Institutional Software Study
Draft Copy
November 23, 1999
Institutional Software Study
Findings
Current Network Infrastructure
The College’s current network infrastructure consists of a campus-wide fiberoptic asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network. This network was installed
during the 1998-1999 school year and was funded through a bond issue. This
network allows users in each campus building to be connected to the College’s
servers and the Internet. The College also uses an IBM Multiprise 2003
mainframe computer. This machine runs all of the College’s administrative
software, is connected to the campus-wide network, and can support over 400
concurrent users.
The network has provided each building with Internet service. The College uses
the Internet for educational, as well as administrative uses. Some of the
educational uses are as follows:
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Internet based courses
Research for course assignments
Student e-mail – each student is provided an account
Access to the College’s on-line library system
The administrative uses of the Internet include the transfer of data files to and
from state agencies, e-mail for communication to colleagues, and dial-in access
from off-campus. The College also maintains a web site to provide information
about the school to the world. At this site, computer users can get information
about all degree programs, class schedules, and current campus activities.
Current Software
Temple College’s current administrative software is in-house developed, written
in COBOL, and consists of over one million lines of code. These programs are
on-line and batch oriented and used for the following applications:
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Registration
Transcripts
Grades
Student Payments
General Ledger
1
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Payroll/Human Resource
Inventory
Continuing Education
Computer Security
Financial Aid
Counseling/Tracking
These systems have been designed over the past 15 years to meet the needs of
the college. During the next few years, the College’s reorganization will require
these applications to be revised. Changes will need to be reviewed carefully
since these applications are so integrated with each other that changing any one
of them will have some impact on all of the others.
Strengths
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The systems are customized to fit the business operations of the
departments.
Changes to programs can be made quickly.
No reliance on outside vendors for support.
Existing systems can be web-enabled with products from IBM and
other software companies.
Applications are written in COBOL. Many consider this to be a
weakness because COBOL is considered a dead language. However,
Temple College still teaches COBOL and our students find jobs
programming in COBOL. Many businesses in our area still use this
language and finding qualified programmers should not be a problem
in the future.
Weaknesses
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The time required for new applications to be developed. This process
requires extensive work with the requesting department to design the
new application and many hours of programming and testing.
The “old look” of the existing user interface. Users now expect a more
modern screen design than the “green screen”.
The lack of communication between users and I.S. regarding changes
in procedures has produced applications that no longer support
workflow in some departments.
Packaged Software
In an effort to overcome many of the same weaknesses listed above, most of the
Texas 2-year colleges have gone to a commercial software package. These
packages have a module for each of the areas in the college environment.
2
Colleges can choose to purchase only the modules needed at the time and can
add others when the need arises.
3
Strengths
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Software is designed by a company that can give training and support
to users.
The programming is already done, thus eliminating the need for an
application programmer. However, setting up the software to fit the
needs of the College still has to be done.
Support groups are available to aid in day to day problems.
Weaknesses
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Cost of the software can be expensive. The initial investment is based
on an amount for each module plus installation and training. A yearly
maintenance fee is required for support and updates.
Reliance of software support is placed in the hands of a company that
may or may not be around when you need them.
The software is designed for business to occur in a predefined way.
This would require Temple College to adhere to this prescribed way of
operations.
The software can be customized, but customizations can be lost when
upgrades are performed.
Support for hardware can change at any time. The latest release may
not work on the current platform, requiring the need to purchase new
hardware.
Survey of Other Colleges
The following questions were e-mailed to the I.S. directors of all 2-year schools in
the state.
Survey Questions
1.
What software package does your institution use? How long have they used it?
2.
What software package did your institution use before the current package? Why did
they change?
3.
What personnel do your institution employee to support I.S. functions? What are their
starting salaries? All of Temple College’s I.S. functions are covered in the positions
listed below. Please list your comparable structure and starting salaries.
Director of Information Services
48,255
4
Assistant Director of I.S. (Systems Programmer)
Senior Programmer
Mainframe Operator
43,505
21,005
16,550
Telecommunications/Network Administrator
Hardware Technician III
Hardware Technician II
35,005
18,800
17,300
Help Center Coordinator
Telephone/Mail Clerk
Computer Lab Assistants (4)
19,505
15,050
14,300
Web Manager
22,505
4.
The only personnel listed above that would be used for a software conversion and
afterward support is the Assistant Director, Senior Programmer, and Mainframe
Operator. What was your institution’s personnel requirement for the conversion phase?
The afterward support? Please include all positions in other departments that may
perform I.S. type duties.
5.
What were your experiences with the installation and conversion of your software
system?
6.
Did the software vendor provide training to your staff as well as other college personnel?
Was it adequate? Is it ongoing?
7.
How is the level of service you receive for user support and system support? What is the
cost for this?
8.
What was the cost of the software package(s)? Is there a cost for each user? What is
the annual maintenance cost?
9.
Does the software vendor provide regular and timely updates? How about for Federal
and State reporting requirements?
10.
What hardware platform does your system run on? What is the cost associated with this?
11.
Does your software currently allow for Web based access (Application, Registration, and
Payment)?
12.
How do you handle security for traffic outside your firewall?
13.
Comments.
5
The following colleges have responded to the survey:
College
Fall 1998 Enrollment
Northeast Texas Community College
Galveston College
Cisco Junior College
Midland College
Vernon Regional Junior College
Trinity Valley Community College
College of the Mainland
Wharton County Junior College
Tarrant County Junior College
Lee College
Navarro College
Angelina College
The next pages contain the responses from these colleges.
6
2027
2190
2565
4228
1750
4379
3596
4053
26692
6002
3362
3992
Northeast Texas Community College
Survey Questions
1.
What software package does your institution use? How long have they used it?
POISE (Campus America) Since 1993-1994
2.
What software package did your institution use before the current package? Why
did they change? Not known. It was on a IBM mainframe.
3.
What personnel do your institution employee to support I.S. functions? What are
their starting salaries? All of Temple College’s I.S. functions are covered in the
positions listed below. Please list your comparable structure and starting salaries.
