Blackboard has deployed cloud solutions for well over a decade and is very excited to launch our new SaaS offering at the Teaching and Learning conference. The session will explore Blackboard’s continued commitment to managed hosting, partnership with IBM/AWS and next generation SaaS offerings that offer institutions unique control over their innovation journey.

1. Glenn Philpott
Director, Cloud Solutions APAC
The evolution of Blackboard’s
Hosting Ecosystem

2. Disclaimer
2

3. 3
Agenda
1) New Global Partnership
2) New Learning Experience
3) Pathway to SaaS and the Ultra
Experience

4. New Global Partnership
4

5. 5
What Blackboard customers
can expect from the IBM, AWS
and Blackboard Partnership

6. 6
Recap of Bb AWS IBM partnership
Three partners: BB + IBM + AWS
• Leaders in innovation
• Global reach
• Commitment to privacy and security
Three separate areas of partnership:
• Hosting transformation
• Adding Bb to IBM’s product portfolio
• Innovating together in cognitive technology
We are going to focus today on our hosting partnership and on what our clients can expect to see
in the months and years to come

7. 7

8. 8

9. 9

10. 10

11. 11
12 Core Datacenters

12. 12
32 datacenters
25,000
cores
250 TB
of memory
15 PB
of storage

13. 13

14. Typical Application Stack
Versus Cloud Solutions
Application
Data
Runtime
Middleware
Operating Sys.
Virtualisation
Networking
Storage
Servers
Virtualisation
Networking
Storage
Servers
Application
Data
Runtime
Middleware
Operating Sys.
Traditional Application Stack
Infrastructure as a Service
(IaaS)
Approx 20% of total stack cost
Software as a Service
(SaaS)

15. 15
We should be focusing on
building the things that don’t
exist.
- Larry Page

16. IBM at a glance
430,000IBMers, in 170 countries, speaking 165 languages
1,110
software products in
the IBM portfolio
3,000active researchers,
including 5 Nobel
Laureates
140,000
Global Business
Partners
6,809
U.S. patents in
2013 alone
Made possible by more than 8,000
IBM inventors across 42 countries
9,000
business analytics
consultants with
industry experience
USD6B
invested in research
and development
each year
23 consecutive years
of U.S. patent leadership
USD16B
in analytics software
acquisitions alone
since 2005
Rich enterprise cloud
computing capabilities
with over
USD7B
in cloud acquisitions
since 2007
87,000
Service Delivery
personnel

17. What IBM is bringing to Blackboard
• Advanced analytics and automation infused throughout delivery
• Highly skilled globally sourced teams and management systems
• Robust, globally standardized and continuously improved processes
• Dynamic hybrid sourcing and integrated services delivery
• Largest global network of security operations centers
• Over 30 years of experience delivering managed IT services
Cloud managed services Data center outsourcing Migration services Managed storage
Security
services
Cloud Brokerage
services
People
ProcessesTools
Analytics

18. AWS Leads in Both Vision and Execution
Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Infrastructure as a Service, Worldwide
Source: Gartner (May 2015)
Gartner “Magic Quadrant for Cloud Infrastructure as a Service, Worldwide,” Lydia Leong, Douglas Toombs, Bob Gill,
May 18, 2015. This Magic Quadrant graphic was published by Gartner, Inc. as part of a larger research note and should
be evaluated in the context of the entire report. The Gartner report is available at
http://aws.amazon.com/resources/analyst-reports/. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service
depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the
highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research
organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied,
with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
18

19. 19
Amazon API
Gateway
Amazon
AppStream
Amazon Elastic
Transcoder
Amazon
CloudSearch
Amazon
SQS
Amazon
SNS
AWS IoT Amazon
Kinesis
Amazon EMRAmazon Elasticsearch
AWS
CloudTrail
AWS
CloudFormation
Amazon
CloudWatch
AWS IAMAWS Directory Service
Amazon
DynamoDB
Amazon
ElastiCache
Amazon
RDS
Amazon
Redshift
AWS
Lambda

20. AWS Global Infrastructure
13
Regions
35
Availability
Zones
55
Edge
Locations
20

21. AWS in the Public Sector
7,000+
educational
institutions
2,300+
government
agencies
22,000+
nonprofit
organizations
21

22. Architected for Highest Security Requirements
3rd party certifications and attestations for workloads
that matter
Rich security features; e.g.,
AWS CloudTrail / Config / Rules – API logging,
resource configuration management, & automated
responses for security, governance, & compliance
22
• Log, review, alarm
on all user actions
• Browse-and-query database of
current and previous state of cloud
resources
• Automate responses and
remediations
MTCS

23. Improving security with the cloud
• For more details, see Re:Invent 2013 presentations by NASA JPL cyber security engineer Matt Derenski
(http://awsps.com/videos/SEC205E-640px.mp4)
“Based on our experience, I believe that we can be even more secure in the
AWS cloud than in our own datacenters.”
-Tom Soderstrom, CTO, NASA JPL

24. Rob Alexander / CIO of Capital One Bank
• “And of course, security is critical for us. The financial
services industry attracts some of the worst cyber
criminals. So we worked closely with the AWS team to
develop a security model which, we believe, allows us to
operate more securely in the public cloud than we can
even in our own datacenters.”
re:Invent Keynote 2015 https://youtu.be/0E90-ExySb8

25. 25
Blackboard will
continue to manage
and support all of our
applications, and will remain
your point
of contact.

