Service Status

Issue and Workaround

An external issue within Microsoft cloud services has affected many organisations globally.

Users have experienced program shortcuts disappearing from desktops.  If shortcuts are missing, you can access your software using one of the methods below.

1. Access to Office Applications and Web Browsers has now been restored via the Start Menu and Search Bar.
2. Digital Services have also created a desktop folder called Office and Browser Applications (see image below) to facilitate ease of access while the ongoing issues relating to the Taskbar and Start Menu Tiles are investigated.
3. 
4. View Video demonstrating how you can pin frequently used software to your taskbar

We encourage all users to reboot their devices to enable ‘check in’ and receive corresponding remedial updates.

This outage is now resolved.

Universities are required to submit data about their activities/operations to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).  Submitted data is used by government for funding, monitoring and policy development.  HESA data also underpins everything from NSS to Graduate Outcomes, UKPIs and League Tables.

As part of HESAs new Data Futures Programme, these reporting requirements are changing.

These changes necessitate some planned downtime of our Banner Student Records and Information System (SRIS) over the coming weeks and months to allow us to apply a series of essential changes and updates:

• Wednesday 15th March through to Sunday 19th March 2023;
• Wednesday 12th April through to Sunday 16th April 2023 (during the Easter break);
• Friday 21st April (at close-of-business) through to Tuesday 25th April 2023.

These dates have been selected to minimise the impact of this planned downtime on high-impact mission-critical workstreams.  However, some short-term disruption of daily tasks is unavoidable as we apply these essential changes and updates to Banner.  Services that will be unavailable during the downtime periods are as follows:

• Online Applications;
• Online Enrolment;
• Banner Student System (to include Registry, Examinations, Admissions, Module Office, Scholarships & Bursaries, Planning, Fee Assessment, Research);
• Banner Self Service via Staff Portal;
• Student Lists & Email via Staff Portal;
• Faculty Grade Entry (marks collection);
• Student-related Cognos reports (will be impacted and should not be relied upon during downtime);
• Feeds to satellite systems (Blackboard Learn, Accommodation, Library, Sports Centre, Access Control, Car Parking, ID Cards, Student Wellbeing, Research systems, Employability).

Once restored, services will be operating ‘at risk’ for a period of time after.

Please take note of these planned downtime windows and plan your tasks/activities accordingly.

Digital Services are continuing to enhance teaching spaces and have scheduled maintenance across campuses to carry out minor configuration changes for some collaboration and active learning services.

Work will be completed from Friday 6th to Tuesday 17th January 2023 inclusive and will impact teaching and learning via Mersive Devices. Wired connections will remain unaffected.

* If you are timetabled into an Active Learning Suite on any campus intending to run an Active Learning session, please get in touch with the Service Desk before close of play on Wednesday 4th January.

Digital Services apologise for any inconvenience.

Please be advised that the Banner Student Record System will be unavailable on Thursday 15th December from 9am until mid-afternoon.  A further communication will be provided when the service is operational.

This downtime is to allow important patches to be applied.  Student Administration have consulted with key business teams and stakeholders in advance of this maintenance window.

Services impacted will include Online Applications, Banner Self Service, Banner Faculty Grade Entry and student related Cognos reports.