Session # 46

Federal Student Aid Technical Architecture

Initiatives

Sandy England

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Objective - Key Target State Vision Enablers

• Integrated Technical Architecture• Federal Student Aid Enterprise Portal• Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)• Security Architecture (SA)• Federal Student Aid Gateway

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Target State Vision

IntegratedTechnical Architecture

Target State Vision

Customers &Partners

Integrated Technical Architecture

Portal / Gateway / Call Center

Students, Borrowers, Applicants

Schools

Financial Partners

Department of Education

Federal Agencies

State Agencies

Service Providers

Security Architecture

Security Architecture

Security Architecture

Enterprise Service Bus

Enterprise Service Bus

Enterprise AccessManagem

ent

Integrated Partner Managem

ent

ADvance

Comm

on Services for Borrow

ers

Campus Based

Financial Management

System

Enterprise Information

System

Enterprise Applications

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TSV Architecture Overview• Integrated Technical Architecture, Portal, ESB, Security Architecture,

Gateway and internal applications are integrated within the enterprise target state vision

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Key Target State Vision Enablers

• Integrated Technical Architecture• Federal Student Aid Enterprise Portal• Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)• Security Architecture (SA)• Federal Student Aid Gateway

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What is Integrated Technical Architecture?

• Common, shared, proven architecture using standardized tools, technology, and technical support services

• An effective technical architecture supports a business’ ability to deliver sufficient resources to users

• Provides strategic and economic benefits

Improved Access

Standardized Methods Product Specialist SupportStandardized Technology• Standardized configuration

of hardware and software platforms

• Standardized messaging technology to support communications across varying hardware platforms, projects and locations

• Methods, standards, policies, and directives for maintaining an integrated environment

• Structured approach to evaluate/implement changes into the environment and support problem resolution

• Highly trained staff to manage resources and provide services

• Manage daily operations, controlled development environment, maintain software, and plan for future requirements

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Integrated Technical Architecture Benefits

• Leverage current investments and assets - – Provides simplified, secure, and integrated access to Federal Student Aid

services and resources– Facilitates an enterprise-wide perspective to planning, developing, and

delivering IT application systems and services

• Significant cost savings -– Reduces hardware, software licensing, and support costs– Ability to share highly skilled product specialists among multiple teams

• Improved application performance - – Architecture can be easily scaled to meet capacity and performance

requirements

• Increase productivity and efficiency - – Applications get “faster and smarter” by implementing best practices,

common services, and lessons learned from previous projects

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Integrated Technical Architecture

Supporting Technologies

Application Layer

Public/Private Data Networks

Students Schools Financial Partners Vendors Federal Student Aid Others

Firewall

Oracle Web Servers

Load Balancer

Cisco ACE

Application Servers

Data MartsSearch Engine

Google

Web Content Management

TeamSite, Portal WCM

IBM Internet HTTP (IHS)

IBM WebSphere (WAS)

Microstrategy, WebFocus

ETL

Informatica

Portal Servers

IBM WebSphere Portal

Customer Relationship Management

Siebel Application

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Product Selection ApproachResearch best practices and market research to

determine industry leaders of products

Research best practices and market research to

determine industry leaders of products

Investigate high-level functional and technical capabilities of

each product to create a short list of vendors to evaluate

Investigate high-level functional and technical capabilities of

each product to create a short list of vendors to evaluate

Create extensive set of criteria to evaluate the

short list

Create extensive set of criteria to evaluate the

short list

Schedule technical briefings with each

shortlist vendor

Schedule technical briefings with each

shortlist vendor

Evaluate technical capabilities of the products and ability to meet the evaluation

criteria

Evaluate technical capabilities of the products and ability to meet the evaluation

criteria

Interview/talk with current customers that are using

products to assess support quality, etc.

Interview/talk with current customers that are using

products to assess support quality, etc.

Conduct Technical Proofs of Concept to determine if products are technically compatible with existing architecture and meet

requirements

Conduct Technical Proofs of Concept to determine if products are technically compatible with existing architecture and meet

requirements

Determine business and technical architecture

requirements

Determine business and technical architecture

requirements

Determine which products best fit by evaluating their ability to meet the detailed evaluation

criteria and understanding their key differentiators

Determine which products best fit by evaluating their ability to meet the detailed evaluation

criteria and understanding their key differentiators

Provide product recommendation based on

product’s ability to meet the key selection criteria.

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Key Target State Vision Enablers

• Integrated Technical Architecture

• Federal Student Aid Enterprise Portal

• Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)• Security Architecture (SA)• Federal Student Aid Gateway

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What is a Portal?• An integrated and personalized access point to information, applications, and

services• Provides a single, secure, simplified, and personalized access point to business

information• Delivers integrated content and applications, within a unified, collaborative

workplace

Improved Access

Integration InteractionImproved Access• Simplified and standardized

look and feel• Customized information &

services to meet users needs• Access content from multiple

sources• Secure Information

• Expand portfolio of online transactions

• Increase self-services & user self-sufficiency

• Analyze "merged" information

• Improved internal use of information

• Secure data sharing with external organizations.

