Back to Top
 
Information Technology
Contact IT Support

IT Alerts

This page lists all official IT service alerts shared with the KAUST community. Alerts are also delivered directly to your KAUST email.

Standard Weekly Maintenance Window

Thursday at 5:00 PM to Saturday at 8:00 PM. During this window, some services may experience temporary slowdowns, intermittent issues, or brief outages while essential maintenance is performed.

Vendor-Scheduled Maintenance

Some KAUST systems hosted on the KAUST Portal (portal.kaust.edu.sa) are maintained directly by our cloud vendor. These activities are scheduled quarterly and are independent of KAUST IT's regular maintenance windows. They may temporarily affect the availability or performance of several online services.

View Planned Vendor Maintenance

 

Recent Alerts

The most recent IT service alerts are shown below. For the full history, see the archive further down this page.

 

30 September, 2026

Scheduled Maintenance: KAUST Sign-In Services, IT Website, and Network Switches

Planned IT maintenance includes a 30-minute KAUST sign-in maintenance window, IT Website maintenance, and ongoing network switch upgrades. Review the schedule and any action you may need to take.

Read more

27 September, 2026

IT Maintenance Notice: IT Website Maintenance

The KAUST IT Website will undergo maintenance on Tuesday, 6 October, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. No downtime is expected, but the website may be slower than usual during this time.

Read more

 

About IT Alerts and the Change Advisory Board

The Change Advisory Board (CAB) is a cross-functional group within KAUST IT that reviews and approves proposed IT changes to maintain service reliability and reduce risk. The CAB Chair is appointed by the Chief Information Officer (CIO).

For urgent or high-impact situations, the Emergency Change Advisory Board (ECAB) may be activated to ensure timely decisions while protecting service stability.

Learn more about the CAB

When Are Alerts Issued?

All IT changes are reviewed under the Change Management process. When communication is needed, an IT Alert is published and shared with the KAUST community. This includes:

  • Scheduled or planned service changes
  • Changes affecting specific groups or areas (such as faculty, students, or building residents)
  • Unplanned outages or urgent service issues

 

Alerts Archive

All past IT service alerts are listed below, including scheduled maintenance notices, unplanned outages, and service restoration updates.

 

Planned Maintenance - KAUST VPN Secure Client Upgrade, Renewal of SSL Certificate for Unified Communications, and macOS Tahoe Upgrade Warning

25 September, 2025

KAUST Community,

Please find below the upcoming IT changes that may affect access to IT services. Kindly review the impact and follow the recommended actions to avoid any disruption.

1. KAUST VPN Secure Client Upgrade

When: Starting Monday, 29 September 2025

Impact: The Cisco AnyConnect VPN client will be automatically upgraded to the new KAUST VPN Secure Client. Once the update is applied, “AnyConnect” will no longer appear on KAUST laptops or desktops, and “Cisco Secure Client” will be visible instead.

Action required:

  • No installation is needed; the update happens automatically the next time you connect to vpn.kaust.edu.sa.
  • We recommend updating before traveling and testing your VPN connection to ensure uninterrupted access.

 

    Cisco AnyConnect logo
    Old Client: Cisco AnyConnect
    Cisco Secure Client logo
    New Client: KAUST VPN Secure Client

    2. Renewal of SSL Certificate for Unified Communications

    When: Friday, 26 September 2025, from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM

    Impact:

    • No impact to active calls made through physical IP Phones.
    • Active calls on WebEx SoftPhone clients and Video Conferencing Endpoints will be disconnected momentarily.
    • SSO login for WebEx SoftPhone and the IP Phone end user portal will not work during the maintenance; you may need to re-login.
    • This may also affect Microsoft Teams and Zoom calls. If a call drops, please reinitiate the call. Disconnections may occur intermittently until the maintenance is complete.

    3. Refraining from Upgrading to macOS Tahoe

    Impact: If an operating system is marked as Testing, it is not officially supported by KAUST IT. Upgrading to macOS Tahoe is at your own risk. Applications and services may not be compatible or function properly, and KAUST IT cannot provide full support until the system becomes officially supported.

    Action required: Please delay upgrading to macOS Tahoe until it becomes an officially supported operating system at KAUST. For current support status, see Operating Systems at KAUST.

    View all current and past IT alerts.

    Need help?

    Contact the IT Service Desk at 910 or 012-808-0910, or visit the walk-in support desk during business hours.

    You can also log a ticket using our virtual assistant, VITA, at it.kaust.edu.sa or vita.kaust.edu.sa.

    KAUST IT
    it.kaust.edu.sa