Director of Information Services
48,255
Assistant Director of I.S. (Systems Programmer)
Senior Programmer
Mainframe Operator
43,505
21,005
16,550
Telecommunications/Network Administrator
Hardware Technician III
Hardware Technician II
35,005
18,800
17,300
Help Center Coordinator
Telephone/Mail Clerk
Computer Lab Assistants (4)
19,505
15,050
14,300
Web Manager
22,505
We currently are looking to change the structure of our IS. However we have
had in the past, a Director of Computer Services $38,800. A part time person
was used for help in maintaining the PC's on campus. We have a computer
lab technician that maintains our computer labs $22,200.
4.
The only personnel listed above that would be used for a software conversion and
afterward support is the Assistant Director, Senior Programmer, and Mainframe
Operator. What was your institution’s personnel requirement for the conversion
phase? The afterward support? Please include all positions in other
departments that may perform I.S. type duties.
I believe most of the burden
of conversion fell on the Individual departments using the software. There
was very good response from ESP, our software vendor. We are under a
7
maintenance contract and their help is instrumental in our maintaining the
software and meeting our changing needs.
5.
What were your experiences with the installation and conversion of your software
system?
6.
Did the software vendor provide training to your staff as well as other college
personnel? Was it adequate? Is it ongoing?
7.
How is the level of service you receive for user support and system support?
What is the cost for this?
Excellent. Included in annual charge below. Documentation leaves something
to be desired.
8.
What was the cost of the software package(s)? Is there a cost for each user?
What is the annual maintenance cost?
Not sure of original cost. Annual maintenance is $24000. Based on number
of Modules we are using.
9.
Does the software vendor provide regular and timely updates? How about for
Federal and State reporting requirements?
YES Most important they are on top of any reporting changes needed i.e.
recent Hope Scholarship requirements, THECB requirements. They are in a
number of Texas colleges.
10.
What hardware platform does your system run on? What is the cost associated
with this?
Compact (formerly Digital) alpha server.
11.
Does your software currently allow for Web based access (Application,
Registration, and Payment)? I believe it is available but we have not purchased
it.
12.
How do you handle security for traffic outside your firewall?
13.
Comments. We are a school of about 2000 students per semester. Our
resources are limited.
8
Galveston College
Survey Questions
1.
What software package does your institution use? How long have they used it?
GC uses PeopleSoft – we went live on Financials on 9/1/99 and will go live on
HR on 1/1/2000. Prior to going to PeopleSoft we used ABT for Financials and
outsourced our payroll to ADP. We have a home-grown Student Admin
system and will probably go live on PeopleSoft Student Admin in late 2000 or
Spring/Summer 2001.
2.
What software package did your institution use before the current package? Why
did they change?
See #1 for previous packages. We changed because of Y2K issues and for
better functionality.
3.
What personnel do your institution employee to support I.S. functions? What are
their starting salaries? All of Temple College’s I.S. functions are covered in the
positions listed below. Please list your comparable structure and starting salaries.
Director of Information Services
48,255
Assistant Director of I.S. (Systems Programmer)
Senior Programmer
Mainframe Operator
43,505
21,005
16,550
Telecommunications/Network Administrator
Hardware Technician III
Hardware Technician II
35,005
18,800
17,300
Help Center Coordinator
Telephone/Mail Clerk
Computer Lab Assistants (4)
19,505
15,050
14,300
Web Manager
22,505
Galveston College structure:
Director of Information Services & PeopleSoft Project
Manager
Assistant Director of I.S. (Network Manager)
PeopleSoft DBA (NT &SQL server)
PeopleSoft Financials & HR analyst
PeopleSoft Student Admin analyst
9
62,500
50,000
44,000
43,000
43,000
Instructional Support Analyst
Help Desk/Hardware Tech
4.
41,000
20,000
The only personnel listed above that would be used for a software conversion and
afterward support is the Assistant Director, Senior Programmer, and Mainframe
Operator. What was your institution’s personnel requirement for the conversion
phase? The afterward support? Please include all positions in other
departments that may perform I.S. type duties.
See above list. We have 3 people totally dedicated to the care & feeding of
PeopleSoft.
5.
What were your experiences with the installation and conversion of your software
system?
This was a MAJOR task – GC was on of the first community colleges in the
country to go live on this software, but we did it.
6.
Did the software vendor provide training to your staff as well as other college
personnel? Was it adequate? Is it ongoing?
Training units are part of the software acquisition from PeopleSoft. End-user
training is the College’s responsibility. Training was adequate for the IT
personnel but functional personnel did not need that much setup and
configuration knowledge. Actual end-user functional training was acquired
from consultants.
7.
How is the level of service you receive for user support and system support?
What is the cost for this? End user support is good. The cost is approximately
18% of the purchase price.
8.
What was the cost of the software package(s)? Is there a cost for each user?
What is the annual maintenance cost? Purchase price was approximately
$500,000 and annual maintenance cost is $94,000.
9.
Does the software vendor provide regular and timely updates? How about for
Federal and State reporting requirements? Yes, Yes
10.
What hardware platform does your system run on? What is the cost associated
with this? 2 – Compaq Proliant 6000’s with 100 GB disk storage and 1.1 GB
RAM, running NT and MS SQL Server – approx $40,000 in cost.
10
11.
Does your software currently allow for Web based access (Application,
Registration, and Payment)? Yes
12.
How do you handle security for traffic outside your firewall?
Everything we do goes through our firewall.
13.
Comments.
11
Cisco Junior College
Survey Questions
1.
What software package does your institution use? How long have they used it?
POISE – for almost 20 years now.
2.
What software package did your institution use before the current package? Why
did they change?
I believe it was a home grown system and the college simply outgrew it.
3.
What personnel do your institution employee to support I.S. functions? What are
their starting salaries? All of Temple College’s I.S. functions are covered in the
positions listed below. Please list your comparable structure and starting salaries.
4.
Director of Computer Services
48,000
PC Technician
PC Technician
22,500
23,500
The only personnel listed above that would be used for a software conversion and
afterward support is the Assistant Director, Senior Programmer, and Mainframe
Operator. What was your institution’s personnel requirement for the conversion
phase? The afterward support? Please include all positions in other
departments that may perform I.S. type duties.
The Director of Computer Services is the sole support for POISE modules. I
converted another institution and was the sole conversion person.
