Empowering Campus Communication:

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Empowering Campus Communication

• The University of Texas at Austin
• Group E-Mail System

Tim Chamberlain Deanna Bearden
2
Introduction

• Ability to manage and distribute official
  university bulk e-mail
• Can contact any group on campus
• Decentralized system designed for flexibility and
  growth
• Only faculty and staff may send messages

3
Agenda

• Background
• Web Interface
• System Details
• Strengths Limitations
• Q A

4
Background

• Late 1990s UT Austin had need for
• Ability to reach large number of students
  employees
• Ability to target specific groups
• Up-to-date e-mail lists using data from Mainframe
• Centralized system with monitoring capabilities
• Group E-Mail went live in 1999
• Flexible system design
• Keeping up with campus needs

5
Web Interface

• Main processes
• User requests authorization
• Administrator grants or denies request
• User generates unique e-mail list
• User sends e-mail through personal e-mail client
  within UT network

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UT Direct Portal
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Group E-Mail Home Page
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Step 1 Select List
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Step 2 Request Authorization
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Step 2 Request Authorization, Cont.
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Step 3 Await Authorization
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E-mail to Administrator
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Pending Requests Screen
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Grant Authorization Request
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Home Page - Authorized
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Step 1 Generate E-Mail
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Step 2 Generate E-Mail
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Send E-Mail
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Recipients E-Mail
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System Details

• Main processes
• User requests authorization
• Administrator grants or denies request
• User generates unique e-mail list
• User sends e-mail through personal e-mail client
  within UT network

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Authorization Process
Requestor
Web Interface
TXTABLES
Main Natural Module TXNPBMOO
Secure E-mail Module
Secure E-mail Module
Gatekeeper
APOLLO
Yes
No
Natural Module
Authorize?
The End
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TX-TABLES screenshot
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E-Mail List Generation
Group E-mail module finds and calls specific
list creation module
TXTABLES
List creation module creates dataset of e-mail
addresses
Original E-mail Dataset
Batch job runs to remove users that have
unsubscribed from Informational messages
Revised E-mail Dataset
FTP step transfers list and policy file to Bulk
Mail Server. List name mapped to the unique
e-mail address generated for user.
Policy File
To Bulk Mail Server
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E-Mail Delivery
BMDS unique address matched to recipient list,
audited, delivered
Users E-Mail Client
Unique e-mail
address

• Must send from UT Network
• Plain Text Only
• No Attachments
• Message Type must be
• specified in subject
• Only one use per address
• generated
• Reply all wont spam list

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Strengths

• Only University-sanctioned messages
• Real-time list generation
• Easily targets specific groups
• Centralized interface/decentralized system
• Can accept custom lists
• Ability to unsubscribe

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Limitations

• Lack of formatting
• Possibility of delays
• Passive moderation
• Must send from University e-mail account
• Lack of control over the decentralized generation
  modules

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Q A

• Questions?
• Contact us
• Tim Chamberlain tim.chamberlain_at_austin.utexas.edu
• Deanna Bearden dbearden_at_austin.utexas.edu