Transforming Oxford's Digital Communications FAQs

Q:  How are the needs of divisions, departments and colleges being fed into the programme?

A:  A Steering Group with representation from all divisions, colleges, GLAM and the UAS is providing oversight for the programme, and its members are responsible for ensuring it meets the needs of all parts of the University. We will also be feeding feedback and insights into our work – both through the pilots, and wider engagement activities.

Q:  Who is making decisions about the programme?

A:  The Steering Group, chaired by Social Sciences Divisional Registrar David White, reports to the Dissemination and Engagement Portfolio, Chaired by GLAM Director Richard Ovenden, which has overall responsibility for this area of work.

Q:  How will decisions be made about whether content should be on an intranet or website?

A:  We are developing a content strategy to inform these decisions. Guidance will follow in due course both for the migration of existing content, as well as the creation of new content. Colleges and Departments will be asked to apply the content strategy guidance to their own communications content.

Q:  I am currently managing a website on OxWeb or Mosaic. When will I need to migrate by?

A:  Drupal 7, the version of the technology that underpins Mosaic and the main University website (OxWeb), is going out of support in January 2025.  This is the point by which we expect to have migrated OxWeb content. The Mosaic hosting provider Acquia is providing extended end-of-life support until the end of October 2025, and we expect Mosaic sites to migrate by that point.  Details of when migrations will take place within these timelines will follow as soon as possible.

Q:  Will there be support available for website migration?

A:  Yes – we expect to provide advice and guidance for the migrations. However, we expect that the manual content migration will need to be carried out locally. We do not know exactly what the migration support will look like at this stage. More information will follow as soon as possible, and we will give you as much notice as possible to prepare for migration.

Q:  Will all Oxford websites need to move to the new Content Management System (CMS)?

We hope that over time, all parts of the University will move to the new CMS. Our initial focus will be on the sites that are currently on OxWeb and Mosaic – but all parts of the University are welcome – and will be encouraged – to join.

Q:  Will there be a charge to departments for the new CMS?

A:  Yes. We don’t yet know what the charging model for the new CMS will look like. However, we are aware that the current charging model for Mosaic has become out of date compared to other external ‘software as a service’ offerings, and is will be reviewed in advance of the new CMS being made available.

Q:  If I manage a standalone department website, will I be required to move into the new University website?

A:  We believe there are many benefits to using the new CMS for end users and content creators, so we will strongly encourage departments to join the University site, particularly those moving across from Mosaic. However, there will be no mandate at this stage, and future governance arrangements will be confirmed at a later date.

Q:  What  do I need to do if I want to set up a new website before the new CMS is in place?

A:  Wherever possible, we would encourage you to wait until the new CMS is in place before you set up a new website.  If you need a new site now and cannot wait, please get in touch with your Divisional Communications Lead to discuss best options. If you do decide to create a site now but want to migrate later, there are things you can do to ensure your website is designed in way to make that migration easier when the time comes.  A good rule of thumb is to keep your site simple.  Right now, there are still benefits to using Mosaic for building your site including information security, cost effectiveness, service support, accessibility, data compliance and in-built support of Oxford integrations such as Symplectic.  If you are a Mosaic user, you should refer to these guidelines on future-proofing your Mosaic site. 

Q:  I am about to undertake a new intranet project. What should I do? 

A:  Wherever possible, we would encourage you to wait until the new intranet is in place before you set up a new intranet.  We expect there to be opportunities to take part in the roll-out from early 2024, so get in touch with the team if you would like to find out more.  If you need a new intranet now and cannot wait, please get in touch with your Divisional Communications Lead to discuss best options. If you do decide to create a site now but want to migrate later, there are things you can do to ensure your website is designed in way to make that migration easier when the time comes.

Q:  I have just carried out a migration to a new intranet, what shall I do?

A:  We realise that new intranets are created on a rolling basis, and expect this includes those that have been very recently launched.  If this applies to you, there is no action required at this stage. There is not a requirement to move at the current time – and the work you have carried out launching a new local intranet is likely to make it easier for you to migrate in the future – particularly if you are using SharePoint.

Q:  Why do we need a new intranet when we already have SharePoint?

A:  You are welcome to continue to use your SharePoint intranet, but joining the new all-Oxford intranet will deliver many advantages to users, to content creators and to your division, department or college.  In consolidating content, services and people into one intranet, we all benefit from increased readership, better search, content discovery and user experience – features that can only come from using the same intranet platform.  We’ll share more information about the benefits in due course.

Q:  Will all Oxford intranets have to move across to the new platform, and if so, by when?

A:  The all-Oxford intranet will be available to all parts of the University (including colleges). We expect that over time all parts of the University will want to move their content to the platform. However, there is no strict deadline for this.

Q:  How will the new intranet align with SharePoint? Will I need to migrate to it?

A:  The new all-Oxford intranet is based on SharePoint as a foundation, with new features, functions and designs added through a subscription service called an ‘intranet-in-a-box’.
It will run in parallel with existing SharePoint intranets that will be unaffected by this new service. There will be a migration effort to move your existing SharePoint intranet to the new site if you want to take advantage of these new features. We’ll share more information on this when we have it.

Q:  Will there be a charge to departments for the intranet?

A:  At present, the intranet benefits from Digital Transformation funding, which means there is currently no charge for departments. Over time we expect the intranet to move towards a service funding model (covering the costs of the platform and other activities). This charge will depend on a number of factors, including the intranet provider and level of adoption. More details will be provided as the project moves forward.

Q:  Do we plan to address issues with mailing lists and e-newsletter distribution?

A:  Yes – we expect that our work enhancing staff data to help address shortfalls in this area. We will also be looking at e-newsletter functionality as part of our longer-term roadmap.

Q:  Why are we focusing on intranets? Should we not be exploring AI tools instead?

A:  AI and other tools such as enterprise social networks are very important for our internal communications. However, before we can make use of these tools, we need to get the basics right – which is why we are focusing on data, intranets and email in the first instance . We plan to explore additional tools once the intranet is rolled out.