The University will replace the Flamma Workgroups service’s (workgroups.helsinki.fi) current Confluence platform with the open-source XWiki platform in November 2026. Transitioning from the current platform to XWiki requires action from University community members due to the large amount of material in the service.
The Flamma Workgroups (workgroups.helsinki.fi) service, which currently runs on the Confluence platform, is intended primarily for the production and presentation of internal University content, as well as for collaboration between academic communities (Haka and eduGAIN federations). Within Flamma Workgroups, University staff can securely restrict content visibility to selected users and user groups.
The upcoming Flamma Workgroups service, which will be built on the XWiki platform, aims to closely replicate the functionality and purpose of the current service. However, it will feature a new interface and different features compared to the existing Confluence platform.
The IT Centre began the Flamma Workgroups platform change project at the beginning of 2026. Next, the project continues with piloting the new XWiki-based service starting in late April 2026.
We will notify University staff of the change with instructions well in advance via email (to Flamma Workgroups content owners), Flamma Workgroups, Flamma, and on the IT Helpdesk front page.
Important information about the service change for Flamma Workgroups users
NB! The service change requires action from Flamma Workgroups users.
Because the current service contains a large amount of material, including outdated pages and content, not all Flamma Workgroups content will be automatically transferred to the new service.
- Flamma Workgroups content owners must indicate which content should be transferred to the new service by marking it for transfer well before the change. We will make the marking process as easy as possible and notify University community members in advance.
- Despite the tight schedule for the change, we will ensure that no University community member’s content is lost and that, as necessary, information will remain accessible for a long time after the change.
What will change and why?
- The Flamma Workgroups service will move from the current Confluence platform to XWiki by 23 November 2026.
- The new service will feature a different interface and experience, which corresponds to the current Wiki service (wiki.helsinki.fi)
- By transferring the Flamma Workgroups service from the current Confluence platform to XWiki, the University will significantly reduce costs. Furthermore, the Confluence service provider Atlassian will exclusively deliver the service through its cloud platform in the near future. As a result, hosting Confluence in the University's own data centers will no longer be possible.
How does this change affect me and what do I need to do?
- If you have pages or sites in the Flamma Workgroups service, you need to mark any content you wish to transfer to the new service well in advance. The procedure will be similar to how public wiki pages in the University wiki service (wiki.helsinki.fi) were previously migrated to the XWiki platform.
- We will send instructions to all Flamma Workgroups content owners by email and inform them about the change well in advance through University communication channels.
- According to our current estimate, University community members will be able to begin marking content for transfer from the beginning of September 2026.
Would you like to pilot the new service?
We have already sent invitations to some Flamma Workgroups site owners by email to participate in the pilot. If you would like to be involved in piloting and testing your site content on the new service, please contact Project Manager Jarkko Seppälä : jarkko.seppala@helsinki.fi