by Richard Gincel

2006 InfoWorld 100 Awards: Education

feature
Nov 13, 20064 mins

www.osuosl.org 24/7 On-Demand Systems and Applications Availability Project Lead: Corey Shields, Infrastructure Manager Project Description: Provides free hosting for the Linux Kernel Project, the Apache Software Foundation, Debian Linux, Gentoo Linux, OpenOffice.org, KDE, Mozilla, and Drupal. The lab’s size has more than tripled in the past 18 months and hosts 130 servers. The servers run a variety of Linux distributions, mostly Gentoo and Debian. They host a range of Apache-based Web services, source control systems, content management systems, wikis, and many underlying databases, mostly MySQL. The project leverages Splunk, Xen, and Cfengine combined with Revision Control.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute www.rpi.edu

Business Intelligence Initiative Project Lead: Ora Fish, Data Warehouse Manager

Project Description: Deployed Hyperion Performance Suite to create flexible dashboards and dynamic reports that allow users to swiftly get to information they need. Financial, student, and budget information is readily available in hundreds of customizable reports and dashboards. The metadata layer and interoperability between Hyperion and Informatica helped deliver success. Single sign-on to a report portal allows users to retrieve dashboards and reports and run queries.

Salisbury University www.salisbury.edu Storage Consolidation and Centralized Data Management Project Lead: Troy Donoway, Systems Engineering Manager Project Description: Installed two tiers of EMC Clariion storage: 4TB of Fibre Channel drives for its most demanding applications such as PeopleSoft, and 16TB of ATA drives for archiving, backups, and personal storage space for students, faculty, and staff. It moved from seven Novell NetWare file servers to a single EMC Celerra NAS gateway to centrally managed file sharing. EMC NetWorker software replaced labor-intensive, manual tape backup with a daily, unattended disk-to-disk backup process. Archival images are now stored on the Clariion ATA. Using EMC VMware to create virtual servers, Salisbury avoids the expense of additional hardware purchases. Because of the flexibility and functionality provided by this new infrastructure, Salisbury plans to open an integrated media center in the fall of 2008.

University of Northern Colorado www.unco.edu Information Leak Prevention Project Lead: Ryan Rose, Director of IT, Core Services Project Description: Deployed PortAuthority solution to stop leaks of sensitive student data and confidential information over Web communications and networked printing in real time. The SunGard Banner SCT ERP system interfaces with the database and binds an array of information from finance to HR to student records. For network security, they also use Cisco PIX firewalls, Tipping Point’s IDS, Proventia’s host-based IPS, and Symantec for anti-virus. The staff deployed an Oracle database on the back end of the Sungard Banner system and use Microsoft Exchange, SQL server, and IAS.

University if Pittsburgh www.pitt.edu Integrated Web Portal Project Lead: Jinx P. Walton, Director, Computing Services and Systems Development Project Description: My.pitt.edu provides secure, convenient access to multiple resources through a single log-in, providing both user convenience and cost savings among departments. Access is provided through integration with the University’s CDS (Central Directory Service), which contains information about every individual affiliated with the University (more than 64,000 users). My.pitt.edu utilizes the commercial BEA AquaLogic Web portal application suite at its core. Microsoft Windows 2000 and SQL Server 2000 provide the underlying server operating system and database infrastructure. The portal is also integrated with the CDS service for identity management and with the University’s central authentication systems for user access control.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee www.uwm.edu Secure Content Storage and Collaboration Solution Project Lead: Cheryl Ellsworth, Supervisor Systems Integration Support. Project Sponsor: Bruce Maas, Interim Chief Information Officer Project Description: Deployed Xythos/PantherFile to enhance university data security by providing secure mechanism for accessing and sharing data, which helps the institution with its regulatory-compliance efforts. Mobile users now have a primary copy of their data stored on protected servers. Instructors use Xythos/PantherFile to distribute course materials to students, especially to those who are pursuing degrees that are offered entirely online.

2006 INFOWORLD 100 WINNERS Top 10 Finalists Computing/Tech                                          Distribution/Supply Chain Education                                                      Financial Services Government                                                  Health Care Insurance                                                      Manufacturing Media/Multimedia                                        Pharmaceuticals Retail                                                              Services Sports                                                             Telecommunications Transportation                                              Unspecified