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News Releases In the News News Archive Events |
AIS News Archive
Compliance Toolkit: CSG/AIS Unveils Compliance Toolkit at Sarbanes-Oxley Conference in Baltimore
September 26, 2005
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Program Integrity (OPI) Contract is Valued at $2.2M
April 14, 2005
CSG: Applied Information Sciences Forms Compliance Solutions Group
February 9, 2005
GSA: Applied Information Sciences Awarded GSA Schedule 70 Contract; Federal Supply Code Contract for Information Technology (IT) Professional Services
January 6, 2005
AIS Partners with EMS, a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)
December 11, 2004
AIS Presents Understanding SOA Session at the Local Microsoft Office
AIS & Microsoft Launch Business Value Challenge
Microsoft ACCESS to .NET & SQL Server Migration Solution Offering
AIS Tapped for Architect Partner Boards
Microsoft Names AIS to Microsoft .NET Partner Advisory Council
Microsoft Taps AIS for VS.NET On-Site Technical Readiness Training
AIS Announces BizTalk Jump-Start Program
GEICO Selects AIS for eClaims
USAToday.Com Taps AIS, Microsoft, and DELL for Olympics Web Site
ExecuStay by Marriott Selects AIS for Web-based Reservation System
AIS Wins Microsoft Partner of the Year Award
AIS Austin, Texas District Expands to New Facility
AIS Opens New Offices to Address Growth
Alabama Department of Corrections Selects AIS and Microsoft Architecture
Metro Nashville Police Department Selects AIS UniAccess for Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS)
Microsoft Selects AIS for Partner Advisory Council
AIS Delivers Florida Statewide, Web-Based Evidence Management System
AIS Helps HUD Enter Internet-Age
The State of Indiana Selects the Team of AIS and Deloitte & Touche to Design and Develop a Job Matching System for the Department of Workforce Development (IDWD)
Marriott Selects AIS for Next Generation Worldwide Reservation System
The United States Navy Awards $30 Million Support Services Contract to the Team of Planned Systems International, Hughes Technical Services, and AIS
NC State Bureau of Investigation Implements Megan's Law Web Site with AIS
$7 Billion Pension Fund Selects AIS to Develop Next Generation Pension Benefits Processing System
Ohio Bureau of Employment Services Selects AIS and Microsoft Universal Data Access as Enterprise-wide Information Systems Architecture
AIS UniAccess Selected by Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC) for Next Generation Photo-ID System
AIS Successfully Deploys Ohio Job Posting System
Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (PA-DPW) Selects AIS UniAccess for HMO Payment System
AIS Awarded State Term Contracts in New York, Florida, and Ohio
AIS and Sybase, Inc., Awarded a Data Warehousing and Integration Services Contract by the Chicago Transit Authority
AIS Supports Unisys CSG Worldwide Kickoff Meeting
VA Dept. of Personnel & Training Selects AIS & Microsoft Architecture for Personnel System
Compliance Toolkit
September 26, 2005 - CSG/AIS Unveils Compliance Toolkit TM at Sarbanes-Oxley Conference in Baltimore Baltimore, MD--Compliance Solutions Group (CSG), a subsidiary of Applied Information Sciences (AIS) announced that its cutting-edge solution for the automation of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, the Compliance Toolkit TM.
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Oklahoma Program Integrity (OPI) Contract is Valued at $2.2M
April 14, 2005 - The state of Oklahoma determined that the AIS' developed "Accounts Receivable Tracking System" (ARTS) built for Texas was not only best-of-breed it was in a class by itself. As a result, Oklahoma engaged AIS to implement an ARTS solution based upon the Texas success.
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Applied Information Sciences Forms Compliance Solutions Group (CSG)
February 9, 2005 - Subsidiary Will Focus on Delivering Content Management Solutions That Help Organizations Meet Their Legal And Regulatory Compliance Needs
Reston, VA - Applied Information Sciences, Inc. (AIS) has formed Compliance Solutions Group (CSG), a subsidiary that specializes in helping organizations leverage their investments in Microsoft technologies when implementing document, records, and business process management solutions to address legal and regulatory compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, SEC and NASD regulations for financial services businesses, HIPAA, 21 CFR Part 11, and the Federal Records Act.
