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1. Blackboard ASP Services:
Focus on Your Priorities
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2. Agenda
 Requirements of the Networked Learning
Environment
 Five Reasons to Choose Blackboard ASP Services
– Reliability
– Security
– Scalability
– Fully Managed Service
– Cost Control
 Summary
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3. The Networked Learning Environment
A true networked learning
environment exists when
any student or teacher can:
– view instructional
content
– collaborate with
educators
– evaluate academic
performance
– access any learning
resources at any time
to achieve their educational
objectives.
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4. The Blackboard Applications for a
Networked Learning Environment
EXPLORATORY SUPPORTED STRATEGIC MISSION TRANSFORMATIVE:
CRITICAL THE NETWORKED
LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT
INSTITUTIONAL GROWTH
Blackboard
Academic Suite
Bb Content Sys Bb Content Sys
Bb Community Sys Bb Community Sys Bb Community Sys
Bb Learning Sys – Bb Learning System Bb Learning Sys Bb Learning Sys Bb Learning Sys
Basic Edition
Phase I Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5
TIME
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5. The Architecture of the Blackboard Academic Suite
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6. The Challenge: Managing Blackboard Infrastructure
with Limited Resources
EXPLORATORY SUPPORTED STRATEGIC MISSION TRANSFORMATIVE:
CRITICAL THE NETWORKED
LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT
INSTITUTIONAL GROWTH
Business
Continuity
Complex Hosting
Manager
Advanced Backup/ High
Restore Performance /
High Availability
Staging Staging
Environment Environment
Development
Environment Development Development
Environment Environment
Production
Evaluation Production Environment Production Production
Environment Environment (Load Balanced) Environment Environment
Phase I Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5
TIME
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7. Why Consider ASP Services?
EXPLORATORY SUPPORTED STRATEGIC MISSION TRANSFORMATIVE:
CRITICAL THE NETWORKED
LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT
INSTITUTIONAL GROWTH
• Blackboard Applications are no longer “optional”
• 24/7/365 Availability & Support is Mandatory
• Allows Institutions to Focus on Teaching and Learning
Phase I Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5
TIME
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8. 5 Key Reasons to Choose Blackboard ASP Services
Reliability Security
Cost
Control
Fully
Managed Scalability
Service
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9. Reliability: Build Redundancy & Stability
 ASP Infrastructure located in Tier-1
Datacenters at the heart of the Internet
(MAEast in Virginia)
 Multiple ISP connections to three Tier-1 ISPs
for redundant access to Internet & aggregate
2.4 Gbps capacity
 Multiple, Redundant Routers, Firewalls, Load
Balancers, Switches & Servers
 4 levels of power backups for 100% power
availability
Reliability Security
 Climate control for optimal network Cost
Control
environment Fully
Managed Scalability
Service
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10. Reliability - Network Design
Private Zone Public Zone Private Zone Public Zone
Blackboard ASP VA1 Facility Blackboard ASP VA2 Facility
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11. Security: Protect Network and Backup Data
 Physical Security: Tier-1 datacenter security
including:
– limited access to authorized personnel
– identification badges
– security cameras
– 24x7 on-site security
 Network Security: Including
– Firewall & Intrusion Detection System
– Full-time Security Engineer
– Third Party Audit
 Data Security: Multiple levels of database and
file backup Reliability Security
Cost
Control
Fully
Managed Scalability
Service
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12. Security: Data Backups
1st level backup:
using snapshot
technology, file systems
& database backed up
nightly
2nd level backup:
using NetApp filers, 1st
level backups are stored
online 30 days
3rd level backup:
weekly backups are
stored in tape, off-site for
30 days
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13. Scalability: Build an Environment to Support Growth
 Bandwidth and Storage is Never Capped
 Additional Bandwidth on Demand
– Available in 1 Mbps increments
 Additional Storage on Demand
– 10 GB unit increments for Learning System
– 1 TB unit increments for Content System
 Additional Servers Added as Needs Grow
 Additional Active Users Support
– Includes incremental bandwidth, storage and hardware
 Software Updates/Upgrades Made Easy
Reliability Security
Cost
Control
Fully
Managed Scalability
Service
13

14. Scalability: Supporting Growth
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15. Scalability: Add Additional Services as Needed
 Staging Environment
– Designed for new release/updates simulation in
production environment before migration to production
– Production Environment with full SLA guarantee &
backup
– 20 GB Storage space
– 24 x 7 monitoring & management
– No root access allowed
 Test & Development Environment
– Designed for “test & development”
– Full root access given to clients
– Not in production environment
– 9 GB storage space
– No backup guarantee
 SSL & VPN Services Also Available
