Starting today, July 15, 2020, Google Chat has replaced classic Google Hangouts in Gmail and is now the default option for direct (one-to-one) messages, group messages, and team-based room discussions within Gmail. For several years, classic Google Hangouts had been a part of Google at U-M and integrated with Google Mail. Google Chat is an updated, team-based experience… Read More »
Google Chat will be replacing classic Google Hangouts in Gmail. Google Chat is an evolution of classic Hangouts, adding additional features that let you chat with individuals, send group messages, and engage in team-based collaboration with rooms across the entire university community and externally. Starting July 15, 2020, Google Chat will become the default option for direct (one-to-one)… Read More »
As of December 31, 2020, Google will no longer support Google Cloud Print, Google’s beta, cloud-based printing solution. Beginning January 1, 2021, devices across all operating systems will not be able to print using Google Cloud Print. It is recommended that you find an alternative print solution and migrate your print services by the end of 2020. One alternative, MPrint, is U-M’s printing… Read More »
Google has announced they will be transitioning Google+ over to an updated service called Google Currents. Starting on July 6, 2020, you will begin to lose access to Google+ and all existing communities will begin the transition to Currents. No action is required by you or your team. Google Currents is a rebranding of Google+ with an updated… Read More »
Google has announced they will integrate Google Meet into Gmail, making it easier to create a session and stay connected right from your inbox. This feature is currently only available in Gmail on the web but is coming soon to the Gmail mobile app. According to Google, this feature should begin showing up in U-M Google on April 30 and… Read More »
When you share files or folders from Google Drive or Box, you can control the level of permissions granted to others. The U-M Collaboration Services team recommends using caution when you choose permissions for your files and folders to ensure the privacy and security of university data. This is especially true when collaborating with people outside of U-M.… Read More »
As U-M has shifted to offering classes, programs, and events in alternative and virtual formats, Michigan IT has risen to the challenge by enabling and supporting the most cutting-edge conferencing services available.
At the beginning of March, Google announced they would extend temporary access to some premium Hangouts Meet features until July 1, 2020. These features are now available within the U-M domain: Increased participant limit of 250 participants per video call Livestream a video call (up to 100,000 viewers) Record a video call Important: U-M Google is not HIPAA-compliant. Review the Sensitive Data Guide for types of data permitted… Read More »
To better accommodate the need for team-based chat and collaboration, Google Hangouts Chat is now available for use at U-M. Hangouts Chat is a G Suite for Education core service. It is free and covered under U-M’s agreement with Google and also can be used for certain kinds of sensitive data. It should not be used for protected… Read More »
As we move into the new year, UM-Flint ITS is completing the final steps of the Google implementation started over a year ago. Over the past year, this migration involved a significant effort from a core team comprised of nine full-time ITS staff members and approximately 20 part-time student workers known as Google Guides. The rest of ITS,… Read More »
Google launched Fusion Tables almost nine years ago as a research project in Google Labs, later evolving into an experimental product. For a long time, it was one of the few free tools for easily visualizing large datasets, especially on a map. Since then, Google has developed several alternatives, providing deeper experiences in more specialized domains. To continue… Read More »
In February, Google announced plans to transition from classic Hangouts to Hangouts Chat. Hangouts Chat is a workstream collaboration tool that allows for team-based discussion, bots, and more. Google provided a timeline of changes and initially stated they would start retiring classic Hangouts in October, 2019. However, there have been delays as Google listened to critical customer feedback… Read More »
In response to strong feedback about certain features and functionality missing in new Google Sites, classic Sites creation has been re-enabled in U‑M Google. This decision was made to minimize impact to fall term coursework requiring those features. Classic Sites creation will be available until closer feature parity exists between classic Sites and new Sites. The main impact… Read More »
At the beginning of this year, UM-Flint ITS began the process of migrating the campus to Google G Suite for Education from Microsoft Exchange/Outlook email and calendar services. Currently, all students and a majority of faculty and staff have been successfully migrated to Google. Remaining departments will continue to migrate up to the end of July. ITS moved… Read More »
Due to the anticipated availability of Google Hangouts Chat and Microsoft Teams later this summer, ITS will not offer Slack or Slack Enterprise Grid as a centralized campus service. As a reminder to current Slack users: Slack may not be used with sensitive university data, including data protected by FERPA. Slack accounts are considered to be personal accounts… Read More »
Beginning June 23, 2019, UM-Flint will activate student Google accounts, granting them access to the Google platform using their unique name with the new @umich.edu extension—versus the previous @umflint.edu extension. This transition follows previous moves for Ann Arbor and Dearborn and is as part of efforts to reduce costs, increase collaboration, and advance technology on the Flint campus.… Read More »
Beginning May 3, 2019, you will no longer be able to create classic Google Sites in U-M Google. For the time being, existing classic Sites will remain available for updates. This step is in preparation for the eventual retirement of classic Sites. We urge you to convert any remaining classic Sites to the new Sites format. Beginning May… Read More »
The Collaboration Services team has discovered that using third-party apps to connect to a U-M Google account can lead to unexpected results. Google-created apps and applications Apps and applications created by Google provide the most seamless experience when using Google services, particularly with mobile devices. Google-created apps and applications are also supported by Google, whereas third-party apps are… Read More »
As we first communicated on March 4, Google will delete some content in U-M Google+ on April 2, 2019. The ITS Collaboration Services team consulted with Google+ Product Managers to develop a recommended action plan. Please note this information is what we currently understand, according to Google. See the most up to date information directly from Google. Communities Communities owned by at… Read More »
As communicated in December 2018, Google stated that Google+ would remain available in U-M Google after Google retires its consumer version of G+. However, the ITS Collaboration Services team has recently become aware that there are important exceptions that could affect some campus accounts in Google+. (Be sure to read Google’s documentation for details and the most recent… Read More »