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Applied Information Sciences Awarded GSA Schedule 70 Contract; Federal Supply Code Contract for Information Technology (IT) Professional Services
January 6, 2005 - Reston, VA--Applied Information Sciences (AIS) was awarded a five-year Federal Supply Code contract for Information Technology (IT) Professional Services in February 2004.
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Eagle
December 11, 2004 - Reston, VA-- Applied Information Sciences (AIS) and Eagle Management Solutions (Eagle) have formed a strategic partnership to jointly pursue government contracting opportunities set-aside for Service Disabled Veteran Owned small Businesses (SDV/SB).
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AIS Presents Understanding SOA Session at the Local Microsoft Office.
Are you having difficulty wading through tons of whitepapers on Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), a myriad of WS-nn specifications and how they fit together, various Microsoft implementation frameworks including ASMX, WSE 2.0, and Indigo? Are you confused about the differences between web services and SOA? If your answer is "yes", you may want to review the slides from a recent seminar on Service-Oriented Architecture conducted jointly by Microsoft Corporation and Applied Information Sciences. Topics for this session included:
- Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) Fundamentals
- Microsoft's Enterprise Development Reference Architecture
- Trends in SOA
AIS & Microsoft Launch Business Value Challenge
To compliment the newly launched Microsoft Forms Automation (InfoPath) and Portal Platform (SharePoint) products, AIS worked with Microsoft to craft the Business Value Challenge. AIS defines and pilots forms automation and portal solutions prior to customer investment.
Microsoft ACCESS to .NET & SQL Server Migration Solution Offering
Many growing organizations are finding Microsoft ACCESS as a stumbling block to their success. AIS offers a Solution Offering to provide a Fixed Price migration to port their ACCESS applications to a highly agile .NET-based solution.
AIS Tapped for Architect Partner Boards
Senior AIS personnel have recently been selected to the newly formed Microsoft Architect Advisory Board (Architect Inner Circle) and .NET Partner Advisory Council (PAC). These partner boards are managed by the tools and server product development organization led by Eric Rudder. Through these partner boards senior partner technical and business executives provide input and feedback to Microsoft product directions. AIS is honored to be one of only 20 organizations selected for the .NET PAC and one of 40 organizations for the Architect Inner Circle worldwide.
Microsoft Names AIS to Microsoft .NET Partner Advisory Council
Microsoft selected AIS as a member of the Microsoft .NET Partner Advisory Council (".NET PAC"). AIS is one of a select group of twenty partner companies worldwide selected to participate in this strategically important focus group. The .NET PAC meets quarterly for working sessions with Microsoft management personnel, with monthly ad-hoc discussions. AIS has served for the past two years on similar Microsoft advisory councils.
Microsoft .NET is the vision for the future of software as a service - providing the tools to enable developers, businesses and consumers to harness technology on their terms - offering solutions any time, any place and on any device. Microsoft's .NET enterprise server products and technologies provide the software building blocks for developing distributed Web applications as well as enterprise level integration for preserving investments in existing, legacy systems. The .NET PAC will focus on the issues around building robust, scalable, distributed web solutions, the migration to software as a service, and the challenges involved with addressing our mutual customers' integration and interoperability issues.
Microsoft Taps AIS for VS .NET On-Site Technical Readiness Training
Microsoft has selected AIS as their partner to deliver VS.NET training for enterprise accounts. The VS.NET On-Site Training is part of the larger Microsoft VS.NET technical readiness program. AIS was selected to perform this training based on their depth of VS.NET knowledge obtained through several early adopter programs, customer projects, and Microsoft facilitated knowledge transfer. AIS has already successfully trained hundreds of developers at many enterprise accounts.
