Web Publishing Tiers of Service

Different “tiers” of support are available in the Web Publishing Service, depending on the type of Michigan Engineering group, department or individual. Eligible groups or individuals can request a site online.

Questions about any of the services described below can be addressed by contacting a CAEN consultant.


Tier 1 – Start-up Assistance

  • Website setup:
    • Initial needs assessment via questionnaire, with in-person meetings as required
    • Site layout and navigation recommendations
    • Initial configuration of basic site settings, including URL registration, permissions, customized navigation, contact information, and creation of a logo using a Michigan Engineering template (you may alternatively supply your own logo, but it must meet theme requirements; no more than one logo can be accommodated)
      • URLs are only provided by CAEN in the engin.umich.edu domain
    • Google Custom Search configuration:
      • Local site search
      • Michigan Engineering site search
    • Google Analytics reporting upon request
  • Migration from another web publishing tool or service, if applicable:
    • Establish a migration timeline
    • Migrate content marked by participant for the move, during the established timeline
    • Redirect old content to new location

Tier 1 – Ongoing Support

  • Self-service website content management using Michigan Engineering web templates and widgets:
    • Self-service addition/modification of content based on predefined page templates, using established service tools
    • Limited support for hosting sensitive regulated data
  • Administration of the hosting infrastructure:
    • Server and operating system updates and maintenance
    • Monitoring for up-time and performance 24/7 with staff response during normal business hours, and best effort response outside of business hours
    • Disaster recovery data backups
    • Core WordPress and plugin updates
    • Michigan Engineering template maintenance
  • Documentation and training:
    • Online knowledge base customized for CAEN’s WordPress installation
    • Training sessions offered periodically
  • Phone and email to request support:
    • Call (734) 764-CAEN (2336), or email [email protected]
    • Support available during normal business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday
  • Email notifications and reporting:
    • Notification of significant updates to the look or behavior of the publishing environment
    • Notification of scheduled and unscheduled service outages
    • Notification of survey opportunities to give service improvement feedback
    • Semi-annual reporting of site contacts
    • Semi-annual reporting of quality check results:
      • Spelling errors
      • Broken links
      • Note: CAEN will recommend tools for additional quality checks upon request
  • Opportunity to give input on service improvements:
    • All feedback for improvements and/or feature additions are welcome via email to [email protected]

Tier 2 – Engineering Faculty, Labs, Centers, and Institutes

  • Includes all services provided in Tier 1
  • A Michigan Engineering-based theme/template
  • Content Placement:
    • Email [email protected]
    • Typically, a 5 business day turnaround; if demand is especially heavy, this may be longer. Requests will be answered in the order received and if we cannot meet 5 business day turnaround, we will communicate this as early as possible.
    • Wording placed on the website exactly as provided
    • Provided graphics are resized to appear appropriately on the web site
    • PowerPoint presentations converted into web page content
  • Content update reminders and reporting:
    • Reminder emails automatically sent (no more often than weekly) to contributors promising content
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO) self-service documentation:
    • How to contact the Office of Communications & Marketing to appear on central Michigan Engineering listing
    • Templates for requesting that your site be listed on other key sites
    • Documentation about creating and implementing metadata

Tier 3 – Engineering Academic Departments

  • Includes all services provided in Tier 1
  • Assistance for critical updates when content editors are out of the office:
    • For planned updates, set and check the publish date of the update
    • For unplanned updates, phone and/or email support