Vancouver School District Taps Novell Nsure for E-Learning Project

Like many school systems around the country, Vancouver School District (VSD) in southwest Washington wanted to leverage the Internet and an e-learning initiative to give students a better, more personalized learning experience.

Working with HP, the district co-developed the Cooltown @ School solution, a portal designed to customize student learning opportunities and to deliver relevant resources to teachers, administrators and parents. For the project to succeed, however, VSD also needed to ensure security and to unify several software systems. For those requirements, the district selected a Novell® Nsure™ secure identity management solution.

The portal needed to provide district users with access to eight key applications, including e-mail, a student assessment system, an HR application and several home-grown applications; but those systems each required a separate username and password. Juggling so many passwords was not only an administrative headache, but it was also a security risk, as users were prone to write passwords down or share them. The helpdesk was bombarded by access inquiries and spent hours resetting passwords. On the recommendation of HP, VSD engaged Novell to implement a secure identity management solution and eliminate those obstacles.

"Novell stepped up to the plate and went far beyond our expectations," said Linda Turner, VSD director of Information and Technology Services. "By addressing identity management, we've been able to confidently deploy our e-learning environment, knowing it's secure, private and personalized.

"We are more than just a Novell customer; we are strategic partners," Turner said. "We are committed to Novell and its solutions - nothing else can compare."

With the Novell solution in place, the district now can ensure that only authorized users are able to access specific network resources; and it keeps information such as grade books and student assessments completely confidential. The solution also has eliminated the multiple password problem - from eight to one - strengthening security and relieving a major burden on the helpdesk, allowing technology support personnel to focus on more strategic initiatives.

"Security expertise is critical for network implementations. Having partnered with Novell for years, we knew they had the necessary expertise and the technology to integrate and secure multiple, complex applications," said Tom Tillar, general manager, Next Generation Networks Practice, HP Services. "Novell Nsure was an ideal complement to our solution. Together with Vancouver School District, HP and Novell have created an advanced portal to facilitate personalized student learning."

Dave Lawrence, Novell vice president of Nsure solutions, added, "The Novell Nsure deployment for the Vancouver School District is a prime example of the real benefit of one Net. By making technology transparent - in this case, integrating applications and getting rid of password headaches - we make sure the right people have the right access to the information they need to do their jobs, or their homework."

For more information about Novell Nsure solutions, go to www.novell.com/nsure.