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Oberlin outlines IT upgrades: new firewall, phone system, backups and cybersecurity monitoring
Summary
City IT Manager Mike Wargo reported recent network upgrades, a new IP phone system, hourly backups with off‑site storage, AI‑based monitoring via ES Consulting, and plans to expand Office 365 licensing and install fiber to the OEAC.
Mike Wargo, Oberlin’s IT manager, briefed council on recent technology upgrades and ongoing work to strengthen network reliability and cybersecurity.
Wargo said the city partnered with ES Consulting to supplement the small in‑house IT staff. Recent work included installing a new firewall, replacing legacy network switches with managed switches, adding a fiber Internet connection provided by the Oberlin Cable Coop (keeping the previous North Coast Wireless link as backup), migrating on‑premises Exchange email to Microsoft Office 365 mail, and replacing a 15–20 year‑old phone system with a new IP‑based system installed by Warwick.
Wargo described cybersecurity improvements: endpoint protection on all devices, email filtering via Mimecast, a DNS filter to block suspicious sites, hourly backups of critical servers to a local backup/disaster recovery (BDR) device and daily off‑site replication to ES Consulting, and 24/7 monitoring by ES Consulting’s network and security operation centers. He said the firm’s AI detection has locked devices and notified staff during suspected incidents and that backups are validated by personnel at the vendor.
Council members asked operational questions. Council Member Lopez asked whether council members could use the new phone app and dedicated extension numbers instead of personal cell numbers; Wargo said the city can provision extensions and direct‑in‑dial (DID) numbers and that the app must be running for calls to ring. Council Member New asked about the Office 365 rollout timeline; Wargo estimated licensing and fuller Office 365 deployment within the next few months. Wargo also said the city is exploring installing its own fiber line to the OEAC (Open Enrichment Activity Center) and estimated a 2–3 year cost recovery period if installed.
Wargo said backups occur at least once an hour, validated off‑site daily, and that ES Consulting maintains a secured locked backup for long‑term storage. Several council members thanked Wargo for his work; no formal council action was taken on the report.
