This page quickly answers frequently asked questions about Central Piedmont’s transition from Google to Microsoft 365. If you cannot find the information you need, or you would like to submit a question for the team to answer, please email us.
Go to Microsoft.com and enter your Central Piedmont credentials to access Microsoft 365’s productivity applications.
Following is a list of applications that will be available on initial rollout:
Visit our Comparison Guide to see how these applications compare to their Google Suite counterparts.
The initial Microsoft transition will include commonly used office productivity apps; however, over time we will make additional applications available.
If you would like to use other applications, open a ticket with the Service Desk (login required) for assistance.
Chrome and Edge are both web browsers. Chrome is Google's web browser, while Edge is owned by Microsoft. Both browsers are supported by ITS, but some applications may be recommended for specific tasks or activities. For example, students and faculty who use Chromebooks should use Google Chrome for web browsing. It's worth noting that bookmarks in Chrome are called Favorites in Edge.
Yes, Microsoft supports collaborative document editing.
Yes. Users should be aware that if you use the "Save As" option instead of "Save," that creates a new version of the file. Individuals who had access to the original document won't be able to access the new version unless you explicitly share it with them again.
Policies related to preferred names will not change. Employees should contact HR, and students should contact Student Records, for guidance on changing their preferred name.
Yes, there is an "archive" folder in each mailbox.
The web version of OneDrive will be available on all workstations, including those on classroom computers.
Both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are supported by ITS, and users can choose which browser they prefer. However, there may be some tasks or activities that provide a better user experience using one browser over the other. For example, students and faculty who use Chromebooks should use Google Chrome for web browsing.
Yes, students will be instructed to use the Web version of the M365 tools and services.
Yes.
Yes, you can. You can receive in app notifications or set up an email when collaborators make changes to your documents. Learn more about how to set up notifications.
Yes, students are considered part of our organization. This means that students will be able to access documents that are set to the "anyone within the organization can view" permission.
ITS is working on a Knowledgebase article for the Brightspace/Teams integration. We will provide this link as soon as it is available. In addition, the Technical Training Institute is preparing a Brightspace/Teams integration training session. Faculty and staff are encouraged to sign up for this training in NeoEd.
Instructors should use Brightspace to share documents with students. Google links in Brightspace will be available for 120 days after the migration is complete. Students are part of the Microsoft organization and will be able to view these links after the migration.
Students will have access to OneNote via Office 365.
Shared Word documents and other Office files are live documents. They will reflect changes in all shared locations and links in real-time. Similar to Google Docs, they may be edited by multiple people simultaneously.
Classes are created via an integration with Brightspace. These are tied to sections and expire at the end of the course. They will be created and will expire automatically.
Contact the Service Desk to open a ticket.
Contact one of the Site Owners listed on the page for assistance.
Yes, databases are allowed; however, we are attempting to keep all personally identifiable information (PII) out of SharePoint. If you need assistance with creating a database that contains PII, please contact the Service Desk (login required) for assistance with creating a workflow.
Yes; however only Site Owners will have the ability to create libraries in SharePoint.
OneDrive is a personal document repository. SharePoint is a shared document repository.
SharePoint is the back-end repository for file storage in Teams. Each Team has its own linked SharePoint site.
Yes, your calendar items will be migrated.
If your department has a shared Google Drive that all employees in your department can access, the same people will be able to access your department’s OneDrive with the permissions they had in Google Drive.
However, if you are sharing documents with Central Piedmont employees outside of your department, you will need to reset those permissions after the migration.
For example, let’s say the Digital Strategy team is working on website changes with staff from the Library. All of the documents related to the project are stored in Google Drive. After the migration is complete, the Digital Strategy team will need to share those documents again with staff from the Library. The Digital Strategy team will need to set the appropriate permissions for the project documents, as well.
Sharing permissions can also be set at the folder level. So, if all of the Digital Strategy team’s project documents are stored in the same folder, they can share all of the documents and set permissions in that folder with their colleagues in the Library.
No, it is not necessary to move any content over to OneDrive at this time. The migration tool will capture and move all content from Google Drive into your OneDrive.
No, the migration tool will verify the most recent copy of a file in OneDrive and will only overwrite that copy if your latest version was created in Google Drive.
Most tools will use Microsoft's Authenticator app for two-factor authentication after the migration. However, some single sign on (SSO) will still use Duo. The complete transition from Duo to Authenticator is a post-migration project.
You can share a file with specific alumni by using their email address. Contact the Digital Strategy team for assistance with documents that are linked to the public-facing website, www.cpcc.edu.
Google Labels will be migrated to Outlook Folders. If an email has multiple labels, a folder will be created for each label and a copy of the email will be placed in each folder.
