8/10/2019 ITC Department Report

1/8

Annual Report FY2010

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City of Fredericksburg

8/10/2019 ITC Department Report

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Information

Technology

Department FY2010

Mission

ThemissionoftheInformationTechnologyDepartmentistoprovidesecure,efficientandeffective

informationtechnologysystems,andservicestosupportCitydepartmentsinaccomplishingtheir

missionsand

goals.

Tofulfillthismission,ourgoalsare:

Provide citizens, the business community, and City employees with timely, convenient

access to appropriate information and services through the use of technology.

Organization

Chart

Delivertimelyandeffectivetechnological

supporttoCitydepartments

Develop,enhance,andmanagetheCitys

enterprisenetworkstoprovideasecure,

responsive,transparent,andreliable

infrastructurefoundationonwhichto

conductCitybusinessoperationstodayand

inthefuture

WorkwithCitydepartmentstoimprove

businessoperationsthroughthecareful

analysisofbusinessneeds,andthe

appropriateapplicationandmanagementof

proveninformationtechnologysolutions

Providevision,leadershipandaframework

forevaluatingtechnologicalopportunities

Developandmaintaintechnicallyskilledstaff

Ensureeffectivetechnicalandfiscal

managementoftheDepartments

ChiefInformationOfficer

NetworkSupportSpecialist

PCTechnician

operations,resources,

technology

projects

andcontracts

Roles & Responsibilities (Sphere of Influence)

Summary

TheInformationTechnology(IT)Departmentsupportsover300users,23servers,14networks(circuits),

34networkdevices,171printers,214workstationsandlaptops,18locations,and1.15terabytesof

data.

ITprovidesdailyoperationalsupporttomostCityoffices. PoliceandFirehaveseparatelydedicatedIT

resourcesintheirdepartments,SocialServicesandtheCourtsaresupportedbythestate;ITassists

thesegroupswheneverpossible.

ITmanages,securesandsupportstheCitysAS400(forallofficesandschools)whichharborstheCitys

centralfinancialsystems(Budget,RevenueAssessment,BillingandCollections,andAccountsPayable)

aswellasPersonnel,BuildingPermittingandInspections.

2

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Technology

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ITisalsoresponsibleforthemanagementoftheCityscellulartechnologycontracts,systemandfirewall

security,systemandnetworkadministration,wirelessandremoteaccess,virusandspamdetection

preventionandremoval,regulatorycompliance,emailandinternetaccess,policyandstandards

development,assetmanagement(inventory,acquisition,installationandtheappropriaterefreshand

disasterrecovery,projectmanagement,strategicplanningandondemanddisposalofagedtechnology),

usertraining.

Accomplishments

InformationTechnologyisasmalldepartmentandyethasaccomplishedmuch:

Accompli shments

FY08

ImprovementofphysicalandsystemsecuritytoprotectCitytechnologyanddata.

PolicyDevelopment(Password,EmailAcceptableUse,ITAcquisition&Use,CellPhone)

CityOfficeRelocations(PoliceDepartmentIT,Transit,CircuitCourt,Judge,CityAttorney)

InstallationofOutlookWebAccess(remoteemail)

Hiredstaff

(Network

Support

Specialist

&

PC

Technician)

Setupmaintenanceagreementsforcoresystems

DMVSelectinstallation

Emergencyresponsetopoweroutages,systemsfailures,HVACfailures,andflooding

Completedinventoryofallhardwareandsoftwareforassetmanagement

Processimprovement(backups,procurement,usertraining,accessibilitytoapplications,ghost,

cellphones)

InstalledContentManagementSystemtoimprovewebcontentpostingprocessandtoprovide

uniformtemplatesforCitywebpages(ProgresstowardGoal8:Initiative8A,Redesignand

launcharevampedcitywebsitein2008)

InstalledGhostserverforefficientPCreplication

Relocatedand

populated

Email

System

which

had

reached

capacity

ReplacedfailingBlackBerryserver

Replaced4failingsnapservers(CA,EDT,PW,TN)

