Utrecht University back online after Almere datacentre fire

Utrecht University’s IT systems are back online almost two weeks after a fire at NorthC’s datacentre in Almere on May 7.

University buildings had already reopened during last week, but networks, applications and digital door passes remained patchy. The recovery plan has now been completed, the university said.

Exams scheduled for Monday will go ahead but not in digital form; an alternative has been arranged. Digital exams and post-exam review sessions resume on Tuesday.

Some systems are still down. High-performance computing at the Faculty of Science is still being restored, and the ValidSign digital-signature system is unavailable due to planned maintenance.

The fire also disrupted national statistics agency CBS, transport firm Transdev, and GP practices and pharmacies around the country, after the data centre cut power on the fire brigade’s instructions. NorthC restored a temporary power supply around midday on Wednesday 13 May, after which customers began a phased restart.

The cause of the fire, which broke out in a utility room at the rear of the building, is still under investigation, NorthC said.