Case Study: Queen's University achieves improved campus life and student productivity with Microsoft Office 365

University Improves Campus Life, Student Productivity with Online Collaboration Tools

Queen’s University, a 170‑year‑old institution in Kingston, Ontario serving more than 24,000 students, faced an outdated Unix-based email system that left undergraduates with 100 MB inboxes, no calendaring, and inconsistent mobile sync. ITServices needed a scalable, cost-effective solution that preserved on‑premises authentication and interoperability with faculty systems while meeting student expectations for modern email and calendar access.

Queen’s deployed a hybrid solution—Exchange Server 2010 on‑premises for faculty, staff, and grads and Microsoft Office 365 (Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Lync Online) for undergraduates—migrating 45,000 student accounts in 13 hours. The move delivered 250× larger mailboxes, Exchange ActiveSync mobile sync, web access via Outlook Web App, decommissioned nine legacy servers, and avoided about CAD$500,000 in storage costs, improving student productivity and campus engagement.

Queen's University

Michael Smith

Senior Technical Support Specialist, ITServices