Sharing Expertise

 

Since CityU's beginning as City Polytechnic in 1984, the Computing Services Centre (CSC) has developed a vast array of administrative computer systems. These support administrators in preparing reports, tracking expenses, and the countless procedures that join information and management. With powerful systems in use, administrators can reduce human errors and benefit from point-in-time financial updates.

Understandably, these systems took a lot of time to develop, though they resulted in high-quality systems that are tailored for university use. In 1994, the university shared with Hong Kong Baptist University and Lingnan College several systems at a fraction of cost, mostly for financial management. These are now being modified, and some should come on-line in July 1995.

This is not the first time the CSC has cooperated with other institutions. Several years ago, the Vocational Training Council and the Open Learning Institute also bought some of our administrative systems.

Such arrangements benefit everyone. The purchasing institutions save huge amounts of time and money, since the packages took over one hundred man-years to develop and they are mature systems that have been proven over time, specifically designed for tertiary institutions.

The Administrative Data Processing (ADP) Section also benefits, as the experience further strengthens their team's consultancy and customising skills. Challenges that had to be overcome in the project included making the systems fit other hardware environments and related technical issues. ADP continues to cooperate with mainland universities in such endeavours, mentioned in detail in this issue's article "Partnerships with Universities in China".

Computing Services Centre City University of Hong Kong ccnetcom@cityu.edu.hk