Waunakee board approves two-year renewal for managed IT services amid cybersecurity discussion

The Waunakee Village Board approved a two-year renewal with IT Strategies Group (ITSG) for managed IT services during its Aug. 4 meeting.

Staff presented the renewal as a continuation of a relationship that began in 2022 and described the proposed contract as a two-year agreement intended to bridge the village while officials explore potential regional IT partnership options. Presenters said the contract shows a roughly 3% increase in service rates; because the village has added devices that are billed per unit, the overall dollars billed will be higher (presenters described the total-dollar change as roughly an 11% increase driven by added devices).

An ITSG representative told the board that cybersecurity is an urgent municipal concern. “Cybersecurity is everybody's problem,” the representative said, adding that attackers target vulnerabilities regardless of an organization’s size and that municipalities must maintain programs that meet CJIS and other applicable compliance elements. The representative said earlier problems with an expired security certificate had been identified and addressed to prevent future lapses.

Trustees discussed the proposal and asked whether a larger consortium would be beneficial; an IT contractor present said a consortium could help control costs but warned that aligning multiple organizations’ requirements can be challenging. A trustee moved to approve the proposed two-year service agreement and an additional support-services agreement to be reviewed annually; the board approved the motion by voice vote.

The contract renewal is intended to maintain managed IT operations while village staff continue exploratory talks about a regional partnership and continue to monitor cybersecurity requirements for municipal systems.