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Faculty and Staff: Can I Use E-mail Programs Besides Groupwise?

It is possible to use an alternate e-mail program (also referred to as a " POP3 e-mail client ") to access UMW e-mail. However, there are a few disadvantages to this choice:

  • No vacation rule: POP3 cannot automatically respond to messages when you are away.
  • No forwarding rule: POP3 cannot automatically forward UMW e-mail to another address.
  • Greater virus problems: MS Outlook, the usual POP3 e-mail client of choice, is much more susceptible to viruses than GroupWise . Because Outlook is a very commonly used e-mail client, most computer viruses target MS Outlook vulnerabilities. Sticking with GroupWise or Webmail will give you much greater protection from viruses and worms.
  • Greater security: Using GroupWise or Webmail, along with the server-side address books, keeps your e-mail within our network. By using a POP3 e-mail client, you are sending your e-mail out to the Internet before coming back into our e-mail servers. This should be of particular concern for those who send e-mails containing confidential or sensitive information.
  • Off-Campus Requires a Network Connection: If you are off-campus, using Webmail requires only an Internet connection. Using MS Outlook, or another POP3 e-mail client, requires that you first connect with UMW via VPN , or that you dial into the network . These methods of connection can be impractical when you are away from home or on vacation, and need to rely on alternate computers/ISPs for accessing e-mail.

For the above reasons, alternate POP3 e-mail clients for Windows users are not supported by UMW. Since there is no current GroupWise client for the Mac, Mac users are encouraged to use Webmail . Also, we have provided online tutorials for setting up OS X Mail and Eudora for Mac users who prefer to use a POP3 e-mail client. Keep in mind that the limitations of POP3 listed above apply to the Mac environment as well, and that, beyond the initial setup illustrated on these Web pages, use of OS X Mail and Eudora is not supported by UMW.