The Hong Kong Companies Registry has unveiled plans to build a multi-million-dollar system to archive its records electronically and update its information technology infrastructure.
When the first phase of the system is launched in November next year, it will allow Internet-based searches. A second phase will add electronic application functions.
From January to the end of July, the Companies Registry had nearly one million requests for information - usually from people seeking to verify a company's history before choosing to do business or extend it credit. The present system is seen as time-consuming, labour-intensive and error-prone.
Morris Choy, business manager for Kodak (Far East), which was awarded a HK$20 million contract to turn about 80 million frames of microfiche data into digital format, said: 'Typically, right now, you have to go to the search centre and ask for the retrieval of the microfiche, and the company registry will duplicate the microfiche for you, and when you go back you need a microfiche reader to look at the information.'
Hewlett-Packard's consulting division has been awarded a HK$28-million contract for the systems integration, as well as for supplying servers, storage units and about 300 workstations.
It also won a 10-year contract, worth an annual HK$10 million, to maintain the system and establish a back-up site which can be used in case of a disaster.
