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County IT and dispatch budgets include cybersecurity and radio equipment investments
Summary
Strafford County’s MIS and dispatch budgets reflect increased costs for firewall support, migration to a .gov email domain, and a continuing investment in a new radio system; ARPA funds covered infrastructure while portable radios and subscriber encryption remain to be purchased.
County MIS and dispatch staff told commissioners the 2025 budgets include higher fees and outside‑services costs tied to cybersecurity renewals and radio equipment purchases.
Paul (MIS) reported that support agreements purchased five years ago have expired for items such as the county’s firewall and mail filtering, requiring year‑to‑year support renewals. He said the county is completing an application to move county email to a .gov domain for improved protection and that the firewall logs show large numbers of suspicious requests, reinforcing the need for continued security investments.
Dispatch staff detailed a multi‑year radio upgrade that rebuilt tower infrastructure (funded by ARPA) and now requires purchasing portable subscriber radios for first responders and subscriber encryption. They said the infrastructure work substantially improved portable coverage and that municipalities such as Dover, Summerburg and Rochester would share in equipment upgrades where compatible. Staff noted that vendor quotes and final orders will proceed when funding and cash flow align.
Commissioners asked about timing of federal ARPA disbursements and compatibility with municipal systems; staff said paperwork was complete and federal timing remains the remaining uncertainty. The board agreed to proceed with planning and to receive final procurement details when available.
