Outsourcing IT management.

• Author: Rogers, Jerry
• Position: Riverside, CA's contract with a private firm to manage its information technology department

Like many agencies both public and private, the City of Riverside (population 227,000) faces a multitude of issues regarding the year 2000 problem. Riverside's year 2000 problem is a double-edged sword: In addition to date-sensitive software compliance issues, the city also faces obsolescence of its mainframe hardware. Legacy software programs supporting utility billing, financial systems, payroll, and human resources are currently running on a mainframe platform for which maintenance is no longer provided.

The City of Riverside entered into a contractual arrangement with a private firm effective January 1997 to manage its information technology department. The firm began an immediate assessment of the city's hardware and software with regard to year 2000 date issues and hardware obsolescence. An extensive evaluation of options led to the city's decision to purchase replacement hardware and software for all major systems. The project scope encompasses all major systems operating on the mainframe as well as an assessment of infrastructure and desktop computer requirements.

Implementation of replacement systems will take the city from a mainframe environment to an open system, client/server operation. The city has approximately 1,300 desktop computers in a full range of configurations. Many will require replacement to ensure compatibility with the new systems. A citywide replacement and obsolescence plan includes options to lease desktop computers as part of a technology refreshment strategy.

The city has established an aggressive time table to implement replacement systems. The project consists of three distinct phases. Phase I was to assess the magnitude of issues regarding year 2000 compliance and hardware obsolescence and to make a recommendation to address the entire scope of the problem. The decision to replace hardware and software led to phase II, which included the selection of replacement software and configuration of new hardware.

Riverside is currently in the final stages of phase II and beginning phase III, which includes conversion and implementation of replacement systems. Phase III will be more complicated because software selection includes separate vendors for the utility billing system and the finance/human resources/payroll functions. Implementation of the...