New equipment needed for County network
Protection and prevention is the first priority for Polk County’s technology committee.
In light of recent network mishaps, they agreed to upgrade various aspects of their network. Polk County’s IT director David Smith offered a list of update priorities, and with money already set aside, the group is seeking bids on the various parts they need.
“The first priority is going to be updating the network infrastructure, so we don’t have problems like we did,” Smith said. “My plan is to, in phases, replace these switches because they are expensive.”
Elderly and weak switchesa core part of the network’s infrastructure- were a catalyst an the internet shutdown at the Sheriff’s office, the Animal Control office, along with a significant portion of the county’s network.
Each switch supplies network to numerous computers all over the county, so dying or faulty switches can leave employees incapable of work.
The switch presented during the meeting was manufactured as early as 2005.
“If one of those (the core switches) fails, it’s like having a cardiac arrest,” Smith said. “My proposal is to get rid of these blue ones, buy new switches, and connect everyone direct route to us.”
There are other small items on the priority list, but the switches and firewall are the most urgent.
“Number two is our firewall,” Smith explained. “The firewall is our heart. That lets our internet in and out and keeps the bad guys out.”
The firewall differs in price depending on how advanced and capable it is, but with Smith still collecting bids, he is unsure yet which route to go. Smith discussed a timeline and sees the group purchasing the new technology sometime in August.
“The money’s there, the purchase is approved, the CIP’s approved, it’s just a matter of ordering the equipment,” County Manager Matt Denton said.
Georgia Smart Communities Challenge
The Technology committee previously competed in the communities challenge to seek the ‘Smart Community Grant,’ and their results were shared during the June 19 meeting.
The group stated they would use the grant to install blue-light emergency phones across the county, but the idea didn’t win them the contest.
Attached to the ground, the solar-powered phones would offer those in need a direct line with the police, and the machine could emit a blue light to help officers locate the caller. Locations such as the Silver Comet trail were potential candidates for the phones.
Georgia Smart offered to call with the group to discuss their idea and why it wasn’t accepted, and the committee seemed interested in the feedback.
“Because I am the lead contact for this, they have reached out to me,” commissioner Jose Iglesias said. “I have shared this email with Matt and asked him that this phone call take place here in his office. We can see what they have to say and take it from there.”
County Website Redesign
The committee spoke briefly on the new county website, and how to make it accessible while still aesthetically pleasing was the main concern. While taking text off the front page makes it less cluttered and easier to look at, it means visitors have to do more searching and digging for the information they want.
The inclusion of drop boxes seemed to interest the group, but it’s unclear how the website will end up looking when it’s ready.