The Blackboard Commerce Suite

Overview of Product Capabilities

2

OVERVIEW

Whether on campus, off campus or online, the Blackboard Commerce Suite™ enables institutions to be more effective and efficient—reducing costs, generating new revenue streams and offering enhanced services to campus constituents. Blackboard’s open architecture and proven integration capabilities are hallmarks of the product suite, enabling institutions to extend and customize their Blackboard implementation to meet their unique needs.

This paper highlights the key capabilities Blackboard offers institutions to accomplish mission critical commerce objectives. Blackboard groups these capabilities into three categories:

• Dining, Commerce and Access.

• Self-Service, Communication and e-Commerce.

• Settlement, Recruitment and Support.

Detailed descriptions of these key capabilities are provided on the following pages.

Blackboard Building Blocks: Blackboard’s data and system integration capabilities, enabled through the Blackboard Building Blocks® architecture, allow institutions to integrate campus back-office systems as well as third party systems with the Blackboard Commerce Suite. The leading providers of bookstore, parking, print management, Point of Sale and other campus systems integrate their platforms with the Blackboard Commerce Suite through Blackboard Building Blocks.

Multi-Site Single System Capability: Institutions operating multiple locations have the ability to offer the same services to all campuses from a single system. These capabilities include support for multiple sites within one physical campus or locations across the state or country.

SIS / Bookstore / Library Integration: Supports a core technology schema that enables third-party system integration and interoperability designed to readily allow secure information exchange between Blackboard and external systems. Clients can seamlessly connect to all systems on campus for more efficient campus operations.

Standards Compliance: Compliance and interoperability with industry standards is a fundamental capability of Blackboard’s platform. Blackboard is a strong advocate for industry standards including data encryption and security (AES, SSL and Twofish), authentication (LDAP, Kerberos, etc.) and safety (Underwriters Laboratory).

THE FULL POWER OF THE BLACKBOARD COMMERCE SUITE

3

DINING, COMMERCE AND ACCESSAt the heart of the Networked Transaction Environment™, the on-campus transaction application provides a wealth of services to campus constituents. Capabilities in this area enable efficient management and high levels of service across dining operations, commerce points of sale and campus access points.

Meal Plan Administration: Offers robust administration of dining services through unlimited options for accounts, plans, Point of Sale selections, menus and all of the other features required for effective meal plan administration.

Advanced Reporting:Provides thousands of pre-developed reports including reports on net sales, stored value, tax accounts and credit card transactions. In addition, the system enables users to specify their own custom reports.

Point of Sale Devices:Supports a wide variety of wired and wireless Point of Sale devices including sophisticated Point of Sale register systems with detailed reporting capabilities. In addition to partner-provided solutions, Blackboard also offers a full line of Blackboard-manufactured Point of Sale devices that represent some of the most durable in the market today.

Native TCP / IP Card Readers: Offers ease of connectivity as well as the security of fully encrypted data communication. These readers are easy to install, eliminating expensive wiring and services costs.

MICROS Integration and Support: Provides a scalable and robust Point of Sale (POS) solution with features designed for operational efficiency, advanced business analytics, maximum flexibility and ease of installation and use. Integrated through Blackboard Building Blocks, MICROS® POS devices can authorize and settle a purchase against a campus debit account in real time.

NCR Integration and Support:Provides a touch screen Point of Sale system that offers a combination of features including new embedded technology, tool-free serviceability and maximum configuration flexibility. The NCR® Point of Sale solutions operate Blackboard-developed software for dining services and POS transactions, and directly interface to the Blackboard Transaction System.

Debit / Credit Account Administration: Debit accounts are maintained for cardholders to access funds for purchases made on and off campus at card-accepting locations. The accounts can be replenished with funds through a variety of locations including self-service stations and staffed points of service. Credit capabilities provide institutions the opportunity to offer employees and others the ability to charge goods and services. Payment for these charges can be made through payroll deduction or monthly statements.

Copy Administration: Allows cardholders to use the campus card and associated accounts to pay for copy services. In addition to providing cardholders with a valuable service, this capability enables the institution to reduce costs by minimizing waste.