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Portal Benefits

• Leverage current investments and assets

• Increase productivity and efficiency

• Improve decision-making

• Strengthen constituent goodwill and trust

• Improved customer service and cost savings

• Standard look and feel

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Portal Framework

Web/Intranet/Telephony

Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)

OthersStudents Schools Financial Partners Vendors FSA

Portal(s)

Security Architecture

Presentation Layer: Provides user interface for access channels, such as Web and Telephony

Services Layer

Integration Layer: Provides connectivity to enterprise information sources and services

Administration & Security

Task Mgmt. & WorkflowPersonalization Search & Categorize Collaboration & Communication

Enterprise Business System(s)

Business Information and System Services

Structured & Unstructured Data

External Data Feeds

Content Management

Framework provides a taxonomy for describing portal capabilities

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Key Target State Vision Enable

• Integrated Technical Architecture• Federal Student Aid Enterprise Portal

• Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)• Security Architecture (SA)• Federal Student Aid Gateway

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What is a Enterprise Service Bus?• Architecture and an infrastructure that unifies and connects services,

applications, and resources within a business • Provides the open, standards-based connectivity infrastructure for a service

oriented architecture (SOA)• Provides communication between systems through shared services

Improved Access

SOA Enabler IntegrationIT Benefits

• Quickly respond to changing business needs

• Leverage existing assets in new ways

• Reduce software development and maintenance cost

• Improve system security, scalability, availability and robustness

• Promotes reuse• Foster

interoperability• Supports

incremental implementation

• Standardize interfaces

• Integrate with all new and existing applications

• Leverages existing Security Architecture

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Enterprise Service Bus Benefits• Provides the following Web services mediation

capabilities -– Centrally apply security (encryption, authentication, & authorization) by

leveraging Security Architecture

– Audit service requests/replies

– Data transformation

– Dynamic routing

• Invoke and reuse shared services across the enterprise -– Business logic is accessible at an enterprise level, rather than just the

application level

• Choreograph business flows across the enterprise

• Standards-based - vendor neutral

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Current State EAI

EAI Infrastructure

Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)

COD

DataMartPEPS

eCBeMPNSAIG

FMS

CPSDLSS/CSB

NSLDS

eZ-Audit

Messages/Files Messages/FilesMessages/Files

Messages/Files Messages/FilesMessages/Files Messages/Files

Messages/Files Messages/FilesMessages/Files

Messages/Files

FTP HTTP HTTP

HTTP

Current State Applications

FAFSA

Messages/Files

HTTP

Public/Private Data Networks

Students Schools Financial Partners Vendors Federal Student AidGov’t Agency Others EAI Core Capabilities -– Assured Message Delivery– Location Transparency– Platform Independence– Protocol Independence– Single Multi-platform API– Data Transformation– Context-based Routing – Publish-Subscribe– High-speed Bulk Transfers

(> 100 MB)

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Transition State ESB

ESB Infrastructure

Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)

COD

DataMartPEPS

eCBeMPNSAIG

FMS

CPSDLSS/CSB

NSLDS

eZ-Audit

Messages/Files Messages/FilesMessages/Files

Messages/Files Messages/FilesMessages/Files Messages/Files

Messages/Files Messages/FilesMessages/Files

Messages/Files

FTP HTTP HTTP

HTTP

Current State Applications Target State Applications

FAFSA

Messages/Files

HTTP

Security Architecture

Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)

ADvanceIPM CSB FMS

Service

Other IF/SAHM

GatewayPortal

Security Architecture

TBDHTTP

TBDHTTP

Service

ServiceServiceServiceService

Service

Service

Public/Private Data Networks

Students Schools Financial Partners Vendors Federal Student Aid Gov’t Agency Others

ESB/EAI Bridge

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Target State ESB

Target State Applications

Security Architecture

Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)

ADvanceIPM CSB FMS

Service

Other IF/SAHM

GatewayPortal

Security Architecture

TBDHTTP

TBDHTTP

Service

ServiceServiceServiceService

Service

Service

Public/Private Data Networks

Students Schools Financial Partners Vendors Federal Student AidGov’t Agency Others ESB Technologies

Metastorm Data

Integrator

IBM WebSphere DataPower

IBM WebSphere

Process Server

IBM WSRR

IBM WebSphere

MQ

IBM WebSphere

Message Broker

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Key Target State Vision Enablers

• Integrated Technical Architecture• Federal Student Aid Enterprise Portal• Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)

• Security Architecture (SA)• Federal Student Aid Gateway

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What is Security Architecture?• Provides a single, integrated authentication, and authorization framework• Enables consistent Authentication, Authorization, and Accountability

– Authentication: Who are you?– Authorization: What are you allowed to do?– Accountability: What did you do?

