A look back and ahead

Here we are at the start of a new year. One year since IEEE Spectrum became available on-line, two since The Institute arrived on the Web, three since the IEEE Web site became a reality, and about eight years since the IEEE began to use e-mail for internal communications. By Internet time scales, the IEEE has been around for quite a while. How are we doing and where are we going? Let's take a look.

A TIME OF CHANGE.   There is no question that times are changing rapidly. I recently read an IBM advertising supplement in my local newspaper. I quote one sentence from that set of articles: "The Internet has moved from an information phase to a transactional one." To me, this sentence sums up the major change that is occurring on the Internet. It also serves to introduce a concern about the IEEE's usage of the Internet. This is the time for the annual change and evolution of the IEEE volunteer leadership -- new leaders with the daunting task of responding to the ever-changing challenges of keeping the IEEE at the forefront of our profession. I suggest that the IEEE has done well in adapting to the information phase, but that the transactional phase presents a challenge that is waiting to be addressed.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS.   The information highway is a popular phrase that denotes the use of electronic or computer-assisted communication and service delivery. At the heart of these services is the corporate computer network. At the IEEE this includes an incredibly complex database that keeps track of more than 300,000 members and a similar number of customers who order products and services. This complexity is a direct result of the breadth of technical interests and geographical diversity of our membership, and the many choices of society memberships and products that are available to members. The computer network itself links (primarily) staff- and (increasingly) volunteer-managed servers together and with all our members who access the IEEE over the Internet. Eight years ago, the IEEE computer system was obsolete and contained bad data. Since then, we have made great strides in upgrading the system and using it to share information rapidly and efficiently.

* Computer services.   After expending large sums of money and much staff and volunteer effort, we have an improved database of member records and an improved electronic communications network within the IEEE. John Witsken has been on board for about a year as our director of Information Systems. Under his direction, the IEEE is looking realistically at how we manage our database and deliver electronic services in a business-like manner. Those who use IEEE e-mail services may have noticed that the service is now more reliable, with fewer delays. This improvement is a direct result of installing a new e-mail server, new software and other related changes. We are also seeing the benefits of Tom Brisco's contributions when he was our director of electronic communications. Tom was active in proposing thoughtful strategies and experimenting with leading-edge developments.

This high-level knowledge of Internet practices and potential is currently lacking within our staff. Burt Juda remains the loyal IEEE staffer who installed the first e-mail server, implemented the cut-over to the new server in a way that was transparent to all users, and who continues to be the keystone of staff support in electronic communications.

A number of my colleagues on the Electronic Communications Steering Committee (Friedolf Smits, Rick Dill, Ken Laker, Dave Green, and Gerald Karam) have been involved in improving both infrastructure and services for many years. We have benefited from an excellent partnership environment between these volunteers and IEEE staff -- they deserve to be recognized.

* Publications.   Under Tony Ferraro, our staff executive ­ Publications, his predecessor, Phyllis Hall, and, for the past two years, Ken Dawson as vice president ­ Publications, the IEEE has made tremendous progress in converting our technical papers to electronic format -- whether they be in conference records, bound transactions or individual articles. Members now have Web and e-mail access to tables of contents, CD-ROM availability of certain conference records, and Web access to some transactions. In general, these electronic services are society-dependent and evolving rapidly.

FUTURE CHALLENGES.   There is no question that the IEEE has come a long way in moving into the information age. There are several key debates of concern to both members and those charged with the IEEE's leadership. How to implement delivery of electronic products and services while maintaining non-electronic versions for members who do not have or choose not to use electronic means? Whether to make technical material freely available to anyone over the Internet or to restrict access to members only or to define an in-between path? These are not questions of what can be done, but what should be done, because the presence of the Internet has created one more element of diversity in the IEEE's membership -- who can get access, who can afford access, who is comfortable reading technical content on-line, which medium -- paper, CD-ROM. Internet -- is the best match for the reader's situation: these are some of the ways in which IEEE members differ from each other.

BUSINESS ON-LINE.   At the IEEE, we have not kept pace with the many companies who now offer their customers the choice to purchase products and services over the Internet. The applications within the IEEE are fairly straightforward. Here is my list: joining the IEEE (some problems but not insurmountable in my view); renewing one's membership (why do we have to do something to renew anyway? -- I asked my insurance company for automatic renewal as the default years ago when it was first offered); changing one's personal information record at the IEEE (postal and e-mail addresses, phone numbers and so on), changing society memberships and/or services, ordering individual items that the IEEE sells, registering to attend a conference. These are not for everyone -- but for some they represent current expectations of quality service.

THE IEEE PUBLICATION.   This is the big one in my view. It strikes at the very heart of the IEEE. It is the way we interpret who we are in the information age. I raise the topic of what form a publication should take in the age of the Internet if we are to preserve the traditional value of the IEEE. Is it good enough to simply convert our traditional technical publications into electronic format and distribute them with the speed of light? More on this topic in the coming year. I look forward to your input.

THE NEW YEAR.   Here's hoping you have enjoyed a relaxing holiday season and that you can take advantage of the changes that are occurring in business, in our technology, and in the way these changes impact upon us. For IEEE members, volunteers and staff, we have a firm foundation for moving the IEEE ahead and making better use of electronic resources to serve our needs. If we work together we can have one heck of a good year!