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IT director outlines backups, AI governance and server‑replacement options after audit findings
Summary
IT Director Mac McCoy reported improvements in backups, deployment of a SIEM system, and an AI governance plan; he warned many hypervisors/servers are out of warranty and said a hybrid cloud migration could reduce long‑term costs but would require multi‑year planning and funding.
Mac McCoy, Cowlitz County IT Director, gave a strategic update that covered mission and vision, recent accomplishments, short‑ and long‑term goals and key risks.
McCoy said the county has improved data backups across critical buildings and recently implemented a security information and event management (SIEM) system to aggregate security telemetry. "We do have sustainable backups here at HOJ [Hall of Justice] and admin building," he said, noting further offsite redundancy is planned.
On cybersecurity and AI, McCoy said the department is developing an AI governance framework aligned with the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and preparing to meet state implementation timelines. He also said his team secured grant funding for network segmentation tied to Senate Bill 2014.
McCoy warned that the county's hypervisors and many virtualized servers are out of warranty and that capital‑replacement quotes were unexpectedly large. He recommended a hybrid cloud approach—moving some services to cloud OPEX models while retaining critical systems on local infrastructure—and said full cost estimates and capacity planning are in progress.
The board discussed timelines and budget implications; McCoy said PeopleSoft renewal and Microsoft tenant decisions are upcoming items that will shape IT cost and architecture choices.