26. New Learning Experience
26

27. Blackboard Learn
27
LEARN
1
EXPERIENCES
2 ULTRA
ORIGINAL
DEPLOYMENT
OPTIONS
3MANAGED HOSTED
SAAS
SELF HOSTED

28. Journey to the Cloud
Self-Hosted
On-Premise
Blackboard Cloud
Managed Hosting
SaaS

29. Blackboard Learn SaaS Ultra
29
What we’ve released since Educator Preview
• Group Assignments
• Rich media
in Assignments
• Graded Discussions
• Administrator
Control for Ultra
Enablement
APRIL
• Tests Foundation
• Competency
Alignment
• Rich Content Pages
• LTI 1.2
MAY
• Activity Analytics
• Test
Accommodations
• Collaborate
Integration
JUNE
• Rubrics
• More tests
• Group
Conversations
• Group Discussions
JULY

30. Blackboard Learn: Ultra Experience
Roadmap
30
Assessment
Discipline-specific methods
for instructors to provide
formative and summative
assessment of learning
Analytics & At-Risk
Using the wealth of data
collected to provide
instructors and students with
insight and the ability to take
action
Communication
Facilitating the way
instructors and students
share information and stay
up-to-date on course and
institutional activities
Course Design
Rich content & media added
to courses by instructors and
instructional designers to
create an engaging
experience
Worldwide Use
Supporting Blackboard Learn
in different countries and
regions to ensure a localized
experience
Integration
Helping administrators and
3rd-parties create extensions
to Learn to support
instructors and students

31. Blackboard Learn: Ultra Experience
Roadmap Summary
31
Available now
Communication
• Messages
• Calendar
• Activity stream
• User profile
• Course description
• Roster
• Discussions (w/groups)
• Targeted User Notification
• Announcements
Course Design
• Content (links, files)
• Rich pages
• Content availability (simple)
Assessment
• Gradebook
• Assignments (w/groups &
conversations)
• Tests
In development
Assessment
• Multiple Select
• True/False
• Fill in the blank
• More Goal Alignment
Integration
• More REST APIs (ongoing)
• LTI 2.0
In design & research
Assessment
• Timed tests
• SafeAssign
Course Design
• Granular Content Copy
• Content availability (advanced)
• SCORM
Communication
• Institution Pages
• Audio/Video
Analytics & At-Risk
• Attendance tracking
Worldwide use
• Locale & language selection)
• Graded Discussions
• Goal alignment
• Rubrics
Integration
• LTI 1.2
• Publisher Integrations
• REST APIs
• Building Blocks
Analytics
• At-risk detection & actions
• Student Activity Analytics
(Tests)

32. Pathway to SaaS and the Ultra Experience
32

33. 33
Two Milestones & Phases to Get There
1st milestone
Play
Prepare
Pilot
Production
Prepare
Production
2nd milestone (optional)
Transition to
Ultra experience
Transition to SaaS
Original experience

34. 34
Two Milestones
1st milestone 2nd milestone (optional)
Transition to
Ultra experience
Transition to SaaS
Original experience
No change
to the user interface
Optional
New navigation, new look & feel for the Original Course View, and
optional Ultra Course View

35. 35
Pathway to SaaS

36. 36
Path-to-SaaS Deployment
Prepare
Production
Plan for Transition
1. Review Learning Solution Bundle and SaaS Hosting Tier
2. Consider available migration support and services options
3. Identify best migration window
4. Identify data migration approach
5. Define migration plan

37. 37
Learning
Core
Learning
Essentials
Learning Insight
Course Creation, Delivery, & Management X X X
Course Assessments, Grading, & Plagiarism Prevention (SafeAssign) X X X
Course-Based Analytics X X X
Enterprise Surveys X X X
Asynchronous Communication & Collaboration (for Courses & Extracurriculars) X X X
Social Learning & Bb’s Global Learning Network X X X
Academic Portal X X X
File Management System X X X
Global Learning Object Repository X X X
Portfolios X X X
Mobile apps X X X
Services to Drive Capability Adoption X X
Web Conferencing X X
LMS/SIS Reporting & Dashboards X
Institutional Assessment & Accreditation Support X
Prepare:
1) Review Learning Solution Bundle and SaaS Hosting Tier

