Aging Hardware Poses a Security Risk; IGEL Software to the Rescue

The Dhillon School of Business prides itself on leveraging technology to drive student success. But aging endpoint technology was starting to become a problem.

The university’s 55-seat academic trading centre lab, located within the Centre for Financial Research and Teaching (CFMRT) on its main campus in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada had been using HP thin clients for over nine years. But, the old endpoint hardware not only lacked modern performance and manageability, it was exposing CFMRT to increasing security risk it could no longer accept.

“After nearly a decade of use, the desktop hardware was not only getting old, but it was no longer being supported; the main issue was that it uses Windows XP Embedded, so we needed to look at other devices,” said Lindemann.

Lindemann and his team looked at endpoint solutions from several leading manufacturers and then learned about IGEL from Microserve, their local solution provider partner. “We hadn’t even considered IGEL,” said Lindemann. “They were presented to us and we were immediately impressed because it was Linux-based, meaning it already had a layer of protection built in.”

The Dhillon School of Business also liked the fact that IGEL can extend the life of its existing hardware. “One of the top reasons IGEL won us over was the longevity of the solution,” said Lindemann. “We wanted to be able to get at least nine years out of our hardware, and because of the way the IGEL OS is built, we can extend the life of our endpoints even farther, which can save us money in the long run.”

IT “Blown Away” By Ease of Management

In addition to addressing security concerns, Lindemann and his team at the Dhillon School of Business were also looking to improve the manageability and scalability of their endpoints. “We looked at the management features offered by other leading manufacturers and they were clunky and lacked the level of responsiveness we were looking for,” he said. “When we evaluated IGEL, we were completely blown away by the ease of use and how straightforward it is. IGEL just works.”

Customization was also a huge factor in selecting IGEL. Lindemann said, “Every year we host a high school finance competition, and we had to open up every single endpoint to put each school’s logo on the desktop. Now with the IGEL management console it is just one example of how IGEL was able to simplify things for us.”

The technology services team also likes the fact that the desktops within the academic trading centre can be customized to look like Windows desktops. “It is a familiar interface for our students, and it makes it much easier to transition to the IGEL OS – they never even realize that it is IGEL powering their endpoint,” added Lindemann.

“IGEL brings to market a portfolio of powerful and feature-rich, software-defined endpoint management solutions that are ideal for organizations like University of Lethbridge. We are pleased to have the opportunity to help the university embrace the IGEL in solving their most pressing endpoint security and manageability challenges.”

~ Steve Mackey, Microserve

Secure Desktop Access = Student Success

The Dhillon School of Business is currently leveraging the IGEL OS within academic trading centre lab. “We have the IGEL OS running on Dell thin clients,” said Lindemann. “We are also leveraging the IGEL UD Pocket to provide students with access to their virtual desktops during class.”

One example of how students are using the IGEL UD Pocket is during mid-terms and final exams. “Our students use the UD Pocket to boot from any endpoint and then login with a unique code to their testing account,” said Lindemann. “Because of the IGEL OS, the desktop is completely locked down and provides access only to the testing application through Citrix Virtual Apps. There is no internet access or network sharing which makes it highly secure, and prevents any cheating on exams.”

Lindemann and his team are now evaluating ways in which to expand the use of IGEL to the Dhillon School of Business campus in Calgary.

“We are proud to have a state of the art academic trading centre on both our Lethbridge and Calgary campuses,” said Joshua Lindemann, Technology Services Manager for the Dhillon School of Business. “By providing direct connections to global financial markets, we are able to give our students unparalleled opportunities that come from the hands-on experience they gain in trading stocks, bonds and derivatives. Further, the exposure they get to risk management can prove to be tremendously valuable as they move into careers in financial services following graduation.”