Tax department adds 1400 new computers

By RICHARD WOOD

The Inland Revenue Department has completed a $5 million upgrade of its desktop PC systems using Microsoft's Windows 2000.

The project, known as Desktop 2000, takes the total number of PCs at the IRD from 3500 to 4900 - one for every employee.

The 1400 new PCs were bought from Dell Computer for $3 million and replaced Wyse terminals.

A separate deal with Compaq, before it was acquired by Hewlett-Packard, was for 950 systems costing $2 million.

The Compaq systems replaced ageing machines from a variety of manufacturers that did not meet the specifications for running Windows 2000.

Colin MacDonald, general manager for business development and systems, said the aim was to get all PCs up to a consistent level and all staff familiar with the internet.

He said the IRD saw the PC as an all-round productivity tool and there were a variety of applications in use beyond basic word-processing, internet and email.

These included a call centre application called the Knowledge Base for handling tax queries and access to data on the department's mainframe computers.

MacDonald said no additional major investment in network infrastructure or server computers was required to service the extra machines, which were spread around the country.

He would not comment on whether Inland Revenue had a form of Microsoft's software assurance upgrade scheme, where Microsoft upgrades are covered under an annual fee.