August 2010 - State of the Art IT for Small Cities
1. State of the Art IT for Small Cities Tim Howell Information Services Director City of South Padre Island
2. Agenda Introduction Objectives Business Culture Key Areas of Focus Technology Terminology Alternative Funding & Solutions State of the Art IT in Action Further Education
3. Introduction Technology Consultant Municipal Experience City of Hutto City of South Padre Island Awards TAGITM Project Excellence Award (2007) Best of Texas Excellence in Project Delivery (2008) 5 Website Awards (2008-2009) Affiliations Toastmasters Project Management Institute Texas Association of Governmental IT Managers 2009 State of Texas Information Technology Strategic Advisory Committee 2010 TML General Government Committee
5. Objectives Any organization can be a technology innovator. Technology does not have to be expensive. Technology provides us with the tools to do our jobs… Cheaper Faster Better
6. Business Culture Making Technology a priority Review Process Big Projects vs. Small Projects Collaborate Internal External Create a Culture of Technology Innovation
8. Culture of Technology Innovation Make technology training mandatory and provide certificates of achievement. Provide a channel to provide ideas and comments without being criticized. Require everyone to use technology and participate in activities that require innovative thought. -Recognize Achievements of All Sizes-
18. Technology Terminology On-Premise / Traditional Mobile Technology Shared Technology Green Technology Free / Freemium Web 2.0 / Gov 2.0 Open Source Software as a Service (SaaS) Cloud Computing
20. Cloud Computing Benefits Available Anytime and Anywhere Easy to Deploy New Applications Low Cost and Easy to Expand No Servers Required On Premise Support and Maintenance Included Try with Minimal or No Investment
21. Cloud Computing Drawbacks Security and Ownership Concerns Requires Access to the Internet Ability to Customize and Integrate Minimal Government Solutions http://www.Apps.gov http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/government/index.html
22. Alternative Funding Cost Avoidance Energy Efficiency Process Improvement Organizational Structure Beta Testing / Piloting Sell your agency Don’t be afraid to try Free and Cheap Solutions
23. Alternative Solutions Open Source Cloud Computing Software as a Service Out of the Main Stream Shared Equipment Collaboration Departmental Other Agencies Don’t forget the ROI Non-Departmental Exciting vs. Effective One size does not fit all
25. City of Hutto Overview Growth Fastest in the State from 2000 - 2008 2000 Population – 1205 2008 Popluation – 17,000+ Staff Approximately 80 Full Time Employees IT Division Started in Fiscal Year 2007 Hired Second IT Employee in 2008 Technology Committee IT Budget 2007 - $98,080 2008 – $286,931 2009 – $219,700 2010 – $191,056 (Estimated)
26. Thin Clients and Terminal Services Overview Pros Ease of Administration Reduced Electricity Costs Longer Life Expectancy Improved Security Cons Limited Functionality Knowledgeable IT Staff Staff Perceptions
27. Web 2.0 / Gov 2.0 Improvements Improved City Website User Friendly Handheld Device Access Submit Questions and Requests Online Crime Tracking and Case Entry Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Utility and Ticket Payments Calendar of Events Notifications Newsletters Job Postings Facebook (454) Twitter (520) Flickr Mayor Blog
28. City of Hutto Public Safety Public Safety Hand Held Ticket Writers Interfaces Court Application Records Management System Police Car Access Broadband Cards Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (TLETS)Integration Secure FTP
29. City of Hutto Projects Other Major Projects Automated Meter Reading Serial Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) on City Water Towers Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) Phones Microsoft Enterprise Agreement Centralized IT Infrastructure
30. City of Manor – QR Codes What are QR Codes? Benefits Real Time Info Engage Community Physical Hyperlinks Uses Capital Project Information Facility Reservations City Information Future Uses…
31. City of Manor – Manor Labs What is Manor Labs Purpose Innovation Engagement Collaboration Platform Process http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swgcNNv2cOA&feature=player_embedded
35. Further Education Government Technology Magazine Texas Association of Government Information Technology Managers Blogs www.TimHowell.net www.GovFresh.com
36. Questions and Comments Thank You, Tim Howell Information Services Director City of South Padre Island http://www.TimHowell.net
Editor's Notes
Ask for specific expectations. Ask to think about problems that they face in their organizations so that we can discuss at the end.
Has your organization made technology a priority? What are some of the things that your organization has done recently or plan to do around technology?How many City Managers or aspiring City Managers are in the class. An understanding of technology will play a crucial role in the field of City Management going forward.
My goals is for you to believe the following three statements by the end of this session.By providing you with the information to backup these statements you can feel confident in making technology a priority.Technology for the sake of technology is often a waste of time and money. Well placed and planned technology can transform an organization.
Make technology a priority be investing the necessary time and money.Review Processes-Cross Training and Outside Opinion-We often look to big technology projects to solve all of our problemsbecause it is easier to see the result and that is what people sell.-Small project often have a much higher return on investment and are much easier to put into place-FTP Website ExampleCollaborate-Develop a central committee or person that approves the purchase of all technology to prevent overlap and incompatibilities-Identify needs together not in individual departments-Look for external resources and shared projects-Give Datacenter example and talk about why virtualization is important and how it flows over.
Identify the problemResearch the technology and evaluate the cost vs. benefitBudget and PurchaseImplement and TrainEvaluate the EffectivenessMost people start at the procuring stage with little research and without ever identifying the need. Thus we buy things that are not necessarily a top priority or provide the biggest ROI. We also cut off at the evaluation stage. Many people own a lot of great technology but never get it fully implemented. This can happen from taking on too many big projects at once or growing too fast. Training is an important step.
Training increases productivity and a minimal amount of technology training can go a long way. I am sure everyone in here has heard the sane “I know enough to be dangerous”? That is where you want every person in your organization to be. When people understand technology and its capabilities they are more likely to recommend it in situations that will improve operations. One thing you could do is offer a daily or week tech tip.This can be applied to every area in the organization. Ideas are useless if they are not shared and acted upon. There needs to be a safe and comfortable way for ideas to be shared and discussed. You can also take it a step further and provide incentives for providing ideas.You may have to push people out of the comfort zones a bit but it is necessary for people to use technology in just about every job and only becoming more of a requirement. People’s first reaction to something they do not understand is often fear and if you can get past that initial fear, the possibilities are endless. The largest growing demographic on Facebook is 35+ and Facebook is a very large and complicated application without any formal training. The people doing the jobs know what it takes to get it done. If you can open their eyes to the possibilities of technology, you have converted everyone of them into functional area business analyst.One more thing and I think it goes without saying but I am going to say it anyway. Recognize ALL achievments of ALL sizes. Be creative and innovative about this. You can create a departmental scoreboard, let others recognize each other, host a monthly luncheon, etc… Most importantly, share stories. Stories provide demonstration and motivation for the desired action.
First with FISMA certificationObtaining Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) certification & accreditation for Google Apps is critical to our US federal government customers, who must comply with FISMA by law. All customers – both public and private sector – benefit from this governmental review and certification of our security controls.
13,000 Website Discount
Lets start off with a case study.
Technology has been around since 1991, and is now being used in an innovative way.Distribute information to the communityOver 2 dozen Fix Mounted Signs and located on City vehicles -Schools -Fire Station -Water Towers -In and Out of the CityFuture Uses -Work Order System -GPS Tracking -ADA
Open Innovation Platform
Have the class members state problems they are currently facing and then facilitate a discussion on solving the problem.