- What is BergApps?
- When will BergApps be available?
- What is the uptime for BergApps?
- Why the transition to BergApps?
- What if I already have a personal Google/Gmail account?
BergApps, our implementation of Google Apps for Education, is a powerful communication and collaboration suite. It replaces (and greatly enhances) our older, web-based BergMail system. Our initial rollout of BergApps will include the following tools:
- Gmail (the "new" BergMail)
- provides our users with 25GB of email storage, highly effective spam filtering, and powerful search integrated with voice and video chat
- Google Calendar
- allows our users to easily coordinate class and meeting schedules online
- Google Docs
- gives our users tools to create and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms, and drawings in real-time, as well as upload and share any file type
- Google Talk
- lets our users send instant messages to contacts for free anytime, anywhere in the world
- Google Sites
- provides our users with tools to work together to keep related documents, personal web content, and other information in one place, on one site
Because these tools are Powered by Google, our users know that they will be available anytime, anywhere, on both desktop and mobile platforms. We plan to add additional Google services to our implementation after our initial rollout is complete.
When will BergApps be available?
Students and alumni with @heidelberg.edu email addresses transitioned to BergApps in May, 2011. The process for accessing their BergApps accounts was communicated to students repeatedly beginning in early May. Faculty, staff, and guests will transition beginning in early summer. We hope to have all users transitioned to BergApps by the end of the fall semester.
What is the uptime for BergApps?
Google guarantees that their system will be available at least 99.9% of the time, ensuring that our users will have access whenever they need it.
Why the transition to BergApps?
With ever-increasing demand for storage and mobile access, BergApps provides more features and capabilities than our older BergMail system could ever hope to match. Uptime guarantees, unbeatable search capabilities, and tight integration with other collaboration tools (such as calendering, chat, and real-time document editing) make the suite a tremendous asset for our campus.
By letting Google do what it does best--develop innovative technology--we can focus on what we do best--integrating information technology solutions to help our students, faculty, and staff communicate, collaborate, and learn efficiently and effectively.
What if I already have a personal Google/Gmail account?
Your BergApps account (@heidelberg.edu) is completely separate from any personal Google account you may already use. They will not be combined, and you will need to log in separately with each account's credentials to check email unless you set up forwarding or have one account check the other. Any private "@gmail.com" account will not change.
