QShare Decommissioning

Blackboard Xythos, the underlying application for the QShare service, is reaching end of life. This means that the vendor will no longer be providing support or updates for the tool. To prevent any security or operational risks presented by maintaining an unsupported application, IT Services will be decommissioning the QShare service.

What does this mean for me?

If you or your team are currently using QShare for file storage, distribution and sharing, or if you have used the tool in the past and relevant content is still stored there, it will be important to identify an alternative tool to meet these needs and begin moving your content as soon as possible. IT Services offers several tools that provide a similar functionality to QShare (i.e., the ability the store, share and distribute documents). The steps in the Recommended Migration Procedure are intended to provide guidance on identifying a tool that will best meet your needs and migrating your content.

When do I need to have my content moved out of QShare?

By August 31, 2019, at a minimum, you should have an alternative tool selected and any processes that previously used QShare should be updated to reflect the new tool.

On October 31, 2019, QShare will no longer be accessible. This means that you will not be able to log into the service and retrieve any remaining documents. All relevant content should be moved out of the service by this date.

Recommended Timeline

To help with ensuring a smooth transition from QShare, IT Services has provided the following recommended timeline:

• July 31, 2019: By this date, you should have reviewed your QShare usage and identified alternatives
• August 31, 2019: By this date, any processes using QShare should be revised and content should begin to be migrated
• September 31, 2019: By this date, all content should be moved out of QShare
• October 31, 2019: QShare becomes inaccessible. All content must be moved out of QShare by this date.

Recommended Migration Procedure

Step 1: Identify any accounts for which you are the owner/administrator

If you are the owner or administrator of an account, it is your responsibility to ensure that all relevant data is moved out of QShare by October 31st.

Step 2: Review your current QShare usage

It’s likely that there are multiple ways that you are using QShare. For example, you may upload individual working documents to your personal account to share with co-workers or users outside the university. You may also have access to multiple group accounts, to upload and collaborate on team working documents. Identify each case.

Step 3: Review the IT Services Supported Solutions and Select a QShare Alternative

Familiarize yourself with the various options that are available. An overview of some common QShare uses and the IT Services supported solutions that can meet these needs, is available to help you with the decision-making process. This page also provides a full feature-by-feature comparison of each tool to QShare.

If there are multiple accounts or processes that were managed using QShare, it’s unlikely that there will be one solution that will meet the needs for all cases. Select an alternative that best fits each individual case. If none of the cases fit your usage or you’re unsure of which option to choose, contact the IT Support Centre at 613.533.6666, or submit an Online Help Form. We’ll review your requirements and help you find an optimal solution.

Step 4: Revise your processes

While many of the IT Services supported solutions offer similar features to QShare, some modifications to your existing processes will likely be required to reflect the chosen alternative.

Step 5: Migrate your content

Once you've selected an alternative and made any necessary process revisions, it's time to start moving your content. Recommendations on how to migrate your content are available for each of the IT Services supported solutions.