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Westminster IT outlines Cybersecurity, cloud licensing and service priorities in 2025 budget briefing
Summary
Information technology staff described an 18% budget increase for 2025 driven largely by software subscriptions and cloud consumption, outlined cybersecurity investments funded by a state grant and announced a new project manager position.
Information technology leaders told Westminster City Council on Monday that the city's IT budget for 2025 rises about 18% and that most of the increase reflects higher subscription and cloud costs rather than new head count.
Chris Lindsay, assistant city manager, introduced the department presentation and Monica Thoreau, information technology director, told council the IT department supports “every single 1,100 plus city employees” and provides software and hardware across public safety, utilities, parks and other operations.
Thoreau said the department will hire its first dedicated project manager in 2025 to coordinate a slate of upcoming projects, including technology needs for multiple new city buildings. She said IT will also stand up a new utility cybersecurity analyst role and proceed with a CrowdStrike implementation funded by a state OIG grant. “The licenses are funded at the highest tier in a prospect offering covering all influence of the prospect,” Thoreau said while describing the grant-funded deployment for endpoint detection and response.
Staff provided several cost figures: Microsoft 365 licensing and consumption is now budgeted at about $1.2 million, Azure cloud usage at roughly $140,000, and the department logged nearly 8,000 help tickets in 2024. Priorities listed for 2025 include completing multi-factor authentication migration, replacing VPN software and firewall platforms, expanding wireless access across city facilities, upgrading audio-visual equipment in conference rooms and completing a website refresh and new 311/pothole reporting tools.
Councilors asked about long-running enterprise software JD Edwards and whether the city would replace or modernize it; Thoreau said the city will study ERP replacement options to determine whether to keep JD Edwards or move to another system. Several councilors also probed licensing cost pressure and multiyear contract strategies to manage subscription price increases.
What’s next: Thoreau said the department will pursue planned security rollouts and present additional details on larger enterprise projects and timelines to council during the budget process. The CrowdStrike deployment is grant funded for 2025 and staff said they expect a discount should the city choose to continue after the grant year.