5.
What were your experiences with the installation and conversion of your software
system?
This is my third institution to utilize POISE modules. I have had excellent
experience at all three. Conversions have gone smoothly and help is always
close at hand if needed.
6.
Did the software vendor provide training to your staff as well as other college
personnel? Was it adequate? Is it ongoing?
Yes, training was provided. It was adequate and there is continued training
if needed.
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7.
How is the level of service you receive for user support and system support?
What is the cost for this?
We pay an annual maintenance cost for support and program updates. Cost
is quite reasonable and is on a per module basis.
8.
What was the cost of the software package(s)? Is there a cost for each user?
What is the annual maintenance cost?
The cost is a per module purchased. The number of users is irrelevant.
9.
Does the software vendor provide regular and timely updates? How about for
Federal and State reporting requirements?
Yes, we receive updates. CBM has been a thorn lately when it comes to
timely. The information is not dispersed from the state is a very timely
manner.
10.
What hardware platform does your system run on? What is the cost associated
with this?
Our system runs on a VAX 4100, and we plan to convert to an Alpha
machine in the near future. We purchase our software and hardware
maintenance contracts through the state.
11.
Does your software currently allow for Web based access (Application,
Registration, and Payment)?
Our software does not allow for web-based access, but the solution does exist.
We plan to convert in the near future.
12.
How do you handle security for traffic outside your firewall?
Not an issue at this time.
13.
Comments.
The POISE product is a great product. I would be willing to furnish any
additional information that you may need.
13
Midland College
Survey Questions
1.
What software package does your institution use? How long have they used it?
We use POISE. We have used it 16 years in our fiscal office for 9 years in
registration and 5 years in personnel
2.
What software package did your institution use before the current package? Why
did they change?
We used in-house programs prior to POISE. We were unable to staff at a
level adequate for support of in-house programs
3.
What personnel do your institution employee to support I.S. functions? What are
their starting salaries? All of Temple College’s I.S. functions are covered in the
positions listed below. Please list your comparable structure and starting salaries.
Dean of Information Technology
Computer Systems Administrator
Telecommunications/Network Administrator
Database Administrator
Programmer
(2)
PC/Network Technician
(2)
Information Technology Facilitator
4.
60,000
30,000
30,000
28,000
25,000
25,000
15,000
The only personnel listed above that would be used for a software conversion and
afterward support is the Assistant Director, Senior Programmer, and Mainframe
Operator. What was your institution’s personnel requirement for the conversion
phase? The afterward support? Please include all positions in other
departments that may perform I.S. type duties.
Two of my staff and two vendor employees performed our recent migration
to the Alpha from the VAX. We have several IT part-time positions for
various responsibilities at differing locations.
5.
What were your experiences with the installation and conversion of your software
system?
It occurred prior to my assumption of this position. However, I am told it
has always gone smoothly.
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6.
Did the software vendor provide training to your staff as well as other college
personnel? Was it adequate? Is it ongoing?
The vendor provides one on-site training session for each
application. Additional training is available at a cost. We have found
the included on-site training to be adequate. Training is provided
any time a major revision is performed or a new application is added.
7.
How is the level of service you receive for user support and system support?
What is the cost for this?
We are very pleased with the user and system support. The cost of this
support is bundled in the maintenance agreement. Our cost is @
$30K/annum.
8.
What was the cost of the software package(s)? Is there a cost for each user?
What is the annual maintenance cost?
I elect to not quote prices for the vendor. Pricing is done primarily for each
CPU. See #7 for maintenance cost.
9.
Does the software vendor provide regular and timely updates? How about for
Federal and State reporting requirements?
Yes. As you know the CBM reports change every time a legislator thinks
about it. The vendor is very good at incorporating reporting and regulation
changes in a timely fashion.
10.
What hardware platform does your system run on? What is the cost associated
with this?
We currently run on a $50K DEC Alpha running VMS-7.2.
11.
Does your software currently allow for Web based access (Application,
Registration, and Payment)?
Yes. We plan to implement web based admissions and registration in the next
fiscal year
12.
How do you handle security for traffic outside your firewall?
Sorry, I will not discuss security in this venue.
13.
Comments.
15
Vernon Regional Junior College
Survey Questions
1.
What software package does your institution use? How long have they used it?
POISE: We began installing POISE modules Fall 1998.
2.
What software package did your institution use before the current package? Why
did they change?
In-house AS/400 programs in RPG.
AS/400 needed major upgrade to allow Y2K compliant version of OS.
Our programs were old and it was time to rethink system design and
probably redesign and reprogram all of the Student Records system.
Evaluated options and decided to go with POISE. One of the main factors in
this decision was the number of Texas community colleges who were already
using this software.
3.
What personnel do your institution employee to support I.S. functions?
What are their starting salaries? All of Temple College’s I.S. functions are
covered in the positions listed below. Please list your comparable structure and
starting salaries.
Director of Information Services
48,255
Assistant Director of I.S. (Systems Programmer)
Senior Programmer
Mainframe Operator
43,505
21,005
16,550
Telecommunications/Network Administrator
Hardware Technician III
Hardware Technician II
35,005
18,800
17,300
Help Center Coordinator
Telephone/Mail Clerk
Computer Lab Assistants (4)
19,505
15,050
14,300
Web Manager
22,505
VRJC:
16
Director of Computer Services
Network Manager
PC Specialist
4.
49,600
30,000
23,000
The only personnel listed above that would be used for a software conversion and
afterward support is the Assistant Director, Senior Programmer, and Mainframe
Operator. What was your institution’s personnel requirement for the conversion
phase? The afterward support? Please include all positions in other
departments that may perform I.S. type duties.
Only the Director of Computer Services was involved, although the Network
Manager did provide some hardware support .
5.
What were your experiences with the installation and conversion of your software
system?
We worked with ESP-Tulsa in our purchase and installation of POISE. (Call
David Hamlin, ESP, 918-437-4920 ext. 212). They are a terrific group and
came onsite to install each module and provide training. The person who
installs and provides training for a module is the same person who provides
telephone support, modifications, etc. We are on a first name basis with all
of them. These people sound too good to be true, but they are dedicated to
service and I have not been disappointed.
