The Computer Center has begun implementation of new software that could revolutionize the way reports are distributed on campus and save a few trees in the process. This software, called Page Center, will be making its debut the first week of February, when a few, previously selected, month-end reports are adapted to make use of this new program.
Page Center is a report management system that has its own web page where it maintains a mailbox for each department and is accessed with a web browser. Currently both Netscape 4.7 and Internet Explorer 5.0 are supported.
Reports are delivered electronically to a department's mailbox instantaneously upon completion of the mainframe processing where they can be viewed, printed, or even stored for possible later use. This alone would be a terrific saving in time if that were all that it did, but Page Center will also decollate and distribute the various parts of a report to the appropriate departments!
Some of the other added advantages to having the information delivered electronically include:
1. Ability to import the data from reports into a spreadsheet for analysis.
2. Electronic searches of data
3. Quick retrieval of archived data
4. Capacity to view multiple reports at the same time
5. Ability to access the data from almost anywhere
6. Capability of simultaneous viewing of reports by persons separated by long distances
7. Printing only the parts of a report that are needed
Department mailboxes will be secured by our present RACF security system as well as Page Center's own internal security, thus a user will be required to have a current user id and password as well as prior authorization to a department's mailbox to see anything. The mailboxes and access are being set up now and should be ready for the first production run in February. Each department that will be receiving a report in this pilot will be contacted.
Training for Page Center is being arranged for the fourth week of February. Time and location to be announced at a later date.
Page Center will not be going into effect over night, but will be phased in as quickly as possible. For this to happen, we at the Computer Center and the managers of the departments who distribute reports throughout the campus will need your support and cooperation. Each department that will be receiving reports through Page Center will, at first, get a printed copy, as well as the electronic distribution. This will allow persons to become familiar with Page Center and see the correlation between the printed copies and the Page Center representation. Eventually the hope is that the printed copies can be eliminated, saving people's time and the departments and the University valuable resources as well as the world a few more trees.