About Drew University
Drew University, located in a borough of Madison, New Jersey, offers degrees in more than 30 disciplines. The University has 2,506 students and 220 faculty members and is known for its small class sizes and personal attention to students.
Challenge
Without a consistent identity management solution, Drew University was unable to manage user identities across disparate systems. The IT staff could not implement new applications for university departments because it lacked the staff to update the user databases of multiple applications. Hiring more staff was not the answer so the university began searching for an identity management solution that would simplify user administration across its campus.
One of Drew University's primary requirements was finding a cross-platform solution that would integrate with Microsoft Active Directory and work across its Microsoft Windows, NetWare and Linux environments. The solution also needed to strengthen security and help the university comply with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) requirements to protect confidential student data.
Novell Solution
For a cross-platform solution, Drew University selected a Novell identity management solution consisting of Novell Identity Manager, Novell iChain and Novell eDirectory™.
"Novell was a natural choice based on our experience with Novell eDirectory," said Michael Richichi, director of Computing and Network Services at Drew University. "Novell eDirectory is robust, incredibly stable and its synchronization technology is ahead of the pack. We don't have to worry about which operating platform we use because we have the right identity management solution for all of them."
Drew University populates Novell eDirectory with user information from its student information database. Novell Identity Manager then synchronizes this information with Microsoft Active Directory for all Windows applications, as well as its Linux-based systems. Some of the connected applications include the university's ID card, bulletin board, print management and helpdesk systems.
"We can now integrate every new application using Novell Identity Manager so we've greatly simplified user administration," said Richichi. "As there is no need to recreate users in separate systems, we're free to expand our infrastructure and give users what they need, while maintaining security."
In the past, the IT staff needed a few days to provision new users because of manual processes and paperwork. With automated identity management, the staff can provision new users immediately and give all users a single ID and password. The university is also planning to implement Novell SecureLogin for single sign-on access.
"All our students and staff now have a single network identity to access campus resources tailored to their needs," said Richichi. "Having accurate user information about people helps us customize access for them."
The university relies on Novell iChain® for secure authentication to a variety of third-party applications, library interfaces, as well as several Web portals. Novell iChain authenticates users based on the information stored in Novell eDirectory.
The university moved all of its UNIX applications, including its primary administration system, to SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server running on HP Proliant servers.
"Running SUSE Linux Enterprise gives us the option to choose open source applications," said Richichi. "We can pick and choose what we need and then build systems that can talk to each other. With Novell technology behind it, we can make it all work."
Drew University assigns laptops to all students and uses Novell ZENworks® to distribute applications and regular patches. Having standardized and updated laptops allows students to be more productive and reduces potential support issues.
The university uses Novell GroupWise® as the collaboration platform for 3,000 students and faculty, making it easy to do group scheduling. BlackBerry Enterprise Server and GroupWise Mobile Server allow staff and administrators to keep in touch with their mobile devices.
Results
By automating identity management with a Novell solution, Drew University has reduced user administration time by 30 percent. Having a single user identity for all its applications helps the university contain IT costs, and has increased security and the ability to comply with FERPA requirements.
"Our Novell identity management solution paid for itself upon rollout because we could provide new services without having to increase our IT staff," said Richichi. "Without it, we would not have been able to implement more systems without a host of security and reliability issues, not to mention an overwhelming amount of manual work."