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HomeMy WebLinkAboutInformation Services 03-11-98ST. CROIX COUNTY - INFORMATION SERVICES COMMITTEE *!;illll!!mlk h 11, 1998 8:30 A.M. TRAINING/CONFERENCE ROOM - AG CENTER - BALDWIN 8:30 TOUR OF AG CENTER 9:00 CALL TO ORDER DATE OF NEXT MEETING ACTION ON MINUTES INTRODUCTION -AGENDA -OBJECTIVES (RON RAYMOND) 9:15 TUTORIAL TECHNICAL (DAVE SCHATZ) ENVIRONMENTAL (JIM WILLIAMS) HISTORY OF COMPUTER SERVICES (KATHRYN BEUTEL) CURRENT STATUS CONFIGURATION (DAVE SCHATZ) COMPUTER SERVICES MISSION (KATHRYN BEUTEL) STRATEGY (KATHRYN BEUTEL) DEPARTMENTAL STRATEGIES JOHN KRIZEK JOHN BORUP DAN FEDDERLY RICH LONEY TOM BELONGIA - RON VOLKERT DAVE FODROCZI 10:00 THREE.YEAR PROJECTION/STRATEGY TRENDS (DAVE SCHATZ, JIM WILLIAMS, KATHRYN BEUTEL) NEEDS (KATHRYN BEUTEL) STRATEGY (COMPUTER SERVICES STAFF & COMMITTEE MEMBERS) 11:30 ACTION PLAN STRATEGIC ACTIONS ROAD MAP (COMPUTER SERVICES STAFF & COMMITTEE MEMBERS) DOCUMENT 12:30 WRAP-UP ASSIGNMENTS WHO WHEN RESULTS OPERATIONS SPECIALIST POSITION ADJOURN ST. CROIX COUNTY - INFORMATION SERVICES COMMITTEE Long Range Planning Session March 11, 1998 PRESENT: John Borup, Tom Belongia, Dave Fodroczi, Rich Loney, Tim Ramberg for Dan Fedderly, John Krizek, Gerald Peterson, Ron Raymond, Ron Volkert ALSO PRESENT: Tom Dorsey, Jim Jahnke, Ron Kiesler, Kathryn Beutel, Dave Schatz, Mary Vadnais, Jim Williams EXCUSED: Dan Fedderly, Tom O'Connell CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 9:05 a.m. by Chair Ron Raymond and was facilitated by Ron Raymond and Jim Jahnke. INTRODUCTION: Ron Raymond indicated that the purpose of the meeting was to stay focused on Long Range strategies. As the Computer Services Long Range Plan developed in January of 1996 has been implemented in stages, changes have been made that need to be documented. The County computerized system has moved away from a single mainframe computer to a distributed computational system that is networked together. Information is disbursed geographically to areas in the County where processing is needed. The County is also now using open products that interface with each other and has begun the move away from proprietary products. The objectives of the planning session were to develop a document summary of: the current level of computerization within the County and the future plans and needs for computerization. The objectives were to develop a strategic plan for meeting those needs. TUTORIAL: Computer Services staff members Dave Schatz, Jim Williams presented a brief tutorial on the network overview, terminology, networking environment, and the history of the development of Computer Services in St. Croix County. The network overview consisted of hardware components in place necessary to provide the infrastructure of the network, software components including various operating systems and applications, different types of cables used to make the connections between the various computers, network performance issues, and a brief history of the computer industry itself. The networking environment detailed the various servers in place throughout the county and took into consideration cabling, connections, and electrical issues. Workstation ergonomics for County employees was also addressed. The history of the Computer Services department indicated that in 1981 there was no computer automation in St. Croix County and a Computer Study Committee was formed to investigate the possibilities of automating. Operations of the department began in 1983 with a Data Processing manager, the HP3000 mainframe computer, and 6 computer users. The Computer Advisory Committee was created to coordinate and make recommendations on computer acquisitions. As of 1985, two people were on staff in the Data Processing department and 10 microcomputers were purchased to run word processing and spreadsheet software. At that time, all departments were encouraged to utilize standardized software packages. By 1990, the Data Processing staff included 5 positions; there were 118 users and the first UNIX server was installed at Health and Human services for accounts receivable and nursing home records. In 1993, the UNIX server was installed at the new Government Center, and by 1994 there were 250 computer users throughout the County. At the present time, there are 8 staff members in the Computer Services department to provide support for the use of 195 personal computers, 70 terminals, and 140 printers. CURRENT STATUS: Although the HP3000 is still currently in use, as mentioned earlier, the direction is to move away from the centralized processing to a distributed networked system. Computer Services staff are presently supporting 9 different servers and expect to have 12 servers in place by the end of 1998. At that point, we envision that these servers will provide for the processing needs throughout the County and no further separate servers would be purchased, although it may be necessary to upgrade the existing equipment over a period of time. Dave Schatz and Jim Williams presented the current status of the network explaining that St. croix County currently operates on the enterprise network principle meaning that multiple servers operate in multiple networks that are all interconnected to form a wide area network for sharing and managing information. Desktop applications are in use which relieves resources at the server level. Redundancy is built into the servers so that if one hard drive fails in the server, the other hard drive takes over with no loss of data. Also, by using the networked system, data