BYOD Success in Higher Education

Transcription

1 WHITE PAPER BYOD Success in Higher Education Access Windows Applications and Virtual Desktops From ANY Device Ericom Software April 2014 WP-D Q

2 Table of Contents Introduction... 3 BYOD Challenges... 3 Browser based Access... 4 Education on Demand... 5 Accessing Centralized Resources... 5 Case Study: Antioch University... 6 Summary... 8 Page 2

3 Introduction The proliferation of affordable, easy-to-use personal devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops is accelerating the emergence of BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device) on today s campuses. The increase in number and diversity of devices used by students, faculty and staff is creating new challenges for already strained IT and Helpdesk departments. College and university IT departments are often tasked with supporting thousands of users, end-user devices and, in some cases, multiple campus locations. Hence, it is essential to find ways to ease the burden of managing, configuring and securing a variety of user devices, ensuring that IT staff members are able to keep pace with the demands placed on them. At the same time, BYOD solutions must provide user-friendly access to essential academic resources, including desktops, applications and institutional repositories, to maximize the benefit to students and staff. This paper examines the ways in which academic institutions can overcome these challenges and enable students and staff to reap the benefits of BYOD. This paper also presents a case study of one university that has begun implementing a BYOD initiative that enables students to access academic resources and applications such as IBM SPSS, MS Office Suite, etc., on any device, from anywhere. BYOD Challenges According to a recent study by the Educause Center for Applied Research (ECAR) 1, the average number of Internet-capable devices per person on college and university campuses has grown substantially over the past two years and is projected to continue growing. This has presented a number of challenges for IT departments that are tasked with addressing the expanding BYOD phenomenon: Security Personal devices that are connected to networks present vulnerabilities and are more difficult to secure than devices that operate exclusively within the firewall. Management IT departments are challenged to configure and manage a variety of devices, instead of standard-issue devices that can come preloaded with the necessary software and other necessary native clients. Devices must be provisioned with the relevant software antivirus, connection broker software, etc. Any time there is an institution-wide update, IT must roll out the updates across all endpoint devices. 1 Dahlstrom, Eden, J.D. Walker, and Charles Dziuban, with a foreword by Glenda Morgan. ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2013 (Research Report). Louisvill, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research, September 2013, available from Page 3

4 Multi-Platform Support BYOD presents a tremendous load on Helpdesk support staff, who are required to address a range of user problems across a variety of endpoint devices. Moreover, many standard applications only run on a specific OS such as Windows, or rely on technology such as Flash, ActiveX or Java, which may not be compatible with all devices. Network Coverage Wireless Internet coverage must be set up at multiple access points across campus, while ensuring that the signal is robust enough to support a high volume of connected devices in key locations such as lecture halls and common areas. Staff Resources Managing all of these devices is time-consuming, stretching the already taxed resources of college and university IT departments. Expenses Time is money. The time that IT personnel spend provisioning, supporting, updating, ensuring compliance and securing all of these devices represents a significant cost to IT departments. Browser based Access By taking advantage of clientless, browser-based access technologies, IT staff can provide access to academic resources without having to worry about maintaining and installing software and patches on a broad array of devices. In fact, HTML5 browser-based access addresses virtually all of the aforementioned BYOD challenges: Data security. Since no information is stored on the end-point device, if a device is lost, no data will be compromised. Device agnostic. Access from anywhere and on any device is made possible, as this type of access is dependent only on technology that is built into virtually all Internet browsers, with no need for additional software or plugins such as Java or ActiveX. Simplified deployment. No need to install or update any client software on individual devices to enable access to institutional resources. It s also easy to embed browser-based software into existing institutional portals by simply adding a link or a frame. Simplified networking. Browser-based access solutions can make use of secure virtual private networks (SSL VPNs) based on the Secure Sockets Layer protocol. Web access via SSL VPN is easy and automatic, whereas opening up communication channels to many devices via native VPN clients can be quite an undertaking, requiring a significant amount of support. IT & Helpdesk relief. No need to implement multiple, platform-specific solutions for each type of device. HTML5 browser-based solutions reduce the need for hardware and software Page 4

5 configuration and maintenance, thereby lowering IT support overhead. Education on Demand BYOD initiatives that take advantage of browser-based access to hosted learning environments provide endless opportunities for students and faculty to overcome the constraints of traditional learning. For one thing, they no longer need to be physically located on campus to teach, learn and be productive. Critical academic resources such as applications, desktops and institutional repositories are available from any location, whether at home, in the lab, on campus or in the field, 24/7. What s more, students and staff tend to be more proficient when using devices with which they are familiar to work on projects. Finally, since HTML5 browser-based access eliminates the need for client installation, there is no lengthy configuration process, no scary security warnings and no constant software updates, resulting in a simple and user-friendly solution. In a nutshell, schools that embrace BYOD create on-demand environments that both extend and increase the flexibility of the learning process. Accessing Centralized Resources More and more academic institutions are leveraging remote access, HTML5, connection broker and virtualization technologies, such as Ericom AccessNow and PowerTerm WebConnect, to provide access to hosted desktops, applications and data. In these environments, a user s desktop and applications run on a host server instead of on the endpoint device (e.g., desktop, laptop, tablet, Chromebook or smartphone). The key to streamlining access to these hosted environments is making access easy and intuitive and eliminating the need for users to install any software on the endpoint device. Ericom s HTML5, browser-based access solution, AccessNow, provides access to virtual desktops and applications using any HTML5-supported browser, including from Chromebooks. This makes access to desktops and applications easy and significantly reduces technical support issues. Ericom AccessNow also supports leading connection brokers from Ericom, VMware, Citrix and Dell (Quest). From an IT perspective, HTML5-based solutions also enable academic institutions to streamline their technology infrastructure. Less time is required to administer ongoing patch and device configuration management. Moreover, IT staff do not need to support individual devices because everything is maintained and delivered via a centralized platform, web browsers and the Internet, and nothing is installed on the endpoint device. Finally, AccessNow integrates with the Ericom Secure Gateway (free option) for secure, encrypted, single-port entry into the organizational network. The Ericom Secure Gateway can be used with, or instead of, a VPN or an SSL VPN. Page 5

