ICT urges students, faculty to adapt alternative tools
By Lysander Tiu
Following the termination of Microsoft 365 services for Silliman University (SU), the SU Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Division advised students and faculty to use alternative platforms.
SU ICT Division Chief Dr. Chuchi Montenegro clarified that SU only subscribed to its free version and released a notice months before its termination on Aug. 1, 2024.
“We tried emailing Microsoft kung pwede pa ba ma-extend, mao na nga naay advisory. Third party biya na sila, dili na internal sa atoa. Pag-ingon sila na putol, putol jud sila.” she said.
(We tried emailing Microsoft if there’s a possibility for an extension, that’s why we published an advisory. They are a third party, not internal. If they say that they will cut, they will really cut.)
According to Montenegro, SU’s non-renewal to Microsoft services comes with the fact that it also has an ongoing subscription to Google Workspace.
Microsoft 365 is a subscription service that provides users with cloud-based productivity applications and services such as MS Outlook, Teams, and Publisher.
Google Workspace as an alternative
Montenegro mentioned that SU’s ongoing subscription for Google-based tools such as Google Docs and Google Sheets provides users with an “equivalent option to Microsoft 365.”
She explained that Microsoft 365’s cloud-based office applications and Google Workspace’s desktop-based applications provide the same services to users.
Montenegro also noted that resubscribing to Microsoft 365 after the termination would directly affect students’ tuition, as its services cost $5 monthly while Google Workspace costs $5 annually, approximately 288.47 pesos.
“Kung students, ganahan mo office applications on your desktop, naa naman siya sa mga laboratories. Tapos ganahan mo og cloud naa na siya sa atong Google Workspace, so mura na siyag redundant,” she said.
(Students want office applications on their desktop, which is already in our laboratories. Then, students also want cloud-based applications already in our Google Workspace, so it’s a bit redundant.)
Impact on faculty, students
Files stored in OneDrive, a storage application of Microsoft 365, were automatically deleted when the subscription ended.
According to Montenegro, these files will no longer be accessed even if SU’s subscription is renewed.
However, Montenegro emphasized that SU-owned computers and laptops still retained their license to Microsoft 365, while students and teachers lost access to its free office applications and cloud storage.
Moreover, the SU ICT division also responded to the concerns of some teachers from the School of Basic Education regarding the use of Google Workspace.
These include teachers’ difficulty in uploading grading templates into Google Sheets due to errors in the input of formulas
“We checked with the Department of Education, they have an Excel version of the template and they also have a Google Sheets application of the template. We found solutions for the faculty,” Montenegro confirmed.
To aid the transition towards alternative tools, the ICT division plans to coordinate and train faculty regarding the use of Google Workspace.
Last 2014, SU renewed its partnership with Microsoft which included an open-value subscription license covering the latest versions of Windows OS and Office.
