ITS upgrades database, installs Windows 7
Jeff Ventrella
Issue date: 10/22/09 Section: News
Information Technology Services will be busy this year upgrading the college computers to Windows 7 and installing $800,000 worth of brand-new hardware and software for the personnel database maintained by Institutional Advancement.
"In general the college likes to use the latest and greatest [technology] as soon as viable," Jeff Yost, manager of user services at ITS, said.
Institutional Advancement began a major upgrade this September to replace the hardware that the department has used for nearly 30 years to keep track of students, parents, donors, Imprimis subscribers and relevant mailing lists for each group.
The old system was a now-ancient IBM AS400, using a home-grown code written by college employees in the 1970s.
Sheri Piper, who was called out of retirement by the college to serve as project manager for this upgrade, said the decision was made to finally abandon the old system in the fall of 2007, because many of the original employees who had developed and knew how to operate the system had retired.
The project was delayed a full year due to funding issues, but by the fall of 2008, a new system had been earmarked for purchase and installation. The money was approved by the May of this year, and the project is anticipated to be finished in July or August of 2010.
Piper said the upgrade will cost about $800,000, all of it received in special gifts.
The new Blackbaud hardware, sporting a software program called Raiser's Edge, will enable Intuitional Advancement employees to produce reports on active and potential donors much more efficiently and will dramatically cut the processing time of financial gifts to the college. It will also feature personalized automatic updates that will allow employees to set up personalized "dashboard" displays with data related to their ongoing projects.
"Access to the information and getting it out [in reports] will be much easier to work with," Piper said. "It's pretty neat."
"In general the college likes to use the latest and greatest [technology] as soon as viable," Jeff Yost, manager of user services at ITS, said.
Institutional Advancement began a major upgrade this September to replace the hardware that the department has used for nearly 30 years to keep track of students, parents, donors, Imprimis subscribers and relevant mailing lists for each group.
The old system was a now-ancient IBM AS400, using a home-grown code written by college employees in the 1970s.
Sheri Piper, who was called out of retirement by the college to serve as project manager for this upgrade, said the decision was made to finally abandon the old system in the fall of 2007, because many of the original employees who had developed and knew how to operate the system had retired.
The project was delayed a full year due to funding issues, but by the fall of 2008, a new system had been earmarked for purchase and installation. The money was approved by the May of this year, and the project is anticipated to be finished in July or August of 2010.
Piper said the upgrade will cost about $800,000, all of it received in special gifts.
The new Blackbaud hardware, sporting a software program called Raiser's Edge, will enable Intuitional Advancement employees to produce reports on active and potential donors much more efficiently and will dramatically cut the processing time of financial gifts to the college. It will also feature personalized automatic updates that will allow employees to set up personalized "dashboard" displays with data related to their ongoing projects.
"Access to the information and getting it out [in reports] will be much easier to work with," Piper said. "It's pretty neat."
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