UCSB Report to JOG - January 12-13, 1999:

• A detailed analysis of the status of the Billing & Accounts Receivable application (BARC) we are building using the new JAVA Framework indicates that we are not as far along as needed to be certain of completing the project in time for Year 2000 processing.  We had hoped to be 80% through the applications coding by this time, but our analysis suggests we are closer to 60%.  Immaturity of the JAVA environment has required us to build unexpected components (enterprise application server, queue server, etc.) on the framework side and crises in other systems have distracted the applications developers.  We still plan to implement on October 1, 1999, but we need insurance.  Thus, IS&C is recommending that we repair the old PL/1 system. 

• The cashiering component of the BARC project has been selected (Cashnet by Informed Decisions).  We hope to implement the new cashiering system this spring.

• We are replacing the Parking Decal system with a product called PowerPark from a company called Terminator II Systems ("T2" for short).  This system must be ready to issue decals for summer.

• In other Y2K work, the Chancellor's Correspondence Systems has been repaired and two of the systems in Housing are being replaced this month.  A total of ten systems (or major components) remain to be repaired or replaced.  IS&C will bring up a test LPAR with the next version of OS/390 for integration testing.

• The Degree Audit system is awaiting installation of appropriate connectivity in the customer's space.  Performance is an issue with the DARS engine running in AIX.  The latest tests suggest that a single audit still takes 2-3 minutes to run against our production rules.  This will not scale up to the student body.

• Migration from PROFS to Simeon and CorporateTime continues with a June '99 completion target.  Both of the new systems are supported by an LDAP directory containing email addresses and telephone numbers for faculty and staff.

• Accounting has launched a drive to implement a shared imaging system.  An RFP was issued and a vendor selected.  (Matrix Imaging:  a systems integrator using components from Bell & Howell, KOFAX, ASCENT and OTG).  IS&C will run the NT server.  Analysis indicates using magnetic disks rather than optical due to recent reductions in disk pricing.

• IS&C reorganized in December.  All applications programmers have been brought into a new Applications Systems Group under Gail Johnson.  Also, the former Technical Support Group (including database administration and program library management) was merged with Systems.  The new organization recognizes the intention of  the Student Affairs division to create their own parallel administrative computing organization.

• The Information Technology Board (ITB) held its first meeting in December.  Providing access to students (both local and remote) emerged as the most urgent issue.  The new Information Technology Planning Group (ITPG) has launched a study of current facilities available to students.  Other immediate issues include security and authentication.  Subcommittees of ITPG have been formed to make recommendations in these areas.  We will probably work through a few of the urgent issues with the new committee structure before returning to question of campus IT organization.