This page lists UIS services that have been withdrawn or closed. Any replacement services or alternative services are noted where applicable. If you have any queries please contact servicedesk@uis.cam.ac.uk.
- DE-Web service
- DS-Files app for mobile devices
- DS-Remote service
- Falcon
- Friendly Probing Suite
- git.uis
- Hermes
- Managed Web Service (MWS)
- Micad
- Windows Software Update Service (WSUS)
DE-Web service
Following a review of DS-Web’s usage levels in 2019, we’ve determined that it’s no longer practical to develop and maintain this service. It was decommissioned on Friday 27 September 2019.
Users will still be able to access their files after this date to transfer them to an alternative service.
Alternative service
You may wish to consider the Student-Run Computing Facility (SRCF), which offers web hosting services to members of the University at no cost.
DS-Files app for mobile devices
As of 25 June 2018, the DS-Files app for mobile devices has been withdrawn from service.
Alternative service
For alternative ways to access your DS-Filestore, see:
DS-Remote service
As of 2 August 2019, the DS-Remote service has been withdrawn from service due to low levels of usage.
Alternative service
Applications can still be accessed by using a Managed Cluster Workstation.
Falcon
The content management system Falcon was started in 2010 and retired in June 2021. The first iteration of Falcon was based on the open source content management system Plone.
Alternative service
The Falcon service was migrated over to the leading open source content management system, Drupal.
Friendly Probing Suite (FPS)
The Friendly Probing Suite (FPS) was decommissioned on 2 August 2021. It was provided to all institutions connected to the University Data Network to help them to detect vulnerabilities in their IT infrastructure. Use of the service was low. We monitored usage over a 3-month period, which indicated that only 10% of institutions had accessed the service on a weekly basis. We therefore assumed that institutions are using other solutions to manage vulnerabilities locally.
Alternative service
Institutions could use a commercial offering. We’ve decided to use Nessus Professional to scan UIS’s infrastructure. Our Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) can use this to scan an institution’s infrastructure as part of incident response, but we recommend that institutions deploy a local solution for routine vulnerability management.
Institutions could also use an open-source product such as Open VAS, on which the current version of the FPS is based.
git.uis
We decommissioning old version control systems maintained by UIS on 1 April 2021.
Replacement service
The University Developer Hub GitLab service provides all the features of the old systems as well as many more that enable collaboration between teams developing new systems or maintaining established ones.
Hermes
The Hermes email service has been superseded by Exchange Online and the Hermes service officially ended on 31 December 2021. The knowledge and expertise needed to keep Hermes running had become in very short supply. Rigorous testing confirmed that the most commonly used capabilities in Hermes could be replicated in Exchange Online.
Replacement service
The University's centrally-managed email service runs on Microsoft Exchange Online. It includes email, calendars and contacts and is integrated with Office 365.
Managed Web Service (MWS)
The Managed Web Service closed on 31 October 2021. Following a year-long migration project, all 198 accounts on the servers have been closed, with most having been migrated elsewhere (and the remainder deleted as they were no longer needed). For most customers, their ongoing costs were reduced as a result of the migration.
Alternative service
Support continues for the Drupal website service. The Research Computing Infrastructure as a Service (RCS IaaS) also offers an on-premise cloud service.
Micad
Estate Management retired the room booking module of Micad on Tuesday 31 December 2019.
Replacement service
Bookings for rooms that are centrally managed by the Student Registry and Estate Management (such as the Babbage, Mill Lane and Lady Mitchell lecture theatres, the Sidgwick lecture block, and rooms in the Old Schools and 17 Mill Lane) have been migrated from Micad to Booker, the University's new room-booking system.
If you don't already have a Booker account, please contact roombookingsystem@uis.cam.ac.uk to request one. You can find tips on how to use the system in our Booker user guide.
Windows Software Update Service (WSUS)
On 30 June 2020, UIS retired its Windows Software Update Service (WSUS).
Microsoft's Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) allows an organisation to cache and control the deployment of critical service patches, service packs and application updates it releases. The UIS WSUS service was created to enable this. There is no longer a network bandwidth constraint requiring us to cache updates and UIS has rarely controlled the release of updates from its WSUS server, therefore providing the service is now felt to be adding little value
Alternative service
Machines that were configured to receive updates from the UIS WSUS address should now have their policies updated to point directly to Microsoft instead.