CUNY has, over the past several years, revamped its approach to computing systems and communications to position itself for the upcoming decades. The new approach knits together CUNY's human and technical resources to promote productivity, improve service to students and faculty, and encourage technological advancement.
As implemented, the cooperative systems strategy, as it is becoming known, is multifaceted. It is leading to a reorganized central computing operation; the reconfiguration of mainframe operations; the expansion of voice, data and video communication; the coordination of administrative systems; university-wide approaches to hardware, software and service acquisition; and the promotion of multi-platform and multi-vendor solutions.
Various articles in the previous FYeI, and some in this issue, focus on aspects of the cooperative systems strategy. In this article, I would like to highlight the potential that mainframe reconfiguration offers in advancing the overall plan.
In 1991 the CUNY central administration began to examine very carefully all plans for new mainframe acquisitions or upgrades. At that time, most CUNY colleges owned at least one IBM or IBM plug-compatible mainframe. Support for these machines was provided by the central systems staff in an effort to reduce overall staff costs.
Two alternative strategies have emerged: migrating applications to the central processor or, alternatively, acquiring computing power from within the existing class of IBM or IBM plug-compatible machines through swaps, trades, or purchase of pre-owned equipment.
The overall strategy has proved highly successful. In the last two and a half years, no college has had to purchase a mainframe, nor have there been purchases at the two central sites (CUNY/CIS and UAPC). Spending for mainframe equipment at the colleges has dropped sharply. The central administration and the colleges have traded aging but serviceable equipment among themselves, including mainframes. As of fall 1994, two mainframes have been taken entirely out of service and additional reductions are scheduled.
The cost savings associated with not purchasing a new mainframe and associated peripheral devices is in the range of $1 million. Outright savings to a college that accrue from mainframe elimin-ation are between $250,000 and $500,000 in annual maintenance and software licensing fees.
Additional savings in both dollars and staff resources are possible indirectly as a result of mainframe reconfiguration as colleges move towards implementation of SIMS (Student Information Management System) running centrally to meet their student system requirements.
Through a recently-instituted program of ongoing capacity analysis, equipment will be added only in response to demonstrated need. Additional projects that optimize the cooperative systems strategy include the Open Systems Research and Development Center (see p. 1), Unix-based client-server administrative applications that can take advantage of smaller platforms (see p. 5), and the implementation of expanded network services.
-- by Dean James Murtha