Council authorizes cloud-based system migration after cyber-incident concerns

Kingsford Heights councilors voted on Nov. 10 to pursue a cloud-based migration of the town’s Keystone systems, citing repeated cyber intrusions and a recent attempted fraudulent wire transfer that affected local grant-closing operations.

Staff outlined the proposed costs: a $48,000 initial conversion charge (split across departments), an annual $25,000 subscription and an additional implementation fee of about $22,000 that the vendor said could be reduced or waived depending on how quickly data are provided. Council members discussed dividing the cost among utilities and general-fund lines; one councilor said a $12-per-department set-aside could cover the town’s share over time.

The clerk argued cloud hosting would reduce the need for local server maintenance and mitigate hacking risks; she described recent incidents in which email accounts were compromised and an instruction to wire $581,000 was identified as fraudulent. Supporters said the investment would reduce ongoing IT problems and decrease reliance on manual reconciliation.

Council moved and seconded to proceed with the cloud transition through the vendor discussed (Keystone). Several members asked staff to confirm whether Baker Tilly or other outside contractors would still be needed for year-end audits and budgets if the town migrates; the clerk said cloud operations could reduce outside services but recommended retaining some budget help during the transition.

The council approved the motion to pursue cloud migration and directed staff to return with final contract terms for vendor onboarding.