is backed up every night and backup tapes are stored safely offsite. Diagrams were shown detailing how the current network is configured on a hardware basis and also the applications in use by various departments. Kathryn Beutel presented the Computer Services mission statement which reads: The mission of the Computer Services Department is to provide the appropriate computer tools, communications equipment, and technological services to enable County employees to operate at maximum efficiency within affordable technologies while remaining compatible with the operating environment of the networked computer systems. To achieve this mission, it is necessary to develop, support, and maintain the St. Croix County Wide Area Network through the upgrading of current computer hardware and software, and introduce new technologies based on the individual needs of departments within the County while staying consistent with the long range infrastructure. Committee members then presented current concerns and strategies within County departments. Kathryn stated that there are several overall strategies in place within the Computer Services department, one of those being to continue to keep the Computer Services department as a service department, however to keep in mind that controls, standards, and policy need to be in place for efficiency of operation. The other strategy includes the distributed processing system and to provide processing power at the user's desktop based on the competitive market and capabilities of software, again keeping in mind that not all users need full capabilities based on their job duties. Therefore, a further strategy is to provide a networking environment capable of processing user's needs. Strategies also include upgrade plans of hardware and software to stay current in the computer industry. John Krizek addressed the overall needs and strategy of the County and indicated that we need to maintain a bullet proof system with high integrity and provide access to data within every department. We need to utilize training which can provide an increase in productivity for the County. Use the computers for business use for business purposes and disseminate information. We also need to prove and quantify the investment in computers. Due to automation, staffing levels throughout the County remain at the same level as in 1990. Also, within the various systems in place, workloads need to be prioritized with 911 operations being seen as more important than word processing documents. Customer service is designed to reach the majority of users. Public access to information remains a question. John Borup presented the Health and Human Services information and indicated that significant upgrades have taken lace at Health and Human Service concerning hardware, software, cabling, and electrical issues. Immediate issues are replacing the current accounts receivable system and converting the client information system to a Windows platform. Other issues have involved the lack of training to make full use of the C's in [lace to utilize the software to its fullest. Help Desk needs to be accessible and efficient. Other key issues for the County will be application compatibility with upgrades being as issue so that the Latest release is available throughout a department. Need to adopt a standard. Priority setting within Health and Human Services also needs to be addressed as New Richmond staff are key users and present numerous and varied computer requests. Tim Ramberg indicated that the Highway works with two unique entities - those being accounting of labor and equipment and Engineering functions and that two separate networks should be in place. Also, there are state programs and requirements in place that need to be considered. Current CHEMS program developed by the State is being migrated to a Windows platform. Would also like to see Internet access and e-mail to the Government Center. Need to upgrade hardware, software and install a network for the engineering department and tie engineering products to a GIS system. Need to be mobile with information. The Highway needs to remain compatible with the state. Rich Loney - Rich stated that the Finance Department has basic internal needs and is currently in the process of the migrating the payroll to ADP processing and don't expect any disruptions in payroll. With the Fiance Department as a key to the migration of the HP3000, is looking to convert the General Ledger to the ECHO system General Ledger. Expects to run the HP3000 for one quarter of 1999. Ron Volkert and Tom Belongia presented the needs of the Sheriff's Department. There is a need to upgrade and maintain an efficient operation that is comfortable to all employees. Law Enforcement departments overall are looking to replace the current CLUES application, indicating that the server is old and running an obsolete operating system. Sheriff's Department is up to State standard as far as the network is concerned. Training is a necessity - need to be adaptable with training and knowledge base. Dave Fodroczi introduced issues regarding land records management and stated that the GIS database application will ultimately have influence on every computer within the County tying in to any land record.lt will be necessary to convert from the current AutoCad mapping which is basically automated drafting and has no intelligence attached. GIS includes data relative to the location tied to the drawing and if any department works with any information that is tied to a "location", GIS will be instrumental in