Novell Helps Hartford Public Schools Do More With Less

• Novell eProvisioning solution enables Hartford Public Schools to streamline basic administrative processes, saving significant time and money, and safeguard students' access to the Internet
• Solution extends Internet access, e-mail and other services to thousands of students, faculty and staff with no increase in IT staff or resources

Novell, Inc., a leading provider of Net business solutions, has deployed an innovate eProvisioning solution for Hartford Public Schools (HPS) in Connecticut, which has allowed the school district to streamline basic administrative processes, saving significant time and money, and safeguard students' access to the Internet. HPS, which serves more than 22,000 students and employs more than 3,000 faculty and staff, deployed the eProvisioning solution to address a recent administrative mandate to provide its students, faculty and staff with Internet access, e-mail and Internet-based file and print services, at school and at home. Built using Novell® DirXML™, Novell BorderManager® and professional services, the solution has allowed HPS to meet this mandate without adding additional IT staff or resources.

"Extending Internet-based services to our thousands of students, faculty and staff presented a number of challenges for HPS," said Brian Wiatr, senior systems administrator with Hartford Public Schools. "First, we needed a way to easily grant user access to half a dozen systems without adding additional staff or resources. We also needed to link the data in those systems to better manage different user groups and enhance administration capabilities throughout HPS's 40 district sites. Perhaps most important, we needed an Internet filtering solution to protect students from the potential dangers of inappropriate Web content."

Working with Novell ConsultingSM, HPS deployed Novell DirXML and Novell eDirectory™ to integrate the user information stored across many applications and simplify the process of granting or revoking access to those applications. "DirXML has allowed us to link the student and faculty information stored in a number of systems, including eDirectory, Novell Internet Messaging System™, our student information database, GroupWise®, and our faculty HR system, Smart Stream HR," Wiatr said. "With it, we don't have to modify or consolidate existing applications and databases —we simply enter information into any designated directory, and DirXML updates it across the entire network. This streamlined process is not only beneficial to our school system, but it's also beneficial to the city. Now, we only need a single e-mail administrator to manage accounts, rather than numerous people managing file services, Internet activity, etc.; and that's a definite cost savings for taxpayers."

To help regulate students' Internet access, HPS deployed Novell BorderManager as part of the eProvisioning solution. Before users can access the Internet, they must first sign an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) agreement. BorderManager leverages DirXML to link to the student database where the AUP status is stored. BorderManager then verifies that the AUP has been signed and allows only compliant users access to the Internet. Once access is granted, BorderManager continues to prevent users from visiting Web sites with inappropriate content.

"Novell's eProvisioning solution has enabled Hartford Public Schools to meet its district objective and provide safe, efficient Internet access, e-mail and other services to thousands of students, faculty and staff," said Paul Smart, vice president and general manager of Novell's Net Directory business. "What's more, they are able to deliver this vastly increased set of services with zero increase in staffing. Getting more from what you have —that's the real power of Novell solutions."

For more information about Novell eProvisioning solutions, go to www.novell.com/solutions/eprovisioning.

About Novell
Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL), is a leader in eBusiness solutions and Net services software designed to secure and power the networked world. Novell and its eServices division, Cambridge Technology Partners, help organizations solve complex business challenges, simplify their systems and processes, and capture new opportunities with one Net solutions. Novell provides worldwide channel, consulting, education and developer programs to support its offerings.

For information on Novell's complete range of products and services, contact Novell's Customer Response Center at (888) 321-4CRC (4272), or visit Novell's Web site at http://www.novell.com. Information on eBusiness and integration solutions from Cambridge Technology Partners can be accessed at http://www.ctp.com. Press may access Novell announcements and company information on the World Wide Web at http://www.novell.com/pressroom.

Novell, BorderManager, Cambridge Technology Partners and GroupWise are registered trademarks; DirXML, eDirectory and Novell Internet Messaging System are trademarks; and Novell Consulting is a service mark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. *All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners