Wiki’s Cloud Journey Begins
Key Takeaways:
- VCU’s wiki.vcu.edu is moving to Confluence Cloud (wiki-vcu.atlassian.net) on March 3, 2025.
- Only wiki spaces updated since Dec. 31, 2022, will be migrated. Update your space now if needed.
- No new spaces can be created on wiki.vcu.edu.
- Login will switch to Microsoft Entra ID.
- Review your migrated content after March 3rd.
- wiki.vcu.edu will eventually redirect to the new cloud location, date is TBD.
In October 2023, we revealed the plan to move our wiki.vcu.edu “Confluence” app into Atlassian’s cloud offerings. It has taken us a bit of time to arrange all of the ducks, but we’re approaching the time to actually move. As of this post, we will not be creating any more spaces on wiki.vcu.edu, and existing spaces that meet the requirements previously outlined will migrate to https://wiki-vcu.atlassian.net on March 3rd, 2025.
In the initial blog post about the migration, we notified everybody that we’d only migrate spaces that had seen updates since December 31, 2022. As of February 24, 2025, that pairs us down from 743 spaces to 120.
That number can increase, of course– it’s not too late to make an update to a space that you want migrated. Here’s our timeline for this project and how this will work.
- October 20, 2023, Wiki Cloud Migration announced via email to Wiki List Serv and blog post.
- January 20, 2025, Technology Services procured a Confluence Cloud “Standard” license from Atlassian.
- February 24, 2025, This Blog Post and an email to the the Wiki List Serv is sent out, declaring the migration project timeline and the ceasing of new Wiki Spaces on https://wiki.vcu.edu.
- March 3, 2025 @ 12:00am, Wiki Spaces modified since December 21, 2022 migrate to Confluence Cloud, https://wiki-vcu.atlassian.net. https://wiki.vcu.edu remains accessible on VPN, while a new URL is available for reviewing migrated content.
- TBD, 2025. Migration concludes and https://wiki.vcu.edu redirects traffic to Confluence Cloud, https://wiki-vcu.atlassian.net/. The sunset date for wiki.vcu.edu will be determined based on the project’s success, allowing for a flexible transition.
What comes over?
Well, all of it. All content and attachments will come over to https://wiki-vcu.atlassian.net— your existing space identifier and name stays the same, and access will be migrated over as well.
What changes?
We’ll be going from our once typical “CAS Manager” login to our Microsoft Entra ID screen. You’ll continue to login with your eID credentials, it’ll just be a slightly different experience. When logging in via Microsoft Entra ID, please confirm the VCU logo above the “Sign in” input and make sure to use your full email, “[email protected]” rather than just your eID, “youreid”. The keen eyed observer will also notice the background of the login-screen is an outline of Richmond city proper.
Switching over to EntraID means any generic accounts once used to manage and access a Wiki Space will no longer be accessible.
Along with how we log in and where we log in, we’ll be seeing an updated user interface, while the user experience will remain largely the same. If that sounds paradoxical, check this article out.
After March 3rd is a requirement to review your migrated content and make any necessary fixes. It is possible the migration process may tussle up your data, or some very particular permissions may need adjusting. We can rerun a specific migration with a ticket via RamsCentral or a visit to Web Services’ Consulting Hours— we do anticipate formatting will just be slightly different. Our internal testing has revealed nothing earth shattering.
Once your content has been reviewed, consider this your live environment. We recommend placing a notice on your wiki.vcu.edu space announcing the migration. Later in 2025, when we conclude the migration process, we’ll do our best to redirect https://wiki.vcu.edu spaces to the correct place over on https://wiki-vcu.atlassian.net.
How do I access my migrated Confluence Space?
- On the morning of March 3rd, you’ll be able to see all of your migrated spaces here: https://wiki-vcu.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces
- The typical migration path looks like this: https://wiki.vcu.edu/display/TUG/Home –> https://wiki-vcu.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/TUG/.
After migration support.
Our support structure will remain the same– a ticket via RamsCentral or a visit to our consulting hours is the best way to get into conversation with us. Lastly, if you’re curious about how to use Confluence to its maximum capabilities, check out their Atlassian Learning Catalog.
F.A.Q.
Updated 2/24/2025
For the purposes of the migration criteria, does a modification to any page within a Confluence space constitute an ‘update’ to the space as a whole?
Yes, modifying a page within a space qualifies as an update for the entire space. Should your space not migrate on March 3rd, please submit a ticket or visit our consulting hours for assistance.
Will the transition to Entra ID prevent hospital employees without university affiliations from accessing the wiki?
Hospital employees without university affiliations will not have access and will require special accommodations to access Confluence Cloud. Existing hospital employee Wiki users will retain their access. If that is not the case on March 3rd, please put in a ticket to RamsCentral.