AIS Announces BizTalk Jump-Start Program
The Microsoft BizTalk Server has captured the imagination of many organizations as they seek Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) as well as seamless integration with their business partners. Through the process of many successful BizTalk Server (BTS) development efforts, mentoring engagements and Microsoft knowledge transfer programs, AIS has developed a deep level of BTS expertise. Along the way we have accumulated a set of training modules and a repeatable process with templates and guidelines to conduct an initial BTS development and mentoring engagement. Based on these materials and the capabilities of our BTS mentors, AIS now offers a BTS Jump-Start program to assist our clients to implement their first BTS project while learning this new Microsoft product. This BizTalk application is not a limited function prototype, but rather, an actual solution to your business needs. Deliverables for this program include: BizTalk training for your developers, business requirements document, XML document specifications and data maps, working BizTalk application including necessary code to link internal systems and external trading partners, and a foundation for future BTS applications.
GEICO Selects AIS for eClaims
GEICO selected AIS to assist them to architect, plan, design, develop, test, and deploy eClaims. This project is part of GEICO's on-going efforts to improve customer service and administrative efficiency. Extending claims processing to the Internet for customer self-service enables GEICO to make substantial progress in this strategic direction.
The new application platform is based on the latest Microsoft Windows technology including Microsoft Windows 2000 and .Net Enterprise Servers. AIS is utilizing its AIS-Solution Framework, which is based on the Rational Unified Process and products in an iterative, Object Oriented Analysis and Design process. The first two application iterations have already been completed and deployed with an average of just over three months for each iteration. eClaims leverages key core functions on legacy systems.
USAToday.Com Taps AIS, Microsoft, and DELL for Olympics Web Site
AIS, Microsoft and Dell teamed together to create the USAToday.com Olympic web site which delivered up-to-the-minute event results from the Sydney 2000 Olympics. AIS utilized the most recent technology from Microsoft and Dell to provide a website to host 14 million readers per day. Latest results were provided via a live data feed from the International Olympic Committee. The AIS designed and developed application was tested at the Dell performance laboratory and was rated at more than 200 million pages per day on a two processor Dell Server utilizing Microsoft Windows and .Net Enterprise Server Software including SQL2000.
ExecuStay by Marriott Selects AIS for Web-based Reservation System
ExecuStay by Marriott has selected AIS to architect, design, develop, test, and deploy their System to Track Accommodations and Reservations (STAR). STAR will automate the company's core, mission critical business functions. Working with AIS, ExecuStay has selected the Microsoft application platform for this application, including Microsoft Internet Information Server, Visual Studio, COM+, and SQL2000. AIS will be utilizing the AIS-Solution FrameworkT, which is based on the Rational Unified Process, for all phases of the project: Requirements collection and use case development, object-oriented analysis and design, IIS/ASP and COM+ application construction, and testing.
ExecuStay personnel will be working with AIS on the STAR team as a means to mentor them in the AIS-SF process and Microsoft technologies. Each phase of the project has been launched at the AIS operated Microsoft Windows DNA Development Lab as a means to teach the ExecuStay personnel the important theories and process of each phase in the context of the STAR application.
AIS Wins Microsoft Partner of the Year Award
The Microsoft Mid-Atlantic District recently concluded another successful year, and conducted their Annual Partner Kickoff Meeting to discuss new programs. As part of this daylong event, Microsoft announced Partner of the Year Awards. From the more that forty local partners, Microsoft recognized six companies. AIS was selected as a "Partner of the Year" based on our dedicated support and creative program development. AIS and Microsoft are working together to define and execute Microsoft Windows DNA Programs, including the Microsoft DNA Lab at the AIS headquarters facility. Brian Campbell, General Manager, Microsoft Mid-Atlantic District, presented Larry Konefal, AIS National Sales Manager, with a plaque recognizing AIS.
