZID provides documentation with instructions for the mail system on its homepage. As part of the changeover, the information will be gradually updated and supplemented. If you have any questions about the migration process, please do not hesitate to contact our hotline at +43 512 507-23999 or your responsible contact person at ZID – Technical Support.
The ZID provides information on the configuration of the most common mail programs. We ask for your understanding that not all mail clients can be supported to the same extent. However, general access data and settings for the mail system are documented, which you are welcome to use in such cases (but without direct support for the client itself). In addition, the new web access to the mail system is also available at any time .
Reasons for the change
Microsoft is ending extended support for Microsoft Exchange on 04/14/2026. Microsoft's on-premises successor product (locally operated system) that will be available in the future is not attractive from the ZID's point of view. Against this background, the migration to M365 was chosen as the most sensible option in the short term to ensure the operation of the central mail services. At the same time, steps are being taken to preserve the digital sovereignty of the university in the medium term with a local, open mail system. The migration has been implemented in stages since December.
Measures to safeguard data protection
After the migration of the mail server, the corresponding data is processed in a Microsoft cloud environment. In this regard, comprehensive measures have been taken to ensure the protection of personal data and compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation. The data protection coordination and the data protection officer were informed about the necessary conversion from local to cloud operation. The ZID has taken measures to minimise data protection risks:
- Personal data is stored on servers within the EU within the framework of the EU Data Boundary.
- All data is encrypted both in transit and at rest.
- A mandatory 2-factor authentication is implemented for the use of e-mail accounts.
- The collection of usage data is reduced to a necessary minimum, optional services are not used, and third-party apps (apart from explicitly released integrations) are blocked.
Currently, there is no alternative available that runs locally on our computers, meets the requirements and is portable. We are continuously reviewing the extent to which specific needs (e.g. communication scenarios that require special protection) can be covered by additional technical or organizational measures within the M365 environment.
Maintaining digital sovereignty
From the university's point of view, the use of Microsoft 365 is not an optimal solution in terms of digital sovereignty. In the short term, however, there was no good alternative. Therefore, in consultation with the Rectorate, it was decided that the migration will also start a project that will implement a local mail solution based on open source systems in the medium term. Together with the other services of the ZID, this is intended to create a uniform, local infrastructure for digital communication and collaboration. The first steps in this direction have already been taken with the commissioning of Nextcloud ("Universe") and OpenProject. With the implementation of a new wiki system as well as the ticket system and the development of local cloud and AI infrastructure, concrete further steps to reduce digital dependence and thus to preserve digital sovereignty are already being planned or implemented.