News and Announcements

Blackboard Collaborate - Service Update

Posted: 2013-07-09 11:44:10   Expiration: 2013-08-21 16:23:01

Disclaimer: This news item was originally posted on 2013-07-09 11:44:10. Its content may no longer be timely or accurate.

Blackboard has communicated to us some important information about their service. The most relevant information to our users are twofold. First, the denial of service attacks that created reliability issues this spring have been completely resolved since March 22, 2013. Second, Blackboard is moving away from enduser Java requirements eliminating the need for participants to download, update or manage local java packages.

Here is the link to read the release in it's entirety.  Here are the relevant quotes from the update. 

Regarding denial of service attacks:

"I’m happy to report that we have fully resolved the issues related to Denial of Service Attempts that caused some disruption in Q1. There have been zero issues on this front since the implementation of our filtering system on March 22, 2013. We continue to tweak network parameters, and each day our protection grows stronger as does our ability to provide the high levels of service that you expect.  We are busy now preparing our network and application for a smooth back-to-school season."

Regarding move away from Java:

"Separately, I would also like to share plans for proactive work we’re doing to address the concerns that some of you have raised regarding Java.  Vendor security measures around Java, such as the recent changes Apple has introduced in Mac OS X 10.8.4, as well as the general pace and stability of Java updates issued by Oracle have created a barrier for students and participants and affect users' first-time experience with our products. We also understand that frequent Java updates create product performance issues, and that conflicting Java version requirements across the enterprise are a headache for administrators.

Since earlier this year, Collaborate has been executing a plan to eliminate the need for end-users to maintain Java as a third-party dependency. With this plan, users will not need to install Java and Java updates on their systems in order to use Collaborate web conferencing. We are targeting our first release at Mac users and are aligning those activities for a release prior to back to school. We plan to follow up with improvements to the ease-of-use of this solution and a Windows version for spring semester."

-- Collaborate: Service Team