Management Information Systems

MIS provides all necessary computing support to the PEF departments and regional offices, which in turn allows for a better diversity of services to the membership. The MIS department is also responsible for desktop and network applications such as word processing, desktop publishing, database management, electronic mail, spreadsheets, accounting, communications, multimedia, presentations, etc.

To effectively deliver these services, MIS also performs all computer systems analysis and design, applications programming, network design and administration, electronic communications, the development of software and hardware standards and guidelines, and user support.

During the past nine months the MIS department has worked through a controlled expansion of its levels of responsibilities in the PEF organization. Throughout this time we have been presented with some of our most exciting and challenging opportunities to date. Some of our additional responsibilities include telecommunications (including phone systems), videoconferencing, wide area networks (WANs), new electronic mail system (includes home office and regional offices), new access to headquarters, new database systems (including PaySR project), new Web site development and maintenance, year 2000 compliance, and a newly redesigned voice/video/data network infrastructure.

We began in January by rolling out to each regional office fully configured multimedia PC. This initiative brought about the opportunity to perform the PEF headquarters PC upgrades as well. We have updated headquarters printers with network connection capability to better utilize current resources on-hand, relieving the need for purchasing new equipment. We have established an "SOS" (Salvage Our System) policy to reutilize any available PC component from older PCs to assist in keeping PC costs as low as possible. We developed and implemented a new software and hardware standardization for all new PC purchases. We have established a new procedure for receiving support (help desk) calls, which allows MIS to more efficiently and effectively respond to PEF membership, headquarters, and regional office technical issues. The MIS Department, with the support of the Legal Department, negotiated an overwhelmingly successful and financially beneficial contract with our new telecommunications vendor AT&T. This contract will be the foundation for better voice communications, a more stable videoconferencing system, a new electronic mail system, new Internet access service, new Web site maintenance, and new database access methods.

Membership Records

Information requests increased by 28% from the same period last year.

This is the single largest area of MIS responsibility and requires interaction with various state agencies, insurance vendors, international affiliates, and other PEF departments. This comprises 40 to 45 percent of the total work we perform and includes:

• Membership Payroll and Civil Service Information Processing, including PaySR project
• Insurance and Dues Deduction Processing (totaling several million dollars per month)
• Constituency Table Updates
• Membership Updates and Inquires
• Insurance Re-rates
• Lists, Labels, and Demographics
• Other Related Processes: Month/Year End’s, Affiliate Updates, etc.

Direct Billings

We perform two types of direct billings. The first is for Membership Benefits which bills members who are "off payroll" and wish to continue their insurance; Retiree insurance payments; and, associate memberships.

The second is for the Retirees System in which we generate monthly billings for membership renewals.

Steward Training

MIS maintains a system for tracking Steward training for the Education & Training department. This assists their department in monitoring training activities to ensure that stewards have proper background for their role in servicing the PEF membership.

Retirees System

MIS maintains the programs that update their membership roster and generate renewal billings on a timely basis. We also generate various reports and labels as requested.

Computer Software & Hardware Standardization

We developed, installed, implemented and maintained the following programs and hardware systems:

Microsoft Windows 95

Microsoft Office 97, Professional Edition

Remote Dial In, with pcAnywhere/32, or LapLink NT/95

Microsoft Outlook 98

Microsoft Windows NT Workstation, ver 4.0

Microsoft Windows NT Enterprise Edition Server, ver 4.0

Microsoft Windows Exchange (e-mail) Enterprise Edition Server, ver 5.5

Novell NetWare, ver 3.12

Legal Docket System

MIS maintains the Legal Department’s docket system. The MIS Department with the support of the Research Department migrated the old docket system files over to the new version of the docket system files, which are in MS Access/97.

Projects Completed in 1998

• Regional Office PC installations have all been delivered
• Headquarters PC upgrades, for nearly all staff
• Completed standardization of all software and hardware for new PC orders.
• All printers capable of network connectivity were configured and installed on the network.
• Retained a new telecommunications vendor, AT&T.
• Established a new telecommunications contract this year.
• Reversal of approximately $29,000.00 on the old video commitment.
• Elimination of 1 T-1 line coming into PEF’s headquarters, saving approximately $20,000 per year.
• Re-engineering of remaining single T-1 line to handle voice/video/data.
• Voice and Video operations may share up to 18 channels of the 24 channels on the T-1. this included adding the Lucent Technologies switch interface component.
• Added redundant voice/video network for fast, efficient recovery of any down lines.
• Initiated a Help Desk procedure, allowing MIS to receive, process, and resolve technical issues.
• Generated accurate statistics for PEF’s Health and Safety Department, as required by their grant with the state Health Department.
• Established an SOS program, to recoup as much investment as possible from existing technologies. Installed and configured Microsoft Windows NT Enterprise Edition, with MS Exchange Enterprise Edition.
• Installed New PaySR file interface programs, report programs, and ftp process.
• Earned Year 2000 compliance confirmation from Lucent Technologies for headquarters phone system.
• Reduced overall telecommunications costs by as much as 20% compared to last year. This is due to the new AT&T contract, lower "800" service rates, lower long distance rates, and lower local service rates.
• Configured and installed a new CD-ROM billing system within the Accounting Department for AT&T telecommunication bills.
• Development and implementation of frame-relay network from headquarters to regional offices for the new e-mail system. Also development and implementation of VPNS network (with PVC) to allow dial-up connectivity from regional offices and field representatives to home office.
• Configured and installed a CD-ROM server for the Legal Department to utilize CD-ROM-based law libraries and publications.
• Completed Phase I of PaySR cutover.
• Completed Phase I of Web site redesign.
• Hired a new Systems Analyst.

Work-In-Progress

• Continuous service and support of all PEF membership, PEF staff, and regional offices.
• Redesign and/or modification of existing department reports/queries, as well as new build new reports/queries as needed.
• Network administration for the Novell networks and Windows NT networks.
• Router and switch configuration, installation, and implementation. This will be for both headquarters and regional offices.
• PaySR system integration, including reports and program interfaces.
• Re-engineering of the existing DOS based database systems into a Windows/95+ 32-bit platform. This includes defining a new database standard.
• Updating system and production job run documentation.
• Evaluate and implement organizational scheduling and group calendar software.
• Setup, configure, and maintain the new Web site area with AT&T. This work will be on both the staging server, and production server.
• Implementing MIS’ new strategic TQM philosophy, to continue to improve on our goal to deliver accurate, and timely information to PEF members, PEF staff, and the regional offices.

Mid-Range & Long Term Projects and Objectives

• Update and consolidate network servers and network operating systems.
• Investigate and implement a zip code bar coding to reduce PEF postage costs.
• Implement the Legal Department’s CD-ROM server archive and retrieval functions.
• Migrate Civil Service database(s) from 9-track tape to an ftp process or some other form of automation.
• Redesign all MIS software programs in a SQL/Power Builder/VB environment. This will include the migration into a GUI (Graphical User Interface) environment as well.
• Create and implement a new system to keep historical data on-line for analysis.
• Begin development of all new network services, including the Internet/Intranet applications.
• Implement document management archive/retrieval system for LM minutes.
• Evaluate and implement forms database system to replace PO’s, time sheet, etc.

Investigate and implement on-line lawyers’ diary system.