Enhancing the College's Digital Infrastructure

From the Desks of Vice President of College Services Kerry Clarke and Vice President of Education & Students Taya Whitehead…

We are writing to share some exciting news and important updates regarding the college-wide implementation of Microsoft Teams and the migration to an updated file storage system.

As you may know, our institution has been working tirelessly to enhance our digital infrastructure, streamline communication channels and improve collaboration among our staff and students. Microsoft Teams provides chat, video conferencing, file storage and sharing, as well as project management tool integration. Its powerful features and seamless integration with other Microsoft applications make it an ideal choice for our needs. We are piloting Microsoft Teams over the summer and expecting continued rollout through the fall and winter.

Additionally, we are upgrading and migrating our legacy on premise storage services to the updated system. The updated file storage system will provide improved performance, scalability, and reliability for storing and accessing files. This migration will allow us to retire aging infrastructure and reduce risk of failure. We appreciate everyone’s support of the migration efforts.

Here are some key benefits we anticipate with the Microsoft Teams rollout and updated file storage system migration:

1. Improved Communication: Microsoft Teams will serve as a centralized hub for messaging, video conferencing and collaboration, enabling real-time communication and fostering stronger connections among employees.
2. Enhanced Collaboration: Microsoft Teams' collaborative features, such as document co-authoring, screen sharing and virtual meetings, will empower employee teams to work together seamlessly and efficiently, regardless of their physical location.
3. Streamlined Workflow: By integrating Teams with other Microsoft applications like Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, we can streamline workflows, reduce email clutter and ensure that everyone stays on the same page.
4. Upgraded Storage Infrastructure: The updated file storage system will provide enhanced performance, scalability and reliability for storing and accessing files, ensuring a seamless user experience for all staff members.

We understand that adopting new technologies and processes can be challenging. Our dedicated IT Services team is working with partners to develop training resources, tutorials and workshops to support the transition to these new tools.

The adoption of Microsoft Teams and the migration to the updated file storage system will revolutionize the way we collaborate, communicate and work together as a unified team. This exciting transformation will help us achieve our goals more efficiently and effectively, ultimately benefiting our students and the entire Selkirk College community.

If you would like more information on either of these initiatives, please contact Selkirk College’s Chief Information Officer, Nick Howald at nhowald@selkirk.ca