ReplacedfailingUPSbackuppowersupply

ReplacedBackupandSpamserverswhichwerepastendoflife

ReconfiguredAS400toimproveperformanceandinstalledadditionaldiskandtape

capacitytomeetcurrentstorageneeds

Cellphoneconsolidation(annuallyrecurringsavingsof$35,000)incooperationwithPW

Installedapproximately35newandreplacementcomputersandvariousperipheralsforCity

offices

Respondedtocallsforservice(38perweek)

ImplementedWSUS

(windows

server

update

services)

ReworkedClusterServers

Developeddataremovalandequipmentsurplusprocedure

AssistedFireDepartmentwithinstallationofBlackberryServer

AssistedPoliceDepartmentwithrepairofBlackberryServer

ManagedEquipmentReplacementCIP

CompletedEthernetSiemensproject

ProxyServer/WebSecurityServer(URLblocking/tracking)

Approximately20othersmallerprojects

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Accompli shments

FY09

as

of

12/5/2008

DevelopmentofInternetUsagepolicy

TrainstaffonAS400,andBAIfinancialapplication

DevelopedPerformance/WorkloadMeasures

CircuitCourt

Annex

relocation

Installftpserver(allowssharingoflargefilesoutsideofthenetwork)

Rackcleanupforserverroom

OutlookBusinessContactDatabaseforEDT

BroughtSoftwareLicensingcurrent

Completedinventoryofallprinters,networkdevices,andcircuits

OutsourceSPAMmanagement(facilitatesselfhelp,savesbandwidth)

ImplementedNetmotionandnewcircuitforthePoliceDepartment

ImplementedGhostServerforthePoliceDepartment

Configuration/InstallationofreplacementMailArchiverServer,expansionofharddrives

Configuration/InstallationofreplacementWebServer

Configuration/Installationof

11

replacement

routers

InstalledAS400printtopdf

Installed44newcomputers

GreenInitiatives: purchasingEnergyStarcompliantequipmentandbeganmovingtonetwork

printersforenergyandcostsavings

ProgressReportsonMajorFY09Initiatives:

Website

AV

GeographicInformationSystem(GIS)

CopierLeaseConsolidation

InternetBandwidth

PC/ServerReplacementProgram

ITConsolidation

AutochalkInterface

OnGoing Project Management

Website

Redesign RedesigntheCityofFredericksburgswebsite. ThecurrentwebsitehasnotbeenupdatedsinceJuly2004. Duetoitsageandthefailuretoremovedatedmaterialfromthesitewhenits

ofnofurtheruse,theCityswebsitehasbecomehighlytextualinnatureanddifficulttonavigate. Anew

lookand

feel

is

desirable

as

is

improved

access

to

information

through

re

organization

and

re

navigation

ofpertinentmaterial. Itisdifficultfordepartmentstoposttheirowninformationtothewebsiteunder

thecurrentstructureasthereisnoContentManagementSysteminplace. Departmentsmustsubmit

theirmaterialtoalibraryemployeewhoservesasavolunteerwebmaster(theITDepartmentdoesnt

havetheresourcestosupportthisongoingeffortnordoesithaveaWebmasterposition). TheLibrary

resourceshaveservedFredericksburgwellovertheyearswithfastandcourteousresponsetorequests

forthepostingofmaterialstothewebsite;howeverthereisalackofsecondaryCityoversightinthe

process. Toalleviatetheseissues,aContentManagementSystemwasplannedandpurchasedthrough

theavailabilityofnomatchgrantfundingfromthePoliceDepartment. TheCMSsoftwarewillenable

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theCitytostreamlinethedepartmentalpostingprocessviatheimplementationofaworkflowand

approvalprocess;trackchangesinthewebsiteandallowfortheautomaticandscheduledexpirationof

datedmaterial. Italsoprovidescalendarandnotificationfeatures,aswellastheabilitytocreatea

templateforthewebsitedesignthatisstoredandalteredindependentlyfromthecontent. This

structurewillallowgreaterflexibilityandsignificanttimesavingsinanyfutureredesigneffort. Forthis

project,each

page

must

be

edited

and

move

over

independently

to

the

new

site.

