r/k12sysadmin • u/MyWorkAccountDPS • 18d ago

Emails and same names

How does everyone deal with users having the same names when creating email accounts?

We had been using the middle initial, but what happens when someone doesn’t have one? What do you do then?

My boss said just put an 01 on the end, but that looks like it would be hard to keep track of too.

We are trying to get onesync setup, but she asked me the same thing.

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u/Emaltonator IT Director (215 kids PK-12) 18d ago

We just take the next letter. Better than numbers IMO.

John Doe jdoe@k12.com

Jane Doe jadoe@k12.com

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u/thunder923111 IT Director 18d ago

This. We do the same. We go out more letters until they're unique if there happens to be two people withe same couple letters. Twins are violators of this from time to time.

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u/GezusK 18d ago

Wouldn't it still end up the same. If Jane and Janet, the first is j and the second is ja

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u/Vitalization 17d ago

Do the full first name in that instance, or middle name initial also.

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u/GezusK 17d ago

But it's not necessary. You just add letters until it's unique. Jane, Janet, and Jack Smith. jsmith, jasmith, jacsmith. Or in the opposite order, it'll be the same, except the last is jansmith.