Change is Coming to the Wiki (Confluence)
On Monday, Jan. 8, 2024 the University of Iowa Wiki hosted at https://wiki.uiowa.edu will be shut down permanently.
If you are a current Wiki user, you have four options to choose from going forward:
- Move your content yourself to another service
- Have OTLT migrate your content to SharePoint
- Purchase a Confluence (Wiki) license from University of Iowa ITS. To determine what you have and the cost, visit the Wiki Space and User Inventory page.
- If you no longer need any Wiki content, no further action is needed on your part
Your content from https://wiki.uiowa.edu will be available for migration upon request for two years (until 1/8/2026).
On May 22, OTLT hosted a Town Hall to discuss and answer questions about the upcoming service changes, use this link to view the Town Hall recording.
Service Change Options
With the upcoming service change to the Wiki, people have three options going forward:
Option 1: Move Your Content to a Different Service
The university has a variety of services that offer functionalities similar to Confluence (Wiki). Visit the Wiki Alternatives page to explore which service is optimal.
Several groups are available to help you choose the best service to fit your needs, including:
- The ITS Help Desk
- The Office of Teaching, Learning and Instructional Technology (OTLT) Instructional Services staff
- Your local extended technical support staff
Option 2: Ask OTLT to Move Your Content to SharePoint
SharePoint is a file storage and collaboration service in Office 365 that offers secure file storage, real-time Office document collaboration, file-level access/permission options, and various business and project management tools. Sites can be shared with others at the University of Iowa and external guests. SharePoint requires sign-in and supports using Active Directory groups to control access.
By filling out the Wiki to SharePoint Migration form, OTLT staff will migrate your content for you from Confluence (Wiki) to SharePoint.
To see an example of a Wiki site migrated to SharePoint:
- The Victorian Wiki is a space in Confluence (Wiki).
- The Victorian Wiki in SharePoint (edited) is a site that has been migrated from Confluence (Wiki) to SharePoint with minor clean up applied.
- The Victorian Wiki in SharePoint (unedited) is a site that has been migrated from Confluence (Wiki) to SharePoint with no clean up.
After migration, it will be your responsibility to edit, reformat, verify content, and add permission as needed to your new SharePoint site. OTLT will perform some minor clean up.
Option 3: Purchase a License for Confluence (Wiki) from ITS
As part of the service change, Confluence (Wiki) will also move from being hosted at Iowa to being hosted in the cloud.
With this option, OTLT will migrate your Wiki content to Confluence Cloud, and you will continue to edit and manage your space after the migration. If you choose this option, we ask that you fill-out this Workflow form with your relevant information. Once in the cloud, you will be able to use Confluence (Wiki) as you normally do, and will get several benefits, including: quicker upgrades to the service, improved analytics, etc.
Licenses for Confluence (Wiki) will cost $44 per user per year. An MFK is required to complete payment.
Frequently Ask Questions
What?
Why?
Timeline?
Migrating to Confluence Cloud
Cost of Confluence Cloud
Migrating to SharePoint
Move Your Content Yourself
What?
Is the Wiki going away?
No, but the license model is changing. Based on guidance from the OneIT Operations Team, ITS can no longer fund this service centrally due to significant price increases from Atlassian.
What will happen to my Wiki content?
It will depend on your decision. All your content can be migrated either to Confluence Cloud or SharePoint. It will be your responsibility to edit and reformat any content and set up permissions. If you do not to migrate to Confluence Cloud or to SharePoint, you will be responsible for moving your content from your Wiki space.
I'm not sure what other services are the best first for my needs, who can I talk to about my options?
Visit the Wiki Alternative page to read about the variety of services available to you. In addition, contact your local extended technical support consultant to discuss options. If you have specific use case questions, email the Office of Teaching, Learning and Technology with your questions.
Will I still be able to access Wiki in ICON?
No, the ICON/Wiki integration will be removed as part of the move to the cloud. After spring 2023, no new Wiki in ICON integrations will be permissible. Any current Wiki in ICON integrations will continue through December 2023.
If I don't decide by the deadline, what will happen to my content?
We will move it to Confluence Cloud and keep a copy of it there for two years. Unless you have paid for a license, you will not be able to access your prior Wiki content in the cloud.
