Service catalogue

Our Service Catalogue is a list of services provided by IT Services to members of the University of Sussex and certain categories of visitors.

Each service within the catalogue typically includes a brief description of the service and how to access it, who is entitled to use/request the service, details of availability and service maintenance, and links to further information. This is intended to help improve knowledge within the University of the range of services we currently provide and to help users get more out of them. The range of services offered is reviewed annually with the University IT Consultative Group.

Information and Support
Applications and Tools
Student Workstations
Teaching and Learning
Staff Services
Business Services
Research
Network and Storage

Email and Calendaring

Service ID

3

Summary

Provides full-function email facilities (including spam filtering),  electronic calendaring (Staff and Research postgraduates), contact management and related functions for registered users.  The facility may be accessed through a variety of software tools from University-managed devices and from user-administered devices at any location with suitable connectivity.

Permitted users

Members of the University.

Gaining access

Access to the service requires an IT Services username and password. This is issued as part of the enrolment/employment process. 

Hours of operation

This service is accessible 24 hours a day.

Supported period

Normal working days.

Change control

Changes will be advertised in the normal ways.

ITS Responsibilities

  1. To provide incoming/outgoing email services.
  2. To administer email accounts for individuals and staff groups.
  3. To administer the University’s mailing list system .
  4. To perform anti-virus checking and spam filtering of incoming/outgoing email.
  5. To provide electronic calendaring services (Staff and Research Postgraduate students only).
  6. To provide support and documentation for the service.

Service user responsibilities

  1. To read and understand the University’s Guidance on the use of email:  
    http://www.sussex.ac.uk/its/services/software/emailandcalendar/guidance and to use the service responsibly.
  2. To consult the IT Services’ guide to the administration of mailing lists:  http://www.sussex.ac.uk/its/services/software/emailandcalendar/mailinglists/managing 
  3. To regularly housekeep accounts and mailing lists for which they are responsible, managing mailbox size, out-of-office messages,  mail forwarding etc.
  4. Never to disclose confidential credentials, such as passwords.
  5. To report to IT Services any email considered potentially fraudulent or containing a virus. 

Service dependencies

Data Network (#1), Managed Filestore (#2)

Detailed service description

Provides members of the University with the entitlement  to an email address ending @sussex.ac.uk.

 Electronic mail to these addresses is stored centrally on the University s mail system and can be accessed from an IT Services computer in an office or computer room, or from anywhere using webmail or a preferred email application.

 Two mail systems are used for this service:

Staff and Research Postgraduates have access to the Microsoft Exchange email and calendaring system.

Undergraduates and taught postgraduates use a different email system (without a calendaring component).

 Staff and Research Postgraduate email and calendars are provided by MS Exchange “on premise”, via two clustered campus systems kept in synchronization, ensuring robust end-user service.  Email and calendaring are supported across most devices (and operating systems) including devices which support MS Active Sync. Undergraduate email is provided by a separate system, normally accessed via a web-based application.

University email addresses are searchable (by internal users only) within the Exchange Global Address List and within the University’s web-based ‘Staff’  and ‘Student’ search directories:

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/USIS/studentdirectory/

IT Services are not automatically informed by HR of name changes, so members of Staff and Postgraduate students may request a change in their allocated email address via webform:

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/its/help/smartform

Increased mailbox quotas may be requested via webform:

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/its/help/smartform

On-site mailstores are backed up nightly for disaster recovery purposes only. Exchange’s ‘Recover Deleted Items’ function enables Staff and Research postgraduate users to self-restore mail deleted within 28 days. 

Links to ITS documentation

Definitions

Normal working days
These are defined for all ITS services as Monday – Friday inclusive, but excluding Bank Holidays and University Minimum Service Days.
Scheduled Maintenance
IT username and password
These are the login credentials, issued by IT Services to registered students and current staff of the University of Sussex, enabling access to email, workstations and other services requiring authentication.

New and changed services

Information about changes to services including any scheduled maintenance, are posted on the IT Services website and distributed by the IT Services Facebook, Twitter and RSS feed. Current service status traffic light information is also displayed on the IT Services website.

If the service you are enquiring about is not described below, please get in touch.

User responsibilities

All service users are expected to abide by the rules and regulations described in Regulations for the use of Information and Communication Technology and to report faults, as they arise, to IT Services.

Updated on 19 May 2014