AIS Austin, Texas District Expands to New Facility
The AIS Austin, Texas District office will be moving to a larger facility. The move has been driven by continued growth and the commitment to implement a Microsoft Windows DNA Development Laboratory in partnership with the Microsoft Gulf Coast District. The new facility will be the home of the AIS Austin District management team and support personnel. The 6,000 square foot facility will also allow sufficient space for many new employees to address the growth opportunities that the AIS Austin District team is driving.
AIS Opens New Offices to Address Growth
AIS has opened new offices in Reston, Virginia to support the growth of its Mid-Atlantic District. The new office will be the base from which new projects in Northern Virginia are performed. The new facility has 7,000 square feet of space to accommodate up to 50 new personnel. AIS has also constructed space to include a Microsoft Windows DNA Development Lab (DNA Lab) in this facility. Interest in DNA Lab engagements are sufficient for AIS to expand its delivery capability from its headquarters office in Greenbelt, Maryland to also include this new facility. The growth of AIS services in the Mid-Atlantic District combined with the congestion and traffic of this growing metropolitan area necessitated the need for this facility. AIS will now be in a better position to respond to our customer needs in Northern Virginia while also providing a short commute for our employees that chose to live in this region. AIS also expects to attract many new employees from the highly technology oriented Northern Virginia workforce.
Alabama Department of Corrections Selects AIS and Microsoft Architecture
The Alabama Department of Corrections (ALDOCS) recently selected AIS UniAccess and the Microsoft architecture as part of a competitive procurement associated with the modernization of their mainframe systems. ALDOCS will utilize the UniAccess Product Suite as the means to allow a new generation of client server applications and tools to interoperate with their existing legacy systems. The procurement was part of the organizations overall plan to address Y2K issues and application modernization.
Metro Nashville Police Department Selects AIS UniAccess for Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS)
Following a comprehensive analysis of the alternatives, the Metro Nashville Police Department selected the Microsoft Universal Data Access Architecture and AIS UniAccess as the interoperability architecture for their Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS). Using UniAccess Transaction Server, the Metro Nashville Police Department is building a set of Visual Basic Client Applications, which provide transaction based (RPC) access into the RDMS-based Criminal History database. User written RPCs are used in favor of SQL access because they provide higher performance and support field based security for business rules that limit access to restricted view criminal history information.
Future plans include providing Applications Specific Server applications (i.e. Automated Fingerprint Information System, MUG Shot and Records Imaging access to 2200 based legacy data).
Microsoft Selects AIS for Partner Advisory Council
Microsoft recently selected AIS as a member of the Microsoft Digital Nervous System (DNS)/Business Operations Partner Advisory Council. AIS is one of a select group of twenty partner companies across North America selected to participate in this strategically important focus group. The Advisory Council will meet quarterly for working sessions with Microsoft management personnel, with monthly ad-hoc discussions.
The Digital Nervous System represents Microsoft's functional vision of the solution sets they offer to solve business issues. Business Operations is one of three key scenarios of the Digital Nervous System. The Business Operations Partner Advisory Council will focus on the challenges involved with implementing enterprise-level applications with a particular focus on integration of these applications into an effective enterprise-wide application architecture. Recent studies show that as much as 30% of customers' IT budgets are focused on this need. The Advisory Council will present their final findings and recommendations to Steve Balmer, Microsoft president, and other senior Microsoft managers. For additional background on the Digital Nervous System and Business Operations, visit http://www.microsoft.com/dns.
AIS Delivers Florida Statewide, Web-Based Evidence Management System
AIS recently successfully delivered a new, state of the art Evidence Management Systems (EMS) to the State of Florida, Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). The new system replaces an aging and proprietary UNIX-based system and provides online support for the field-based evidence collectors. In the short time the system has been operational, almost 30,000 new cases have been entered into the system for processing.
