Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) has enhanced its remote access capabilities with a network access solution from Integrity Solutions. The Institute identified the need for a more secure and flexible working environment for all network users (both staff and students). The solution needed be one which offers both a very end user friendly experience and that gives the information services (IS) support team the tools to support a large number of users from a single location.

Integrity Solutions implemented and currently supports the Juniper SA4500 SSL remote network access solution. The solution was deployed in a clustered configuration across IADT’s two data centres, thus offering end users a high availability solution in the unlikely case of a network or appliance failure. The Juniper SA4500 offers IADT not only a cost effective solution, but a solution that is easy to use remotely by employees and students using only a web browser to access the Institute’s extranet and one which is easily managed by the IS support team.

IADT has established an impressive reputation in the educational sector for having the most up to date and innovative technologies. Colm Hennessy, Head of IS, pointed out that IADT are constantly looking for technologies that will enable both staff and students to have a seamless interaction with the various ICT resources and tools they require in an advanced learning environment. “The benefits of the Juniper solution can already be seen. The Information Services staff can log in remotely to access all critical systems, reboot servers, deploy critical software patches etc. IADT staff and students across the board are benefiting from being able to work remotely, including accessing college resources, emails and documents from home”, says Hennessy.

During the proof of concept (POC) stage of the project IADT was able to open up the solution to all staff and students during a particularly cold weather spell in January 2010, enabling all staff and students access to their resources from the comfort of their own living rooms. This delivered real tangible benefits to all users, in particularly to those users who were unable to travel due to the poor road conditions, when other Institutes and Universities were closing their campuses IADT was opening theirs up in new and innovative ways. This immediate and highly visible benefit to the end user during the cold spell was one of a number of key justifications around the purchasing of the system. An added benefit to IADT was the huge number early adopters of the new system, so the requirement to “sell” the solution was unnecessary as the solution had done this itself. The Juniper network access system has quickly become a critical system to these users, as they have changed their working practices to match this new entrance onto the IADT campus.

The solution features access privilege functionality that can be used to create secure extranets and secure access to the Institute’s intranet as well as different user groups, while adhering to IADTs security policy. Anthony Walsh, sales director at Integrity Solutions explained that the solution will optimise IADTs network performance and allow for more demand on their network. “Because of the various access controls in place, IADTs most sensitive applications and data are protected, while still allowing students access to certain applications. In this case, for example, students can send documents to the print server remotely over the network, making thesis and project work more flexible and students using their valuable time more efficiently.”

IADT is one of the publicly funded Institutes of Technology in Ireland and receives its funding through HEA. IADT offers a range of Honours Degree, Master Degree and PhD level programmes focusing in the areas of Art, Business, Humanities, Technology, Science and Design. IADT is also the home of the National Film School which this year is celebrating 25 years of film education in Ireland. More information about IADT can found on their website www.iadt.ie