Retiree Switch - FAQs
From Friday 2 August 2024, your dcu.ie account will be discontinued. All associated data - emails, contact details, information and photos stored on Google Drive, videos uploaded to YouTube etc. - will be deleted, and cannot be retrieved. Access to software products such as Microsoft Office and Zoom will be limited to current staff.
No. Your pension will be unaffected. You will also still be able to log in to Core using your dcu.ie username as before, this will not change. You will be asked to provide an alternative email address.
DCU is changing how it offers and manages retired staff accounts for the following reasons;
A serious cyberattack has the potential to severely disrupt DCU’s operations. Allowing access to DCU’s core network only to current staff and students helps the university limit these threats.
Data protection and data governance are also a factor. Good data protection is both a moral and legal imperative for the university.
From Friday 2 August 2024, your dcu.ie account will be discontinued, and all associated data deleted. Your pension will be unaffected. After Friday 2 August 2024, any emails sent to this address will ‘bounce back’, and you will not be able to access the account.
Any data associated with your account (emails, photos etc.) that you wish to keep will need to be downloaded before Friday 2 August 2024, as they will be permanently deleted after that date. We would ask that you only download personal data.
If you use your dcu.ie email address for online banking, utilities, streaming services etc., you will need to change this before Friday 2 August 2024.
N.B. Please note for data protection reasons DCU cannot be involved in the process of changing your contact details with service providers.
You will need to change your contact email address for any account that uses your dcu.ie email address. After Friday 2 August 2024, any emails sent to this address will ‘bounce back’, and you will not be able to access the account.
N.B. Please note for data protection reasons DCU cannot be involved in the process of changing your contact details with service providers.
There are many online services that provide email accounts. Two of the most popular ones are:
No, we cannot liaise with or speak to any third parties on your behalf, but we can help you make this change at one of our in-person clinics or by contacting our support team by email at retiree.switch@dcu.ie.
If you do not update any accounts registered to your dcu.ie email address (banking, utilities, streaming services, social media etc.), you may encounter problems accessing these accounts after Friday 2 August 2024as your dcu.ie email address will be deleted.
If you choose not to download your data associated with your dcu.ie account, it will be deleted on Friday 2 August 2024 and you will not be able to retrieve it from this date.
After Friday 2 August 2024 , you will not be able to access your account and any associated data (emails, photos, documents etc.)
You will need to download these to your device (phone, laptop etc.) before Friday 2 August 2024, as they will be deleted after this date. Instructions on how to do that are available here.
No. Due to a number of reasons including GDPR and commercial sensitivities, Google Takeout cannot be performed on a dcu.ie email account. Any emails you wish to keep after Friday 2 August 2024 will need to be manually forwarded to another email address.
You can download and transfer your calendar information by following these instructions.
Access to these products will be limited to current staff only. If you are using the DCU licence for access to products like Microsoft Word/Excel etc this will also stop.
You can get your own personal or family licence for Microsoft products here is required.
No. Access to these products will be limited to current staff only.
No. Emails sent to your dcu.ie address after Friday 2 August 2024 will receive an automated response informing them that the address has been discontinued.
We recommend setting up an ORCID ID - this is a free persistent digital identifier that you own and control, and that distinguishes you from every other researcher. This will also prove useful in the event that you change employers or institutions and as such receive a new institutional email address.
More and more journals now require ORCID ID - you can find out more and set up your account here. If you have set up an ORCID ID, you can edit your own email address and choose to make it visible on your account. Once set up, add your publications to your ORCID account.
If you retire in this period, you will have access to your dcu.ie account up until Friday 2 August.
You will still be able to use your retired staff card to access DCU libraries and to use the borrowing facilities.
However as you no longer have a digital account you will not have access to online library resources after Friday, 2 August.