Indiana University—Purdue University Fort Wayne Optimizes IT Performance with Novell Solutions

Novell today announced Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), the largest public university in northeast Indiana, has streamlined desktop management and user provisioning by implementing a combination of Novell® endpoint management and identity solutions. IPFW has accelerated application delivery from hours to minutes using Novell ZENworks® Application Virtualization, lowered the costs of managing its desktop infrastructure with Novell ZENworks, cut user provisioning time by more than 95 percent with Novell Identity Manager, and reduced storage management time from 40 days to one day with Novell Storage Manager.

IPFW needed to simplify the process of managing its 2,800 Windows-based PCs, deploying complex applications consistently, and provisioning and deprovisioning user accounts, all of which had previously required a series of manual processes that were time consuming and error prone. By deploying Novell endpoint management and identity solutions, the university improved end-user support and eliminated the need to hire new IT staff to support its expansive technical infrastructure.

"Without Novell, we'd likely require one to two full-time employees to manage the dynamic needs of our user accounts on a day-to-day basis, which is not feasible for a public education institution," said Michael Boschet, senior network systems administrator for Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne. "Today, with the combination of Novell endpoint management and identity solutions, we've added more machines, more software and larger installs, yet we can still manage all this with one IT person."

Using Novell ZENworks, IPFW is able to centrally and automatically manage all its PCs, across the entire university, while reducing the cost of end-user support through remote management capabilities. In addition, after evaluating VMware* ThinApp and Microsoft* SoftGrid*, IPFW selected Novell ZENworks to virtualize applications, such as Adobe* Creative Suite, Mathematica,* and Macromedia*. Novell ZENworks Application Virtualization allows the IPFW to cut the time and burden of installing and testing new applications, and enables the IT staff to respond more quickly to the needs of students and staff.

In addition, by deploying Novell Identity Manager, IPFW is now able to synchronize the digital identities of its 30,000 users across multiple systems, including its Banner student information system, ActiveDirectory*, Google* Apps and SunGard portal; greatly increasing the efficiency of its user provisioning and deprovisioning process. The university also deployed Novell Storage Manager to automate the provisioning of its online storage, which has reduced the time spent on storage management from 40 days to one.

"Like many large universities, Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne has a complex IT environment, requiring management of large inflows and outflows of users on a yearly basis," said Jim Ebzery, senior vice president and general manager for Security, Management and Operating Platforms at Novell. "By leveraging a unique combination of Novell solutions for configuration management, application virtualization, identity management, and storage management, the university has improved the end-user experience without creating an administrative burden."

For more information on Novell endpoint management solutions, visit www.novell.com/endpoint. For more information about Novell identity management solutions, visit www.novell.com/identity. For more information about Novell Storage Manager, visit www.novell.com/storagemanager.

About IPFW
Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne is the largest public university in northeast Indiana, offering more than 200 prestigious IU and Purdue degrees and certificates. More than 13,000 students of diverse ages, races, and nationalities pursue their education on our 682-acre campus. IPFW combines challenging academic programs with student-centered flexibility at an affordable price. The university’s exemplary standards in teaching and research provide unparalleled value for career preparation and professional development in an ever-changing global market. The university’s commitment to service makes it an economic, cultural, and societal leader in the region. IPFW is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access University accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.