Alberta Teachers’ Association
Alberta Teachers’ Association Gets Educated on Microsoft Technology
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Company Overview
The Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) was established during the First World War to promote the teaching profession in Alberta. Since then, the ATA has evolved into a professional organization of teachers. Its goal is to advance public education, safeguard standards of professional practice and serve as an advocate for its members. The ATA decided that its existing technology platform, which consisted of aging, disparate systems, was no longer benefiting the organization and needed an overhaul.
Business Challenge
“Our organization really needed to improve services to our membership and streamline our internal systems,” says Stewart Zimmel, team leader, Information and Technology Services, ATA. “Initially, the ATA’s approach to the application layer was fragmented: the finance group decided what the finance application should be; the HR department decided what the HR application should be; and the IT department was hanging together as best it could.”
Recognizing the need for a unified technology platform, the ATA explored several options, including Oracle and IBM. The organization required a fully integrated solution that can scale up as it grows. Ultimately, the ATA decided that a Microsoft-based option was the most effective and affordable in the long term.
“After exploring dozens of option, our organization found that Microsoft offered the best solution,” says Zimmel. “A lower total cost of ownership coupled with the ease of integration and the familiarity of staff with most of the software drove the decision.”
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Solution
To modernize its technology platform to one that could support growth and enable staff and members to communicate more quickly and easily, the ATA replaced its front-end systems with the most stable and secure Microsoft operating system to date, Windows XP. Running on Windows XP, the ATA’s network became more efficient and reliable. In addition, the ATA was able to improve its remote-access capabilities, ensure that applications worked well together and implement advanced security measures.
“Microsoft software offers a number of benefits, all of which help us to be more personally efficient and to run our organization more effectively,” says Pat Dalton, the ATA’s coordinator of operations. “This efficiency and stability begins with the Windows XP operating system.”
To improve communication and collaboration among staff in the ATA’s offices and among subgroups throughout the province, the ATA also deployed Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server Portal 2000, Outlook® 2003 messaging software and Exchange Server 2003. To help its staff work together more effectively, the ATA also implemented Office 2003, including Live Communications Server.
“Implementing a way for all our subgroups to communicate is the first stepping stone,” says Zimmel. “With Outlook, for instance, we can organize meetings, and with SharePoint we can send each other documents without worrying about version control or attaching an incorrect file. Ultimately, these best practices will filter across all of the organizations that we work with, meaning that our members will be better organized.”
The ATA also implemented Microsoft Business Solutions® Great Plains™, now part of Microsoft Dynamics™, which streamlined accounting processes by integrating financial data and processes. This technological foundation will enable the ATA to add SQL Server™ 2000, and Microsoft .NET technology. The ATA chose the Windows Server™2003 operating environment and Active Directory® directory service as its primary server platform.
Business Benefits
Having migrated to Microsoft-based technologies, the ATA now has a more stable and robust technology platform. Exchange Server 2003 and SharePoint Portal Server 2000 have enabled ATA staff to instantly share documents and communicate more effectively with each other, with external members and with the Alberta government.
Standardizing on the Microsoft platform has also enabled the ATA to use Microsoft-based partner software, thereby ensuring that technical and business processes are uniform across the organization.
Improved Communication
As an organization that aims to promote teaching across the province, the ATA works with a number of organizations for whom effective communications is vital.
“With the aide of technologies like SharePoint Portal Server and Outlook, we are able to communicate with whomever we need to and whenever we need to,” says Zimmel. “In addition, our communications with government agencies has improved because they all work in a Microsoft environment.”
Improved Stability and Security
Windows XP helps ensure that the ATA’s documents and files are always available and secure. Windows XP Service Pack 2 (XP SP2) helps the ATA to keep its environment up-to-date and secure. XP SP2 not only provides an active firewall but also enables file encryption, supports smart cards and facilitates Microsoft Automatic Updates. The desktop search feature also helps staff to find information more easily. As a result, they can more easily help members become better teachers, which is the ATA’s chief mandate.
In addition to improving security, Windows XP also scores high in stability and ease of maintenance. Better deployment tools assist IT staff in administering the network centrally and in providing assistance remotely. Another benefit is Windows XP’s file protection feature, which ensures that operating system files are not accidentally overwritten.
Time and Cost-Savings
By improving communication and collaboration, the ATA has realized new efficiencies in terms of reduced staff time and lower communication costs. Before deploying the Microsoft-based solution, most external communication was done manually.
“Having installed Outlook and SharePoint, we can communicate electronically as opposed to mailing correspondence and other documents back and forth,” says Zimmel. “With electronic communication and document-sharing, the cost of mailing hardcopies has been nearly eliminated.”
Total Lower Cost of Ownership
After considering several solutions, the ATA decided that Microsoft was able to provide it with real benefits, ease of integration and, most importantly, lower cost of ownership.
“The Microsoft software was the least expensive solution in the long term. Although the other solutions were less expensive initially, they would cost a lot more over time. As a result, we were not certain that we could afford those solution seven years from now,” says Zimmel.
Microsoft Windows
Over the past two decades, Microsoft Windows products have evolved from a single, one-size-fits-all desktop operating system into a diverse family of operating systems and mobile technologies. Today, Windows products help people worldwide achieve their potential at work, home, and just about anyplace in between.
For more information on Windows products or services visit www.microsoft.com/windows
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
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For more information about Alberta Teachers’ Association products and services, call 1-800-232-7208 or visit the Web site at: www.teachers.ab.ca