No. Students must download all of the data they wish to keep from their Google Site before Sept. 15, 2024.
No. The eLocker feature has been unavailable since 2021.
No. Student emails sent from their @cpcc.edu email address will exist within the same email domain, so this label is no longer necessary.
If the shared calendar is connected to a department mailbox, it will migrate. If it is a shared calendar created separately from a department mailbox, it will not migrate.
New owners for these files will need to be determined. Then, the new owner must determine if the file(s) need to be migrated. If you have questions, please contact the Service Desk.
No, the U Drive will not be part of the migration. Files stored on the U drive will not be impacted by this project.
Yes.
Yes. These assets are available on the Branding, Logo, and Templates page on the intranet (login required).
If you have custom contacts in Gmail, you will need to re-create them in Outlook. They will not be migrated over.
Yes, students are considered part of our organization. This means that students will be able to access documents that are set to the "anyone within the organization can view" permission.
No, there is no migration path for Google Keep. Users should copy their items manually from Google Keep to OneNote.
The migration to Microsoft 365 will be rolled out in phases to minimize the impact to end users. Phase I culminated with the launch of the intranet in SharePoint (login required) in December 2023. Phase II will be completed when all remaining products are live.
Upcoming milestones:
To prepare for the migration to SharePoint, users can clean up their personal and shared Google Drive by deleting documents that are no longer needed.
Unfortunately, this is not possible through Gmail. Faculty and staff should encourage their colleagues and students to pay attention to the weekly migration emails that provide project updates. Questions may be directed to the Service Desk via the client portal.
Teams does not have meeting room links like WebEx has. However, you will be able to create a permanent meeting link within Teams. ITS is preparing a Knowledgebase article with information about how to set this up.
Each Class Team has an integrated SharePoint home page that can be customized. The Teams themselves support chat, meetings, a class OneNote, file uploads, and instructor insights.
Class Team owners will be able to create and manage channels in their team, schedule meetings, and upload files.
Students will be able to send direct messages, create meetings, and participate in Class Teams they are a part of.
Team owners will be responsible for managing team members.
Team channels are managed by team owners. Most employees will be members of teams and a number of channels. Meetings can be recorded in Teams.
Please refer to the Knowledgebase article for more information on Teams definitions and permissions.
Teams and groups will be created by ITS. Please refer to the Knowledgebase article for more information on Teams definitions and permissions.
Channels are created by their respective Team Owners. Please refer to the Knowledgebase article for more information on Teams definitions and permissions.
Team Owners will be able to edit Teams once they are created by ITS. Please refer to the Knowledgebase article for more information on Teams definitions and permissions.
Central Piedmont employees are encouraged to sign up for Microsoft 365 training through NeoEd (login required), the college’s training platform. Additional training classes will be added over time. You can also find general, application-specific training on LinkedIn Learning.
Students should contact the Digital Literacy Learning Space to find out what training is best suited for their needs.
Yes! Organizational Learning and Leadership Development will offer Open Labs starting in May 2024. These in-person sessions provide an opportunity to practice skills related to Microsoft 365 and get help from one of our trainers. You can register for these sessions in NeoEd, the college’s training platform.
Sign up for one of Organizational Learning and Leadership Development’s SCULPTing classes in NeoEd, the college’s training platform. The SCULPTing classes will teach you how to ensure documents you create in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint are accessible for all users. These classes will be available starting in April 2024.
The Organizational Learning and Leadership Development team is creating a webpage where employees can access short tutorial videos, quick start guides, and other resources to bring you up-to-speed on Microsoft applications quickly and on your schedule. Visit Central Piedmont 365 Learning Express (login required) to get started.
Webex Meetings will be available until we have fully migrated to Microsoft Teams in May 2024.
No, favorites will not transition to Microsoft Teams from Webex.
No, those recordings cannot be migrated directly to Teams. The recommended procedure for those with recordings they want to continue using is to download the videos from Webex and upload them to Panopto. Users with recordings in Webex must download these before the May 17 cutoff date for Webex. A tutorial shows how to download your videos from Webex and upload them to Panopto.
No. This will no longer be available after the migration.
You can still use the Webex phone feature for inbound and outbound phone calls. For web meetings and internal calls, you will need to use Teams. Desk phones will continue to operate normally.
Plans are underway to consolidate phone calls into Teams.
Yes. Webex "spaces" will be recreated as Channels in Teams, which will require members to rejoin them. There will be some larger public spaces that will be recreated by the ITS team. However, smaller spaces and private spaces will need to be recreated by an end-user.
No, there is no direct migration from WebEx chat history to Teams. Users must copy chat history and attachments out of WebEx manually before May 17, 2024.