Starting today, students will be able to opt in to HeelMail, the University’s new email interface, sponsored by Windows Live.

The service, provided free to the University by Microsoft, features more storage, collaboration tools and a calender feature that will allow students to share events and request meetings with professors and faculty members.

Students can sign up by visiting unc.edu/heelmail.

Most of the service’s features will become available immediately to students who opt in. New users will receive a new email address with the student’s Onyen followed by “@live.unc.edu.” Emails sent to old Webmail addresses will be forwarded to the new account.

But document, calendar and task sharing services will not be available until May at the earliest, administrators said.

HeelMail is expected to completely replace Webmail no later than this fall, and administrators said the transition will be smooth.

“I don’t see a downside on this frankly. It’s simply a transition,” said Mike Barker, chief technology officer for Information Technology Services.

Max Beckman-Harned, student government’s technology co-chairman, said that after working on the project, he is excited to see how students respond to it.

“We’ve put a lot of effort into making sure that it is compatible with multiple systems,” he said.

“It’s a better system and because Microsoft upgrades their programs frequently, as time goes on it will get better and better.”

This month, student government will host events to acquaint students with the new email system. The sessions will also offer chances to win Microsoft products, including an Xbox.

Larry Conrad, vice chancellor for ITS, said students were the driving force behind the decision to upgrade to a different service.

“The service we’ve been providing was okay, but it wasn’t stellar,” Conrad said.

“It was really about how we could find the right service that provides the best combination of features for students.”

Faculty already use a version of Microsoft Exchange that is compatible with HeelMail, Barker said.

Conrad said that ITS chose the Microsoft program because it has fewer compatibility issues and it integrates well with smartphones.

But not every student will be eligible to use HeelMail — at least in its original form.

Students who have access to private medical information will not be able to sign up for an account because Microsoft and ITS cannot guarantee the protection of medical information.

Those students will use a local UNC exchange system, similar to HeelMail but with more protection.

Barker said benefits of the program outweigh inevitable hiccups.

“As with any new program, we’re going to encounter some problems,” he said.

“I don’t think there will be a steep learning curve.”

Contact the University Editor at university@dailytarheel.com.