On July 31, Purdue Systems Security will enact a network restriction limiting access to the legacy smtp.purdue.edu mail server to clients on Purdue University networks. The impact of this change is expected to be minimal as all users should have already updated their clients to use Office 365 with Microsoft Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). This change is necessary to ensure email sent and received through Purdue mail servers adheres to Purdue University policies and to further expand email protections. Implementing this restriction for off-campus clients is only the latest effort to improve email security threatened by phishing, impersonation, and other attacks.

Most users at Purdue already use Office 365 and MFA for their email and will not be affected by the change. Anyone still using SMTP servers at the West Lafayette campus (smtp.purdue.edu) is highly encouraged to switch to Office 365. If Office 365 cannot be used for some reason, users can continue to use on-premise mail servers for a limited time by first connecting to a campus VPN.  

For more information about how to move your email to Microsoft O365, contact support@purdue.edu. For questions related to this change or email security in general, contact security@purdue.edu.