Instructions for adding an alert

The following are directions on how to add an outage, service degradation, planned maintenance notice, or service announcement to the IT Service Alerts page.

  • Log into https://its.uiowa.edu/user
  • In the upper left corner, click Content, then click + Add content. Click Alert.
  • Complete the following fields:
    • Body: Brief description of the work and services affected.
      • Do NOT include date/time in this field.
      • Put the most important information in the beginning.
      • Helpful things to post:
        • What is the problem?
        • Who is affected?
        • What services are impacted?
        • Expected downtime?
        • Possible solutions or workarounds?
    • Category: Select a category (definitions below).
    • Adjust the Date/Time dropdowns as needed. By default, the End Date is Ongoing, but if it is a planned maintenance alert or a service announcement alert, then an End Date is required.
    • Choose the appropriate affected Service(s).
    • Choose the appropriate affected Building(s).
    • If the appropriate service isn’t available, add a title in Additional Title Details.
  • Use the Save as dropdown menu to save as Submit. If you save it as a draft, then it will not notify the ITS Help Desk staff and they will not know to publish it.

Upon saving as Submit, an email will be sent to the ITS Help Desk notifying them that an alert has been created and is ready to publish.

Help Desk staff will review and possibly edit the notice and publish it to the IT Service Alerts page and the Alerts Calendar. Alerts posted before 5 pm will be included in the Alerts Daily Digest email at 7 am the following day.

Planned maintenance notices will appear on the IT Service Alerts page 7 days before the scheduled maintenance. They will appear in the calendar view of alerts immediately.

Instructions for updating or closing a service degradation or outage

To update a service degradation or outage, please follow these steps:

  • Log into https://its.uiowa.edu/user
  • Navigate to the alert.
  • Click Edit in the menu above the alert title.
  • Scroll down to the bottom and, under Update, click Add Status update.
  • Adjust date/time as needed.
  • Enter the update information.
  • Use the Save as dropdown menu to save as Submit. If you save it as a draft, then it will not notify the ITS Help Desk staff and they will not know to publish it.

To close a service degradation or outage, please contact the ITS Help Desk at HelpDesk-Notify@uiowa.edu and provide the necessary information so the alert may be closed. Only the ITS Help Desk can close an alert.

Alert categories

  • Outage: The service is not available
  • Service degradation: There is partial loss of service or functionality
  • Planned maintenance: The service is scheduled for preventative maintenance or upgrades
  • Service announcement: The service has an announcement, enhancement, or a new service is available to campus.

IT service alerts process

For more information about the IT Service Alerts process, please review the document below.

IT Service Alerts Process document (authenticated users only)