Spotlight News

Spotlight News

WebMail/OWA Change Announcement

On Tuesday, June 30, the login page for faculty and staff Outlook Web Access (OWA) was updated with some new options. Microsoft Outlook Web Access is the web-based version of the College’s email system for faculty and staff. Users typically access this resource through the Web Mail link on the College’s homepage or by opening https://gibbes.cofc.edu in a web browser. On Tuesday, if you access your e-mail using Web Mail (OWA), you will see the following login page.

Your username and password will be the same as when you log into Outlook Web Access today.

The new login page offers two distinct interfaces, depending on which web browser you use.

If you are using Internet Explorer, you may choose between the feature rich Premium mode, which allows drag-and-drop and right-click functions similar to Outlook 2003, or Basic mode, which is somewhat faster but offers fewer features. If you use any other web browser, like Firefox or Safari, only Basic mode is available and Client choice is not displayed.

The Security setting (Public or Private) changes the amount of time you may be inactive before the server logs you off. To protect your account from unauthorized access, Outlook Web Access automatically closes its connection to your mailbox after a period of inactivity. Public or shared computer is the standard setting and allows 15 minutes of inactivity before session time out. Choosing Private computer will allow 24 hours of inactivity before session time out. If your session ends, refresh your browser, and then log on again.

A feature comparison between Outlook 2003 and Outlook Web Access 2003 is available online at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA010990461033.aspx

This change is necessary to allow e-mail access using the new MyCharleston portal, part of the BATTERY project, and to improve Outlook Web Access security.

If you have any questions, please contact the Helpdesk at 3-3375.