Vending Administration: Enables institutions to effectively service the campus community through card-based vending. These services also provide the institution with increased sales revenues and reduce the inefficiencies related to cash handling on campus.

4

Laundry Administration: Allows cardholders to use the campus card and associated accounts to pay for laundry services. These services also provide the institution with increased sales revenues and reduce the inefficiencies related to cash handling on campus.

IP Multi-Function Reader: Reader devices can be required for many functions including purchases, access, authorization of eligibility, voting, etc. Blackboard’s IP Multi-Function Reader provides a single footprint and single device capable of meeting multiple needs on campus.

Value Transfer Station / Card Management Center:These stand alone, self-service stations allow cardholders to add value to campus accounts using cash and credit cards, as well as inquire about account balances. Visitors to the campus have the ability to purchase cards at these locations for specific uses, such as making copies or using campus print services.

Integrated Network Print Management: Offers print management that monitors, tracks, controls, reports and accounts for document output. Through Pharos Uniprint®, institutions can effectively manage print services, resulting in tremendous cost savings and waste reduction.

Event / Activity Access Administration:Addresses activities involving managing authorization and registration of attendance for special events or regularly scheduled activities. Event / Activity Access Administration capabilities provide institutions with the ability to authorize access, record attendance and ensure accurate administration through reporting and updates. These capabilities are enabled through permanent devices placed in strategic locations for regularly scheduled activities, as well as wireless readers which can take authorization services to events.

Status Monitoring: Enables the institution to effectively monitor door access throughout the campus using alarm monitoring and reporting as well as full door access logging by cardholder. In addition to these key capabilities, institutions are able to configure the monitoring to meet their campus needs through full override capabilities, support for different schedules by location and support for holiday schedules.

Facilities / Door Access Administration: Provides for the ability to control access to sensitive locations based on a variety of parameters, such as time, date and cardholder privileges. This application supports multiple plans to address the various needs of controlling access to different areas on campus.

Wireless Card Readers:Allows the institution to expand points of service to encompass remote, non-wired locations. For example, special events that require approval for access are easily accommodated without the requirement for wiring.

Video Imaging / Card Production: Enables production of the campus identification card, the token used by institutions to access campus services. Integrated through Blackboard Building Blocks, the DataCard® system creates a database that can be used in multiple locations by multiple users. The software provides the ability to automatically link a photo image for identification card production with the the user account.

DINING, COMMERCE AND ACCESS continued...

5

SETTLEMENT, RECRUITMENT AND SUPPORTInstitutions today need to unite the on-campus experience with their off-campus community, providing students with a whole new level of service. Capabilities in this area enable institutions to quickly and easily build off-campus merchant communities—and support those communities over time.

Automated Secure Funds Settlement:Settlement to merchants is secure and automated, eliminating the manual process of calculating merchant payments and issuing regular reimbursements for transaction activity. This process takes place on a daily basis and provides the campus with complete ACH-based settlement without manual intervention. To support the settlement process, institutions receive detailed reports and online account access to the transactions database to assist in account reconciliation.

Automated Royalty and Fee Payment: All payments for royalties and transaction fees from merchants are automatically calculated and deducted from merchant settlement. Campuses receive these royalties on a daily basis through a deposit to a designated financial institution. Both institutions and merchants receive detailed transaction and fee reports.

Off-Campus Merchant Recruitment: After completing local market research, Blackboard actively recruits merchants in and around the institution for participation in the off-campus merchant program. Merchants typically include local restaurants, grocery stores, movie rental stores and gas stations. Blackboard completes the entire recruitment and acquisition process, from approaching the merchants to negotiating the transaction rates and executing the contract.

Card Program Marketing:Assists in marketing the off-campus merchant program to students and parents. Working on behalf of the institution and participating merchants, Blackboard cost-effectively highlights merchant participation, specials and on-going benefits of the off-campus merchant program. From design through execution and fulfillment, marketing services include customized e-mail, web sites, merchant signage and collateral.

