EChalk
Open Architecture
Why work with a company that limits choices? The time for either/or has passed.
- Technology and instruction leaders are free to build their own suite of tools that integrate with eChalk. From Google to Microsoft, SIS to LMS, eChalk embraces them all.
- End-users enjoy single sign-on access to eChalk and accompanying apps.
- Schools are free to deploy eChalk on any device, from computer labs to laptop carts, in managed 1:1 environments or in a flexible “Bring Your Own Technology” setting.
- eChalk is FERPA and CIPA compliant, making consumer apps safe for schools.
Deploy eChalk on any device with an Internet connection and start building your own suite of systems that integrate with our websites and online classrooms.
We provide the tools your teachers and students need, with the open architecture framework you won't find anywhere else.
Contact us to see a demo, get a proposal and see why it's time you had a partner that doesn't make you choose.
Software Architecture
In order to provide an application that is available 24x7x365, provide greater than 99.9% uptime and deliver pages in under three seconds on average, eChalk uses a delivery platform comprised of IIS, ASP.NET, .NET Framework, SQL Server, Active Directory and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF). The platform provides proven performance and scalability and at the same time delivers standard methodology and frameworks for Web 2.0 applications (of which we have many).
eChalk’s infrastructure has evolved from N-Tier to Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) which unifies business processes by structuring a large application as a collection of smaller modules and services. This evolution from N-Tier architecture embodies:
- Reuse for rapid and reliable software development
- Modularity, componentization and portability—supporting application flexibility
- Interoperability to allow customers to collaborate with and extend the platform
- Standards compliance (both common and industry-specific)
- Services identification, standard provisioning and monitoring and tracking
eChalk additionally takes advantage of high performance AJAX Web 2.0 Interfaces using state-of-the-art UI components that provide seamless application features via Web Services and WebParts. We aim to facilitate communication, provide secure information sharing and enable interoperability and collaboration via browser-based tools and services.
Hardware and Network Architecture
eChalk is hosted in an environment and on a hardware platform that was designed with the same mission of efficiency, performance, high availability and security in mind. The AT&T facility we use is a Sas70-certified, hardened Data Center that is the foundation of our reliability. This world-class data center provides the highest level of physical security, power and network redundancy with limitless bandwidth.
Converged services are distributed with top tier performance and security utilizing market-leading modular equipment. Additionally, eChalk has leveraged flexible and redundant server design to meet demand in a cost efficient way.
Finally, our deployment of equipment from the top two world providers of file storage, give us a flexible hardware design to facilitate growth without giving up any of its primary goals of availability, performance and security.
Content Delivery Network (CDN)
eChalk has leveraged AT&T’s nationwide reach by deploying content in 26 different locations throughout the United States. This distributed content model allows users to access content from the closest location using dynamic, geographically based DNS—thus reducing latency and decreasing page load time. Additionally, these local access points act as direct gateways to eChalk’s main East Coast facility since all requests are routed over AT&T-owned communication routes, ensuring the best network performance.
Content Caching and Compression
eChalk has implemented a multi-tier data caching model that is built directly into the application framework to provide the best performance. Using standard directives, eChalk enables caching of static content on web browsers, clients’ proxy and caching devices, eChalk’s CDN and eChalk’s Web Caching Tier. These layers eliminate the need to request content that has not been modified or updated from eChalk’s web servers, thus reducing the number of requests and size of the response. Additionally, when content is delivered, it is compressed using standard techniques in order to reduce the size of page components like HTML, XML, graphics, style sheets and client-side code. This reduction in size directly translates into faster page load times for end users.
Security
As important as eChalk’s dedication to fast and reliable performance is our steadfast commitment to safety and security of all those we serve in school systems across the nation.
eChalk pioneered the concept of safe email for students and our safe class collaboration tools, blogs, discussions and all other features for students have been customized for the needs of K-12 communities. eChalk’s physical security is ensured by our hosting provider, which employs strict guidelines for access to eChalk servers through the use of biometric identification, hierarchical access protocols and 24x7x365 facility monitoring and security. At the networking level, both AT&T and eChalk have employed additional security via firewalls and web application security devices designed to identify network attacks such as SQL injection, DDOS or port scanning among others.
These systems are designed to prevent security breaches and allow only valid requests into the Internet-facing portion of the eChalk infrastructure. Additionally, eChalk has virtually separated its Internet-facing front end (i.e., Web and Email Servers) from its business and data tiers through the use of VLANs and layered password security. Finally, eChalk has employed encryption and strict data access policies in its software and operational staff to limit access to sensitive data to only those individuals with the appropriate privileges.
Interoperability
eChalk employs standard communication protocols like HTTP and HTTPS for web delivery; IMAP, POP and SMTP for email delivery; iCal for calendaring syndication; RSS for content syndication and SIF for educational data integration.
eChalk has also developed remotely deployed agents that allow secure access to customer information from standard repositories like Student Information Systems and Active Directory that get delivered to eChalk’s systems via secure HTTPS or secure FTP. In addition, eChalk offers seamless authentication models like SSL and SSO Login so users on school networks never have to enter their passwords more than once—even when using third-party software.
