To: EITU, InfoTech
From: EASI Communications
Re: Updates to Microsoft 365 licensing model
Dear colleagues,
As part of our continued commitment to service excellence, Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI) is pleased to announce that the University has reached a new licensing agreement with Microsoft. The new agreement will streamline the existing licensing model, providing a more secure, transparent and personalized Microsoft 365 experience for all members of the University community.
EASI will initiate a phased rollout of the new licensing model on June 20 with a scheduled completion date of July 30.
The impact of this planned migration on University-wide business processes will be minimal. However, we ask that you review the information below to learn more about how the improved licensing model will work, its benefits and how you can prepare for this change.
EASI extends our thanks to divisional IT leadership for their active participation in the development of this licensing model.
How does the new Microsoft 365 licensing model work?
The new Microsoft licensing model automatically assigns University community members with the Microsoft license that best suits the type of work they do at the University. EASI uses information in ROSI, HRIS and other data sources to determine the default toolkit that someone is assigned. This process is automated.
What are the benefits of this new licensing model?
The benefits of this new framework include:
-
- Improved security posture: All U of T community members and shared mailboxes will be enrolled in advanced M365 security services.
- Personalized automated access: Individuals will receive automatic license assignments based on the nature of the work they do with the University.
- Advanced administrative tools: Administrative staff, faculty and librarians will have access to a number of advanced administrative features such as the full version of Power BI and Teams audio conferencing.
- Flexibility: The updated licensing model recognizes that sometimes an individual will require access to tools outside of their toolkit. In these instances, divisions may submit an exceptions form on behalf of the individual.
How will the new licensing model impact my division?
The new licensing model will have minimal impact on existing business processes and most users will experience a seamless transition: all staff, students and faculty will continue to have access to a full range of online Microsoft 365 products. However, please be aware of the following changes:
-
- Faculty, librarians, administrative staff and students will now receive automatic access to the A5/full toolkit. The toolkit includes the full version of Power BI, Bookings and Microsoft 365 Apps (Desktop) for Enterprise.
- Casual staff and University staff members whose core job descriptions do not feature computing administrative duties (e.g. food service workers) will continue to have access to the standard range of Microsoft 365 products, including online versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint via the A1/standard toolkit. However, these groups must submit an exceptions request to access advanced administrative tools such as Bookings and Microsoft 365 Apps (Desktop) for Enterprise.
- Mailboxes in A1/standard toolkits are limited to 50GB of storage space.
Next steps
EASI will collaborate with divisional IT leadership throughout the migration to relay these changes to impacted stakeholders. We will distribute targeted communications to divisional IT leaders to provide timelines, user lists and resources.
For more information on Microsoft 365 licensing and toolkits, please review these knowledge base articles: Toolkit overview and eligibility | Toolkits for staff, faculty, students and other community members.
For any technical issues, help desks are asked to please open a ticket at https://uoft.me/m365help. For any other questions, please reach out to Prajwal Channaiah at prajwal.channaiah@utoronto.ca.
Kind regards,
EASI Communications