Progresstodate: Thewebsiteredesignteamhasacquired,installedandconfiguredtheCMSsoftware.

ThreeconceptdesignsforthewebsiteweredevelopedinhousebytheGraphicsCoordinator,andthe

favoritewasselectedandapprovedbydepartmentheadsandcitymanagement. Furtherdesignwork

wascompletedtofitthedesignintotheCMSproductandtoensureSection508compliance. Thebase

templatehasbeencreatedashavetheshelldepartmentaltemplatepages. Thewebsiteredesignteam

metwithCitydepartmentstodiscussrequirements,andpotentialupdatestotheirpages. Departments

weregivenassignmentstocollect/createnewmaterialasagreeduponforthesiterelevanttotheirarea.

Newnavigationpathsarebeingbuiltintothewebsitewiththehelpofthevolunteerwebmaster. The

tediousworkofsiftingthrough,strippingoutandmovingoverexisting,germanecontentiscurrently

underway.

BudgetAppropriated:$1,000.00 EstimatedTimeline: Spring2009

AVSystemUpgradeTheexistingaudiosysteminCouncilChambersisapproximately30yearsold.Thesoundqualityhasbeenpoorduetotheagedequipmentandwiringthathasbeenexposedto

repeatedfloodingovertheyears. Thevisualsystemisalsoinneedofupgradeasthecamerashavebeen

borrowedfromaconsultantwhomanagestheproductionofthemeetings. Theprojector,laptopand

camerasaresetupbeforeandtakendownforsecurestorageaftereachmeeting. Thereexistsaneed

formultiplestafftooperatethethreemobilecamerassetupforeachmeeting. Ifthecameraswere

motorizedandmountedinafixedlocationaccessiblefromtheAVroom,fewerpeoplewouldbe

requiredtoruntheequipmentforthemeetings,andtheroomwouldbelessclutteredwithequipment

andwiringonthefloorprovidingimprovedsafety. Asuspendedprojectorisplannedfortheroomto

provideandaffordablewaytoimprovevisualquality,andeasierpermanentaccesstothispopularequipmentduringmeetings,whileagainremovingthewiringalongthefloorandtheclutterfromthe

room.

Progresstodate: SitevisitstoStafford,andPrinceWilliamCounties. Initialquoteshavebeenobtained

fromstatecontractwithTheWhitlockGroup. Newmicrophoneshavebeenorderedandinstalledin

advanceoftherestoftheprojectsincetheseitemsrepresentedthehighestpriorityneedandwere

easilyinstalledinadvance. Asmallteamhasbeenassembledtomakerecommendationsonremainder

ofpriorityitemsforPhaseIofPEG(Public,EducationalandGovernmentAccess)Funding. The

presentationportionoftheprojecthasbeenpostponeduntiladditionalfundingcanbeobtained. The

audioandvisualportionsoftheprojectdescribedinthefirstparagraphremaininPhaseIatthetimeof

thiswriting.

Budget

Appropriated

for

Phase

I:

$75,000

Estimated

Timeline:

Summer

2009

Geographic Information System(GIS) LocalgovernmentsuseGIStoidentifyandanalyzedatagraphicallyaboututilities(stormandsanitarysewers,pumpstations,waterlines,hydrantsandlighting),

stormwateroutfalls,districtandsubdivisionboundaries,streets,parcels,streams/rivers,wetlands,

hazardousmaterialsites,routes,building/businesstypes,crimes,fires,soil,zoning,landuse,andmany

otherfeatures. Thedatacanbequeried,displayed,spatiallyanalyzed,edited/overlaid,andlinkedto

otherdatabasesforthepurposesofcitizenresponse,planning,preservation,andpublicsafety

initiatives. GIShasbeenlistedasaTopPriorityintheSeptember25,2007AdoptedComprehensive

