The campus community will have access to a new, state-of-the-art, faster and more flexible e-mail system as early as January.

Following a pilot and beta test conducted by Information Technology Services (ITS) over the past six months, the new SunOne messaging service, known more generically as an IMAP or Internet Message Access Protocol system, soon will be available to faculty, staff and students.

In addition to its improved stability, the new service also provides valuable flexibility for users. For example, e-mail stored on the IMAP server can be manipulated from a desktop computer at home, a workstation at the University and a notebook or PDA while traveling-without the need to transfer messages or files back and forth between these computers.

SunOne messaging services will support Webmail and enable a limited amount of e-mail to be saved on the server for easy use from remote access. With the choice of clients, e-mail can still be saved to a desktop if preferred.

In January, the CWRU community will be asked if they want to switch from the current POP (Post Office Protocol) system to IMAP. The POP system, since it was designed to support "offline" message access, wherein messages are downloaded and then deleted from the mail server, works best when used on a single computer.

The new IMAP system will require very simple changes to a users' e-mail preferences. Additional announcements are expected with the new IMAP service.

Details on the new e-mail system, along with assistance in making the transition and information on any future changes, soon will be available on the ITS Web site at http://www.cwru.edu/its.