The M365 Foundational Services Project aims to build the IT foundation needed for increased M365 adoption at UBC. This IT foundation will bring UBC’s technology environment in line with modern standards so that the university will be able to introduce exciting new collaboration tools in the future.
Microsoft Foundation Services Project
- Start:
- Project Phase: Current
The M365 Foundation Services project includes the following:
Move to Microsoft Exchange Online
UBC is migrating its enterprise email services from locally hosted to the cloud platform Microsoft Exchange Online to improve email security and enhance UBC's technology environment by integrating with other Microsoft 365 collaboration tools.
M365 Licensing
All M365 users will need to have an identity in M365, and information about the user will be needed to assign the appropriate license rights and resources, so integration with UBC’s Identity and Access Management services and Workday will be required. Careful design of the categorization of users will be critical to streamline administration of the platform.
Email Standards and Policies
Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Exchange Online are to be used by tens of thousands of UBC constituents, and policy and practice decisions related to the platform need to be established in collaboration with a broad range of stakeholder groups, as well as lifecycle management.
Key Objectives
- Build the IT foundation layer for the M365 platform, M365 Identity and Microsoft Exchange Online
- Migrate UBC’s email services to Microsoft Exchange Online
- Improve security and compliance by implementing enhanced threat protection and governance features that will fortify email security and ensure compliance with standards
Strategic Alignment and Priorities
Migrating to Microsoft Exchange Online and integrating with other M365 tools and applications will enhance security, anticipate Microsoft’s end-of-life timeline, allow for seamless collaboration, and improve workflows. This project aligns with both UBC's privacy and information security priorities, and UBC’s Strategic Plan which is rooted in sustainability, excellence, innovation, and local and global engagement.
Timeline
2024 – 2025
Contact Us
If you would like to contact the M365 project team, please connect with us through the UBC IT Helpdesk
Page last updated on April 14, 2025