The FDLE mission is to provide services in partnership with local, state and federal criminal justice agencies to prevent, investigate and solve crimes while protecting Florida's citizens and visitors. Faced with rising maintenance costs on aging equipment, a lack of centralized system management and an inability to integrate the state's crime scene data, FDLE made the decision to move forward with a new, state-wide integrated system. Over the past year, AIS and FDLE have worked together to develop the system through a series of Joint Application Design and Rapid Application Development sessions.
The system is a multi-tier application supporting Microsoft IE browser-based clients, IIS Server-based Active Server Pages, and NT Server-based COM components. An Intranet-based application was selected to lower deployment costs across the many FDLE Labs and supporting organizations. FDLE reports extremely high satisfaction with the new system, which is among the first systems nationwide to attain ASCLD accreditation. The system facilitates complete chain-of-custody control, enterprise performance-based reporting, automated auditing, firearm and drug standard inventory, as well as work item accounting and management.
AIS Helps HUD Enter Internet-Age
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has deployed an Internet system that gives mortgage lenders the direct online information they need to process a loan for FHA mortgage insurance. The AIS UniAccess Product Suite is being utilized to provide interoperability with mainframe applications and databases from the new Internet-based applications. The new technology, called "FHA Connection", gives lenders the ability to perform a number of tasks on the Internet, such as reassigning an appraiser, verifying a borrower's credit through an interactive voice-response system, and adding, changing, or terminating an underwriter.
Previously, many of these functions were performed in on-line and batch-mode on a Unisys 2200 Series mainframes utilizing the Computerized Home Underwriting Management System (CHUMS). Using UniAccess from AIS, HUD has enabled a new generation of Internet applications to interact with these existing legacy applications and databases.
HUD established the FHA Connection in accordance with President Clinton's National Performance Review to develop and implement strategies to make the Federal government more efficient, more responsive to customers, and less costly to taxpayers. In the short time the FHA Connection Internet services have been available, over 3,000 lending institutions have registered for system access and over 7,000 users have established accounts. Currently 350 users are added each week and an average of 18,000 requests are processed each day.
"This is FHA's most important advance in technology since 1985," said Assistant Secretary/FHA Commissioner Nicolas P. Retsinas. "This system moves FHA to the forefront of electronic commerce. It will provide our lenders with easy and direct online access to the information they need for loan processing, and put it in a format that is easy to read and understand."
Retsinas said the new system "fits with President Clinton's mandate to develop and implement strategies to make the Federal government more efficient, more responsive to customers, and less costly to taxpayers."
"UniAccess performance and functionality has met all our requirements and expectations," said Al Taoras, HUD FHA Connection Program Manager. "We have extended the usefulness of our legacy systems while delivering a new generation of technology and higher level of service to our customers."
The State of Indiana Selects the Team of AIS and Deloitte & Touche to Design and Develop a Job Matching System for the Department of Workforce Development (IDWD)
In partnership with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development and Deloitte and Touche, AIS has been awarded a subcontract to provide product and application development services for a customized Job Matching System. AIS will provide UniAccess Transaction Server for IDWD's 2200/532 and develop Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs) to provide access from a UNIX-based Intake System to the legacy job matching and applicant data on the Unisys mainframe.
Marriott Selects AIS for Next Generation Worldwide Reservation System
Marriott International, Inc. recently selected AIS to support the design and development of the next generation Marriott worldwide reservation system. The Marriott project is intended to modernize the existing IBM mainframe-based Transaction Processing Facility (TPF) applications by adding a new graphical user interface, new functions supported by departmental Microsoft Windows NT server databases, and enabling integration with other workgroup technologies. The system will support over 19,000 reservation agents and will require high performance, on-line transaction processing.
AIS was selected over several other candidate companies, based on a comprehensive selection criteria. "The major areas of AIS differentiation included call center domain experience, stake holder development process involvement, technical proficiency in Microsoft Windows desktop and server development, and proven ability to successfully deliver very large scale systems with very high performance requirements," said Lewis Dawley, Director Reservation Sales Training, Marriott Lodging. AIS will provide technical services in several areas, initially focusing on the design and prototype of the new graphical user interface.
