Messageware Customization Team Gets High Marks In 200,000-User School System’s Email Security Upgrade

Situation

Not all tests in a school system involve students. Over one six-week period, the IT team at a large state educational organization, comprising three-quarters of a million students and a budget in excess of $10 million, were tasked with migrating all the departments’ 150,000 full- and part-time teachers into the organization’s corporate email system.

According to the manager of messaging services, the upgrade required a mandatory change to Microsoft’s Exchange’s global address list functionality that would assure each teacher email access restricted to his or her students only. The duty of care requirement for this school system states that only teachers within a school are permitted to see and email students at their school. This is a critical privacy policy that must be supported by the email system.

The problem arose during the change in email systems. Previously, address list segregation was a part of the platform provided by the department’s outsourced email provider. However, the organization had made the decision to bring its email function in-house. While the move offered many improvements, it also meant that custom development would be required to implement limit views of address books in the new Exchange platform—a capability that was not natively available.

The IT group realized that Microsoft Exchange could not provide the necessary address list segregation. In addition to the lack of a solution to the problem, they also knew that whatever solution they came up with would need to be available as soon as teachers started using the corporate mail system.

With a deadline looming, the IT team had to come up with an answer that was affordable, suitable for installation within a window of only a few days and, most of all, totally reliable. No question, it was cram time.

Solution

Through online research, one of the IT department’s technology architects discovered Messageware and was pleased to find Messageware had the necessary expertise.

Messageware, the leading Outlook Web Access (OWA) productivity and security solutions provider, is also a custom development/integration vendor and a Microsoft Gold Partner. The team realized that Plus Pack, Messageware’s OWA enhanced productivity application, could deliver the necessary address book enhancements.

First, however, some custom development was required. The IT group asked Messageware if it could adapt Plus Pack’s Public Folder technology to accommodate the necessary security modifications in Exchange. Messageware engineers said it would be no problem.

With only weeks to go before implementation, Messageware set to the task and was able to meet the customer’s key delivery date. The customer was also pleased Messageware had an effective quality assurance regimen that ensured the software worked the first time.

Result

Messageware’s Public Folder solution for Exchange proved successful—yet unfortunately, it was discovered that Microsoft’s Public Folder technology could not cope with the volume and replication required. With only the Christmas break to come up with an answer, Messageware came back with an LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) update that successfully solved the issue.

Implemented with just days to go before the teachers’ return, Messageware’s custom solution was a welcome Christmas gift for the IT staff. The customer was pleased to report that Messageware’s unique custom development skills helped them create the exact OWA environment they needed.

Since the initial rollout of the global address upgrade, the IT staff has come back for a newer version of Plus Pack with additional features. He notes the staff also plans a multi-phase implementation to a broader user base.

Since their department is responsible for the email environment of another division of the school system, and they are very pleased with the results provided, they will be giving Messageware’s features to 10,000 teachers in this division later this year. By the end of the year, their ultimate goal is to have one consistent email interface for all 200,000 users.

Satisfying the duty of care requirement, however, was the critical success factor. They were under a tight deadline, with major issues and no practical solution. Had they not found Messageware, they would have been in a very serious predicament.

About Messageware

Founded in 1993, Messageware develops and markets solutions that secure, enhance, and customize Outlook Web App. A trusted Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and a Global Exchange ISV for over 15 years, our applications give com-panies of all sizes a greater return on Microsoft Exchange. Messageware products are used by over 2,500 enterprises and 4 million users worldwide, from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses, in every industry including banking, education, financial services, government, healthcare, and legal services.

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