BU email service partners with Google, drops ACS

Starting this month, Boston University will offer email through Google Apps to students and faculty, moving away from the university’s current Affiliated Computer Services email platform.

According to representatives from BU Information Services and Technology, a partnership between Google and BU has existed for several years, but this is the first time students will have the option to use Gmail to access their BU email accounts.

Members of the class of 2015 will be given a Gmail account and current students and faculty members can switch over at any time.

Michael Krugman, the associate vice president of BUIT, said many factors contributed to the decision to switch to Gmail.

“A survey underscored how popular and familiar Gmail is among BU students,” Krugman said in an email. “Providing a service that had been independently selected by so many in our community who were already well acquainted with it were factors.”

Krugman said BU’s ACS email system is outdated and costly to support.
“Gmail is incorporated into Google’s broader portfolio of communication and collaboration services,” Krugman said. “It would have been wasteful if not impossible for the University to replicate such resources.”

The partnership between Google and BU will offer students more than a Gmail account. Students now have access to other Google Apps using their BU Kerberos password, including Google Sites, Google Calendar and Google Documents.

BU’s Gmail accounts will be integrated with all of these services, allowing users to synchronize calendars and use Google Documents for school projects.

CAS junior Ruben Marques said he is excited for the switch because of these integrated services.

“You can hook Gmail up with everything,” Marques said. “That’s what makes it the best.”

Marques said he already uses Gmail in addition his ACS email, but said he would switch his BU email to Google Apps.

Tucker Rose, a junior in the School of Hospitality Administration, said being offered access to only an ACS email server by BU was inconvenient at times.

“I would use Gmail because the BU email now sucks,” Rose said. “It’s slow and there always seems to be something wrong with it.”

Amanda Cohen, a sophomore in the College of General Studies, said she never goes on BU’s website. Instead, she has her BU email forwarded to her Gmail.

“BU’s email is really irritating,” Cohen said. “I don’t get why you can’t see when you’ve sent an email. It just doesn’t make sense to me.”

The switch to Gmail will allow students to continue using their BU email address after graduating.

Winston Yang, a freshman in the School of Management, said this is the most convincing reason to make the switch.

“I’d much rather have Gmail after graduating,” Yang said. “I won’t have to worry about my email now.”

While BU has no immediate plans with Google to increase services for students, Krugman said services would likely be added in the future.

“In any case, Google will continue to have broad use and utility around the globe and at BU,” he said.

Staff member Alex Nawar contributed reporting to this article