The United States Navy Awards $30 Million Support Services Contract to the Team of Planned Systems International, Hughes Technical Services, and AIS
The United States Navy, Naval Aviation Depot Operation Center (NADOC) at the Patuxent Naval Air Station, has awarded the team of Planned Systems International, Inc., Hughes Technical Services Company, and Applied Information Sciences, Inc. a five year contract to provide Federal Information Processing Support technical services. The value of the contract, with all options exercised, is estimated to exceed $30 million. Under the contract, the team will provide a broad scope of work in support of the NADOC corporate computing environment. The information systems services will include planning, design, development, prototyping, implementation, and maintenance.
NC State Bureau of Investigation Implements Megan's Law Web Site with AIS
AIS has been awarded a contract by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) and provided the UniAccess ODBC Server software and related consulting services in support of the States sex offender web site. After an extensive analysis of the alternatives by NCSBI, AIS UniAccess OBDC Server, the Microsoft Architecture for Unisys 2200 and ClearPath IX systems was chosen as the web-enabling interoperability architecture for this important application.
UniAccess ODBC Server provides interoperability between Internet applications and Unisys mainframe legacy data. AIS also provided installation, configuration, Information Systems Architecture consulting and Internet design and development support services.
The web site, accessible from the existing NCSBI web site provides citizens with the capability to investigate the presence of registered sex offenders in their communities. This capability was recently authorized by North Carolina state legislation.
$7 Billion Pension Fund Selects AIS to Develop Next Generation Pension Benefits Processing System
The National Electrical Benefit Fund (NEBF) has selected AIS to design and develop their next generation Pension Benefits Processing System. This multi-million dollar, multi-year contract was awarded to AIS in order to streamline pension processing, lower administrative burden, and better support the pension beneficiaries. AIS is providing technical services in all areas of Life Cycle Software Development including requirements analysis, design, construction, testing and deployment. AIS is utilizing the AIS Solution Framework as the basis of the development process and substantially involving the customer system stakeholders.
The mission of NEBF is to manage the pension and benefits processing for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. "AIS was selected as our partner for this project based on their proven technical experience in delivering applications at the vanguard of Microsoft distributed processing technologies," said Chris Yeapanis, NEBF Project Manager.
Ohio Bureau of Employment Services Selects AIS and Microsoft Universal Data Access as Enterprise-wide Information Systems Architecture
The Ohio Bureau of Employment Services has awarded Applied Information Sciences a consulting services, application development and technology products contract to design, develop and deploy an Internet enabled JobNET application in support of the citizens of the State of Ohio. The new system will provide internet-based access to a variety of job training and placement programs.
AIS will provide technical management, analysis, design and development support. In addition, the AIS UniAccess Product Suite, the Microsoft Universal Data Access Architecture for Unisys mainframes, has been selected as the interoperability architecture for this and future legacy data access and Interoperability requirements for OBES.
"Applied Information Sciences was the only vendor offering a completely Microsoft based solution set for access to and interoperability with our mainframe based legacy data," said Cindy Weyandt-Dougherty, Assistant Director of Information Technology. "Through UniAccess, OBES will be in a position to quickly respond to the needs of the citizens of Ohio using mainstream, state-of-the-art technology," she added. OBES commitment to the Microsoft Universal Data Access Architecture confirms Microsoft's ability to deploy enterprise class Internet enabled applications that serve real world needs," said Ron Savoia, Director Microsoft Consulting Services.
Future applications under consideration include a One-Stop Program that will provide a common interface to a variety of multiple host-based legacy applications and a wholly revamped unemployment benefits delivery system also known as Benefits 2000.
AIS UniAccess Selected by Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC) for Next Generation Photo-ID System
Following an analysis of the alternatives, the ODRC has selected AIS UniAccess to provide ODBC access to a 2200/532 based RDMS database which contains inmate demographic data. This data, along with a photo image (stored on a remote UNIX based image server), is retrieved from the database and populated to the inmates Photo-ID Card. ODRC is using a Photo-ID system acquired from Lau Technology, Acton, MA.