As with any conversion, it was not entirely painless. However the ESP folks
have continued to work with us and things are going well.
I always spoiled my users, adding features to programs to make their life
easier, and many of them miss their AS/400 and whine sometimes. In the
long run, I am confident that they will accept that POISE is better choice for
our future. I have run a one-person shop for most of my time at VRJC and
finally feel like I can take a vacation without worrying about everything
falling apart.
6.
Did the software vendor provide training to your staff as well as other college
personnel? Was it adequate? Is it ongoing?
Training is thorough but rather fast and sometimes too much information is
presented in too short a time. The manuals are decent. The telephone
support for ongoing training is excellent. In addition there are POISE users
groups.
17
7.
How is the level of service you receive for user support and system support?
What is the cost for this?
Level of support is good.
8.
What was the cost of the software package(s)? Is there a cost for each user?
What is the annual maintenance cost?
Price is based on modules. Our total so far is around $160,000.
I believe our support costs are about $30,000 annually. We are continuing to
add modules, and some are still under warranty. Annual cost is based on a
percentage of module price. I am pleased with user support.
9.
Does the software vendor provide regular and timely updates? How about for
Federal and State reporting requirements?
There is a person at ESP who has the function of keeping up with the
Coordinating Board reports for Texas and keeping all of the program
changes done. He does a good job, and this was one task I was certainly glad
to get rid of. Yes, our updates are timely.
10.
What hardware platform does your system run on? What is the cost associated
with this?
DEC Alpha Server, Open VMS.
11.
Does your software currently allow for Web based access (Application,
Registration, and Payment)?
Yes, but we have not installed that module. Will probably do so in the
future.
12.
How do you handle security for traffic outside your firewall?
The only issue so far was allowing ESP personnel to telnet/ftp to the DEC
Alpha server, which is behind the firewall. I made a routing change to
permit one IP address to come through.
Have not yet addressed issue of web based access with relation to firewall.
18
13.
Comments.
If you have any questions about POISE or our conversion, I would be happy
to talk to you. My phone number is 940-552-6291 ext. 2242 and my name is
Chris Slosser.
The information in my response to this survey is for your use only. I would
prefer not to see my comments quoted or distributed.
19
Trinity Valley Community College
Survey Questions
1.
What software package does your institution use? How long have they
used it?
All done in-house
2.
What software package did your institution use before the current
package? Why did they change?
Admin software has been in-house for last 25 years.
3.
What personnel do your institution employee to support I.S. functions?
What are their starting salaries? All of Temple College’s I.S. functions are
covered in the positions listed below. Please list your comparable
structure and starting salaries.
We have 4 IS personnel. I've identified them with salaries in () as
close to yours as they relate.
Director of Information Services
48,255
(54,800)
Assistant Director of I.S. (Systems Programmer)
Senior Programmer
(49,900)
21,005
Mainframe Operator
(27,700)
16,550
43,505
Telecommunications/Network Administrator
35,005
Hardware Technician III
18,800
Hardware Technician II
17,300
(60,000)
Help Center Coordinator
19,505
Telephone/Mail Clerk
15,050
Computer Lab Assistants (4)
14,300
20
Web Manager
22,505
4.
The only personnel listed above that would be used for a software
conversion and
afterward support is the Assistant Director, Senior Programmer, and
Mainframe
Operator. What was your institution’s personnel requirement for the
conversion
phase? The afterward support? Please include all positions in other
departments that may perform I.S. type duties.
5.
What were your experiences with the installation and conversion of your
software
system?
6.
Did the software vendor provide training to your staff as well as other
college
personnel? Was it adequate? Is it ongoing?
7.
How is the level of service you receive for user support and system
support?
What is the cost for this?
8.
What was the cost of the software package(s)? Is there a cost for each
user?
What is the annual maintenance cost?
9.
for
Does the software vendor provide regular and timely updates? How about
Federal and State reporting requirements?
10.
What hardware platform does your system run on? What is the cost
associated
with this?
IBM AS/400 Model 170
11.
Does your software currently allow for Web based access (Application,
21
Registration, and Payment)?
working on this
12.
How do you handle security for traffic outside your firewall?
13.
Network USER IDs and Passwords
Comments.
22
College of the Mainland
Survey Questions
1.
What software package does your institution use? How long have they used it?
We use an integrated package from Computing Options Corporation that we
purchased in December 1995. It includes accounting, purchasing, payroll,
human resources, financial aid, credit & non-credit student records, and
capital assets. (website at www.computingoptions.com)
2.
What software package did your institution use before the current package? Why
did they change? We had a financial package (accounting/payroll) from CEI
and all other software consisted of in-house COBOL & RPG programs. We
recognized a need to increase programming staff in order to upgrade existing
programs (including y2k issues) or pursue outside software. The
administration was also concerned about the institution’s dependence on
individuals in Computer Services to know everything about the system. We
were instructed to search for software that would run on our existing
hardware (HP3000) and meet all our needs through one vendor. (we didn’t
find many who met that criteria!)
3.
What personnel do your institution employee to support I.S. functions? What are
their starting salaries? All of Temple College’s I.S. functions are covered in the
positions listed below. Please list your comparable structure and starting salaries.
Director of Information Services
48,255
Assistant Director of I.S. (Systems Programmer)
Senior Programmer
Mainframe Operator
43,505
21,005
16,550
Telecommunications/Network Administrator
Hardware Technician III
Hardware Technician II
35,005
18,800
17,300
Help Center Coordinator
Telephone/Mail Clerk
Computer Lab Assistants (4)
19,505
15,050
14,300
Web Manager
22,505
Associate Dean of Information Services (currently vacant)
$40,317
Systems Analyst
$36,105
Systems Analyst (70% time)
$25,274
Systems Analyst (80% time)
$28,884
23
Network Engineer
Computer Operator/Network Administrator
Computer Operator
PC Technician
Computer Support Specialist
Computer Support Specialist/Webmaster (50%)
Secretary/Help Desk
$36,105
$28,082
$25,126
$28,082
$28,082
$14,041
$22,170
We have 4.5 Lab assistants who worked in instructional labs and are paid
through instructional budgets. Their starting salary is $25,126.