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16. Scalability: Complex Hosting Service for High
Availability Environments
 Developed for clients requiring high availability and
performance oriented solutions: Oracle RAC &
Mirrored Dedicated Arrays
 Three Components:
– High Availability Infrastructure Design and Deployment
– Dedicated Complex Hosting Engineer/Manager
– Business Continuity Service
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17. Scalability: Business Continuity Service Levels
Recovery Time Recovery Point Customization &
Objective Objective (RPO) Configuration
(RTO)
Locally hosted client:
Weekly backup service 24 hours Last backup less than Fully backed up
8 days (if possible)
Monthly backup service 72 hours Last backup less than Rebuild
32 days
Incident-based service 120 hours Latest backup N/A
received
Blackboard ASP hosted
client:
Level 3 Service 6 hours Last backup less than Fully backed up
3 hours
Level 2 Service 24 hours Last backup less than Fully backed up
12 hours
Level 1 Service 72 hours Last backup less than Rebuild
24 hours
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18. Fully Managed Service: 24x7 Operations and Support
 One Stop Client Support from experts who
design and host the software
 Services backed up by 99.7% Availability
Guarantee – credit issued for violations
 24 x 7 ASP Support
– Dedicated Application Support Manager
– Single Point of Contact for Blackboard Software and
Hosting
– Two Designated Client System Administrators
– Phone, Web and Email based Ticketing System
– Escalation and Response Time based on Severity Reliability Security
– All Upgrade and Patch Applications Provisioned by Cost
Control
Experienced Professionals Fully
Managed Scalability
Service
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19. Fully Managed Service: Backed by Team of Experts
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20. Fully Managed Service:
Infrastructure Monitoring and Management
 Key Performance Metrics
polled every 5 minutes
– cpu = 5-minute load average
– disk = % free on local mount
points
– nfs = % free on NFS mount
points
– msgs = scanning syslog for key
words
– memory = real, virtual and
swap
– procs = scanning ‘ps’ output
– Obak = Oracle backup status
– ofiles = Oracle data/index file
sizes
– files = other file/directory sizes
– svcs = Windows Services
checking
– Application Check for
Response Time
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21. Fully Managed Service: Bandwidth Utilization Report
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22. Fully Managed Service: Performance Management
 Disguised group of ASP
Clients from each market # Servers vs. Total Users
segment 8
7 y = 1E-05x + 1.9716
6 R2 = 0.5176
 Benchmarking allows BB 5
4
ASP to proactively 3
determine hardware 2
configurations and 1
application tuning 0
0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000
parameters
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23. Cost Control: Lower Costs than Self-Hosted
 By hosting their Blackboard systems through
Blackboard ASP Services, institutions gain realize
significant savings when compare to hosting the
systems on campus.
 Baseline 3 year savings depend on the type of
implementation:
– Blackboard Learning System – Basic Edition: $132,600
– Blackboard Learning System: $390,600
– Blackboard Academic Suite: $439,200
Reliability Security
Cost
Control
Fully
Managed Scalability
Service
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24. Cost Control: Lower Costs than Self-Hosted
3 Year Total Cost of Ownership Analysis: Blackboard Learning System – Basic Edition
Self-Hosted Blackboard ASP
One-Time Implementation Costs $ 48,600 Service Setup Fee $ 0
Server hardware $ 6,000 Includes dedicated
Network hardware $ 12,000 application & database
Backup hardware $ 6,000 servers, network
Database software license $ 6,000 infrastructure, backup
Monitoring system software $ 5,000 infrastructure, monitoring
Backup system software $ 5,000 software and systems, Tier-1
Implementation personnel $ 1,600 data center and professional
Staff training $ 1,000 implementation
Annual Management Costs* $ 58,000 Annual Subscription Fee $ 30,000
IT Management $ 30,000 Includes 24 x 7 customer
Application Administration $ - support and management,
System Administration $ - dedicated Application
Database Administration $ 25,000 Support Manager, team of
Hardware Administration $ - database administrators &
Bandwidth & Network $ 3,000 network engineers
TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP (3 YEAR PLAN)
$158,600 + (3 x $126,000) = $ 215,000 $20,000 + (3 x $42,000) = $ 90,000
TOTAL SAVINGS BY CHOOSING BLACKBOARD ASP SOLUTION: $ 132,600
*Assumes a Red Hat Linux/Oracle implementation on Dell Hardware
*Assumes 25% of time of personnel is used for ongoing management
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25. Cost Control: Lower Costs than Self-Hosted
3 Year Total Cost of Ownership Analysis: Blackboard Learning System
Self-Hosted Blackboard ASP
One-Time Implementation Costs $ 160,200 Service Setup Fee $ 20,000
0
Server hardware $ 12,000 Includes dedicated
Network hardware $ 47,000 application & database
Backup hardware $ 12,000 servers, network
Database software license $ 12,000 infrastructure, backup
Monitoring system software $ 20,000 infrastructure, monitoring
Backup system software $ 50,000 software and systems, Tier-1
Implementation personnel $ 3,200 data center and professional