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Plan(PublicFacilities&ServicesInitiatives). Todate,theCityhasinvestedinthedevelopmentofaweb

basedGISservicethatprovidesorthophotography,roadcenterlines,CityandHistoricDistrictboundary,

zoning,andbusroutestothepublic. Datastorageandmaintenanceaswellasthewebsitehostingis

currentlyoutsourcedforanannualfee. Thisdataisoflimitedusetocityemployees,andisnotwidely

usedbythepublic. InOctoberof2008,thePoliceDepartmentappliedforaVirginiaE911Wireless

ServicesBoard

grant

in

the

amount

of

$149,514

to

fund

the

server,

software,

base

parcel

conversion

and

structureaddressdevelopmentnecessarytodevelopaGISfortheCityofFredericksburg. TheCityhas

receivedpreliminaryapprovalandwillhaveconfirmationinMarchof2009. Inanticipationthatthe

grantwillbeawarded,RFPdevelopmentworkwillresumeinJanuary. GIStrainingisrequiredto

implementthenewGISsystem. ThegrantfundingcannotbeallocatedtotrainingandtheCityhas

committedtoprovidingthistrainingintheeventthegrantisawarded.

Budget

Needs:

$155,000

($5,680

City

Funding

for

GIS

Training)

Estimated

Timeline:

2010

Copier

Lease

Consolidation Afterthesuccessofthecellphoneconsolidationproject,ITispursuingacopierleaseconsolidationproject. Citydepartmentsarecurrentlyengagedin28separate

copiercontractstotalingapproximately$250,000.Manyare5yearleaseagreementswithXeroxand

Ocebut

with

varying

costs

and

copy

fees.

State

contracts

offer

opportunities

for

30

day

cancellations

unlikethecurrentcontractswhichcantbeterminatedearly. IThasinventoriedtheCityscopiersand

willnotifydepartmentsastheirleasesapproachexpirationinordertoavoidtheautomaticrenewaland

refitthedepartmentwithacopierfromthestatecontractforcostsavingsandcontractflexibility.

Budget:

None,

potential

for

cost

savings

Estimated

Timeline:

Ongoing

through

contract

lease

obligations.

Upgrade

Internet

Bandwidth TheCityhasbeenexperiencingsignificantintermittentlatency(slowresponsetime)initsinternetpipe. Afterevaluationofcurrentcapacity,IThasdetermined

appropriatelevelstoovercomethelatency. Theseupgradeswillincreasebandwidthby300%,andby

utilizingCoxfibertoreplacetheVerizoncommunicationline,ITwasabletosave$2,446overFY09

estimates. Thisisanannuallyrecurringsavings.

Budget

Appropriated:

$6,910

Project

is

under

budget

at

$4,464

Estimated

Timeline:

December,

2008

PC/Server

Replacement

Program InresponsetoarequestfromIT,theCityprovidedsupplementalfundingintheformofaCIP(CapitalImprovementProject)forthepurposesofreplacing

equipmentwhichhadreachedendoflife. AfterITexecutedacomprehensiveinventory,over90

computers,serversandrouterswereidentifiedasneedingimmediatereplacement. TheCitywasalsoin

needofadditionalsoftwarelicensestobecomecurrentwithusage. ThisprojectwasaconsolidatedIT

effortbetweenthethreeITentitiesintheCity. PoliceandFirehavetheirownITresources;however

thisprojectrepresentsoneofmanycollaborativeeffortsthisyear. Thenextsectiondescribes

additionalprojectswhereIThelpedthePoliceandFireDepartmentstoaccomplishtechnological

objectives. 66computers,nine(9)servers,nine(9)networkdevices,five(5)mobilelaptopdevices

(PublicSafety),

and

various

software

licenses

were

purchased

and

installed.

Seven

(7)

more

computers

willbeinstalledinFY09,foratotalof95technologicaldevicesreplacedwiththisproject. Thissignificant

programwascompletedinhousewithoutthebenefitofadditionalstaffresources. Regularhelpcall

responsetimesweredelayedtwodaysaweekinordertoaccomplishthiswork.

