A key strategic objective for the University of Leeds is to have secured a place among the top 50 universities in the world by 2015. To achieve this, a programme of initiatives is underway to support further development of University core activities such as research, learning, teaching and knowledge transfer. Underpinning these initiatives, further development of university staff and resources is also underway, a critical factor in enabling the University to achieve its primary objective effectively.

A major contributor to the quality and capability of university management and staff is the ready availability of key knowledge and information sources. This was one of the key challenges faced by the University s web team as historically web content had tended to reside in technical ghettos with editorial concerns subservient to production needs. As a result, users have expressed low level of ownership of web content and as a consequence were not actively engaged with keeping content current.

The University decided to look externally for a Web content management system CMS to support the numerous needs for such functionality; this was driven by a wide mandate from elements of the institution who were lobbying strongly for a collectively managed service. We recognised the fact that the correct CMS would provide the route to widening user engagement says Matthew Hoskins, Web Content Management, Project Officer at the University, who managed the CMS selection process.

The CMS selection process focused on a number of key requirements in driving solution selection including: usability, the user response and the total cost of ownership. After an open procurement process involving multiple suppliers, the University selected Jadu CMS which scored highly in all three areas based on feedback from account stakeholders, user groups and technical experts.

For other systems evaluated, the system costs looked very frightening and required large teams to support them. They seemed to provide very dubious value because of the high level of support required. Jadu CMS provoked a very strong positive response from the users; the technology was appealing at demonstration workshops where Jadu scored highly against its competitors says Matthew Hoskins.

To be a partner in delivering this highly focused Web Content strategy at Leeds is a thrilling prospect for Jadu. The Jadu CMS was developed for pure publishing and that s exactly how it s being used at Leeds says Suraj Kika, CEO at Jadu.
The University has implemented Jadu CMS in two sites so far Libraries and Information Systems Services and are commencing implementation of the CMS to support the University s corporate web site. Roll-out to other University units will begin over the next 1-3 years. This process will also involve the migration of many existing small sub-sites into the CMS environment.

For areas that have a short life span, or where there is a lower level of usage that sits outside of normal work flow, the University is using Jadu Galaxies which enables rapid design and deployment of multiple websites by non-technical users to provide customised content. This approach has currently been used for sites for the Press Office and Enterprise and Knowledge Transfer.

The new Jadu CMS will provide a level playing field so that departments with low technical skills will have equivalent sites and capabilities to those with high technical skills. The improved systems will hopefully contribute to the elevation of the University s external profile contributing to the overall strategic objective. says Matthew Hoskins.

Jadu has removed the challenges of cross faculty platform choice because it is available on both Unix-like systems and .NET. This is enabling both systems to be deployed in a fully integrated way. The online work that Leeds University is achieving with Jadu CMS is world class. We re very proud and committed to helping Leeds University and the Higher Education sector in the UK says Suraj Kika.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

About Leeds University

The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK with more than 30,000 students from 130 countries. With a turnover of 450m, Leeds is one of the top ten research universities in the UK, and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities.

Further information on The University of Leeds can be found at: www.leeds.ac.uk

About Jadu

Jadu helps businesses and public sector organisations to create and manage their online channel quickly, simply and cost effectively. Jadu was formed in 2001 to provide Content Management Systems CMS for government organisations. Since its first major implementation for BERR in 2002, Jadu has evolved further and been implemented for hundreds of private and public sector organisations across the UK.

Providing a refreshing approach to Enterprise Content Management, Jadu offers ground-breaking functionality including integrated Online forms, Google searches, user intelligence and full statistical reporting, full standards compliance, product and catalogue management with a host of other web productivity tools and unparalleled support service.

Further information on Jadu can be found at: www.jadu.co.uk