News - The University of Montana

On Tuesday morning, March 11, at approximately 9 am, the login screen for Outlook Web Access (OWA) changed and now provides new client and security options to enhance the email experience for UM faculty, staff, and students. OWA is the web-based interface for messaging.umt.edu and grizmail.umt.edu. We anticipate a smooth transition. However, if you attempt to log in or are logged into OWA during this transition, you may experience irregularities.

Following is a summary of the changes:

1. Two different client experiences: Basic and Premium

a. Basic – The Basic client provides fewer features than the premium client so it is more streamlined and generally faster to use. If you are on a slow connection (dial up) or if you are using a screen reader, the Basic client might be a better choice for you. An OWA session will automatically time out after 15 minutes of inactivity. Since typing in a message body is not viewed as activity in the Basic client, you must save your work often to avoid automatic time out and potential loss of work.

b. Premium – The Premium client provides all Outlook Web Access features. The Premium client is only available to those with Internet Explorer or browsers running in IE mode (i.e. Firefox with IE tabs). If you do not use these browsers, your only client option is Basic. NOTE: If you have been accessing OWA using IE 6 or higher, you have been using the Premium client.

2. New Security options: Public or Private

a. Public – Choose Public if you are on a campus public computer or if someone else may have quick access to the computer. For security reasons your OWA session will automatically timeout in 15 minutes if no activity occurs on your mailbox.

b. Private – Choose Private if you are the only person with access to the computer. Private allows a longer period of inactivity (24 hours) before logging you off.

The default settings are Premium and Public.

Further information is available for faculty/staff at the MSO-Messaging FAQ and for students at the GrizMail FAQ. All users are welcome to contact IT Central, 243-4357, for questions or comments.