The Photo-ID system, a C++ application running under Windows 95, makes an ODBC API call to UniAccess which seamlessly performs the RDMS access and returns the results to the application. When a change to an inmate's demographic data is noted (such as weight and distinguishing characteristics or marks), the Photo-ID application updates the LINC RDMS database using UniAccess ODBC Server.
Future ODBC plans include developing a new generation of client applications using application development tools like PowerBuilder and Visual Basic which access the legacy 2200 mainframe applications and databases.
AIS Successfully Deploys Ohio Job Posting System
Under contract to the Ohio Bureau of Employment Services (OBES), AIS designed, developed and successfully deployed - across the state of Ohio - a web-based Ohio Job Net application. The solution introduced a standards-based client/server architecture that enabled the legacy Ohio Job Net application to become a server to any type of client written to the Microsoft Universal Data Access (UDA) architecture, including ODBC, ADO, and OLE DB. Using this capability, AIS also built a Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS)/Active Server Page (ASP)-based web application to provide the GUI front-end for the OBES users to access the Ohio Job Net application. This new web-based application written using Microsoft Visual Studio replaced the existing GUI front-end based on proprietary software which was unreliable, difficult to maintain and expensive to make millennium compliant.
This project not only implemented a standards-based, millennium compliant GUI front-end for the Ohio Job Net; but also reduced the maintenance burden of deploying proprietary GUI client software to the users machines as well as opened the door of new possibilities for the Ohio Job Net application. For example, with this solution, the mainframe-based Ohio Job Net system is now capable of participating in an XML-based e-commerce architecture.
The project architecture is based on the Microsoft Windows Distributed InterNet Application Architecture ("Windows DNA") including legacy mainframe interoperability via the AIS UniAccess Product Suite which implements Microsoft UDA. The Ohio Job Net legacy application exists on a Unisys mainframe as proprietary LINC software previously accessible via terminal emulation. Leveraging Microsoft UDA access to the mainframe via UniAccess, the Ohio Job Net is instrumented to accept input from, and send output to, ODBC clients. This was accomplished with no change of code in the existing application. It is currently used by over 1,100 users across the state with the capability to support many more thousands of concurrent users. The web service is hosted by two compaq ProLiant 6000 servers which are load balanced using Windows Load Balancing Services (WLBS) (provided by Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition). This provides for the automatic fail-over feature. The users access the web server via the state-wide GOSIP network. The Ohio Job Net application and the UniAccess programs run on the Unisys 4800 series mainframe. The mainframe application executes at the rate of 10-15 transactions per second making it the busiest application of OBES. The overall response time averages under 3 seconds for most transactions. Prior to the deployment, a thorough stress test of the solution was done using Microsoft Homer to simulate more than 3,500 users.
With this deployment, AIS has assisted OBES to enter the 'Internet Age'. This successful project has spawned a series of Internet, intranet and e-commerce-based development projects.
Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (PA-DPW) Selects AIS UniAccess for HMO Payment System
The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, using Microsoft Visual Basic and UniAccess ODBC Server running on a Unisys 2200/9888, has deployed a new Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Payment System which will change the way the citizens of Pennsylvania pay for Medicaid services. The application supports five categories of recipients whose status was suited to a drop down GUI (Graphical User Interface) menu. The system also facilitates the addition of new HMO's to the Payment System.
In support of the HMO Payment System, AIS added a new level of functionality to UniAccess ODBC Server which allows a 32 bit-based ODBC compliant application development tool (such as Visual Basic) to access all of the data stored in the 36 bit-based Unisys RDMS Integer datatype. PA-DPW future plans include acquisition of UniAccess Transaction Server to support transaction based (Remote Procedure Call vs. SQL) access to RDMS and a whole suite of new Windows-based applications providing both RPC and SQL access to RDMS and DMS databases.
