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Technology services reports staff additions, cybersecurity hire and upcoming projects
Summary
The county’s Technology Services update noted two new hires (including a cybersecurity analyst), ongoing cybersecurity enhancements, infrastructure refresh plans and efforts to move tax software to a hosted environment to reduce overnight upgrade work.
Roy, director of Technology Services, told the board on Feb. 11 that the department finished staffing additions in mid‑December and that the board’s July authorization to add a cybersecurity analyst was implemented.
Roy said county employee counts rose roughly 10% over the previous year, increasing support demand; the department supports about 25 county buildings and has expanded asset counts (cameras, audio systems) even while reducing redundant desktops and laptops. The department logged roughly 300 help-desk tickets per month in 2024.
Key items reported: the cybersecurity analyst will conduct outreach and education (including a Feb. 20 visit to Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch); infrastructure replacement and PC refresh cycles were approved by the board; a new structured long‑distance telephone contract is expected to save the county substantial recurring costs; and the department is exploring hosted options for tax software in collaboration with other counties to reduce overnight upgrade burdens on staff.
Roy noted several ongoing operational challenges: an e‑citation solution used by law enforcement is near end‑of‑life and the county awaits Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) approvals for replacements; one staff member performs many after‑hours upgrade tasks and the county hopes to reduce that workload by shifting to hosted solutions. Roy said vendor negotiations, weekend upgrade work and backup testing consume staff time; the department also manages cell‑phone accounts, Amazon purchasing accounts and other recurring vendor arrangements on behalf of county departments.
No board action was required on the Technology Services update.