If I don't pay for the Wiki and after the deadline I realize that I need something back, can that be recovered?
Yes, we will keep the content in the Wiki for two years. If there are no access requests during that time, the content will be deleted.
What is the new address for the Wiki in the cloud?
Why?
Why are these changes occurring?
Atlassian has chosen to increase their prices, and will end support to the version of Confluence (Wiki) that Iowa uses on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024.
Who can I talk to about these changes?
Reach out to the Office of Teaching, Learning and Technology with any questions or further explanation.
Timeline
When do I need to decide about the future of my current Wiki site?
To ensure a seamless migration, we ask that you decide and complete any necessary forms by Oct. 1, 2023.
When will wiki.uiowa.edu no longer be available?
The current wiki.uiowa.edu instance will shut down on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024.
Migrating to Confluence Cloud
Will the functionality change?
Yes, there are new features from Confluence, including faster patching, upgrades, etc.
Can I try Confluence (Wiki) in the cloud before paying for it?
Yes, contact the Office of Teaching, Learning and Technology for help with this.
How do I purchase user licenses and migrate my content to Confluence Cloud?
You will need to fill out this Workflow form with relevant information by Oct. 1, 2023.
What does it take to add a user after I've paid for a license(s)?
You will need to complete the Workflow form with the new user's information.
What type of information should NOT be included in a Wiki space in Confluence Cloud?
Users should not put restricted or critical data in Confluence. Learn more by reading the university's institutional data policy.
Where can I go to learn more about the Confluence Cloud?
Visit the Confluence cloud page offered by Atlassian support to learn more.
Cost of Confluence Cloud
How much will it cost to use the Confluence Cloud?
It will cost $44 per user per year, which is approximately $4 per month per user.
Do we need to pay for everyone who logs in if they aren't editing?
Yes, unless the space is public.
Can I pay for an entire department instead of a single user?
Yes, but the cost will be determined by the number of uses who need access to the space.
I've used the Wiki for ICON courses in the past, will I still have to pay?
We recommend shifting your instructional use cases to a different platform or tool. The ICON/Wiki integration will be removed as part of this service change.
How do I pay?
You will fill out a Workflow form to request user licenses. This form will include a section that requests an MFK to complete payment for the licenses.
What is all included in the $44 per user charge?
The cost for Confluence licensing, plug-ins (Gliffy and Advanced Tables), and a small amount of staff time. The Office of Teaching, Learning and Technology is not profiting from this charge, we are aiming for cost recovery.
I currently use the Wiki, and I am interested in migrating to Confluence Cloud. How can I determine how much a license would cost for my department or a select number of users?
It costs $44 per year per user. Current Wiki users can visit this page to determine the cost for the new model.
Migrating to SharePoint
I have current Wiki content that I want to move to a SharePoint site, how do I request a SharePoint site?
Fill out this Workflow form to request a SharePoint site.
I have a lot of content; can someone migrate it for me?
The Office of Teaching, Learning and Technology can migrate your content to SharePoint automatically, but you will need to edit and manage your own SharePoint site.
Will users and permissions migrate from a Wiki site to SharePoint?
No, users and permissions do not migrate over. Users will need to be added and permission structures will need to be rebuilt in SharePoint.
I use Wiki for a course, can SharePoint work for a course?
SharePoint may not be the best tool to use for a course as SharePoint will not update course enrollments throughout a semester. Talk with your local extended technical support staff about how SharePoint can work in your course and other alternative options.
I don't know anything about SharePoint, where can I learn more?
LinkedinLearning has some terrific videos to help you get started with SharePoint. All university faculty, staff, and students have free LinkedinLearning accounts.
If I have questions about SharePoint, who can I contact?
Please contact your local extended technical support staff or the ITS Help Desk to get all of your SharePoint questions answered.
Move Your Content Yourself
I'm not sure what other services are the best fit for my needs, who can I talk to about my options?
Visit the Wiki Alternative page to read about the variety of services available to you. In addition, contact your local extended technical support staff to discuss options. If you have specific use case questions, email OTLT.
How do I export my Wiki content?
If you want to export your content to Word, PDF, CSV, HTML, and XML visit the Confluence support export page.
Support for Wiki
Email the ITS Help Desk: its-helpdesk@uiowa.edu