| PROBLEM: Among the unique challenges
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| | the unique headaches universities,
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| facing educational institutions in the
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| | colleges, and academies must endure. The
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| early years of the twenty-first century
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| | emergence of middleware solutions using
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| is how best to serve a diverse user base
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| | standard data formats like XML can be
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| with new technologies in a time of tight
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| | powerful tools in the right hands. While
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| budgetary restrictions. While many
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| | the IT department for the institution
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| businesses in the private sector can
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| | itself must provide some support for
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| focus on the handful of software
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| | these methodologies, there are concrete
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| solutions that fit their particular
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| | solutions individual departments and
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| needs, colleges, universities, and other
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| | other organizations on campus can use to
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| institutions must attempt to integrate
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| | get themselves up to speed:The Central
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| large-scale solutions for the entire
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| | Authentication Service (CAS) -- Developed
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| campus community with a myriad of
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| | at Yale University, CAS is an open source
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| applications and business methodologies
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| | method for authenticating users in one
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| used at the individual department
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| | place for many different applications.
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| level.To make this mandate even more
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| | Integrating existing applications into a
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| challenging, many state-funded
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| | CAS solution allows users to provide
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| educational institutions are facing
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| | their login and password combination
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| belt-tightening measures that put a cramp
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| | once, and these credentials are passed to
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| on their information technology budget
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| | every application the user accesses
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| and force them to focus on crucial
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| | during that browser session, including
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| services, often at the expense of
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| | uPortal, webmail, and custom software.
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| innovation. Consolidating core software
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| | Applications large and small can
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| functions and getting existing and new
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| | capitalize on this technology with a good
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| applications to "play well together"
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| | developer and a little help from the
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| makes perfect sense in such a
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| | central IT department. Adopting a
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| climate.While the current economic
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| | web-based interface -- The proliferation
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| slowdown may have stalled some bold and
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| | of web technology is approaching a level
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| exciting plans for the future, it also
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| | of sophistication that will eventually
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| may provide a chance to clean up some of
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| | rival that of desktop technology for even
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| the sloppiness left behind after ten
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| | heavily data-intensive applications.
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| years of rapid, often directionless,
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| | While we may never live in a web-only
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| growth.SOLUTION: The needs of each
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| | world, it's not too soon to capitalize on
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| department of an educational institution
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| | the unique advantages a web-based
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| are so diverse that it would be foolhardy
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| | application or a web interface for an
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| to try to develop one application to meet
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| | existing non-web application provides.
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| them all. However, there is no reason the
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| | Aside from making the application
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| basic functions common to all
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| | available to any machine with a web
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| departments, the "business
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| | browser (the other kind are very hard to
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| infrastructure," cannot be tapped by each
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| | find these days), a web solution in many
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| department for its own purposes. The
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| | cases replaces paper and phone calls as a
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| salient reasons for developing on a
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| | means of doing business. Maximizing
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| common framework include:Efficiency --
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| | existing assets -- While it would be nice
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| The integration of accounting and billing
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| | in the best of all possible worlds to
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| methods allows departments that use their
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| | replace an aging application with a
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| own software for business services to
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| | brand-spanking new one, it is not always
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| directly tap the data provided by a
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| | feasible. Under tight budgets, getting
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| centralized entity that provides services
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| | the most out of existing applications is
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| to the entire campus, such as a Financial
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| | often the right way to go. While not all
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| Services office. By the same token, a
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| | applications are worth salvaging, a
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| common platform such as the web allows a
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| | surprising number can be retooled or
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| facilities management department, for
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| | replaced one piece at a time, keeping the
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| instance, to provide utility billing and
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| | underlying data structure intact until it
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| work order information to departments in
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| | makes sense to upgrade to newer back-end
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| a paperless format, as well as to
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| | technologies. Additionally, even legacy
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| streamline common services such as work
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| | databases can often be coaxed into
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| order submission. Security -- Every
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| | providing their essential data in a
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| application with sensitive or private
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| | usable format, even if it has to be
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| information requires a database to store
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| | converted from raw text. Often, such a
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| user logins, passwords, and permissions.
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| | conversion leads to a streamlined data
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| The ability to use one central database
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| | structure after columns and tables that
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| to store this information for many
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| | are no longer used have been
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| applications means each user need only
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| | dropped.SUMMARY: While universities face
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| remember one login and password, and
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| | a set of challenges rare outside of
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| authentication can be handled in one
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| | academia, highly diverse user bases and
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| place, meaning fewer access points need
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| | shrinking budgets need not mean
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| to be secured. Interdisciplinary study --
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| | substandard application design. An
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| Institutions are beginning to recognize
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| | intelligent mix of integration,
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| the value of linking different
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| | centralization, and the incremental
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| disciplines for a common good. For
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| | replacement of outdated technologies can
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| instance, a researcher into online
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| | ease these challenges and allow an
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| security issues might find it useful to
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| | educational institution to focus on its
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| share information with a behavioral
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| | primary objective, to educate.Solid Blue
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| scientist to understand why people are
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| | Development provides application
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| willing or unwilling to provide credit
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| | development for colleges, universities,
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| card information online. Or an historian
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| | and other educational institutions, with
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| might find it useful to plumb data from a
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| | a special focus on integrating legacy
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| molecular biologist's lab to understand
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| | applications and developing web-based
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| the dispersion patterns of ancient human
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| | solutions. Please contact Solid Blue
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| populations.METHODS: Fortunately,
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| | owner Peter Binkley for more information.
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| technology can be used to ease many of
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|
