Technical Guidelines

Accounts and Infrastructure

Third-party accounts for hosting or otherwise should be created using a Departmental NetID or Shared Mailbox. If CAS integration is impractical or not available, individuals should authenticate using sign-in with Google or Microsoft Accounts, if available. Otherwise, they should use their official UT email address.

Any purchases should follow formal UTIA purchasing process.

UTIA WordPress Network

UTIA has adopted WordPress as its primary platform for public-facing website development. This infrastructure utilizes a custom-built WordPress Theme so that all sites easily comply with UTIA’s branding standards. All sites are maintained in a WordPress Network.

Departments are highly encouraged to utilize this development platform for all website needs. Please contact ITS or visit the WP Guide for more information. ITS provides development assistance and support at no cost for sites developed on UTIA’s WordPress Network

Platforms & Programming Languages

1. UTIA has adopted WordPress as the primary Content Management System (CMS) for public-facing websites.
2. Other CMS such as Drupal, Joomla, etc., are NOT supported by ITS, and the Web Advisory Committee has the authority to decline a site request built on an unsupported platform.
3. UTIA web servers can support the following programming languages:
   • HTML/CSS
   • .Net
   • Client-side Java/JavaScript
4. UTIA supports Microsoft SQL Server 2017 and higher as the database management system.
5. UTIA does NOT support and will NOT approve the use of MySQL.
6. The UTIA Agweb server contains limited support for PHP. The servers will run php, but support of PHP will be the responsibility of the website owner. ITS will NOT provide support for websites using PHP.

Web Projects

1. Mobile ready/responsive design – See also Accessibility Guidelines
2. Modern performance standards
3. If you choose to outsource a web project, ITS should be contacted to discuss the pros and cons of outsourcing a project. If moderate security information is included, the project must also pass a security review using the “UTIA Outsourcing Security Checklist.”
4. The contracting party (person responsible for contracting the services of an outsourcing company) requesting the outsourced project is solely responsible for the finished product. This includes updating and adding new functionality (features) to the database or application, maintenance, troubleshooting the database or application, and technical support.
5. The contracting party should also consider support for applications and websites beyond the scope of a grant or other funding opportunity. UTIA ITS may not have bandwidth to support or maintain these projects.
6. All code must be written in the programming languages that are supported and approved by UTIA ITS. (Please refer to the list of supported languages below.)
   • HTML
   • CSS
   • .Net
   • PHP
   • Client-side JavaScript
7. All public-facing forms should use reCAPTCHA to protect the site and the recipient email account from spam.
8. All websites and applications should utilize an analytics tracking service (such as Google Analytics) for tracking usage. Analytics are important to managing a website or application’s effectiveness. See Maintenance of Websites section below.
9. ITS will evaluate technology built by third-party before support can be committed to.
10. The contracting party MUST establish (in writing) with the outsourcing company who retains ownership of the files and design, and for what time period, before work is started on a project.
11. The unit/department/organization that has outsourced a project(s) must clearly state on the home page who to contact in the outsourcing company when users need technical support.
12. The contracting party and the outsourcing company are responsible for contacting Marketing & Communications (865-974-7141) regarding proper branding, use of official logos and approved styles for the site.

Domain Names and Extensions

1. DO NOT use .com, .net. org for higher education sites
2. If you wish to purchase a unique domain name, you must first contact the ITS department. Unique domain names are purchased through and registered with the IP Manager in the Office of Information Technology.
3. The cost of the unique domain name will be the responsibility of the department/program/group requesting the unique domain.
4. The process for the renewal of a unique domain name such as .org is the responsibility of the owner/author of the site, NOT ITS or OIT.
5. The University will allow the use of .org for a domain name, but will NOT allow the use of a .com on any OIT-owned servers.

Maintenance of Websites

1. Website owners/departments are responsible for maintaining their site(s), unless the site owner or department head has requested maintenance assistance from the ITS department prior to the site going “live” on the web.
2. Periodic analytic reports will be run on websites to verify the usage of the site. Sites showing very little usage or showing content that has not been kept current over the period of a year will be brought to the attention of the appropriate dean/department head.
3. Periodic accessibility reviews will be conducted on websites to ensure continued compliance with UTIA’s Accessibility Guidelines.
4. The Web Advisory Committee has the authority to shut down a site that contains outdated content, a site that has no identifiable owner or administrator, a site that does not meet UTIA’s accessibility guidelines, or a site that contains any security-related risks.
5. Each site must list a site administrator, a backup administrator and an IT web person as a consultant/overseer.