Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence

CEME is a showcase for cutting-edge learning technology after implementing Windows Server 2003

Published: April 2003

CEME is the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence. It provides the infrastructure for an integrated learning environment in the Thames Gateway, where students and entrepreneurs will be able to learn engineering, manufacturing and business skills. CEME is a not-for-profit partnership between Ford Motor Company, London Development Agency, Heart of Thames Gateway, BarkingCollege and HaveringCollege. CEME wants to offer its students a great e-learning facility, with lectures available digitally, remote access to information, and a personalised e-library and Knowledge Management Portal. It chose to work with Civica, a leading supplier of software and services, to assist with implementing the enterprise solution software from green-field site to completion. Microsoft Windows Server 2003 was identified as providing the best solution to base its infrastructure on.

Situation

CEME is a new venture with a requirement to provide web-based learning, information portals and a seamless IT infrastructure for a variety of customers who will provide courses for students and assist entrepreneurial companies in developing their businesses. With no existing infrastructure in place, CEME has no requirement for compatibility with older applications, so decided to go for best-of-breed software using the most up-to-date and cost-effective ways possible.

Microsoft Partner

The enterprise software partner for the CEME project is Civica; one of the UK’s most experienced specialist providers of software and services, with particular expertise in the public sector. Combining core software products, in-depth sector knowledge and IT
expertise, its task is to increase cost effectiveness, enhance service delivery and improve customer relations.

Civica worked under CEME's IT direction and assisted with developing the business architecture design, implementation and integration within the CEME IT solution. This includes business requirements, business processes, system workflow, interfaces and data.

Civica also assisted CEME with the technical design and implementation of all enterprise solutions including databases, messaging with Microsoft Exchange Server 2000, and the Windows Server 2003 operating system.

Complex requirements

CEME required a system that will handle all the management needs of the centre. This is split into a number of areas – customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), scheduling, supplier management, information management, course management, collaboration, and IT support and infrastructure. Each area has its own specific requirements. In the area of information management, CEME wants a seamless way of managing documents and content; for course management, the means to develop courses, manage course content and provide a range of course delivery methods.

CEME also has higher-level strategic IT requirements. Its role as a leading-edge educational supplier would be best demonstrated by it showcasing a leading-edge IT infrastructure, so the IT solution has to use advanced network, infrastructure and information technology components. In addition, the software must, wherever possible, provide the means to deliver educational content digitally (both internally and externally) in the most cost-effective and manageable way. This means web-based solutions to deliver content to a client browser using standard Internet technologies.

As an educational facility provider, CEME will have a very complex environment in terms of its users. The system has to be capable of dealing with people from many different companies, all of whom need to be recognised, given the correct services, and shown
only the information that they have valid access to. There is also a need to provide access to the information remotely, as students will view lectures or use the information portal from remote locations.

Solution

CEME decided to use Microsoft as the sole software supplier for the entire IT solution. Cisco was chosen for the networking aspects and IBM for all the other hardware. Microsoft Business Solutions and Microsoft Great Plains were chosen to provide human resource management, finance and customer relationship management modules.

Windows Server 2003 was chosen because of its low cost of management, strong support for streaming media and close relationship with the family of enterprise server products that make use of its features. The streaming media support will provide the backbone for delivering lectures across the network in real-time to facilitate e-learning.

The management and security features of Windows Server 2003 were another key
factor in selection, as they provide the means to handle users from many different companies, each with access rights to specific areas on the system. Security is obviously of paramount importance in this scenario, and CEME will use Microsoft Internet Security Framework, Active Directory and Microsoft Commerce Server 2002 to authenticate secure access.

Because CEME will operate with minimum IT resources, the technologies deployed must be easily managed, so applications will be delivered to desktops by Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS). All the applications must be capable of delivering alerts to Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) and will be managed through the Microsoft Management Console (MMC).

Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000 Enterprise Edition 64-bitwill be used as the default database for all relational data storage, and Microsoft Exchange Server will be the default environment for integrating workflow, email, group scheduling, discussion forums, team folders and instant messaging.

Applications that need human intervention are expensive to manage, so Microsoft BizTalk Server will be used to carry out application integration and business to business (B2B) integration with existing applications, partner and supplier systems.

Finally, CEME is developing an e-library, knowledge and learning portal that will be based on Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2001, Content Management Server 2002 and Commerce Server 2002, and will help create communities, manage and track tastes and behaviours of both students and academics.

Benefits

Reduced costs

One key business driver is the low management overhead of Windows Server 2003. Because CEME passes all IT costs on to its customers, keeping them to a minimum is a core objective for the project.

Security

The combination of Windows Server 2003 and the other members of the Enterprise
Server family means CEME is developing an IT infrastructure that can provide customised access to many separate groups of users. Students attending a course run by one organisation will be limited to the information provided by that organisation, and the tight security of Windows Server 2003, Active Directory and ISA Server will prevent unauthorised access across environments.

Connectivity

The development of the knowledge portals based on SharePoint Portal Server 2001 and Content Management Server 2002 are another key benefit of the CEME system. The traditional model of learning where students sit in a lecture theatre and take notes is very different from the CEME vision, where students will take a much more active part in the learning process. In this new learning environment, the course information has to be available whenever and wherever the student needs it. Students will expect to be able to view course schedules, lecture content and background information as well as general research material in their own customised environment, which is provided by the information portal and e-library.

Looking to the future, the e-learning aspects of the system are perhaps the most important elements. Increasingly, students will be able to use CEME’s facilities remotely, to see videos of lectures that have already happened, to watch lectures as they happen, and to use the customised knowledge portal.

The wireless local area network support in Windows Server 2003 will also be increasingly important, as the next phase of the IT system will involve supplying portable computers and Tablet PCs to students and lecturers so they can access their information from anywhere around the centre.

Leading edge

CEME’s role as the provider of a leading-edge learning environment is one that could not be achieved using previous technology. As a best-in-class teaching facility, it is vital that CEME uses best-in-class products and the latest technology. Part of its remit is to be a showcase, and the facilities offered by Windows Server 2003 are enabling it to do just that.

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 enables you to create a highly productive platform for powering connected applications, networks, and web services. Windows Server 2003:

  • Enables you to deliver a reliable, secure, scalable platform for applications and network services
  • Is easy to deploy, manage, and use
  • Empowers you with a complete server platform to quickly build connected solutions
  • Enables you to maximise business value by leveraging the largest partner solution ecosystem

For more information about Windows Server 2003, please visit:

For More Information

For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center on (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre on (877) 568-2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services on (800) 892-5234 in the United States or (905) 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:

For more information about CEME products and services, call +44 (0) 1708 253226 or visit the web site at:

For more information about Civica products and services, call +44 (0) 20 7731 7200 or visit the web site at:

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