Service Information

Account

A hosting account is defined as a web accessible directory within the UWM Shared Hosting environment.

Each hosting account also receives access to a UWM Shared Hosting source code repository. Each repository will be given access to development, beta and production environments. These environments are for developing/testing content before production release, as well as hosting of a production ready release.

Account Cancellation

To cancel an account please contact the UWM Shared Hosting administrative team at web-hosting@uwm.edu.

Availability

Production UWM Shared Hosting applications are available 24×7, except during scheduled maintenance windows (listed below). UWM Shared Hosting is hosted on a secure, virtualized, firewalled, high-availability architecture with redundancy in all components, 24×7 automated remote monitoring, 24×7 on-call support staff, and nightly data backups for functionality required to deliver content and interactivity to UWM Shared Hosting site visitors.

The UWM Shared Hosting environment maintenance windows are as follows:

  • Production: Thursdays 5:00AM to 7:00AM
  • Beta: Tuesdays 5:00AM to 7:00AM
  • Development: Mondays 5:00AM to 7:00AM
  • Utility Servers: Friday 5:00AM to 7:00AM

Any unscheduled or emergency outages will be announced to UWM Shared Hosting administrators and developers via email and posted at http://itstatus.uwm.edu.

Cost / Charges

There are no charges associated with the use of this campus service when using it at standard service levels as defined in this document. If a requested use of the UWM Shared Hosting environment is determined to be non-standard (by the UWM Shared Hosting administrative team) there may be a cost associated with use. Any costs/charges will be determined between the school/college/division/department, and the UWM Shared Hosting administrative team.

Development Assistance

Schools/Colleges/Divisions/Departments interested in partnering with a developer can contact the UWM Shared Hosting administrative team at web-hosting@uwm.edu with a detailed description of the assistance needed. We will put you in touch with the most appropriate development group for an assessment of needs. Assistance is not guaranteed.

Policies

Designated UWM Shared Hosting developer: All applications are required to have an identified UWM Shared Hosting developer (owner) who is a full-time employee of the university. A secondary UWM Shared Hosting developer is highly recommended.

Designated UWM Shared Hosting Department: All applications are required to have an identified UWM Shared Hosting department (group owner).

Service Integrity & Availability: Any code, content or functionality that compromises service or data security, performance or availability is subject to removal at the discretion of the UWM Shared Hosting administrative team.

We reserve the right to remove a website or application if the website or application compromises the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of University data or information systems; violates University policies or laws that govern the use of University data; or performs a function that is inappropriate for a non-restricted data environment (UWM Shared Hosting service has a dedicated restricted hosting environment). Examples of inappropriate use of this service include, but are not limited to:

  • Security issues resulting from software flaws
  • Site neglect and failure to apply security patches
  • Spam or other inappropriate commercial activity

Applicable University Policies: UWM Shared Hosting Administrators, editors and Web developers using UWM’s UWM Shared Hosting service are bound by UWM’s Acceptable Use Policy and Information Security Policy.

Disallowed Data Classifications: UWM Shared Hosting shall not be used store, collect or transmit sensitive information, including SSNs, PCI (credit card) information, or HIPAA information. For more information about data in the aforementioned classifications, see UWM Information Security Guidelines, Policies & Standards.

Credit Card Acceptance: UWM Shared Hosting applications can connect to 3rd party payment gateways for online payment processing. All credit card payment processing must abide by UWM’s Credit Card Acceptance procedures, and be approved by the UWM Credit Card Acceptance Committee.

Web Accessibility: All sites and blogs are required to be accessible to people with disabilities, per Section 508 Laws. For information on Web accessibility, see the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Introduction to Web Accessibility.

Authentication: All access to UWM Shared Hosting applications to be provided via UWM ePantherID are limited to using UWM’s 1Login service. Individuals who are not members of UWM (e.g. vendor or contractor) may apply for a Sponsored Guest ePantherACCOUNT through UWM’s Identity and Access Management program (https://uwm.edu/iam). Authentication for users outside of UWM members and guests is allowed but must follow best practices as defined within UWM Shared Hosting Developer documentation.

Questions

If you have any questions regarding UWM Shared Hosting please send email to web-hosting@uwm.edu.

Responsibilities

UWM Shared Hosting is responsible for maintaining a stable environment for application development and web access.

Content: Customers are responsible for all the content of their site(s) and all web application development, including testing and troubleshooting.

UWM Shared Hosting Updates: As part of the UWM Shared Hosting managed software update cycle updates, additions and retirements will be performed first on UWM Shared Hosting beta and development environments, then on the UWM Shared Hosting production environment.

UWM Shared Hosting core software updates, updates and removals: All changes will be communicated to UWM Shared Hosting administrators and developers prior to changes being performed. While changes are in place on the beta and development environments, UWM Shared Hosting administrators and developers are responsible for reviewing and testing their applications, and for providing feedback and issue reports to the UWM Shared Hosting administrative team. The duration of the non-production environments review and testing period will be commensurate to the scope and impact of the change. After review and testing concludes, changes will be applied to the production environment.

Curation of the updates to UWM Shared Hosting core software may require UWM Shared Hosting administrators and developers to adjust their applications to accommodate changes in available functionality, including switching to alternate solutions. Designated application developers and departments are responsible for these changes within their applications, unless noted by the UWM Shared Hosting administrative team. Scheduled time for switching will be commensurate to the scope and impact of the work required to switch.