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