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Users of systems ranging from Order Entry and labs to Admitting and Pharmacy can look forward to speedier and more reliable transactions, as IS prepares for a February 2005 upgrade of the BICS system. The upgrade will transition data storage and background processes from individual PCs to the server. It involves migrating to a modern software and hardware environment through the conversion of BICS’ current 45,000 programs to a newer technology, known as Cache.
“The DOS-based programs that we use on BICS are becoming antiquated as the technology industry moves forward,” explains BWH Chief Information Officer Sue Schade. “This project will provide more efficiency, along with the promise of better vendor support for the underlining BICS infrastructure. Some of our systems date back to 1983, when BICS was first launched.”
Staff and employees who use BICS—there is an average of 2700 people on the system during the peak hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.—will see no change in the programs on their desktops, says Dan Collins, project manager, Information Systems. "All of the work is being done to the BICS infrastructure, and users will conduct business as usual once the upgrades are in place," he says.
Users will be notified of "acceptance testing," planned for December of this year. That phase of the project will involve staff and employees identifying any problems prior to the official launch of the BICS upgrades.