Technology services proposes penetration test and software licensing increases; board asks about repurposing laptops

Clay County Technology Services presented its proposed 2026 budget July 1, flagging rising software-license costs and several new security and hardware requests. The department asked the board to consider a third-party penetration test of internal and external networks at an estimated $40,000 to $45,000 annually (or $40,000/yr on a multi-year term) to identify vulnerabilities, and proposed a secure vendor-access tool, virtualization and server licensing increases, additional video-surveillance hardware funding and ongoing Microsoft and endpoint-license increases.

The technology director also described reclassifying expenses between professional services and software lines, and noted new or growing recurring costs such as Microsoft 365 licensing, remote-support and secure file-transfer software. The department also expects antivirus/per-endpoint costs to increase in 2026 due to state grant adjustments, and said it will review alternatives if costs continue to climb.

Commissioners raised a separate question about repurposing county laptops for public or nonprofit use rather than recycling them; Technology Services said roughly 100–150 laptops cycle out annually and that 30% may be incapable of running current supported operating systems (e.g., Windows 11). The director said hard drives from law-enforcement devices are removed and shredded for security; he offered to return with a policy and cost estimate for wiping and repurposing non-sensitive machines for community groups if the board wishes.

Commissioners also asked how the new cybersecurity staff position (implemented last year) would coordinate with the proposed penetration test; the technology director said the external test would work in coordination with the county's cybersecurity analyst and complement internal defenses. No board vote was taken; the budget requests will be considered in the county's budget process.