Note : the part-time systems analysts work part-time at their own request
4.
The only personnel listed above that would be used for a software conversion and
afterward support is the Assistant Director, Senior Programmer, and Mainframe
Operator. What was your institution’s personnel requirement for the conversion
phase? The afterward support? Please include all positions in other
departments that may perform I.S. type duties.
Our conversion involved primarily the systems analysts (there were only 2 at
the time) and the director/associate dean. In our contract with the vendor,
we specified that they would provide the conversion programs to load our
existing data into the new databases because we had such a small staff. The
afterward support is still provided by the systems analysts. Personnel in
other departments use the software, but don’t really perform I.S. type duties.
5.
What were your experiences with the installation and conversion of your software
system?
It would be hard to describe everything. Some things went extremely well
and others did not. Each module had an analyst assigned to work on it and
we implemented one module at a time. We put some thought into what time
of year would be best to do a conversion. For instance, we wanted to bring
up payroll early in the year but after W2’s were finalized so we chose March.
We needed to avoid doing major conversions during peak times like
beginning of Fall semester and end of fiscal year. Since we had the vendor
write the conversion programs, sometimes their idea of adequate conversion
differed from ours. We did several test conversions before we were satisfied
with the data. We did use a parallel system for one month in the financial
area and one semester in student records.
6.
Did the software vendor provide training to your staff as well as other college
personnel? Was it adequate? Is it ongoing?
The vendor did provide training on-site to our personnel for $1000 per day.
Some of it was good and some was terrible. We found several items to be
very important. First, you must time the training to closely coincide with the
24
actual implementation. Several times we had training too early and the users
forgot everything before they could begin to use it. We also found the most
helpful training to include our real data. Working with demo and test data
sometimes is okay, but working with the real stuff helped identify some
problems and helped the users write some of their own “real” documentation
that they could use daily.
7.
How is the level of service you receive for user support and system support?
What is the cost for this?
Our support is very good concerning questions and reporting problems.
Comparing our current vendor to our previous financial software vendor,
our current one is miles above. For the first few years, we could call and
speak directly to the programmer for a particular module. Most of the time
they could answer the question immediately or fix the problem quickly.
During the last year they have installed a voice mail system that answers
most of the time and you leave messages. They also accept email messages
directly to the programmers and they respond very well. We have given
them a dial-up modem number and security passwords so that they can
access our system and check on any issues that we report. They can also
transfer new versions of software over the modem. We pay about $60,000
per year for support which includes a prepaid maintenance plus option. This
option includes 20 days of on-site training, or 300 hours of custom
programming.
8.
What was the cost of the software package(s)? Is there a cost for each user?
What is the annual maintenance cost?
The original cost for the software was $200,000. Original training costs were
about $60,000, and we paid $42,000 for Computing Options to create
TASP/State reporting programs. As stated above, the current maintenance
cost is about $60,000 including some pre-paid training & custom
programming, and about $40,000 without the prepaid option. We have
purchased a few additional modules since the original purchase.
9.
Does the software vendor provide regular and timely updates? How about for
Federal and State reporting requirements?
We receive at least one update per year for each major module. They have
an annual users conference in the spring which allows users to submit
requests for enhancements. After the conference all users are able to vote for
enhancements and the vendor completes enhancements to the software based
on the priorities of the users. Periodically throughout the year, we receive
updates to correct problems or to address new federal requirements. When
we are notified of state reporting changes, we forward those to our vendor.
Since they are based in Maryland and don’t have many Texas customers, we
25
usually have to explain to them what changes will need to be made in the
software. The programs are written in Cobol and we do have copies of the
source, so we can look at the program source to recommend changes. So far,
these changes have been covered under our annual maintenance costs. But,
we suspect any BIG changes or new reports would probably bring a quote
from our vendor for additional cost.
10.
What hardware platform does your system run on? What is the cost associated
with this?
We run on a Hewlett-Packard 3000 minicomputer with MPE/ix operating
system. We just upgraded our hardware last year at a cost of about
$100,000. Users use their pc or mac machines to access the HP using our
network.
11.
Does your software currently allow for Web based access (Application,
Registration, and Payment)?
We installed telephone registration, payment, grade checking, & financial aid
checking over a year ago and are planning to install web-based application
and course inquiry in Spring 2000. Web-based registration is planned for
late Fall 2000.
12.
How do you handle security for traffic outside your firewall?
I’m not an expert on this item and we’re not heavily into Internet traffic yet.
But, we do have a couple of people who access our HP through the Internet
and go through our firewall. Currently, we have our system setup to allow
certain IP addresses and they must successfully navigate the logon
procedures of our HP security. The web-based products will run through a
NT server.
13.
Comments.
This is a big undertaking. Don’t let administration rush you. Our
administration pushed us to try to implement all modules within six months.
That was totally unrealistic. It actually took almost 2 years to fully
implement all parts.
Make sure that everyone on campus understands the changes that will
occur when going from a customized system to a third-party software
package. Your users are used to a system that works exactly the way they
want it to. They will be going to a system that is written to work the way
other schools do business. This may be totally different than the way you
have done things in the past. The users need to be willing to change the way
they do things to work within the new system.
26
Try to make a concerted effort to not perform customized changes to
the system. It is very difficult to try to keep track of changes you have made
when the vendor sends an upgrade.
Try to get the user areas to take responsibility for their software,
specifically related to table entries. Most third party software relies heavily
on table entries to turn on/off different functions that are wanted by some
schools but not others. It is very helpful for each user area to understand
how these table entries affect the system. This gives them the “power” to
make the system work the way they want it to.
Try to get each area to write their own user guide. Most vendor
manuals are not written on a user level. If there is no user guide, then
someone has to train every new person who is hired.
Don’t get discouraged! The first couple of years will be very stressful,
but then things begin to look up!
27
Wharton County Junior College
Survey Questions
1.
What software package does your institution use? How long have they used it?
Wharton County Junior College uses an in-house student records and payroll
system written in COBOL and PowerHouse, utilizing the Image database on the
HP-3000 from Hewlett-Packard. For accounting, we use the Mitchell Humphrey
FMS-80 software package, also running on the HP-3000. The student records
system was installed in 1980. The Mitchell Humphrey accounting package was
installed in 1991.
