Overview
Hasan Kalyoncu University provides end-to-end web development and hosting services for academic department websites (<department>.hku.edu.tr subdomain), research projects, event and conference sites. High-performance WordPress hosting via WP Engine production environment, automatic SSL, DNS management, and daily backups are provided as standard.
- WP Engine performanceEverCache + Varnish + PHP 8.4
- Automatic SSL / HSTSLet's Encrypt renewal + HTTPS enforced
- 7-day backupDaily automatic snapshot + one-click restore
- 99.9% uptimeWP Engine SLA + 24/7 monitoring
Our Services
Subdomain Allocation
Assignment of <department>.hku.edu.tr subdomain for academic units and projects.
WordPress Site Setup
Turnkey installation on WP Engine production environment with institutional theme and plugins.
SSL / HTTPS Certificate
Let's Encrypt automatic renewal, HSTS, enforced HTTPS redirect.
DNS Management
A / CNAME / MX / TXT records, subdomain routing and DNSSEC support.
Cloudflare CDN / WAF
Bot protection, DDoS mitigation, and global edge cache (BIM.PR.08).
Backup / Restore
7-day daily snapshot, _wpeprivate persistent backup area, one-click restore.
Theme / Plugin Development
Astra child theme, mu-plugin and custom widget development; publication after code review.
Performance / Uptime Monitoring
24/7 uptime monitoring, Core Web Vitals report, and monthly performance bulletin.
Service Level
| Scope | Target |
|---|---|
| New subdomain allocation | 2 business days |
| WordPress site setup (turnkey) | 5–10 business days |
| SSL certificate renewal | Automatic (Let's Encrypt, 60 days in advance) |
| DNS record update | 4 hours (propagation may take up to 24 hours) |
| Restore from backup | 4 hours |
| Service availability (WP Engine) | 99.9% (SLA) |
| Maintenance window (patch / update) | 1st Sunday of each month 02:00–06:00 (BIM.PR.25) |
Who Can Access
- Academic unit / faculty (official subdomain, unlimited duration)
- Research centres and application centres
- BAP / TÜBİTAK / EU-funded project sites
- Event / conference / symposium sites (12-month duration)
- Student clubs (limited features, BIM moderated)
- Administrative units (written request from rector's office)
How to Apply
Written Request from Department Head
A written request signed by the dean / director / coordinator is submitted to BIM via desk.hku.edu.tr. The request must include the subdomain name, target audience, expected content, and responsible staff.
BIM Web Team Theme / Plugin Proposal
The BIM Web Development team analyses requirements and presents the institutional theme (Astra child), plugin list, content structure, and estimated timeline. Development begins after approval.
Site Handover and Training
After launch, responsible staff receive a 1-hour WordPress content management training session. Editor / Author roles are defined, and monthly maintenance begins under BIM.PR.04.
Frequently Asked Questions
If content is updated frequently (news, announcements, events), WordPress is recommended. If content is static and very fast (conference brochure page, single-page project introduction), a static HTML site is generated and hosted on Cloudflare Pages. The BIM Web team provides guidance based on requirements.
1–2 responsible staff members (usually the department secretary or research assistant) assigned by the owning unit manage content with the Editor role. BIM is responsible only for infrastructure, security, backups and patches. Content quality is the responsibility of the unit.
No. The automatic 90-day certificate via Let's Encrypt is renewed free of charge by BIM. On WP Engine infrastructure, auto-renewal is triggered 60 days in advance; no user intervention is required. For wildcard certificate requirements, open a request at desk.hku.edu.tr.
The last 7 daily snapshots are available in the WP Engine User Portal. For older backups, open a request at desk.hku.edu.tr under BIM.PR.23; restore is performed from monthly archive backups stored in the _wpeprivate/ area. SLA: 4 hours.
After BIM updates the record, it becomes active within 4 hours; however, global DNS propagation can take up to 24 hours (due to TTL and ISP cache). You can verify by clearing your browser cache.
Related Procedures and Instructions
- BIM.PR.04 — System and Application Maintenance Procedure
- BIM.PR.08 — Information Security Management System (ISMS)
- BIM.PR.23 — Backup and Restore Procedure
- BIM.PR.25 — Patch and Update Management
- KYS.POL.04 — Internet Access and Publishing Policy
All QMS documents are published at kalite.hku.edu.tr.