That shift probably happened at the same time when uni IT departments started renting their email from Microsoft / Google who are billing by number of users.
When you have your own server the marginal cost for a forwarding inbox is zero.
It does seem largely related to that, and it is both frustrating and confusing as to why Google and Microsoft have not developed features and plans that consider these problems, despite so heavily pushing their services to universities.
Just yesterday I had several emails back and forth with a student at another university who needed my help with some research software of mine where she eventually realized that, as a student, she simply wasn't allowed to share Google Docs outside her university at all; she had to switch to her personal account. This is on a project her university is funding. And yes, their IT could configure it differently, but so often, the defaults don't fit academia.
I think because MS and others are approached by Universities because of things they promise businesses.
For example: A rather large University in town got hacked. They ran their own infra till then and, as it happens, caught on of the "give me money or your infra is dead" things. Afterwards a lot of not so tech and security savvy folks that where in charge of handling the rebuild and aftermath where eager to shift the blame and damage in the future - especially since said town is located in a GDPR country. In comes MS and gives the same promise as to every other entity: "Buy us and never worry about accrediting your own infra or software solutions. Also conveniently point to us when shit happens".
Comments
That shift probably happened at the same time when uni IT departments started renting their email from Microsoft / Google who are billing by number of users.
When you have your own server the marginal cost for a forwarding inbox is zero.
It does seem largely related to that, and it is both frustrating and confusing as to why Google and Microsoft have not developed features and plans that consider these problems, despite so heavily pushing their services to universities.
Just yesterday I had several emails back and forth with a student at another university who needed my help with some research software of mine where she eventually realized that, as a student, she simply wasn't allowed to share Google Docs outside her university at all; she had to switch to her personal account. This is on a project her university is funding. And yes, their IT could configure it differently, but so often, the defaults don't fit academia.
I think because MS and others are approached by Universities because of things they promise businesses.
For example: A rather large University in town got hacked. They ran their own infra till then and, as it happens, caught on of the "give me money or your infra is dead" things. Afterwards a lot of not so tech and security savvy folks that where in charge of handling the rebuild and aftermath where eager to shift the blame and damage in the future - especially since said town is located in a GDPR country. In comes MS and gives the same promise as to every other entity: "Buy us and never worry about accrediting your own infra or software solutions. Also conveniently point to us when shit happens".
Edit: wording