2.
What software package did your institution use before the current package? Why
did they change? Student records – none. Accounting – the ACE accounting
package from the state of Ohio. It was not designed for our needs.
3.
What personnel do your institution employee to support I.S. functions? What are
their starting salaries? All of Temple College’s I.S. functions are covered in the
positions listed below. Please list your comparable structure and starting salaries.
Director of Information Services
48,255
Assistant Director of I.S. (Systems Programmer)
Senior Programmer
Mainframe Operator
43,505
21,005
16,550
Telecommunications/Network Administrator
Hardware Technician III
Hardware Technician II
35,005
18,800
17,300
Help Center Coordinator
Telephone/Mail Clerk
Computer Lab Assistants (4)
19,505
15,050
14,300
Web Manager
22,505
Director of Computer Services
Asst. Director of Computer Services
Systems Analyst
Computer Programmer
Computer Programmer
Network Manager
57,000
40,401
49,401
45,401
46,067
45,400
28
Microcomputer & Telecommunication Manager
Microcomputer Repair Technician
Microcomputer Repair Technician
Computer Operator/Help Desk
Computer Operations Manager
38,067
27,800
21,725
22,050
43,400
4.
The only personnel listed above that would be used for a software conversion and
afterward support is the Assistant Director, Senior Programmer, and Mainframe
Operator. What was your institution’s personnel requirement for the conversion
phase? The afterward support? Please include all positions in other
departments that may perform I.S. type duties.
Any conversion effort we might undertake would involve the Director of Computer
Services, the Systems Analyst, both programmers and the Computer Operations
Manager. A larger problem would be the lack of staffing in other offices
undergoing the conversion. The registrar’s office, financial aid, payroll and
business office would have great difficulty continuing the day-to-day operations
while also installing and learning a new system.
5.
What were your experiences with the installation and conversion of your software
system?
6.
Did the software vendor provide training to your staff as well as other college
personnel? Was it adequate? Is it ongoing?
7.
How is the level of service you receive for user support and system support?
What is the cost for this?
8.
What was the cost of the software package(s)? Is there a cost for each user?
What is the annual maintenance cost?
9.
Does the software vendor provide regular and timely updates? How about for
Federal and State reporting requirements?
10.
What hardware platform does your system run on? What is the cost associated
with this?
29
11.
Does your software currently allow for Web based access (Application,
Registration, and Payment)?
12.
How do you handle security for traffic outside your firewall?
13.
Comments.
Since we’ve not undertaken a large-scale conversion, I’m afraid I can’t help you
with several of your questions. We are also in the market for a software package
and anticipate beginning the search next February. I would be very interested in
hearing more about your search and its results.
30
Tarrant County Junior College
Survey Questions
1.
What software package does your institution use? How long have they used it?
Tarrant County College is currently using software written in-house. We are
also in the process of looking at RFPS for commercial systems.
2.
What software package did your institution use before the current package? Why
did they change?
Always been in-house.
3.
What personnel do your institution employee to support I.S. functions? What are
their starting salaries? All of Temple College’s I.S. functions are covered in the
positions listed below. Please list your comparable structure and starting salaries.
Director of Information Services
4.
69,300
Assistant Director of I.S. (Systems Programmer)
Senior Programmer
Mainframe Operator
64,680
37,816
24,378
Telecommunications/Network Administrator
Hardware Technician III
Hardware Technician II
44,431
37,816
Help Center Coordinator
Telephone/Mail Clerk
Computer Lab Assistants (4)
34,729
19,873
10,712
Web Manager
44,431
The only personnel listed above that would be used for a software conversion and
afterward support is the Assistant Director, Senior Programmer, and Mainframe
Operator. What was your institution’s personnel requirement for the conversion
phase? The afterward support? Please include all positions in other
departments that may perform I.S. type duties.
We have not made these decisions at this point.
5.
What were your experiences with the installation and conversion of your software
system?
31
N/A
6.
Did the software vendor provide training to your staff as well as other college
personnel? Was it adequate? Is it ongoing?
N/A
7.
How is the level of service you receive for user support and system support?
What is the cost for this?
N/A
8.
What was the cost of the software package(s)? Is there a cost for each user?
What is the annual maintenance cost?
N/A
9.
Does the software vendor provide regular and timely updates? How about for
Federal and State reporting requirements?
N/A
10.
What hardware platform does your system run on? What is the cost associated
with this?
Our in-house systems run on an IBM mainframe (9672)
11.
Does your software currently allow for Web based access (Application,
Registration, and Payment)?
Yes
12.
How do you handle security for traffic outside your firewall?
13.
Comments.
32
Lee College
Survey Questions
1.
What software package does your institution use? How long have they used it?
Cobol-based registration system and Bi-tech Financials. Over Ten Years
2.
What software package did your institution use before the current package? Why
did they change? We are still using the same packages. We are planning to
migrate to PeopleSoft. We changed to provide greater flexibility in reporting
and better quality data analysis, student tracking as well as a better
registration system.
3.
What personnel do your institution employee to support I.S. functions? What are
their starting salaries? All of Temple College’s I.S. functions are covered in the
positions listed below. Please list your comparable structure and starting salaries.
You will have to get this information from Personnel. We are not the department
responsible for providing salary information.
Director of Information Services
4.
48,255
Assistant Director of I.S. (Systems Programmer)
Senior Programmer
Mainframe Operator
43,505
21,005
16,550
Telecommunications/Network Administrator
Hardware Technician III
Hardware Technician II
35,005
18,800
17,300
Help Center Coordinator
Telephone/Mail Clerk
Computer Lab Assistants (4)
19,505
15,050
14,300
Web Manager
22,505
The only personnel listed above that would be used for a software conversion and
afterward support is the Assistant Director, Senior Programmer, and Mainframe
Operator. What was your institution’s personnel requirement for the conversion
phase? The afterward support? Please include all positions in other
departments that may perform I.S. type duties. Everyone on campus will be
33
involved in the conversion process. Afterwards we hope to have data liaisons
to work with faculty and staff on reporting and other data issues in both the
financial and student records areas.