aiding that search for information. Critical issues to be addressed are system design issues and concepts. The infrastructure of the network and cabling are in good shape, however, there are important issues in database design that need to be confronted and resolved so the information is accessible and integratable. Training is an issue - need to upgrade skills to manage computer usage. Need to consider the cost of data and consider the data itself as an investment. FIVE YEAR PROJECTIONS / STRATEGY: Computer Services staff recommended that this be changed to a three year plan with a review every 6 months to allow for the rapid changes that take place within the computer industry. Dave Schatz and Jim Williams presented computer and networking trends within the computer industry. Dave addressed voice dictation technology, palmtop computers, flat display technology, and wireless technology. Jim indicated that networking trend tend to be the "latest and greatest" and also tend to be high priced at initial release. We need to be realistic about "finding and implementing affordable and advanced technology." There is also an invisible infrastructure in place in the Wide Area Network with the ISDN lines to New Richmond and Baldwin. This allows the County to consider remote connections to the office, keeping in mind that security is an issue and the main goal is maintain the integrity of the system. Kathryn Beutel presented software trends compiled by Annette Massie, Programmer/Analyst in the Computer Services department. Various software packages currently in use by the County have been vendor purchased, especially those of a mission critical nature. The Microsoft Office suite, including Microsoft Word word processing, Excel spreadsheets, and the Access database are currently used by County departments and are also the current standards for the State of Wisconsin. Their recommendations are based on functionality, state installed base of use, industry trends, and market dominance. These products are supported by more independent software vendors which results in a greater selection of integrated products available when the purchase of "off the shelf" software is being considered. There are also powerful database development applications that the County is just beginning to incorporate including MicroSoft Visual Basic and Informix SQL. Mary Vadnais presented Computer Services Operations - Strategic Basis/Needs that were identified by Mary Vadnais, Kim Dupre, and Kathryn Beutel. Mary told the committee that we need to deal with everyday operations but also plan for the future keeping in mind, efficiency, productivity, and control. The basic strategies are: build a strong foundation, use of enterprise networking, share and apply information, system integration, software integration, evolve technologically, introduce software that allows employees to use the best tool for their jobs, training/education, have standards in place - enforce standards set forth, re -engineer daily workflow in individual departments as new systems are implemented, buy the highest performance systems we can to avoid early retirement of equipment, consider net PC's for those users who don't require hardware expandability, create online internal forms for all County computer users, develop strong partnerships with vendors and other counties, Internet access, E-mail communications. Needs that should be recognized and should either be continued or implemented are as follows: disaster recovery plan / networked backup system, continuous training on software and technologies, standards in place, ability to centrally manage the enterprise network, ability to centrally monitor the enterprise network, central physical location of all servers, constant improvement of system performance, asset management system, e-mail for use by all computer users within St. Croix County, budgeting considerations. ACTION PLAN: As a result of this planning session, a document needs to be prepared to feature the history of the development of computer usage within the County and also to forecast the future computer usage and needs of the County. The Computer Services mission will be included in the plan indicating the purpose of computer use in the County and that computers are used as an information system tool. Information gained from a networking database is used to increase productivity. The over -arching strategy will indicate the use of computer services to make the County more productive in providing information to the public. The velocity of information is increasing and can no longer be manually processed. By having digital information, can share and retrieve information and use information to make better decisions. The Committee identified the following as main strategies/needs that should be included in the revised plan: Majority of software needs to purchased off the shelf, database strategy in place, training developed, hire consultants, quantify use of computers, policy in place, e-mail communications, virus protection, data retention, use of Intra-net to share information within County departments, set priorities, purchase of hardware. The ongoing infrastructure will be addressed within the budget process. Department heads are instructed to summarize their departmental needs and concerns with a 2-3 page document. Computer Services will then compile the document as a Long Range Plan for the next three years. OPERATIONS SPECIALIST POSITION: DATE OF NEXT MEETING: April 2, 1998 9:00 a.m. Room 1281, Government Center Respectfully Submitted By: , I 6'���