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Microsoft 365 Transition

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VIMS & Batten School is consolidating its Microsoft 365 environment with William & Mary. After the transition, every VIMS & Batten School employee will have a single sign-on (SSO) credential instead of managing two separate Microsoft accounts. The IT team will perform the migration work behind the scenes. This page has everything you need to know before and during the transition.

Your @vims.edu email is not going away

It is impractical for your old email address to ever go away, as too many collaborators, vendors, and external contacts over the years have communicated with you using it. Emails will continue to arrive at your vims.edu address with no change to the look and feel of your messages. 

What is changing

This is a back-end Microsoft 365 change, not an organizational change. Here is what will be different after the transition:

  • Single sign-on (SSO): You will sign in once with your W&M credentials and gain access to email, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Office. No more choosing between two Microsoft accounts.

  • Mailbox moves, email address unchanged: Your mailbox moves to the W&M tenant, but emails sent to your @vims.edu address will continue to arrive normally. There is no change to the external appearance of your email.

  • Computer login stays the same: You will continue to log in to your computer using your VIMS credentials.

  • IT handles the migration: The IT team will perform the backend work. Your Teams content, OneDrive files, SharePoint sites, distribution lists, and shared mailboxes will be migrated for you.

What is not changing

Your job, your role, your reporting structure, your VIMS & Batten School affiliation, the website, the brand, your phone number, your office, and your access to VIMS-specific systems are all unchanged. This is a Microsoft 365 consolidation, not an organizational change.

What you gain

Education A5 license

The full Microsoft Education A5 license tier, which includes advanced compliance, auditing, analytics capabilities, and enhanced security tools.

Stronger security

Enterprise-grade email spam filtering and advanced threat protection through the W&M tenant. This significantly reduces phishing scams and provides centralized identity management across one set of credentials and one audit trail.

IT capacity for research

Less time spent on duplicate tenant management means the IT team has more capacity to focus on supporting local infrastructure and scientific research.

Frequently asked questions

Will I lose my vims.edu email address?

No. Mail will continue to send and receive to your @vims.edu address after the cutover. You will not miss messages from collaborators, vendors, or external contacts. 

What is single sign-on (SSO) and how is it different from what we have today?

Every VIMS employee has two separate Microsoft accounts and has to choose which one to use depending on the system or form they are accessing. After the cutover, you will have one single sign-on (SSO) credential. You sign in once with your W&M credentials and gain access to email, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, Office, and W&M systems without having to re-enter credentials or pick between accounts. This is the change that will most directly reduce daily friction for staff.

Why are we doing this?

VIMS staff manage two separate Microsoft accounts, two Teams environments, two SharePoint sites, and two sets of logins. This creates daily friction, security gaps, and confusion about which system to use for which task. Consolidating into a single Microsoft 365 environment with William & Mary gives us a single sign-on (SSO) credential, one Teams, one OneDrive, and one set of files to manage.

Is VIMS losing its identity?

No. VIMS & Batten School remains part of William & Mary, with the same mission, leadership, branding, and culture. What is changing is the back end of our Microsoft environment. Our website, our logo, our publications, and our identity as VIMS & Batten School are not impacted by this change.

What specifically is changing?

For all Microsoft applications: email, Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint, you will sign in with your William & Mary credentials. The VIMS Microsoft tenant will be retired. Mail to your vims.edu address will continue to arrive in the same mailbox.

When is this happening?

Leadership briefings and the all-staff announcement take place before the cutover. The technical cutover is scheduled for January 2027, with IT performing the migration work behind the scenes. Additional IT support continues after the cutover as needed.

What about my Teams chats, files, and SharePoint sites?

IT will migrate your existing Teams content, OneDrive files, and SharePoint sites to the consolidated environment. You will not need to manually move files. After cutover you will have a single Teams environment instead of two.

What about distribution lists and shared mailboxes?

Distribution lists and shared mailboxes will be migrated as part of the cutover. If you manage a shared mailbox or distribution list, IT will contact you in advance if any action is required on your part.

What new capabilities do we gain?

Access to advanced Microsoft 365 features (Education A5 tier), improved security and threat protection, Teams Calling, Power BI for research data dashboards and analytics, seamless calendar and file sharing with William & Mary colleagues, and a single login for all Microsoft services.

Where do I get help?

Submit a help ticket at ithelp.vims.edu. Drop-in IT office hours will be scheduled during the transition period. A dedicated section of this website will host the FAQ, the staff checklist, and status updates.

What you need to do

Your action list is short. IT is handling the migration work. Here is what you need to do:

  1. Watch for the all-staff announcement email
  2. Read the FAQ section on this page
  3. Attend a drop-in IT office hours session if you have questions (optional)
  4. Reconfigure your mobile device email if prompted (IT will provide a guide)
  5. Submit a help ticket at ithelp.vims.edu for any issues

Training and support

The IT team is committed to making this transition as smooth as possible. The following resources are available before, during, and after the cutover:

Help tickets: Submit a request at ithelp.vims.edu for any issues or questions. This is the fastest way to get help.

IT office hours: Drop-in sessions will be scheduled during the transition period so you can ask questions and get hands-on help. Dates and times will be posted here.

Microsoft training classes: Targeted training on the new environment will be offered before and after the cutover.

This page: This FAQ page will be updated throughout the transition with status updates, new questions, and additional resources.