38. 38
Prepare:
2) Review Learning Solution Bundle and SaaS Hosting Tier
• Both the Original & Ultra experiences
• Continuous delivery of features and functionality
• Full LTI, web services, and new REST API
• Test and Staging instances included
• Full B2 support
• Flexible Deployment Option
• Supports all Learning Solutions
• Service Delivery Mngmt
• Direct Data Access (OpenDB / ASR)
SaaS Plus SaaS Advantage
• Both the Original & Ultra experiences
• Continuous delivery of features and functionality
• Full LTI, web services, and new REST API
• Test instance included
• Full B2 support
• Flexible Deployment Option
• Supports all Learning Solutions

39. Migration Support:
• Workshop and overview of building blocks
• Support with technical migration tasks
• For Advantage tier – Dedicated contact to support technical migration tasks
Additional Services available:
• Full custom project plan to support change management
• Recommendations for integrations
• Detailed Building Block review.
Prepare:
Available migration support options

40. 40
Prepare:
Consulting and Training Services for moving to SaaS
Academic Technology Planning
Align your migration plans with your overall institutional strategy. We work with you
to uncover LMS usage and develop an effective plan for ongoing adoption. Included
in Learning Essentials and Learning Insight. Also available as a data-based and
recurring service.
Building Block Evaluation
We can assist with evaluating your custom building blocks and provide in-depth
guidance on how to refactor them or achieve your objectives through new
architectures. This evaluation is offered at no additional charge for ICM covered
building blocks.
Training Program Development
Ensure your faculty are up to speed on new features and are making the most of LMS
functionality. We offer continually updated materials as a subscription service, and
provide access to a community of peers who can share best practices. Included in
Learning Essentials/Insight.
SIS Framework Mentoring and related
services
We provide 1:1 guidance on setting up SIS integrations, assisting you with
configuration as well as best practices considerations.

41. 41
Pathway to Ultra

42. 42
Path to the Ultra experience: Overview of Phases
Play
Prepare
Pilot
Production
Understand the Ultra experience
Determine transition strategy
Pilot as needed & finalize plans
Enable Ultra experience in production

43. Path to the Ultra experience
Learn instance to use in the Play phase: Educator Preview and/or your SaaS test instance
Play
Prepare
Pilot
Production
Understand the Ultra experience
• Participate in the Educator Preview – available now – to see new features and workflows as
they evolve
• Review Ultra experience documentation on help.blackboard.com
• View Ultra demonstrations and roadmap presentations from Blackboard
• Take advantage of the Ultra experience currently available with Bb Student and the new
Collaborate
• Analyze existing Learn usage across departments / programs / trainers
• Understand Design Thinking, the research and thought that led to the Ultra design

44. 44
Path to the Ultra experience
Experience Blackboard Learn through: Educator Preview or your SaaS test instance
Play
Prepare
Pilot
Production
Determine Transition Strategy
• Participate in a Cohort program to fully understand the Ultra experience and transition
strategy options
• Determine how Blackboard Services can assist in transition planning and execution
• Determine transition strategy: when to roll out the Ultra Course View to specific trainers,
departments, or programs
• Plan change management activities
(e.g., training, communications, etc.)
• Roll out the Bb Student app to begin to introduce the Ultra experience
• Evaluate your Learn integrations and update as needed

45. 45
Path to the Ultra experience
Learn instance to use in the Pilot phase: Your SaaS test instance (or a Bb pilot instance if needed)
Play
Prepare
Pilot
Production
Pilot as needed & finalize plans
• A pilot is recommended, but not required
• Run live courses with trainers and learners (separate from your production instance)
– Define pilot scope and goals
– Execute pilot and evaluate regularly, capturing learnings & challenges
– Evaluate pilot success and make final plans for enabling the Ultra experience in production
• Prepare transition materials
– End user communications
– Instructional design strategies
– Training content

46. 46
Path to the Ultra experience: Production Phase
Play
Prepare
Pilot
Production
Enable the Ultra experience in production
• Execute change management activities: training, end user
communications, etc. to drive awareness among trainers and learners
• Execute on transition strategy and plans – for example, roll out the Ultra
Course View to specific programs, departments or trainers before others
• Provide end-user support

47. Determine target for when SaaS will go live.
• This will typically be at the start of a mid year or new year
Prepare:
Identify the best data migration window
Oct Dec March June Sept Dec March
Q4
2016
Q1
2017
Q2
2017
Q3
2017
Q4
2017
Q1
2018
Prepare
Play &
Prepare
Pilot Ultra Navigation
Pilot and Roll Out Ultra Course View to
Instructors / Departments / Programs of Your
Choosing
Ultra experience in Production for beginning 2018
ExampleTimeline
SaaS in Production for beginning

48. 48
Recap: Two Milestones & Phases to Get There
1st milestone
Play
Prepare
Pilot
Production
Prepare
Production
2nd milestone (optional)
Transition to
Ultra experience
Transition to SaaS
Original experience