Administrative Computing a) Overview Administrative computing started in the Secretary's office with the establishment of a Data Processing Unit (DPU) to serve the central area administration, primarily the Finance and Secretary's departments. IBM hardware and software was chosen using IBM terminals running IBM's private protocols. There was little contact with the computing service. The second area of administrative computing originated in the Faculty offices often starting with word processing and evolving into the manipulation of class lists, marks, etc. This was often performed on micros or stand alone machines. The offices were subsequently provided with a terminal into the DPU machine on which data could be displayed but not easily transferred into the Faculty machine except by re-keying. The third birthplace of administrative computing was individual departments starting naturally with the highly numerate departments. These expected to use the same terminal or workstation for their admin as for their research and expected also the same level of sophistication such as mail and file transfer. The departments were not pleased to be unable to access faculty or DPU machine in any convenient way or even at all. The most widespread and sustained criticism encountered during departmental discussions concerned the inaccessibility of quite normal administrative information and the amount of paper involved in simple information transfer like a students change of address or course. It is also clear from visits to other Universities that some have access to much more convenient administrative computing. b) MIS and Faculty Administrative Computing The bulk of MIS computing is done on the DPU machine an IBM 4381 running the VM/CMS Operating System. Much of the software is IBM provided although some third party products are used. Where bespoke software has been written the language used has been PL/1 -sensible enough in the narrow DPU context but helpful in that it can not be run or adapted to run on any of the academic machines. Some of the data on the MIS machine is highly confidential and IBM operating systems were not, at the time of installation at least, noted for their exceptional security when on an open network. Consequently terminal provision was by direct connection of 3270 terminal from secure or trusted offices. This limited access eased any security problems but it had the unfortunate side effect of encouraging the use of software particularly tailored to these devices. When a Network connection was provided it was at the modest speed of 9,6 Kbit ( as against 1 Mbit for direct connections) and the software consequences of emulating 3270 terminals over X25 were underestimated. Substantial computation has to be scheduled in the IBM before transmission can start which can contribute a delay. After this the data has to pass down a medium speed line taking at least 1 second and further substantial computation is needed in the terminal emulator. However provided the emulator is at least an 8 Megahertz PC ( most are currently much less powerful) and the IBM is not overloaded adequate remote access is possible. It is hard to escape the conclusion that inadequate investment has been made in remote access as compared to direct access; the unintended result has been to perpetuate a tradition of two classes of user with solutions acceptable to directly connected users being deemed satisfactory however they seem to a remote users. The Faculty offices have terminal access to the MIS machine direct or via the network according to location. They also normally have their own administrative machine, often a micro, although a manual system exists in more than one office. The linkage between the faculty system and the MIS machine is tortuous, a recurring comment is that it is easier to re-key information unless the amount of data is large. This lack of linkage, together with the absence of many signs of improvements is disappointing; the remark that it was easier, or at any rate no harder five years ago was heard several times. There is no obvious consensus on how or where administrative data should be stored. MIS feels it should kept on the DPU machine and this is probably best for highly confidential data. However less confidential data like class lists, could be distributed or kept centrally. DPU's wish to centralize everything does not seem very sensible - Medical Faculty with its large variety of clinical classes need much more elaborate records than (say) Arts; however distribution requires a revolution in both communications, which is coming, and thinking. c) Departmental Administration Administrative computing in departments has grown quite separately from MIS and Faculty computing. It has two origins, the first is from the secretary's typewriter to the word processor and electronic letter. The second is from the academic computing scene. It is generally a rather untidy situation although much ingenuity has been shown. The inaccessibility of central student data and accounting information id universally criticized. The overwhelming desire was for information to be readily available through familar channels particular via the normal terminal, micro or workstation on the users desk. Further faculty specific points are discussed under section 3 of this report. d) General Observations If the University was a commercial organization it would impose a uniform, but almost certainly highly distributed, office system over all faculties and departments. The substantial cost would be recouped by staff savings and better quality of management information. Given the high degree of numeracy in the University and the substantial ingenuity already shown many of the benefits of a large investment program could be achieved by pragmatic, but carefully coordinated, measures leading slowly to more convergence, better use of existing equipmenrt and less untidiness. The objectives of MIS are defined by the University's Academic plan as "to provide and support computer and related systems for the handling of information required by the University's administration in its efforts to achieve the Academic Plan". MIS interprets this to require the provision of:- a) A central Computer to manage the key records of the University b) A Network(sic) to link users in administration with the computer, each other and other networks including EDNET. c) Microcomputers and terminals to access and complement the mainframe service Provision of a central computer and private network in an increasingly distributed computing scene clearly presume that administration is an activity confined to a small number of people in the Old College area. Yet almost any academic considers himself involved in, if not bogged down by, administration. It is clear also that this unstated assumption is also the reason why departmental administrative computing is almost totally divorced from MIS computing and largely uncoordinated. If the narrow view of administrative computing is accepted the objectives of MIS in the 1990s appear modest but sensible . This view would leave departments out in the cold without guidance or access to data, a logical consequent of the feeling that all serious administration was performed in the central area. If the wider view of administartive computing is accepted as it would be in a commercial organization, MIS becomes the key to substantial efficency improvements throughout the University; it does however require different priorities from MIS. In particular records will mostly be distributed, all access should be via EDNET not an MIS network and as many as possible of the many micros and workstations should be able to complement the MIS provision by mounting suitable software. The effect of this on choice of software and networking methods is profound but the basic choice of what is administration as defined in the MIS remit is outwith the scope of the EUCS planners. It is clear that historic support arrangements with the departments looking towards the ERCC but central administration looking toward MIS have not helped. Whatever computing arrangements are decided on will need to be overseen by a single body whose responsibilties will include ensuring that close contact is maintained between providers of administrative computing and the EUCS network team building the new very high speed campus network.