Staff training $ 4,000 implementation
Annual Management Costs* $ 126,000 Annual Subscription Fee $ 42,000
IT Management $ 30,000 Includes 24 x 7 customer
Application Administration $ 25,000 support and management,
System Administration $ 20,000 dedicated Application
Database Administration $ 25,000 Support Manager, team of
Hardware Administration $ 20,000 databse administrators &
Bandwidth & Network $ 6,000 network engineers
TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP (3 YEAR PLAN)
$160,200 + (3 x $126,000) = $ 538,200 $20,000 + (3 x $42,000) = $ 146,000
TOTAL SAVINGS BY CHOOSING BLACKBOARD ASP SOLUTION: $ 390,600
*Assumes a Red Hat Linux/Oracle implementation on Dell Hardware
*Assumes 25% of time of personnel is used for ongoing management
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26. Cost Control: Lower Costs than Self-Hosted
3 Year Total Cost of Ownership Analysis: Blackboard Academic Suite
Self-Hosted Blackboard ASP
One-Time Implementation Costs $ 180,200 Service Setup Fee $ 35,000
0
Server hardware $ 18,000 Includes dedicated
Network hardware $ 47,000 application & database
Backup hardware $ 24,000 servers, network
Database software license $ 12,000 infrastructure, backup
Monitoring system software $ 20,000 infrastructure, monitoring
Backup system software $ 50,000 software and systems, Tier-1
Implementation personnel $ 3,200 data center and professional
Staff training $ 6,000 implementation
Annual Management Costs* $ 158,000 Annual Subscription Fee $ 60,000
IT Management $ 37,500 Includes 24 x 7 customer
Application Administration $ 31,250 support and management,
System Administration $ 25,000 dedicated Application
Database Administration $ 31,250 Support Manager, team of
Hardware Administration $ 25,000 databse administrators &
Bandwidth & Network $ 6,000 network engineers
TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP (3 YEAR PLAN)
$180,200 + (3 x $158,000) = $ 654,200 $35,000 + (3 x $60,000) = $ 215,000
TOTAL SAVINGS BY CHOOSING BLACKBOARD ASP SOLUTION: $ 439,200
*Assumes a Red Hat Linux/Oracle implementation on Dell Hardware
*Assumes 25% of time of personnel is used for ongoing management
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27. Summary: Blackboard ASP Services Fast Facts
 Over 300 Customers from All Market Sectors
 Over 3 Million Users in our Systems – Over 2 Million Enrolled Users
 500,000+ Courses
 1000+ Servers
 11 Terabytes of Storage Capacity & Growing
 7 Terabytes of Data Transferred Daily
 72,000,000 + HTTP Requests Served Per Day
 99.7% or Better Uptime Guarantee
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28. Summary: Blackboard ASP Core Offerings
Blackboard Learning Blackboard Blackboard
System - Basic Edition Learning System Academic Suite
Description Description Description
• Intel Xeon 3.1 GHz • Intel Xeon 3.1 GHz Multiprocessor • Intel Xeon 3.1 GHz Multiprocessor
Multiprocessor Application Application Server Application Server
Server • Intel Xeon 3.1 GHz Multiprocessor • Intel Xeon 3.1 GHz Multiprocessor
• 10 GB of Storage Database Server Database Server
• 256 Kbps of Bandwidth • Oracle Standard Edition • Oracle Standard Edition
• Up to 3,000 Users • Advanced Reporting System • Advanced Reporting System
• 99.7% Availability SLA • 20 GB of Storage • 20 GB of Storage
• 512 Kbps of Bandwidth • 512 Kbps of Bandwidth
• Up to 8,000 Users • Up to 8,000 Users
• 99.7% Availability SLA • 99.7% Availability SLA
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29. Summary: Blackboard ASP Value Added Services
Staging Environment Hosting Business Continuity Service
 System hosted in production datacenter  Host locally or ASP but use Blackboard
 99.7% Availability ASP services for peace of mind
 Daily Backups  Guaranteed Mean Time to Recover
Test and Development Hosting Bb Commerce Suite Hosting (in Beta)
 System hosted in non-production datacenter  Hosting of Blackboard Commerce Suite
 Client has root access to system
 No SLA Complex Hosting Technical
Management
Virtual Private Network  Dedicated technical management and
 VPN configured and managed by Blackboard support for complex clients
 128 Bit Encrypted communication between
Institution and the ASP hosted site ASP Insight (in Beta)
 System and Application Reporting
SSL  Providing clients full insight into
 SSL key provided operations of their environment
 Encrypted access to web pages
On-Demand Storage/BW
High Availability Hosting  Additional Storage and BW service
 Oracle 9i RAC based Hosting units
 Redundant Database Servers
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30. Summary: Blackboard ASP Services Supporting
Key Global Blackboard Clients since 1999
Publishers Higher Education Government
•Pearson plc •Embry Riddle Aeronautical •National Defense University
•Houghton Mifflin University •Naval Postgraduate School
•Reed Elsevier •University of Miami •USDA Graduate School
•LexisNexis •San Francisco State University •Naval War College
•Thomson Learning •University de Neuva Leone •FAO Chile
•Pole Universitaire Leonard de
Vinci
Corporate Commercial K-12
•Mitsubishi Corporation •Kaplan •Fairfax County Public School
•Marsh Inc •Sylvan Learning •Columbus Public Schools
•Manulife Financial •Voyager Expanded Learning •Idaho Digital Learning Net
•American Bankers •Trajal Hospitality •Second Baptist School
Association •Education Testing Service •Escualas Daskalas
•Mortgage Bankers
Association
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