MBIM IT uses a range of web hosting options for departmental sites, lab sites, and research web applications. Most departmental web servers are deployed through UBC IT infrastructure services, while many lab websites are hosted on UBC’s centrally supported WordPress platform.
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UBC CMS WordPress web hosting
UBC provides a centrally supported content management system based on WordPress for teaching, learning, research, communications, and marketing needs. This service is offered at no cost to eligible faculties and units and is the easiest hosting option for most lab and project websites.
For MBIM-style lab sites, this is often the best place to start because the WordPress multisite environment is centrally maintained and uses Campus-Wide Login (CWL) for access.
Difficulty level: Easy. Most lab managers, postdocs, and PIs can create and maintain content directly in WordPress without managing an operating system, server environment, or application updates.
Read more: UBC CMS WordPress
Example sites from the source environment
Non-UBC web hosting
MBIM generally discourages non-UBC hosting because unmanaged third-party services can introduce privacy, security, data sovereignty, or FIPPA-related concerns. In some cases, projects may still use external providers, but MBIM IT prefers to limit that approach whenever possible.
Difficulty level: Easy to moderate, depending on the provider. These services may still require MBIM IT input, even when the hosting platform itself is straightforward to use.
Example sites from the source environment
UBC EduCloud web hosting
UBC EduCloud Server is a self-managed higher education cloud server service that allows departments to provision and manage virtual machines in a secure private environment. It is designed to offer cloud-like flexibility while meeting provincial privacy requirements under FIPPA.
This service allows rapid deployment of virtual machines from templates and makes it possible to change resources through a web portal as project needs evolve.
Difficulty level: Advanced. This option generally requires MBIM IT management of the virtual server, operating system, and application stack. It is typically reserved for enterprise-grade applications and customized internal web services.
Read more: UBC EduCloud Server Service
Example sites from the source environment
UBC University Data Centre (UDC)
For faculty projects with grant-funded physical servers, the University Data Centre can provide rack space for research and departmental services. In the source environment, this model was used for both research-specific infrastructure and department-wide services.
Physical server purchases should be reviewed before grant submission in consultation with MBIM IT and ARC Consulting.
Difficulty level: Advanced. This option requires MBIM IT management of physical server hardware, the operating system, and the application stack, and is generally reserved for specialized research or enterprise-style web applications.
Read more: UBC University Data Centre