Internet & Network Updates

Status Update Two:

July 20, 2026
TO: Minnesota West Employees
FROM: Rebecca Weber, Chief Communicator
SUBJECT: Outage Update

Dear Campus Community, 

The Minnesota West and Minnesota State IT teams have been onsite working diligently to bring the college’s internet services back online and have engaged a third party to assist. Unfortunately, they expect it will be some time before service is restored. We know the outage is inconvenient, and your continued patience is appreciated.  

The IT teams plan to offer a daily update that will be posted to mnwest.edu. Please continue to monitor the site to stay up-to-date, as this is the only place updates will be posted. 

The following services ARE accessible from any location with internet access outside of Minnesota West campuses and centers:  

• Microsoft 365 applications and services (Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel, Teams, etc.) via www.office.com
• Web-based services  
• Minnesota State and Minnesota Connect websites  
• Enterprise services such as eServices, d2L, Zoom, Workday, MoveItSecurely, and other cloud-based applications  

The following services ARE NOT currently available at any of the campuses and centers:  

• Internet access  
• Network services, including Wi-Fi 
• Printing services  
• Local network resources, including mapped drives  
• VPN access  

 All employees who are set up to telework from home should continue to do so. Employees who cannot work remotely, and don’t need internet access to be productive, shall report to work on campus. If you have questions about your productivity, please contact your immediate supervisor.  

Online classes are not affected and will continue as normal.  Students should check mnwest.edu regularly for updates.    

Thank you, once again, for your patience.  

Status Update One:

DATE: July 19, 2026
TO: Minnesota West Employees
FROM: Rebecca Weber, Chief Communicator
SUBJECT: System Network Issues 

Dear Campus Community, 

Over the weekend, Minnesota West’s computer network and internet experienced an outage, and our IT team, supported by Minnesota State IT staff, has been working tirelessly to identify the issues and bring our college back online. Unfortunately, the IT team needs more time to resolve the issue, and it is not expected that the college will be back online by Monday morning. 

Users should expect no access to internet or local network services at Minnesota West campuses and centers during this outage.  Online classes are not affected and will continue as normal. 

The following services WILL NOT be available at all campuses and centers: 

• Internet access 
• Wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi)
• Printing services
• Local network resources, including mapped drives
• VPN access 

The following services remain accessible from any location with internet access outside of Minnesota West campuses and centers: 

• Microsoft 365 applications and services (Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel, Teams, etc.) via www.office.com 
• Web-based services 
• Minnesota State and Minnesota Connect websites 
• Enterprise services such as d2L, Zoom, Workday, MoveItSecurely, and other cloud-based applications 

All employees who are set up to telework from home should do so. Each campus will have an administrator on-site available to assist. Employees who cannot work remotely and do not need internet access to be productive shall report to work. If you have questions about your productivity, please contact your immediate supervisor. 

Thank you for your patience. We will update you when we know more.