Improved Access

Services Enterprise Security Management

Consistent Security •Decrease security risks•Improves maintainability of systems•Offloads “ADHOC” application security from application teams

–Single sign-on for web applications

–Simplified registration/approval processing

–Delegated administration

–Consolidated security views and reporting

–Flexibility to accommodate new or redeployed systems

–Lowers security development and operational costs

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Security Architecture Benefits• Provides consistent security services & configurations

across Federal Student Aid systems -– Decrease security risks– Improves maintainability of systems– Offloads ad-hoc application security from application teams

• Gives better service to our customers/partners -– Simplified sign-on for web applications– Simplified registration/approval processing– Delegated administration

• Promote enterprise security management -– Consolidated security views and reporting– Flexibility to accommodate new or redeployed systems– Lowers security development and operational costs

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Security Architecture

Manages trading partnereligibility, enrollment,

and oversight

School Users

School Servicers

Lenders

Guaranty Agencies

Collection Agencies

State & Federal Agencies

Accrediting Agencies

Auditors

Other Users

FSA and Trading Partners

Integrated Partner

Management

FSA Security Architecture

FSA Target State Vision

Systems

Enrollment Identity Management

Access Management

access management tools, identity management tools, enterprise policy

repositories, enterprise user repositories, and other related security components

FSA Users

Audit

Access

1 2

4

3

System Response

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Target State Security Architecture

Public/Private Data Networks

Students Schools Financial Partners Vendors Federal Student Aid Others

Protocol FirewallFSA

Enterprise Bounary

Domain Firewall

Demilitarized Zone

Reverse Proxy

Tivoli Access Manager WebSEAL

Enterprise Zone

Tivoli Access Manager Servers

TAM Policy Server

TAM Authorization Server

User Registry

TIM Server

SA RCSTIM UserRegistry

Portal Application Server(s)

Portal Server(s)

Service Portlets AuthorizationDatabase

IPM Application Servers

Federal Student Aid Applications

COD FMS NSLDS Other

Roles Wizard

IPM DBApproval Workflow

Tivoli Directory Server

Authorization Database

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Key Target State Vision Enablers

• Integrated Technical Architecture• Federal Student Aid Enterprise Portal• Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)• Security Architecture (SA)

• Federal Student Aid Gateway

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What is Gateway?• It is part of an organization's technical architecture that facilitates the

communication between internal applications and external systems• Provides separation and security between the outside world and an internal

network • Acts as a proxy to broker requests between external partners and Federal Student

Aid systems

Improved Access

Customer Benefits IT ConsiderationsBusiness Objectives• Simplifies trading

partner data exchange

• Enables right-time data exchange

• Reduces the number of different data exchange formats

• Reduces effort required for integration within FSA

• Supports a wide range of transport protocols and industry data formats

• Improves visibility of transaction workflows with external partners

• Web services will be used to facilitate data exchange

• Standardizes external exchange of data through a single, virtual, secure gateway

• Enables access to key business services for the external community

• Right-time exchange of data with trading partners

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Gateway Benefits• Creates an enterprise view of external interface

information exchanged with Federal Student Aid

• Enables centralized management of external interfaces

• Provides the capability for an external partner to upload and download files

• Provides a layer of security between Federal Student Aid and external partners

• Creates well defined procedures for integrating with Federal Student Aid services

• Validates and enforces the use of a standard data schema between systems and enables data consistency throughout data exchange process

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Current State

EAI FSA Systems (NSLDS, COD,

CBS, etc…)

Gateway(SAIG)

Some External Partners

School

Guaranty Agency, etc

Lender

Federal Student Aid

Other External Partners

Federal Agency

Guaranty Agency, etc.

State Agency

FTP / VPN

Email

Tape

Sends and receives batch files via Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG)

Sends and receives data via other communication channels, e.g. FTP, Computer Tape

• Multiple communication channels and entry points into Federal Student Aid are not centrally tracked or managed

• No real-time data interchanges• Security architecture is not being leveraged

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Target State Gateway Solution

ApplicationsGateway Communication Layer

Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)

Shared Service

Shared Service

External Partners

School

Guaranty Agency

Lender

External Service Providers

IRS, SSA, etc...

Other

Federal Student Aid

WS

Inte

rface

Ser

vice

WS

Inte

rface

Ser

vice

Security Architecture

External partners can send batch and real-time data transmissions.

External partners can invoke exposed Federal Student Aid shared services via the gateway.

Internal Federal Student Aid applications and services can invoke external web services via the gateway.

TSV Gateway solution will be a single communication channel between Federal Student Aid, external partners and external service providers

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Gateway Framework

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Contact Information

I appreciate your feedback and comments. I can be reached at:

• Name:Sandy England• Phone:202-377-3537• Email:Sandy.England@ed.gov

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Questions?