Zoom Videoconferencing at U-M (message to faculty and staff)

To: 
Faculty and staff
From: 
Ravi Pendse
Date: 
Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Dear faculty and staff,

With input from many of you, ITS has been working diligently to provide the community with the resources and support you need in order to work remotely. In response to numerous requests for additional methods for videoconferencing, I am excited to share that we have added Zoom, a feature-rich service that includes options for online meetings, chat rooms, webinars, and mobile collaboration. I am sending you this email directly because we wanted you to be aware of this new option for connecting remotely as soon as possible.

Zoom is a great option for the university because it is accessible and many members of the community are already familiar with the tool. Our existing videoconferencing tools, including BlueJeans and Google Hangouts, will continue to be available.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If your area or department already uses Zoom, please contact your unit’s IT support for guidance before installing the versions below.

Using Zoom

  • Visit the Zoom page on the ITS website for more information, or access the tool directly at zoom.umich.edu.
  • Install Zoom for GSuite add-on to schedule meetings from Gmail and Google Calendar.
  • Integrations with Canvas, Blackboard, and MiVideo will follow later this week. If you are already using Zoom through Canvas, please continue with your existing process.

MiWorkspace Users

PHI and Other Sensitive Data

  • Zoom is not yet approved for Private Health Information or other forms of sensitive data. BlueJeans is the recommended campus videoconferencing tool for meetings that will contain sensitive data until these agreements are reached with Zoom.

I hope you find Zoom helpful, and please reach out to the ITS Service Center if you need any assistance.

I’m grateful for your partnership and dedication as we continue to come together and work as a university community to respond to COVID-19. I invite you to reach out to me any time I can be of help.

Best regards,

Ravi 

Ravi Pendse, PhD
Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
University of Michigan
[email protected]