The Hanseatic City of Lübeck has completely reorganized its school IT – centralized, secure and digitally sovereign. With UCS@school, a powerful, future-proof and data protection-compliant solution was created that combines flexible user management, central services and open interfaces.
User
- 56 schools
- 30,000 pupils
- 3,000 teachers
- Over 12,000 end devices, 300 data distributors, 1,850 access points
- Digital school IT by the Hanseatic City of Lübeck and Stadtwerke Lübeck
Requirements
- Standardize and centrally manage heterogeneous IT structures
- Central user and rights management for teachers and students
- Rapid scaling and introduction of digital services as required
- High reliability and efficient backup concept for all schools
- Integration of pedagogical functions and external systems
- Avoidance of license dependencies and long-term follow-up costs
- Future-proof school IT based on open source
Solution
- Central school IT with UCS@school: UCS Primary Directory Node in the data center of Stadtwerke Lübeck
- Each school with its own UCS@school server (Managed Node) and local backup concept
- Central user administration with single sign-on for e-mail, file sharing and learning platforms
- Connection of Open-Xchange for e-mail and collaboration as well as FileWave for mobile device management
- Networking with virtual Windows domain via Univention AD Connector
- Firewall based on OPNsense with VPN connection to the data center
- Mac Minis as local caching servers to relieve network load
Standardized School IT Instead of a Patchwork Quilt
Before the Hanseatic City of Lübeck restructured its school IT, very different solutions were used in the schools. Each institution managed its own IT independently – often by dedicated teachers with an interest in technology, but without central coordination. The result was a highly heterogeneous infrastructure with numerous isolated solutions, insecure setups and a high administrative burden.
In order to create a modern and efficient IT infrastructure, Lübeck decided on a complete reorganization based on open source technology. The aim was to create a central, standardized school IT system that integrates all schools, functions reliably and can be developed flexibly. UCS@school from Univention offered the ideal basis for this: an open, scalable platform with central identity management, simple integration of educational services and a consistent separation between educational and administrative IT.
Central Identities as the Key to the Digital School Infrastructure
One of the first measures tackled by the city’s school IT department was the establishment of centralized identity management. Instead of decentralized user management in the individual schools, a UCS Primary Directory Node in the data center of Stadtwerke Lübeck now ensures the central maintenance and authentication of all user accounts. Teachers and students use it to access school services such as email, file sharing, Wi-Fi and learning platforms – with just one login and consistent single sign-on.
Each school received its own UCS@school server as a managed node, which provides local network services such as DHCP, DNS and RADIUS. This ensures that the school network remains stable even if the connection to the data center is interrupted. A supplementary backup concept with additional NAS storage protects against data loss.
Other systems such as Open-Xchange for e-mail and collaboration or FileWave for mobile device management are integrated directly via UCS@school. The central platform thus enables a seamless IT infrastructure with high reliability and minimal on-site maintenance.
Challenges and Acceleration Due to the Pandemic
Lübeck had a clear roadmap when it decided to implement a central school IT system – but the coronavirus pandemic turned this plan on its head and accelerated its implementation at the same time. A functioning system for 15,000 users had to be provided within a very short space of time. The challenge was to set up central services such as user administration, email and authentication under great time pressure – and at the same time ensure a stable connection for all schools.
Thanks to the open architecture of UCS@school and the use of proven open source tools, the rollout was completed in record time. The standardization of the setups and the use of automation made it possible to provide the school servers quickly and uniformly.
In addition to the high time pressure for the provision of structures for digital teaching and communication, the replacement of the previous decentralized structures also posed a major challenge. Existing processes had to be changed, roles redefined and school staff integrated into the new structure. Today, the success can be seen in the stable operation and high level of acceptance: teachers, IT managers and pupils benefit from a reliably functioning, user-friendly environment.
This is what our customer says.
Why Univention?
The decision for Univention in Lübeck was deliberately made in favor of an open, modular and future-proof solution. UCS@school offered the decision-makers the advantages of central user administration in combination with the possibility of simple integration into existing systems as well as the connection of new systems to be added in the future – from the e-mail infrastructure to mobile device management and educational applications. The platform enables the school authority to manage all schools uniformly and at the same time react flexibly to individual requirements.
The IT managers were particularly impressed by the open concept of UCS@school: instead of being tied to proprietary providers, Lübeck can act independently with UCS@school and connect new systems at any time. The high scalability, reliable authentication and simple administration make the solution the ideal basis for modern, sovereign school IT.
Conclusion
Shaping digital education reliably – today and in the future
With UCS@school, the Hanseatic City of Lübeck has established a central, stable and future-oriented IT infrastructure for its schools. The solution not only enables the uniform administration of all end devices and users, but also creates the basis for a sovereign and data protection-compliant digital educational landscape. The flexibility of UCS@school allows the city’s school IT to react quickly to new requirements and continuously develop its IT.
