As the Internal Revenue Service modernizes its core information systems, it is also working to standardize its 130,000 desktop computers.
The agency's first step is to get rid of outdated hardware. "Soon, we hope to be out of the 486 arena and into Pentium-based systems," said Tom Hoffmann, director of IRS' End-User Computing Support Division, referring to the processing technology used before Intel Corp. introduced its Pentium processors. Soon, IRS desktops will be configured with, at minimum, a 166 megahertz Pentium processor, he said.
But the IRS is not only cycling out old hardware. Its attempt to standardize desktops requires a move to a new suite of software, known as a common operating environment (COE). "As we replace old systems we are putting a new software environment that is standard and secure," Hoffmann said. "We get a much bigger bang for our buck and reduce our hardware and software costs. Plus, the desktops become easier to support because they are standardized."
IRS' new suite of standardized software includes Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT 4.0 operating system, Office 2000, and Attachmate Corp.'s INFOConnect.
"Some IRS workers do mostly input on tax returns," Hoffmann said. "But the larger part of the workforce does use office automation. We use the Attachmate product to access mainframe and minicomputers applications like travel voucher and timekeeping systems, and collection and exam databases."
Transitioning existing systems to new software requires the desktops to be wiped clean of all data. Only then is the standardized suite installed. This means user's preferences are erased and stored files are moved to new locations. Such a clean sweep can cause worker downtime and lost productivity. Estimates from Gartner Group Inc. suggest that the total cost of ownership of a single user can rise between $200 and $300 as a result.
The IRS felt this cost was unacceptable. To work around the costs, the agency installed Personality Tranxport Professional from Tranxition Corp. on the systems to capture the user's preferences and data. Once it has been installed, Tranxition restores the user's preferences and data to their expected states.
The IRS hopes to save as much as $29 million over the next year by using this software.
"We want this move to a new desktop environment to be a painless," Hoffmann said. "The software helps users transition to their new systems quicker."
Hoffmann also pointed out that this is a major change for the IRS in how it handles IT. "We used to attack these projects from a regional perspective," Hoffmann said. "Now we are centralized and use one methodology that has been standardized. Everyone operates the same way."
The IRS hopes its standardized software makes it easier to transition to Microsoft's Windows 2000 operating system in 2002 or 2003. Plus, Hoffmann's groups intends for the COE to be compliant with the results of IRS's back office systems modernization.
NEXT STORY: Democrats raise money to win back house