Oxford Talks and Vacancies Replacement

This project will deliver modern, sustainable replacement solutions for Oxford Talks and Vacancies, the last two remaining applications that make use of the end-of-life Data.Ox platform, managed by Software Solutions. 

The Data.Ox platform is no longer supported and cannot be maintained. This project has been tasked with identifying a quick, sustainable path to enabling the decommissioning of the platform whist maintaining the functionality of the last two remaining applications. The project is part of the strategic roadmap which sees the University moving away from legacy, unsupported and on-premises solutions towards shared solutions that fulfil a variety of needs in a range of applications. 

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Oxford Talks (OxTalks) is an event listing and event curation application made up of two components: a publicly available website where events are displayed, and an administrative tool for managing those events. This system underpins the process of event creation, promotion, and attendance tracking, ensuring a consistent experience for both organisers and participants. 

The number of events – such as lectures, seminars, and other academic events – managed in OxTalks peaked in 2019 with a total 5,634 events created in that year. Currently there are approximately 4,000 events created annually. 

This project has worked on exploring options for replacing OxTalks. In the early stages of the project, we documented requirements, explored how people were currently using OxTalks and investigated possible alternatives.  

We ran two pilots using a third-party solution when the opportunity arose to instead use a solution that is better integrated into our existing platforms, based on work progressing in the CRM Programme. Currently we are looking at the feasibility and associated timelines of a Microsoft based solution delivered by the CRM Programme.  

The Vacancies application is a feed of job listings from the University’s recruitment website and a widget that shows these listings on department web pages.  

The University’s recruitment website is based on legacy technology, which makes it difficult for people to configure job listing information on their websites. So, this Vacancies application was created, using Data.Ox to make the job listings easier to display on websites.  Software Solutions have now made a new widget, which provides the same information but without relying on Data.Ox, and which is compatible with both Oxford Mosaic and Fresco sites. 

We are now reaching out to anyone who is still using the Vacancies application with Data.Ox to support the move to the new widget.  

As we prepare to decommission Data.Ox we want to make sure that everyone has had the time and support required to migrate to a sustainable solution that delivers the functionality that you need.

There is currently no action required from users of either Oxford Talks or Vacancies. The project team will reach out to you as and when changes are made that may impact you. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

Expected Outcomes

  • A fit-for-purpose, sustainable replacement for OxTalks
  • A well-informed set of users for the Vacancies widget
  • The ability to decommission the Data.Ox platform, which is beyond end-of-life 
  • Staff, students, and other audiences able to identify and attend events of interest to them 
  • Elimination of risk of unexpected unavailability of Data.Ox and associated applications 

Expected benefits

  • Business continuity for two popular applications used widely across the University
  • Better risk management for mission critical infrastructure 
  • An events management and event curation system that is forwardly compatible and sustainable, serving both audiences and administrators 
  • Ability for everyone across the University to display job listing information on their websites 
  • Increased staff and student satisfaction with events and vacancies applications 

The project is aiming to stop using Data.Ox as soon as practically possible, with planned decommissioning in August 2025: 

OxTalks Replacement Timeline 

  • March 2025: Stakeholder engagement 
  • April - July 2025: Solution Co-Development, Testing and Validation with CRM Programme 
  • July 2025: Go Live  
  • August 2025: Decommission of Data.Ox  

Vacancies Replacement Timeline 

  • March 2025: Communications to users and documentation of use cases 
  • April-June 2025: Transition support and production of self-help material 
  • August 2025: Decommission of Data.Ox  

 

Contact & further information

If you have any questions, please contact the Project Manager in the first instance. 

Project Manager: Deborah Gallacher