AIS Awarded State Term Contracts in New York, Florida, and Ohio
AIS was recently awarded several State Term Contracts for AIS technical services in the states of New York, Florida, and Ohio. Although they have different names in many states, State Term Contracts are awarded to vendors with special or unique capabilities that the state deems important enough to pre-negotiate a contract under which all state and local government organizations may purchase vendor services without first performing a competitive procurement.
AIS and Sybase, Inc., Awarded a Data Warehousing and Integration Services Contract by the Chicago Transit Authority
As a subcontractor to Sybase, Inc. of Emeryville, California, AIS is providing product and support services to build a state-of-the-art Data Warehouse System which will provide users access to data residing in IBM/DB2, Unisys/MAPPER and UNIX/Oracle data formats. UniAccess Transaction Server will provide a generic ODBC-based access from each of the many client and server platforms in a true three-tier client/server architecture. AIS technical services supporting the project include architecture definition, installation planning, and the development of interfaces to existing legacy information.
AIS Supports Unisys CSG Worldwide Kickoff Meeting
At the request of Unisys Computer Systems Group (CSG) management, AIS recently supported the CSG Worldwide Annual Kickoff Meeting. Over 1,500 Unisys field sales and technical personnel attended the meetings in Philadelphia, PA. AIS personnel supported seminars and live demonstration of the AIS UniAccess Product Suite, the Microsoft architecture for Unisys 2200 and ClearPath IX mainframes.
AIS personnel including Tom O'Connell, AIS Vice President Sales and Marketing, and Larry Konefal, National Accounts Manager, met with Unisys field personnel from all over the world to discuss the implementation of Microsoft enterprise solutions in their enterprise customers' sites. Unisys personnel supported AIS by providing live demonstrations of Internet-based applications interoperating with Unisys mainframes via AIS UniAccess.
Unisys resells and provides worldwide support of a subset of the AIS UniAccess Product Suite, the UniAccess ODBC Server, as their solution for SQL access via Microsoft Universal Data Access (UDA - including ADO, OLE DB, and ODBC) interfaces to the Unisys mainframe relational database known as RDMS. The remaining components of the UniAccess Product Suite provide both SQL and Remote Procedure Call (RPC) access via Microsoft UDA to all other Unisys mainframe applications and databases for distributed transaction processing. AIS sells the UniAccess Products Suite directly and through many distributors worldwide.
VA Dept. of Personnel & Training Selects AIS & Microsoft Architecture for Personnel System
The Commonwealth of Virginia (CoV), Department of Personnel and Training (DPT) recently awarded AIS a contract in support of the Integrated Human Resource Information System (IHRIS). In a competitive procurement, AIS proposed, and the customer selected, the Microsoft architecture as the means to integrate the IHRIS with existing legacy applications and databases. AIS will provide applications development technical services along with the AIS UniAccess Product Suite.
The PeopleSoft HRMS software will be used to replace the existing Personnel (PMIS), Benefits (BES), and Payroll (CIPPS) systems. The new IHRIS system will be implemented statewide; supported by 3,000 Windows 95 desktops and approximately 150 Microsoft Windows NT Servers interacting with an existing legacy mainframe. The CoV desires to implement IHRIS and maintain at a minimum, all existing health benefits functionality. The CoV plans to use the current BES application to process employee benefit elections, changes, and other updates interactively. The software does not currently provide some of the interactive processing facilities that are available with BES.
The objective is to provide IHRIS users with the same look and feel throughout all modules of the system, while executing a transparent interaction between applications which reside on different processing platforms. Specific functions that will be afforded through the award to AIS include: implementing IHRIS while retaining the BES edits, logic, and processing; updating both systems upon single data entry of the data common to both systems; allowing users direct data entry into BES for entry and maintenance of pure BES data; and updating IHRIS with benefit data from BES as necessary for payroll processing. It is expected that the resulting system will support 500 concurrent users statewide.
