Case Study Fact Sheet - Stanford University Graduate School of Business Intranet Project

Microsoft, in cooperation with Hewlett-Packard and US Web, is building a comprehensive intranet solution for the Stanford University Graduate School of Business (GSB). The goal of the Stanford GSB intranet project is to study first-hand the process of building an intranet from planning stages to deployment to maintenance, and to share the knowledge gained with solution providers and customers.

The Stanford GSB intranet project examines the process of building an intranet solution for a major academic institution. The intranet solution—which incorporates current Microsoft software and hardware as well as legacy systems at Stanford—will be deployed in three phases over the next year.

The project involves building an intranet site to meet the needs of the following:

• 736 MBA students, 47 Sloan students, 105 Ph.D students, 806 Executive Program students, 117 faculty, 22,172 living Alumni
  
  
• Three computer labs running Microsoft® Windows® 95, Windows NT® version 4.0, and Macintosh machines
  
  
• Administrative departments, such as Admissions, the Registrar, Publications, the Career Management Center, and Alumni Relations, running legacy applications on HP 3000 minicomputers, SPARC boxes (running UNIX), and Novell Netware servers.
  
  
• IT staff who must maintain the site, the network, and the labs—while serving as helpdesk personnel for faculty, students, and administrative staff.

Project Goals

The technical goals of the Stanford GSB intranet project are the following:

• Eliminate unnecessary paper-based systems.
  
  
• Facilitate communication, the flow of information, and workgroup processes among faculty, staff, and students.
  
  
• Reduce the cost to the school of deploying and maintaining their computer network.

  When complete, the site will incorporate the latest intranet and groupware technologies to provide the following:

Information

• Course descriptions and faculty information.
  
  
• An online directory of customizable student Web pages.
  
  
• Recorded lectures and other events available online.
  
  
• Faculty database of students with historical information, photos, and seating charts.

Collaboration

• Room and activity scheduling.
  
  
• Student e-mail and appointment scheduling.
  
  
• NetMeeting™ capabilities.

Productivity

• A Web-based process for applying to the school.
  
  
• Course enrollment tools.
  
  
• Registration for on-campus interviews and other events.
  
  
• Ability for faculty to record notes on student participation.
  
  
• Class survey forms and consolidated results.
  
  
• Customizable performance evaluations.
  
  
• Online exams.

GSB Intranet Specifications

The new system incorporates an integrated security solution, line of business applications, and connections to legacy systems and applications. The back-end infrastructure consists of 10 Hewlett-Packard Dual PentiumPro 200 MHz servers running the following software:

• Windows NT versions 4.0 and 5.0
  
  
• Microsoft Exchange Server versions 5.0 and “Platinum”
  
  
• SQL Server™ versions 6.5 and 7.0
  
  
• Systems Management Server, version 1.2
  
  
• Internet Information Server versions 3.0 and 4.0, with Active Server Pages
  
  
• ActiveX™ Controls
  
  
• NetShow™ version 2.0
  
  
• Internet Locator Service
  
  
• Site Server Enterprise
  
  
• Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI) 1.0
  
  
• Visual InterDev™ version 1.0
  
  
• Visual SourceSafe™ version 5.0

  It also makes use of Microsoft Commercial Internet System components, such as Chat (ICS) and Content Replication (CRS). The system's front end runs on 150 Hewlett-Packard PentiumPro 200 workstations running the following:

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 4.0 and 5.0
  
  
• Internet Explorer versions 3.0 and 4.0
  
  
• Office 97, including Outlook™ 97
  
  
• FrontPage® 97
  
  
• NetMeeting version 2.0

GSB Intranet Architecture

The architecture of the solution is summarized in the next diagram.

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This Data Sheet is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT. Companies, names, and/or data used in screens are fictitious, unless otherwise noted.

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