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Product | |
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Software & Technology | |
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Accountability | |
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Services | |
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Instructional Design & Content Development | ||
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Implementation & Deployment | ||
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Standard Products | |
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Field Based Implementation and Training |
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eSchool® provides a comprehensive field based training program for mentors, teachers and users, dependant on client specific requirements. eSchool® also provides a training manual which provides for:
eSchool® training representatives work with teachers and mentors in the field and provide information and assistance to train the user on the application, content and specifics of the custom program developed for the client. |
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Technical Support and Training |
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On request, eSchool® will provide technical training and documentation to Client Administrators to enable them to execute all LMS administrative tasks within their purview. eSchool® may also provide technical training and documentation to client technical support staff to enable them to provide first-line support to end users for use of both the LMS and the content modules on an ongoing basis. In the event that revisions or enhancements to the core eSchool® application or LMS functionality, or alterations of third-party software such as video players or Web browsers necessitate revision of support responses or resolution paths, eSchool® provides additional one-time training along with updated technical support documentation. Technical Support eSchool® may provide user technical support services on either a first level or second level basis, dependant on customer situation. First-line ongoing technical support: Clients are generally responsible for all ongoing first-line technical support to course users and administrators. The contact information included in the product help system, the "Contact us" link on the LMS, and any product documentation provided by the client to its customers will direct users to the client help desk. Second-line ongoing technical support: eSchool® will provide a telephone support hotline for support issues beyond local help for forgotten passwords and alike. Support for issues such as outages and acknowledged application defects. Responses will be provided on the same business day during the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET. The Support desk can be contacted via email at: techsupport@eschoolonline.com or by telephone at: (877) 709-2288. This support will not include help for system usage, and general "how to" questions. This support will ensure that the system is providing the specified functionality and is generally accessible to outside users. Escalation Procedures The support desk will act as the first point of contact. It will be the responsibility of the support desk to either answer a particular question immediately or escalate the issue to an internal 3rd level support. In the event of a system outage, this escalation would take the form of working with an appropriate eSchool systems administrator to determine the appropriate solution. In the event of a determined application defect or error, the appropriate applications manager would be contacted to determine a resolution. |
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Hosting and Administration |
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eSchool provides the necessary hosting environment and bandwidth to support the delivery of the program application and content. The following discusses the hosting environment eSchool® provides through its co-location installation at AT&T's NYC data center and service level agreements. Hardware Selection Sun Enterprise Systems: eSchool® has selected systems from Sun's Enterprise line. Sun Microsystems is a leader in the industry for applications hosted over the Internet and is clearly the right choice for an application of this type. Sun Storage Solutions: To ensure compatibility and the appropriate levels of performance, eSchool® has chosen Sun's STORedge line for reliable data storage. For situations calling for a hardware RAID solution, eSchool® is utilizing Sun's A1000 or A5000 disk subsystems. Foundry Networks Web Switches: For maximum performance and redundancy, eSchool® leverages product offerings from Foundry Networks, a leading provider of high-performance enterprise and service provider switching, routing and Web traffic management solutions. Server Configuration Robust server platform: eSchool® provides multiple Sun Enterprise servers configured with Sun Solaris for optimal performance and reliability. Systems will be built from standard templates to ensure rapid deployment and, when necessary, replacement or addition of new hardware in a timely fashion. All critical components will be installed on at least two Enterprise servers at any given time to ensure continued functionality should a hardware component fail. Each system will be configured with redundant power supplies which allows connection to multiple power sources to minimize the possibility of an outage do to a power failure on a single circuit. Where the use of a database is required, eSchool® provides a RAID subsystem for storing data to help avoid data loss in the event of a hardware failure. Network Configuration: Cisco PIX hardware provides eSchool® with secure remote administration capability to the data center space. A CS3200 Console Server provides access to machines, which are not accessible over the network to perform maintenance, install patches, etc. Two Foundry Networks ServerIron Web Switches, deployed in a redundant configuration: Provides redundancy by transparently mapping incoming connections to multiple physical servers. Provides additional capacity by spreading incoming capacity over the available servers. Provides an easy means for adding additional capacity in a timely fashion as more hardware can simply be added to the server pool. Bandwidth is burstable to provide emergency reserve capacity as needed. AT&T can rapidly deploy additional bandwidth as required as usage increases. Service Level Agreements Network Guarantee: AT&T Commitment: AT&T is contractually obligated to provide 99.45% network uptime when planned maintenance is taken into consideration. In practice, they claim 99.992% network availability. eSchool® Commitment: eSchool® agrees to pass on the network availability guarantee offered by AT&T. eSchool® provides monitoring and maintenance of all network equipment deployed in the co-location hosting facility. Application: eSchool® Commitment: eSchool guarantees a 98% availability of the application. Application availability is defined as the ability of an end-user to reach the main entry-point to the hosted site, complete a successful login, and utilize the basic functionality of the application. Application Monitoring: eSchool® provides an automated monitoring application, which will check for application availability. In the event of an application outage, notifications will be sent to internal eSchool® support personnel for immediate diagnostic action. Maintenance: eSchool® considers the hours of 4:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M. Eastern Time each day to be a planned maintenance window. Outages during maintenance windows are not considered down time for purposes of availability guarantees. These maintenance windows will be used for system security updates, system patches, database updates, etc. On occasion, exceptions will be made where maintenance needs to take place outside the normally scheduled window. For situations such as these, eSchool® will provide adequate advance notice to clients. Exceptions: eSchool® is not responsible for outages caused by natural disasters, war, acts of God, nor any other situations typically described as Force Majeur. eSchool® is also not responsible for perceived outages caused by general Internet routing problems outside the co-location facility. Application and Data Security All data posts are standard, unencrypted HTTP protocol. Data is stored in a secure database, accessible only from behind eSchool® firewall. Access to the database from within eSchool is strictly limited to eSchool® System Administrators and Database Administrators. Data stored in the eSchool® database will not be disseminated internally beyond the team of eSchool® employees who require access to it for testing, development, debugging, reporting, or analysis purposes. Data will not be distributed to third parties unless the client explicitly authorizes such a distribution. |
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CD ROM Duplication |
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The video portion of the multi-media presentation which combines video with automatic delivery of synchronous web content, may be delivered via CD ROM, streaming, LAN, broadband or narrow band services. Where CD ROM is the format, eSchool® provides CD Masters for client duplication, if requested, or will provide duplication services. Generally, multi panel packages containing the MPEG video components are digitized in formats to accommodate both PC and Macintosh platforms. eSchool® duplicates the appropriate number of CD's, based on user requirements, and provides them in professionally packaged, custom jewel cases with color tray and proper labeling. |