MedInfo Retirement
MedInfo, a static web content hosting service that publishes content to med.umich.edu, will be retired on January 1, 2025. Historically, the MedInfo service hosted Michigan Medicine web content and also served as a document repository.
The retirement of MedInfo aligns with Michigan Medicine's broader web strategy to streamline our organization’s presence on the web. Web hosting and document repositories will move to other existing strategic solutions.
Michigan Medicine Web Presence Options
Whether you need to move existing content or create something new, Michigan Medicine offers options for web hosting based on your audience. Host content for your department, class, lab, or study by requesting a web presence through the Michigan Medicine Help Center and receive guidance and options that align to Michigan Medicine: Information Assurance standards. Options include:
- Publicly available sites: Consult with the Department of Communication for guidance on where your public-facing web presence should reside within Michigan Medicine’s cohesive external web presence.
- Sites for internal audiences: All content for internal Michigan Medicine audiences should be hosted on Microsoft SharePoint.
All about URL redirects
As MedInfo approaches retirement and content is migrated to new sites, the URL for your content will change. A redirect (also known as URL forwarding) ensures end users who bookmarked your site can still access it. It will also ensure that other sites or documents linking to your site still work.
How long do you need your redirect in place?
- Web editor-created redirects will stop working on January 1, 2025.
- Important! Share your redirects information on the MedInfo Redirects spreadsheet
- HITS-created redirects will be maintained for four years, until January 1, 2029.
Learn more about working with HITS to create longer term redirects, in place through 2029.
MedInfo Retirement Timeline
- January 1, 2024 – Non-production MedInfo content archived
- NonProd content is hosted here: \\corefs.med.umich.edu\Shared2\Medinfo2Web\Webdocs
- July 1, 2024 – MedInfo content made read-only
- Deadline to identify redirects which will need to remain beyond 1/1/25
- January 30, 2024 - Deadline to submit requests for new sites / web presences
- January 1, 2025 – All MedInfo content retired with the exception of redirects
- January 1, 2029 – MedInfo redirects retired
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
I have existing content on MedInfo that I need to move. What are my options?
HITS has sent monthly email messages beginning in July 2023 to web editors who have sites or content impacted by the MedInfo retirement. It is the web editors' responsibility to determine the best option for where to move their content.
If you use MedInfo to host content on the web:
- And you are already working with the Dept of Communication, confirm all your sites are in scope for their effort and reach out if your sites will not be migrated ahead of the MedInfo retirement deadline.
- All other users should begin either migrating to SharePoint or consulting with the Department of Communication on the right external web presence option for your audience.
- You can request hosting by submitting a Website / Web Presence Requests(link is external) ticket in the Help Center.
- Please submit your Sharepoint or web presence requests by January 30, 2024. If you need to keep a redirect in place after January 1, 2025, please add it to the MedInfo Redirects google sheet(link is external).
If you use MedInfo as a document repository:
- Move your files to a supported document storage solution
- Update links to your files across your websites
What about policies and other sites that link to MedInfo?
We will retain redirects for four years following the MedInfo retirement, through 2029.
Note: Many customers have created their own redirects, which are not visible to HITS. Any customer-created redirects that need to be retained after January 1, 2025, must be added to the MedInfo Redirects google sheet.
Can I create a website for my content using third party website builders instead?
- Third Party Websites
- The Dept of Communication provides website options that align to Michigan Medicine: Information Assurance (IA) standards. Any websites built outside of the Dept of Communication will need to be assured with IA. This includes sites/presences built with a website builder like Google, Wix, or Squarespace, or created by an external vendor. For assurance, the following steps are required:
- Identify or become a Trusted Service Provider
- Fulfill an Investment Assurance Request
- Request DNS in compliance with SPG 601.15-1
- Learn more about the Investment Assurance process, which takes several weeks to complete. If data is sensitive or an outside vendor is involved, the process could take longer.
As a web editor, what are my responsibilities?
- For Public Sites: If you are already in contact with Dept of Communication about your web content, please verify all of your sites are included in the DoC scope. Alert us if work will not be completed prior to the shutdown date, January 1, 2025. If you are not yet in contact with DoC, request a web presence option in the Michigan Medicine Help Center.
- For Internal Sites: migrate your content to SharePoint ahead of the deadline, January 1, 2025. Request a SharePoint site through the Michigan Medicine Help Center.
- Move shared documents to a supported document storage solution and update links to these files across your websites
- Add redirects needed to the MedInfo Redirects google sheet
How can I tell if a website is hosted on MedInfo?
MedInfo hosts content for some websites on the med.umich.edu domain, with site URLs in the format: med.umich.edu/xxxxx. The HITS and Dept of Communication teams have been working with website editors over the past six months to make them aware of the retirement and their options to relocate their content. Please reach out to your web editor if you have questions or concerns about your site. Email notifications were sent from HITS to website editors on the following 2023 dates: 12/13, 11/8, 9/26, 8/9, 7/25.
Project Updates
January IT Updates: Windows 11 upgrade, event support expansion, MiShare and MedInfo changes
Your monthly digest of upcoming changes and enhancements to IT hardware, software, and services.
MedInfo Retirement: URL Redirects
A URL redirect ensures end users who bookmarked your site can still access it. Learn more about requesting redirects that will be in place through 2029.