Luminis: Unifying the Digital Campus
When it comes to campuswide software programs and applications, can’t
they all just get along? Usually not, because the various systems in place aren’t
integrated in such a way that they can “talk” to one another and share
data. However, Campus Pipeline Inc. promises to unify systems with its new Luminis
product family, which consists of a Web platform, a content management suite,
and a systems integration suite.
Campus Pipeline is well-known for its Web Platform 3.1 product as well as its
campus Web portal technology. Luminis is a major new venture for the company
and greatly expands its services and the reach of its technology innovations.
The new product, “an operating system for the campus,” is the culmination
of efforts at Campus Pipeline and partnerships with industry leaders and top-tier
academic institutions.
Campus Pipeline has worked with more than 100 campus users of its other products
and three core consulting universities—the University of Miami, Drexel
University, and Pepperdine University—to develop the new platform and integration
tools. In addition, the company has partnered with Sun Microsystems Inc., whose
Open Net Environment strategy now brings standards-based software architecture
to bear on higher education.
The collaboration also includes building Sun’s iPlanet suite of communication
and scheduling products into the Luminis family. Other collaborators are Documentum
Inc., Dell Computer Corp., SCT, and the Java in Administration Special Interest
Group.
The Luminis product line consists of three components: Luminis Platform II,
a set of tools and applications for systems administration, communication, portals,
and data and user management that enables institutions to access and manipulate
data in a Web environment; Luminis Integration Suite 3.0, which integrates campus
systems, applications, and databases into a working whole; and Luminis Content
Management Suite 2.0, software for creating, managing, and delivering Web content.
Together, the three tools constitute what Campus Pipeline is calling a unified
digital campus.
Platform II d'es not replace Campus Pipeline’s existing Web Platform 3.1.
That plug-and-play tool will remain in the company’s stable of products.
However, Platform II’s more modular, complex system affords greater flexibility
and freedom than 3.1, as well as a number of advancements such as single sign-on
and advanced portal features.
Institutions able to commit more expertise and resources to their campus systems
will find Platform II a more robust choice than 3.1. The new platform offers
common software services that ensure security, scalability, stability, user
management, and system administration.
The Luminis Integration Suite brings together disparate components systemwide,
permitting the sharing of data and creating a flexible online environment. Also,
Integration Suite 3.0 unifies new and legacy systems, minimizing the need to
jettison older systems that don’t fit into the new plan. Luminis tools
do the heavy lifting, easing the burden on harried information technology staff
and conserving resources for other projects.
Designed to work with old, current, and future systems, the open-system technology
enables institutions to build the system as needed. Campus Pipeline also sells
integration adapters that integrate third-party systems into the Luminis system.
Both prepackaged and customized adapters are available.
Certainly, one of the most persistent headaches for faculty and IT staffers
is content management. In academic departments, staff groups, and student organizations,
individuals develop materials that must somehow end up online in something akin
to a consistent look and feel. Those who are generating the content are usually
not technology experts, and the experts are too busy to help.
The Luminis Content Management Suite promises to simplify the process of creating,
approving, and distributing Web content by permitting users with no technical
expertise to develop and distribute original content. Creators rely on a set
of templates and forms that ensure the final product will maintain the designated
look and feel.
The Content Management Suite routes material into the content management system
for approval and distribution. Role designation and automatic retirement functions
ensure that content creators have control over how long the content stays up
and who can receive it. The process is designed to minimize the involvement
of technical staff.
The Integration Suite and the Content Management Suite are each available in
different versions. A Starter Edition of the Content Management Suite provides
an integrated server with content and workflow templates as well as search and
cataloguing features for publishing on the campus intranet. The Master Edition
adds features such as customization tools and automated auditing and reporting
processes. A syndication tool speeds download time for users by synchronizing
servers across disparate campuses and server farms. The Enterprise Edition extends
full content management capabilities beyond the intranet to the campus’
external, public Web sites.
The Starter Edition of the Integration Suite provides just one adapter to integrate
one third-party student information system into the digital campus. The Enterprise
Edition supports unlimited connections.
Potential users should also be aware that Luminis is being sold both as individual
components and prepackaged bundles, which are roughly equivalent to the Starter
Editions and Enterprise Editions, respectively.
The Luminis Integration Suite is available now; the full line of Luminis products
will be available this spring.
For more information, visit www.campuspipeline.com
or call (888) 682-7473.
|
Content
Management Life Cycle
|
| Content Creation |
Input to Content Management
Infrastructure |
Content Review Process |
Administrator, faculty,
or staff create a content document for
a campus
audience. |
Once the document is
created, it is sent into the content management system using customizable
templates that feature predefined document structure, layout, design, and
presentation for various kinds of Web-based information. |
Content is sent out
to all involved constituents for review. Automated workflow allows content
creators and approvers to monitor the movement of content from creation
through delivery. |
| Approval |
Distribution/Notification
Management
|
Ongoing |
| Upon receiving and
implementing input from all involved constituents, the content owner is
ready to send out fully approved content. |
The content owner assigns
access to and delivery of content based on user attributes such as major,
role, class, or status. The content owner can also send personally relevant
messages about the new content to appropriate audiences on an as-needed
basis. |
The content owner can
ensure that content is always current by assigning retirement dates to each
item. He or she can also use user-friendly forms to update or edit content. |