5.
What were your experiences with the installation and conversion of your software
system? We have not done it yet. Our Board of Regents just made the
decision last month.
6.
Did the software vendor provide training to your staff as well as other college
personnel? Was it adequate? Is it ongoing? They will.
7.
How is the level of service you receive for user support and system support?
What is the cost for this? N/A
8.
What was the cost of the software package(s)? Is there a cost for each user?
What is the annual maintenance cost? Pricing will depend upon the software
package you select.
9.
Does the software vendor provide regular and timely updates? How about for
Federal and State reporting requirements? They will.
10.
What hardware platform does your system run on? What is the cost associated
with this? Client/Server - Windows NT SQL Servers
11.
Does your software currently allow for Web based access (Application,
Registration, and Payment)? YES
12.
How do you handle security for traffic outside your firewall? Screening
13.
Comments.
34
Navarro College
Survey Questions
1.
What software package does your institution use? How long have they used it?
Colleague, by Datatel - 5 years
2.
What software package did your institution use before the current package? Why
did they change?
in-house COBOL system - administration believed a packaged system would
give all employees access to the college data and reduce the need for
computer staff
3.
What personnel do your institution employee to support I.S. functions? What are
their starting salaries? All of Temple College’s I.S. functions are covered in the
positions listed below. Please list your comparable structure and starting salaries.
Director of Information Services
Programmer
Hardware Technician
Hardware Technician
4.
45,000
27,000
23,000
22,000
The only personnel listed above that would be used for a software conversion and
afterward support is the Assistant Director, Senior Programmer, and Mainframe
Operator. What was your institution’s personnel requirement for the conversion
phase? The afterward support? Please include all positions in other
departments that may perform I.S. type duties.
Director was solely responsible for conversion the first time around Business Manager and Registrar were responsible for implementing the
modules in their area with a great deal of support from the Director the
Computer Center.
Now the Director and one Hardware Technician are responsible for
supporting the product - the programmer is still in the trainee phase,
but will assist when capable.
5.
What were your experiences with the installation and conversion of your software
system?
Considering I did the majority of it completely by myself, I'd say it
was not a particularly difficult task - just time consuming.
6.
Did the software vendor provide training to your staff as well as other college
personnel? Was it adequate? Is it ongoing?
35
Yes, Datatel provides a lot of training, if you're willing to pay for
it. There are always classes available. There is also a very large
user's group which provides most of our support.
7.
How is the level of service you receive for user support and system support?
There have been some problems with that in the past, but in the last
year or so it has improved dramatically. We receive very good support
now. Again, the user's group provides the best support of all.
What is the cost for this?
This is included in the annual maintenance cost.
8.
What was the cost of the software package(s)? Is there a cost for each user?
Varies according to size of the institution - I believe we payed about
$150,000 for the software package itself.
What is the annual maintenance cost?
Varies according to institution size - we pay about $60,000 per year.
9.
Does the software vendor provide regular and timely updates? How about for
Federal and State reporting requirements?
Yes - they make every effort to provide federal updates in a timely
manner. They have recently released a Texas State reporting package it's still in it's early stages, but appears to be working.
10.
What hardware platform does your system run on? What is the cost associated
with this?
IBM RS/6000 running AIX - but the product is available on other
platforms. Our OS/hardware maintenance costs are about $24,000 per
year, but we have two other RS/6000's included in that cost (not related
to Colleague).
11.
Does your software currently allow for Web based access (Application,
Registration, and Payment)?
Our current version of Colleage (R13.13) doesn't, but the version that
is being sold now (R16/17) does have a Web-based module.
12.
How do you handle security for traffic outside your firewall?
We don't - there are no funds for a firewall, and not enough Computer
Center staff to maintain one. In other words, we keep our fingers
crossed and have lots of backups.
36
Angelina College
Survey Questions
1.
What software package does your institution use? How long have they used it?
- POISE
- 10 months
2.
What software package did your institution use before the current package? Why
did they change?
- In-house developed package
- Could not keep up with: changes for federal and states reports, new
requirements of the administration, etc.
3
What personnel do your institution employee to support IS. Functions? What are
Their starting salaries? All of Temple College’s I.S. functions are covered in the
positions listed below. Please list your comparable structure and starting salaries.
Director
Systems Analyst/Network Coordinator
Network Technician/Communications Technician
Network Technician
Lab Technicians (5)
45,000 - 60,000
38,000 - 55,000
20,000 - 34,000
8.50 per hour
7.50 per hour
Director of Information Services
48,255
Assistant Director of I.S. (Systems Programmer)
Senior Programmer
Mainframe Operator
43,505
21,005
16,550
Telecommunications/Network Administrator
Hardware Technician III
Hardware Technician II
35,005
18,800
17,300
Help Center Coordinator
Telephone/Mail Clerk
Computer Lab Assistants (4)
19,505
15,050
14,300
Web Manager
22,505
37
4.
The only personnel listed above that would be used for a software conversion and
afterward support is the Assistant Director, Senior Programmer, and Mainframe
Operator. What was your institution’s personnel requirement for the conversion
phase? The afterward support? Please include all positions in other departments
that may perform I.S. type duties.
- Systems Analyst/Network Coordinator
- Network and Communications Technician
- Network Technician
5.
What were your experiences with the installation and conversion of your software
system?
- Slow process
- Not everyone was receptive of new “way”
- Software vendor know-it-all attitude
- Limited documentation
6.
Did the software vendor provide training to your staff as well as other college
personnel? Was it adequate? Is it ongoing?
-
7.
How is the level of service you receive for user support and system support?
What is the cost for this?
-
8.
Vendor’s service and support are not timely
included in annual maintenance cost
What was the cost of the software package(s)? Is there a cost for each user?
What is the annual maintenance cost?
-
9.
yes
no
no
236,000
no
30,000
Does the software vendor provide regular and timely updates? How about for
Federal and State reporting requirements?
- not enough time to determine
10.
What hardware platform does your system run on? What is the cost associated
with this?
38
-
Digital Alpha 1000A
About 48,000 of the total cost (236,000), includes operating system,
printers, software for connecting 30 pcs, etc.
