Instructions for the 2026 FIONA Windows Operating System Upgrade

1 September 2026

The Windows servers used in FIONA will be upgraded to a new version during 2026. The upgrades will begin in September and proceed at a target rate of approximately 20 servers per week.

The Windows Server 2016 version currently used in FIONA is becoming outdated, and its official support will end in early 2027. As part of the upgrade, the servers will be updated to Windows Server 2025 to ensure that FIONA remains secure and efficient to use in the coming years. The upgrade will change the appearance of FIONA to match Windows 11. The new server version will also improve information security and introduce new tools to the environment.

Projects will be informed of their migration schedules closer to the migration date. The deployment of the new environment includes a one-week testing period, during which the old environment will be decommissioned. After the testing period, the old environment will be fully replaced by the new one. Any issues reported during the testing period will be corrected as part of the migration process. If no issues are reported during the testing period, the new environment will be considered accepted.

How the Server Upgrade Process Works

We will notify project contact persons and users by email at least seven days before the migration.
The new environment will be deployed. The contents of the current environment will be transferred automatically.
Deployments will be carried out in stages. A new environment may be deployed on any weekday from Monday to Friday.
On the Monday following the deployment week, the old environment will be shut down and users will work only in the new environment.
Users will have one calendar week to report any issues in the new environment.
If no issues are reported during that week, the deployment will be considered accepted. Any modifications or corrections requested after this point will be subject to a fee.

What Users Need to Do

Log in to your project environment before the server upgrade. This ensures that the Roaming Profiles update implemented in June 2026 has been activated and that files stored on your Desktop and in the Documents and Downloads folders, as well as application settings, are automatically saved to the network drive instead of the local C: drive.
If additional software has been installed in your project environment, or if other customisations have been made, you can help ensure that they are transferred to the new server version by informing us before the upgrade at tutkijapalvelut@stat.fi. You can also let us know if you no longer need some previously implemented customisations.
Test the new environment as soon as the old project environment has been shut down and report any issues within one week.
When testing, verify that datasets, software and any previously implemented software- or performance-related modifications remain unchanged.
If you identify any issues, please report them to tutkijapalvelut@stat.fi using the subject line "Issues in Updated FIONA Environment".

Information on Datasets, Software and Billing

Software, settings and datasets stored on the network drive will be transferred automatically to the new FIONA environment. Users do not need to move anything themselves.
As part of the server upgrade, default software packages will be updated to the latest approved versions. If you need to continue using an older software version (for example, Stata), please contact tutkijapalvelut@stat.fi.
The old and new environments cannot be used in parallel. The old environment will be shut down on the Monday following the deployment of the new environment.
The change of environment will not affect FIONA billing.

Further information

tutkijapalvelut@stat.fi