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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 - Reminder: Microsoft 365 Environment Controls

30 October, 2025

KAUST Community,

The following maintenance activities are planned to keep KAUST IT’s services reliable and performing well. Please review the schedule and expected impacts below.

ActivityDetails
Microsoft 365 Environment Controls

When: Thursday, October 30, 2025

Impact:

As part of KAUST’s ongoing efforts to strengthen digital collaboration and comply with Information Security and Data Privacy policies, IT will implement new controls for Microsoft 365 third-party apps, plug-ins, and AI bots.

These controls are designed to protect institutional data, reduce security risks, and ensure that only safe, approved tools are used. All native Microsoft apps (such as Power BI, Planner, SharePoint, Lists, and OneNote) will remain available.

Action Required:

  • Review your connected apps: Visit Manage your apps in Office.com to view any connected third-party apps or plug-ins.
  • Check the permitted list: Ensure that the tools you use are approved by KAUST IT.
  • Plan ahead: Unsupported or high-risk third-party apps will be blocked starting October 30.
  • Request an app review: If your work depends on an unlisted app, please complete the App Review Form to have it assessed by KAUST IT.

For full details, visit New Controls on Microsoft Third-Party Apps, Plug-ins, and AI Bots.

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.

We appreciate your understanding as we continue improving KAUST IT’s services.

KAUST IT

it.kaust.edu.sa