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Board signs off on funds to retire Ohio Industrial Commission's AS400; CIO warns of catastrophic risk
Summary
The Controlling Board approved additional funding to modernize the Ohio Industrial Commission's legacy AS400 system; CIO Edward Carr said COBOL code and staffing shortages pose a high operational risk and the agency aims to complete modernization by September 2027.
The State Controlling Board on Dec. 1 approved a request from the Ohio Industrial Commission to augment appropriations so the agency can retire its legacy AS400 computer system, modernize software and retain institutional knowledge.
Jim Burkhart, executive director of the Ohio Industrial Commission, said the agency purchased the AS400 in 1990 and described the modernization as a "heavy lift" that requires staff augmentation because agency staff lack sufficient technical capacity. Burkhart said catastrophic failure of the AS400 would "essentially put us out of business."
Edward Carr, the commission's chief information officer, said he joined the agency in September 2024 and found COBOL code that is difficult to maintain and a small number of subject-matter experts: "We have 1 person who knows the system intimately and has over, 30 years of experience ... If he were to retire, our project would be at great risk." Carr said the agency has a 12-developer team that is largely junior and requires augmentation to meet a target date of September 2027.
Board members asked about cost estimates and whether the project uses existing agency funds. Burkhart and Carr said the commission has accumulations in its agency account (mentioned on the record as $27,000,000) and that the request would unlock funds to be spent on the project rather than raising fees. After discussion, the board approved the item with no objection.
Next steps: the Industrial Commission will proceed with staff augmentation and modernization planning to meet the target timeline; agency officials said they will retain ownership of the project and build subject-matter expertise to support long-term operations.
