We take the security of your systems and data very seriously. We have scheduled some upgrades this Spring/Summer which will support our ongoing commitment to achieving Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus certification.
These proactive measures ensure you benefit from updated database technology with enhanced performance and security, while minimising potential disruptions.
Please note that this information is only relevant to cloud managed iShare v5 customers.
We hope that the information and FAQ below will be of interest. Should you have any queries or concerns, please contact us via the support portal.
Postgres updates
Over the next few months, we will be updating Postgres to v16. This will be a free upgrade delivered as part of your subscription.
What will be affected? Cloud managed v5.8 iShare GIS, Maps and SDW databases. This will also affect other iShare Modules such as Logger, My Alerts, and third party systems that write to the iShare databases for the duration of the update.
When will upgrades begin? In May. We expect to finish the upgrades by mid-July.
Will we receive prior notification of our upgrade? Yes, we will contact you via the support portal with a suggested date. If this is unsuitable, you will be able to request an alternative date.
Will a data freeze be required? Yes, a short data freeze will be necessary. This means that no data can be written to any iShare or SDW database for a short period. The databases will be in read only mode during the upgrade process. iShare will still function, but only in read only mode (e.g. database editing will not be available for the duration of the upgrade). If you have a live integration or any concerns, please respond to us when we send you comms via the support portal.
Will there be any downtime? We expect downtime to be minimal. We understand the importance of uninterrupted service for our customers. Our migration process is designed to make the upgrade as seamless as possible, ensuring you benefit from the latest technology with minimal downtime. Please contact us via the support portal if you have any concerns.
For customers who have direct read-write access via the MIS or similar, we’ll be in touch.
Do we need to do anything? Astun will undertake the majority of the work. You may need to take some action in relation to the data freeze, for example disabling or re-running Studio workflow.
We will send out more information via the support portal in due course.
Python updates
As part of your subscription we are also planning to update all hosted iShare v5 installations for Python 3 compatibility. The majority of this work is happening in the background. We will be in touch via the support portal should you need to take any action.