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Fairfield County IT director outlines cybersecurity upgrades, cautious approach to AI
Summary
IT Director Daniel Neeley told commissioners the county is replacing outdated security cameras and badge scanners, centralizing print management, conducting penetration testing and has a 30-day cloud retention policy for camera footage; he said the county is evaluating Microsoft Copilot but has not fed internal data into public AI systems.
Daniel Neeley, Fairfield County’s IT director, briefed the Board of Commissioners on efforts to strengthen the county’s cyber defenses and cautiously evaluate artificial intelligence tools.
Neeley told commissioners the county has identified numerous legacy security cameras and badge readers that can no longer receive software patches and requires replacement. He said the county stores camera footage in the cloud with a 30-day retention period in accordance with the IT department’s records-retention schedule and is centralizing print management because networked printers can present security risks.
The presentation described recent infrastructure upgrades, including new firewalls and refreshed hardware across county systems, and routine external penetration testing to surface vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. Neeley said these steps improve both security posture and system-wide management.
Commissioner Jeff Fix asked whether activity flagged in system reports reflected malicious attempts or normal operations. Neeley replied most data reflects routine daily use, while a subset of items is flagged for further review.
On artificial intelligence, Commissioner Steve Davis asked about use of Microsoft 365 Copilot. Neeley said the county has not intentionally fed internal organizational data into public AI systems and is working with a Microsoft partner to assess options; he added some Copilot offerings can operate in a closed environment when configured that way.
The briefing closed with Neeley emphasizing ongoing staff and countywide cybersecurity training and peer collaboration through conferences and professional networks as key parts of a proactive strategy.
