Important Note:
The below announcement reflects the original hosting rate increases announced in March 2021. The rates in the table below apply only to July and August 2021. Starting in September 2021, these hosting rates will decrease, and traffic limits will continue to be enforced. The monthly Open Berkeley maintenance charge, which is separate from the hosting charge, will remain the same as outlined in the original announcement. See Lower Pantheon Hosting Rates (September 2021) for more information.
Original Announcement:
This announcement is about two increases to managed Open Berkeley website rates, effective July 1, 2021. Below is a summary, with further detail in the following section.
Summary of Rate Increases
- Pantheon, the vendor hosting service for Open Berkeley sites, is increasing monthly hosting rates for UC Berkeley on April 1st, 2021. They will also start enforcing traffic limits for their hosting plans, which may result in increased costs for sites with high traffic (number of site visits). The Office of the CIO understands the significant financial challenges facing campus teams, and that even small rate increases can be difficult. To give campus teams extra time for budget planning, OCIO will subsidize the vendor rate increases for all sites on Pantheon from April to June 2021. Campus teams using Pantheon will start paying the new rates beginning in July 2021.
- Open Berkeley rates will also increase in the new fiscal year. This is the first rate increase in 8 years. The rate increase is divided into 2 areas:
- Maintenance (recharge): The rate will increase from $82/month to $107/month.
- Pantheon hosting (pass-through charge by vendor): The rate increase will depend on the hosting plan (see Table 1, below).
The total cost of your Open Berkeley site (per month) will be $107 + the new rate of your Pantheon hosting plan. Additionally, some Open Berkeley websites with high traffic (number of site visits) may be upgraded by Pantheon to a higher hosting plan.
Why Are Managed Website Rates Increasing?
The Open Berkeley rate has not changed in 8 years; however, the platform itself has changed and expanded over time (e.g., new features and improvements), increasing the overall cost of running the service.
Our Web Platform Services team (the Open Berkeley team) continues to support institutional requirements by providing a platform that complies with campus and UC-wide policies for Berkeley.edu domains (privacy, brand protection, security, and accessibility). Our technology solution requires significant effort to maintain: platform development and testing, accessibility and security, operations, support and help, and more.
Pantheon is a third-party hosting provider for both Open Berkeley and “DIY” (Do-it-Yourself) websites, and they are increasing their hosting rates, and enforcing previously-documented site traffic limits.
This means that:
- rates for current hosting plans will increase;
- two new hosting plans will be available; and
- sites exceeding the traffic limits associated with their hosting plan will be upgraded by Pantheon to a different hosting plan.
Pantheon hosting rates (per month) for Open Berkeley sites will increase as detailed in Table 1, below. (Note: Despite the rate increase, UC Berkeley websites will still receive a discount when compared to Pantheon’s list price, and Open Berkeley customers have a lower rate than DIY (Do-it-Yourself) sites since the Open Berkeley team handles all of the technical aspects for sites on the platform.)
| Hosting Plan | Current Rate | Increased OB Rate see footnote** | Pantheon List Price | Monthly Visits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $20 | $23 | $41 | Up to 25,000 |
| Performance Small | $75 | $90 | $160 | Up to 25,000 |
| Performance Medium * | N/A | $161 | $275 | Up to 50,000 |
| Performance Large | $300 | $322 | $550 | Up to 150,000 |
| Performance X-Large * | N/A | $537 | $916 | Up to 300,000 |
* New hosting plans
** The rates in the Increased OB Rate column apply only to July and August, 2021. See Lower Pantheon Hosting Rates (September 2021) for current rates.
Pantheon will also start enforcing site traffic limits. If your site receives more site traffic than is allowed within your hosting plan (see Table 1, above), you may need to upgrade to a different plan. We will contact you separately if your site is in this category.
How to Check Your Site Traffic
You can use Google Analytics to check your site traffic. Go to https://analytics.google.com and sign in with your CalNet ID and passphrase. If you do not see your site listed on your Google Analytics dashboard, please contact web-platform@berkeley.edu. (Please note that Google Analytics may not be enabled on your site if your site owner did not elect to use it.)
We're Here to Help!
If you have any questions about the Open Berkeley rate increase, or other questions about your site, please contact us at web-platform@berkeley.edu. We are available over email, or to discuss during a monthly Office Hours session.