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