Terminal Deployment and Management:Participating merchants can choose to purchase or lease their terminals. Blackboard manages the initial terminal deployment process, including the merchant welcome kit. Merchants requiring additional support can call the Blackboard 24-hour help line where a team of transaction terminal experts is always available to help with technical difficulties, billing inquiries or terminal repair.

6

SELF-SERVICE, COMMUNICATION AND E-COMMERCE

Online Account Management: Provides cardholders with a web-based interface for managing their universal account. In addition to viewing their balance at any time, cardholders can deposit funds to their accounts online using a major credit card and review Regulation E-compliant account statements. Cardholders can also report their card as lost or stolen without having to visit the campus card office.

Integrated Credit Card Payment Gateway: Enables institutions to accept credit card payments (including Visa®, MasterCard®, American Express® and Discover®) for purchases, as well as campus account deposits. This capability enables institutions to cost-effectively process and settle these transactions through Blackboard.

Web Broadcast Announcements: Provides campus departments with the tools to easily distribute information to students, faculty and staff throughout the campus community. These announcements can be easily updated and maintained over time through the online interface by the subject matter experts—without requiring knowledge of HTML or web development tools.

Web Surveys and Opinion Polls: Offers campus departments the ability to quickly and easily gather information and feedback from their campus constituents. Through the easy-to-use web interface, non-technical users can develop online surveys and polls on the fly, gathering valuable insight in a cost-effective way.

Community Building Tools: Enables the institution to more effectively collaborate and communicate with different campus constituencies. These tools enable campus departments (for example, dining services, resident life, parking and transportation, etc.) to develop their own campus community sites to distribute content, communicate important information and collaborate, through an easy to use online environment.

Multi-Institution Branding and Management: Facilitates separation of multiple institutions, departments or groups on one Blackboard server. For example, Dining Services, Alumni Affairs and the Student Association can each be given their own domain and the ability to manage and brand their domain with the appropriate look-and-feel, including different colors, logos, tabs, modules and channels. System Administrators can assign management of portions of the system to individuals and groups, enabling different constituencies to independently manage their own content and configuration.

Web e-Commerce with Shopping Cart:Provides an online storefront capability and allows administrators to create multiple online stores. For example, the campus Chemistry Department can have one online store that sells equipment and supplies needed for labs and Campus Parking can have another store that sells parking passes. This capability enables the creation of a unified online campus shopping environment where account holders can pay for goods and services with both their campus accounts as well as their credit cards.

Customizable Product Catalog: Campus merchants can build their own product catalogs and tailor those catalogs to specific sets of users. For example, alumni might be interested in certain goods and services while students’ parents may want a totally different type of product.

Multiple Vendor Inventories and Order Fulfillment:Campus vendors can manage their own inventory and fulfillment processes. Vendors enter available product quantities and update these quantities as new inventory is available for sale.

To enable a true Networked Transaction Environment, institutions must be able to bring their campus services and communities online. Capabilities in this area enable students, faculty and staff to access their account information, build and communicate with online communities and conduct e-Commerce transactions.

7

Blackboard Commerce Suite

www.blackboard.comWorldwide Headquarters

1899 L Street, NW 5th Floor Washington, DC 20036 1-800-424-9299, ext. 4

+1 202-463-4860, ext. 4Copyright © 2004. Blackboard Inc. All rights reserved. Blackboard, the Blackboard logo and Blackboard product names are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Blackboard Inc.

7

www.blackboard.comWorldwide Headquarters

1899 L Street, NW 5th Floor Washington, DC 20036 1-800-424-9299, ext. 4

+1 202-463-4860, ext. 4

www.blackboard.com W o r l d w i d e H e a d q u a r t e r s 1 8 9 9 L S t r e e t , N W 5 t h F l o o r W a s h i n g t o n , D C 2 0 0 3 61 - 8 0 0 - 4 2 4 - 9 2 9 9 , e x t . 4 + 1 2 0 2 - 4 6 3 - 4 8 6 0 , e x t . 4