6 The following diagram illustrates how Ericom AccessNow provides clientless, browser-based connectivity to hosted Windows applications and desktops. For institutions that want more control of BYOD, management capabilities can also be added by integrating a connection broker such as Ericom PowerTerm WebConnect. Case Study: Antioch University Mobility has changed and continues to change the way students and educators operate. An increasing number of colleges and universities are now looking to support BYOD initiatives that allow students and faculty to access learning resources from a broad range of devices, without overextending their IT department. One such university is Antioch University, which has begun providing remote access to hosted applications such as IBM SPSS as a part of their goal to provide learner-centered education. Antioch University is comprised of five-campuses in four states. Each campus has distinct academic programs, community life, and curricula, and they all integrate online learning environments. The university offers undergraduate, master s and doctoral programs. Comprised of small groups of students representing diverse backgrounds, Antioch s doctoral program requires the use of IBM s SPSS predictive analytics software to perform various research. The university purchased and licensed SPSS but it was only available to students when they were on campus, making it inconvenient to perform tasks and conduct independent research remotely. The Page 6

7 only other option at the time was for students to purchase their own license of the software, which was an unacceptable alternative. Antioch also maintains Institutional Repositories of the university s research, published articles, working papers, presentations and other content. Students can tap into these resources via AURemoteApps, the university s Web app server, when they are on campus or online. The university began researching solutions that could address their requirement to deliver hosted Windows applications such as SPSS, as well as access to Institutional Repositories, to doctoral students who need to work remotely. They needed a solution that could leverage their existing investments to provide students with access to licensed software via their existing Web app server, from any location and on any device. At the same time, they did not need to present a full desktop environment and wanted to keep administrative overhead to a minimum. After researching several options, the administrative IT staff at Antioch University selected Ericom AccessNow and PowerTerm WebConnect to deliver browser-based access to the SPSS predictive analytics software. Ericom PowerTerm WebConnect enabled the university to provide secure managed access to SPSS without the need to provision a full virtual desktop environment for each student. Integrating AccessNow, students have the capability to access SPSS utilizing all types of endpoint devices, with no need to install anything on the client device. This is achieved by leveraging HTML5 technology which is supported across all leading Web browsers including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari and Microsoft Internet Explorer. When asked how the ability to access learning resources remotely and from any device affects students and IT staff, Chancelor C. Chao, Antioch s technical director said, As a zero client BYOD solution, AccessNow not only offers the flexibility for students to conduct research at their own convenience using the devices they are comfortable with, but also eliminates the support and maintenance associated with endpoint installations. Added Chao, Our experience with these solutions provided a precedent for the deployment of many different applications across other university programs and departments. By offering universal access to applications such as SPSS, Ericom s AccessNow and PowerTerm WebConnect enable Antioch University to deliver on promoting student-centered education. As the university evolves, it will explore new opportunities to extend its learning environment beyond the campus, in order to foster collaboration between faculty, staff and students. Page 7

8 Summary New learning styles, driven largely by BYOD and the consumerization of IT, have arisen; institutions of higher learning must adopt policies to support that evolution, especially regarding mobility. The needs of students and faculty, as well as administrators and IT staff, should be carefully considered as they all are critical stakeholders that can determine the success or failure of a BYOD initiative. Clientless, browser-based access technologies empower college and university IT departments to flexibly manage a broad spectrum of personal devices while reducing administrative costs, and without compromising on security. The ability to provide students and faculty with access to academic resources from anywhere and on any device enhances productivity and makes it easier for students to achieve their goals. Page 8

9 About Ericom Software Ericom Software is a leading global provider of Application Access, Virtualization and RDP Acceleration Solutions. Since 1993, Ericom has been helping users access enterprise mission-critical applications running on a broad range of Microsoft Windows Terminal Servers, Virtual Desktops, legacy hosts and other systems. Ericom has offices in the United States, United Kingdom and EMEA. The company has an extensive network of distributors and partners throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the Far East. Ericom s expanding customer base is more than 30,000 strong, with over 7 million installations. For more information on Ericom s products and services, contact us at the location nearest to you. And visit our web site: North America UK & Western Europe International Ericom Software Inc. Ericom Software (UK) Ltd. Ericom Software Ltd. 231 Herbert Avenue, Bldg. #4 11a Victoria Square 8 Hamarpeh Street Closter, NJ USA Droitwich, Worcestershire Har Hotzvim Technology Park Tel +1 (201) WR9 8DE United Kingdom Jerusalem Israel Fax +1 (201) Tel +44 (0) Tel +972 (2) Toll-free 1 (888) Fax +44 (0) Fax +972 (2) info@ericom.com info@ericom.co.uk info@ericom.com Copyright 2014 Ericom Software Ltd. Ericom is a registered trademark of Ericom Software Ltd. Other company brands, products and service names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Page 9