3 years of annual hardware maintenance is also included in total cost
11.
Does your software currently allow for Web based access (Application,
Registration, and Payment)?
- No
12.
How do you handle security for traffic outside your firewall?
- system is behind firewall during normal day to day operation, but is
manually switched to outside of the firewall for off-campus registration—
about five days per semester. Permanently outside the firewall are the
DNS and web server.
13.
Comments.
Do your homework:
- Identify user needs and requirements for software—don’t take other
institution’s or the vendor’s “word”
- Shop around—be sure to look at other packages and test them
- Keep users involved
- In this case, the “written” word is much better than the “spoken” word.
It prevents “convenient amnesia”, e.g., I don’t remember you (or me)
saying… .
- Carefully review all paper work
39
End of Surveys
40
Staffing
The current I.S. positions and their minimum salaries (1998-1999 schedule) are
as follows:
Director of Information Services
48,255
Assistant Director of I.S. (Systems Programmer)
Senior Programmer
Mainframe Operator
43,505
21,005
16,550
Telecommunications/Network Administrator
Hardware Technician III
Hardware Technician II
35,005
18,800
17,300
Help Center Coordinator
Telephone/Mail Clerk
Computer Lab Assistants (4)
19,505
15,050
14,300
Web Manager
22,505
Compared to the schools responding to the survey, these salaries are somewhat
low. Also, surveys of local entities show these salaries to be below the local
average, but they are still competitive.
For the 2000-2001 budget cycle, the following positions will be targeted for salary
adjustments:
Senior Programmer - This position will become more important as it will
be used primarily for maintenance of existing programs. This will provide
the Systems Programmer more time to concentrate on new applications.
This position has also taken on the responsibility of maintaining the user
documentation.
Mainframe Operator - This position will be converted to Programmer and
will be used primarily for Web and PC based programming as well as after
hours operations.
Help Center Coordinator - This position will be re-titled Support Center
Coordinator. An additional duty currently being performed is user training.
As additional personnel are added, this training will become necessary.
Web Manager - This position will receive a salary adjustment to reflect its
importance to the institution and to keep it competitive. This may need to
be spread over several years to lessen the impact on the budget.
41
Equipment
The College’s current mainframe computer is capable of handling our existing
applications and should be capable of running most commercial software
packages. The current web server is sufficient for the present uses, but as the
College develops more web-based applications this system will need replacing.
The addition of a secure web server will also become necessary as the College
moves into web payments. Encryption software will be a requirement for
electronic transcripts and electronic deposits, as well as student web applications
that transfer data outside our firewall.
Training and Documentation
Training of personnel on the current administrative software has been a
responsibility of the department heads and I.S. personnel. This is a practice that
has worked in the past. However, with the changing of department heads and
other key personnel in several offices, the knowledge of the present systems has
declined. The departments have traditionally kept their own written
documentation, but this has not been kept current in all cases.
I.S. has addressed the need for training and documentation by adding the
responsibility of training to the Help Center Coordinator and the responsibility of
documentation to the Senior Programmer. The personnel in these positions are
qualified to perform these duties and are currently preparing materials to aid
users in the operation of our current software.
Campus Culture
The reluctance to change has always been evident on campus. However, this
feeling has declined during the past few years. Some factors for this decline are
retirements, new personnel, the self-study, change in procedures, and a desire to
be competitive in the market place. Although improvements have been made,
change is always hard to accept. A good example of this is the unofficial
campus-wide change to Word that has met strong resistance by WordPerfect
users.
42
Director’s Recommendation
Initial Plan
The following memo describes the initial plan for this project which was
presented to the Board of Trustees at the May board meeting.
To:
A. Wayne Criswell, Vice-President for Administrative Services
From: Gary C. Jackson, Director of Information Services
Date: May 12, 1999
Re:
Commercial Campus Software Evaluation project
After our discussions about evaluating commercial campus software packages, I have
developed the following methodology and timeline for this process. It is my
understanding that the main objective of this process is to find the best software package
available for Temple College, including current software.
Phase
Description
Dates
One
This phase will consist of surveying other
institutions to find out what packages they
are using and their degree of satisfaction.
The companies identified will be contacted
and asked to send information on their product.
Two
A working committee, including major depart10/1/1999-11/30/1999
mental users, will be formed to review the
findings from phase one and rank the packages
in order of preference. This phase will
require site visits to other campuses for evaluation
as well as vendor presentations on our campus.
Three
The committee will make a decision on which
12/1/1999-3/31/2000
software package best fits our needs at a price that
is within budget. The decision will be presented to
the Board of Trustees for approval.
43
6/1/1999–9/30/1999
Current Plan
In order for Temple College to choose its best software solution, it must first
identify its needs. It is the recommendation of this initial study that the College
perform a needs assessment, which will in involve all areas of the College. The
needs assessment should be coordinated and performed by the Director of
Information Services. Once this needs assessment is complete, the following
options should be performed.
Option 1
Using the criteria developed by the needs assessment, an RFP should be written
and issued to prospective software vendors. Responses should be evaluated as
to how well they meet the needs assessment. Other factors to consider are cost,
time of installation, conversion issues, training, and documentation. Once a
software package has been identified, the necessary hardware should then be
identified.
Option 2
The current administrative software should be evaluated by using the criteria
developed by the needs assessment. It should then be determined if it meets or
can be modified to meet these criteria. The time, personnel, documentation,
training, and budgetary requirements of this solution must also be determined.
Committee to aid in this process
Steering committee membership
A steering committee should be assembled to consider the above options. The
members of the committee should be:
Director of Information Services
Co-Chair
Vice-President of Admin. Services
Co-Chair
Director of Admissions and Records
Director of Financial Aid
Director of Counseling and Testing
Director of Human Resources
Director of Accounting
Coordinator of Continuing Education
Purchasing Agent
Faculty Council Representative
ITAB Representative
Assistant Director of Information Services
44
Technical Committee membership
Assistant Director of Information Services
Telecommunication/Network Administrator
Senior Programmer
Help Center Coordinator
Web Manager
Chair of the ITAB committee
Co-Chair
Co-Chair
Time Line
This item is to be completed at a later date. I need help!!!!!!!!!
45