Week 8- The Network

Does the educational system that you are affiliated with offer a shared storage area on the network for students or faculty? Do you find this beneficial?

Yes, we have shared network drives for all of our staff, however I do not feel that we use them appropriately. We do not provide network storage for students at this time due to the types of computers we deploy and their intended uses, however if we were a traditional school we would have network storage for all users and shared drives as needed.

I see shared storage as essential to efficient data handling, Paired with VPN access keeping data within the network where it can be backed up, secured, and handled by all who need it is a great way to utilize a network. Microsoft's Sharepoint is also another way to move documents beyond folders and automate work flow.

What type of Email System does your educational system implement? Do you use this mail system at school? From home?

The LIU uses Microsoft Exchange 2007 as our email system. In the office/network we use either Microsoft Outlook or the web based Outlook Web Access. We expect to upgrade to Exchange 2010 within the 2010 - 2011 SY.

Exchange is a powerful solution, with email, calendering, contacts,and task tracking. Ours works with our Blackberry Enterprise Server, as well as the slate of smart phones available.

I personally have used Google Apps for Ed, Zimbra, Horde, and have always found Exchange to be head and shoulders above the rest, but its cost is exponentially higher than many other systems.

Overall, from this chapter, the most important thing that I learned is the relationships between user management is multi-faceted. Implementing the tools of a robust network requires a strong set of rules, training, and a well thought out implementation. The biggest takeaway may come from the reflection of the principles of how the author ties AUP's to practices, to overall network management and file backup. All of these important elements seem separate in the scheme of things, but serve as the spokes on a wheel tying the users to the hub.

Ty Yost