Budget:$300,000 EstimatedTimeline: December2009

Citywide

IT

Consolidation IThasbegundraftingareporttoexaminetheopportunities,benefitsandchallengestoacentralizedITdepartmentfortheCityofFredericksburg.

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Collaborative Efforts Police & Fire

FY08

Completed

(FD)

Blackberry

Server

IT

performed

the

installation

of

Blackberry

Enterprise

for

Fire

Department

and

setupinitialconfigurationontheirphones. ITtrainedFDITResourceonsystemadministration.

(PD)BlackberryServerITrepairedthePoliceDepartmentsBlackberryServer.

(PD)

Ghost

ServerITperformedtheInstallationofGhostServerforPoliceDepartment. ITtrainedPD

ITresourcehowtomakebootdiscs,createimages,andpushimagestomachines.

(PD)

Server

Room

Relocation

to

new

Cowan

OfficeITperformedprojectmanagement,planningand

onsiteassistanceforrelocationofPoliceDepartmentsserverroomtoCowanBoulevard.

FY09

Completed

(PD)NetmotionITperformedfullsystemevaluation,acquisition,installation,configuration,and

testingforthePoliceDepartment. ITstoodupservertoincludesoftwareinstallationandresearched

affordablecommunicationsoptions. ITorderedandinstalledCoxlineagainstextraFortigate60

firewall. ITestimatesapproximately100manhourswerededicatedtothisproject. ITtrainedPDIT

resourcetoconfigureclientsandITcontinuestooffersupportfortroubleshootingthesystem. ITgained

knowledgeaboutthesystemthroughselfeducationwithoutthebenefitofformaltraining.

(PD)Circuitinventory ITresearchedanddocumentedthecircuitsbeingutilizedbythePolice

Department.

InProgress

(PD)BackupExecProjectIThasbeenrequestedtoperforminstallationofBackupExecsoftwareandto

assistinthetestingandverificationofnightlybackupsforthePoliceDepartment. ITwilltrainPDIT

resourceonhowtoadministerthesoftwareandverifybackups.

(PD)TapeLibraryinstallationIThasbeenrequestedtoassistwithinstallationandconfigurationofa

tapelibrary(utilizedtorotatetapessotheydonthavetobemanuallychangeddaily)afterthenew

backupprocessisestablished.

(PD)MessageSwitchInstallationIThasbeenrequestedtoassistwithrouting/configurationproblems

relatedto

this

installation.

IT

will

troubleshoot

these

issues

for

the

PD.

(PD)AutochalkInterfacetotheAS400Acomprehensiveescalatingfeeschedulewasadoptedwiththe

newAutochalksystemalongwiththedoublingofunpaidparkingticketfinesafter30days. Thisisan

effectivedeterrentfortherepeatoffender,escalatingthefineasmoreticketsareaccumulatedand

doublingthefineifleftunpaid. Thisfeeschedule,whileeffective,doesrequireacomplicatedinterface

totheAS400forthevoidingofticketsdeemedtobeunenforceableafterbeingissued. Forexample,if

thesecondticketinanescalationstreamistobevoidedbuthasalreadybeendoubled,(perhapsthe

otherticketsinthestreamhavebeenpaidontimeornot)therearemultipleiterationsofpartialvoids

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forallticketsfurtherupintheescalationstreamofvaryingamountsandvoidsofthedoublefinesif

appliedorportionsthereofwhereapplicable.

Progresstodate: IThasprovidedprojectmanagementforthiseffort. Thishasrequiredprogramming

onboththeAutochalksystemandtheAS400aswellascomprehensiverepetitivetestingtomakethe

interfacesuccessful. Newreportsandmenuoptionshavebeenaddedtofacilitatetheprocessingof

thesevoids.

One

last

issue

remains

outstanding.

We

are

awaiting

afix

from

BAI

for

an

AS400

program.

(FD)RoamSecureIThasbeenrequestedtoprovideprojectmanagementforthisproject. Roam

SecureisaCitizenAlertSystemforwhichtheFireDepartmenthassuccessfullybeenawarded$40,000in

grantmoney.