Understanding Service Status Issues

We continuously monitor the status of Web Express and all its related services. In our efforts to keep our customers updated we have introduced new communication channels for customers to stay informed.

Status Page

If you suspect there is an issue with Web Express performance or with an integrated service, you may check the status of services online. This will be the first line of communication where we will post one of the following:

Status Labels

  • Operational: The service is functioning as expected and in a timely manner.
  • Under Maintenance: The service is currently being worked on.
  • Degraded Performance: The service is working but is slow or otherwise impacted in a minor way.
  • Partial Outage: The service is experience degrading services that decrease the ability to perform all functionality as expected.
  • Major Outage: The service is experience a complete outage throughout the platform.

Incident Status:

  • Investigating: We know of a service issue but are not sure of the root cause and are actively investigating.
  • Identified: We have identified the service performance issue. Communication will state the issue and next steps to resolve.
  • Monitoring: We are actively monitoring an issue to ensure stability of the service.
  • Resolved: The issue has been corrected and now the service is operational again.

Site Dashboard

We also feed updates directly from the Status Page to the User Profile page on individual sites. Upon logging into your site you will see the operational status on your profile page.

  1. In the platform Admin toolbar (black), click on your user name.
  2. In the User toolbar, Click on View Profile. The system status is displayed on this page.
User dashboard
Click to see a larger version

Twitter

We encourage our customers to follow us on our service account for the regular updates on status, updates, or new features, as well as tips and best practices.

If a problem or outage has occurred to Web Express or an integrated service, we will post regular and up-to-date information on the @cuwebexpress twitter feed.

Email and Web Communications

To keep you informed on new features and updates to the platform, we send out periodic update emails. In addition, the Web Central website serves as the hub of information and news on latest updates.  The Web Central site has the Service Status posted on the homepage of the site.

In addition, if the service is experiencing a major problem or an outage, the Web Express team will send an email to those affected to ensure they have the latest information and links for status updates.

Services We Monitor

University Services:

  • Web Express: University Content Management System for websites.
  • LDAP Authentication: University network authentication system.
  • SAML Authentication: User authentication for service providers.

Integrated Services:

  • Tenon API: Accessibility and web security scanning.
  • Calendar Service API: University Events Calendar.
  • Slate API: Admissions forms.
  • Salesforce API: eComm marketing and communications tool.
  • Community Funded API: Crowdfunding service.
  • RAVE Emergency Alerts API: Campus emergency alerts.