Municipal IT Collaboration

MUNICIPAL IT COLLABORATION

Making IT Work:Modernizing Local Government with Information Technology

October 18, 2016

IT CollaborationCities and towns are increasingly working together to enhance their IT capacity and knowledge-base. Whether it’s sharing personnel or services between cities and towns, or between municipal and school departments, communities are finding value in collaboration. But while collaboration can provide benefits to all parties involved there are different approaches and steps communities can take to make it work. Join this breakout to learn from panelists who have taken collaborative approaches to municipal IT and can speak to its benefits, challenges and steps to success.

Moderator/Panelists

Town of Foxborough and Public Schools Joint I.T Operations

• What has happened?• Connect

• How it happened?• Communicate

• How it works?• Collaborate

• How do you overcome barriers?• Stakeholder Involvement, Manage Expectations

• Lessons for others• Celebrate Accomplishments

The Town of Foxborough and Public Schools consists of twenty Municipal Departments, three Elementary Schools, one Middle School

and one High School.The J.I.T Department Supports Approximately 600 Staff Members and

2,700 Students and over 5000 Devices.

What has happened - Connect Next generation government offices and classrooms are full of technology and encourage collaboration

Municipal Government Developing Technology

• Online Bill Payment

• Online Permitting

• Web and Internet Presence

• GIS Information Systems

• Public Safety Reporting

• Water Management Systems

• Online Collaboration

• Professional Development

Strained municipal budgets create challenges as municipalities work to maintain existing service levels while facing new service demands, regulations and the need for additional technology … to adequately respond to contemporary needs. (Foxborough Master Plan, PG. 4.1)

EducationDeveloping Technology

• Online Collaboration

• Interactive Learning

• Online Student Assessment

• Web and Internet Presence

• Data Analysis

• Educational Operations

• Library Systems

• Food Service

• Emergency Notification

Identify Organizational Commonalities

How It Happened ? - Communicate Municipal and Educational Plans Identify Organizational Needs

• Wireless Coverage and Capacity

• Network Bandwidth

• Internet Bandwidth

• Productivity

• Software Self Service

• Cloud Computing and Access

• Internet and Web Presence

• Mobile Technology

• Telephone, Remote and Desk Side Support

• Budget Development

• Inter-Municipal Agreements

• Service Level Agreements

• Scope of Services

• Request Prioritization

• Workflow

• Hours of Support

• After Hours Support

Identify Organizational Needs Coordinate and Support

Schools Strategic Plan

Town Master Plan

How It Happened ? - Communicate Coordinate and Support

Service Level AgreementsScope of Services Assessments

Municipal & School technology plans and articles are submitted annually . These incremental investments ensure adequate device and software refresh cycles. Department's Budget for Proprietary Hardware and Software

Budget

How It Works? - CollaborateTechnology Steering Committee

The Town of Foxborough and Foxborough Public Schools have Technology Steering Committees comprised of key stakeholders from Town Departments. The Committees meets regularly. Community leaders, and parents are invited to meet with the Steering Committees to provide ongoing community involvement and provide feedback on the technology. Outreach to local business partners in support of technology initiatives is ongoing.

The purpose of the Technology Steering Committee is as follows: • To examine our current technology systems and how they are used• To provide guidance and act as a think tank for issues/challenges that arise as part of infusing technology • To identify strengths and needs (i.e., deployment of mobile devices, software, technology resources)• To prioritize those needs and set goals for the future

Town of Foxborough and Public Schools Joint I.T Operations

• How do you overcome barriers?• Communication, Stakeholder Involvement, Manage Expectations and Plan for

the Future

• Lessons for others• Communicate Solutions and Celebrate Accomplishments

Aaron HyreDirector of TechnologyTown of Foxborough and Public [email protected]

Questions or Comments?

Barre/Rutland Regional IT: What have we done?

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Barre/Rutland Regional IT: What makes IT work?

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What Does Collaboration Look Like?• Simple conversations within your community• Shared services and resources within your communities• Simple conversations with neighboring communities• Regular regional gatherings and information sharing• Regional shared services• Regional shared staffing

Collaborative Efforts Across the State• Conway / FRCOG Best Practices Effort• Western Mass IT Group• South Shore IT Group• Shared serviced in Hampshire County• Shared resources in Central Mass• Metro West IT Group?

Community Compact Opportunities• Best Practice Program• Strategic Planning• Transparency & Data Standards• Business Continuity• Citizen Engagement

• Efficiency and Regionalization Grant Program• Round 1 applications due November 15th

• IT Grant Program• Applications accepted in March

Recent Community Compact Work

Resources• MASS.GOV/CCC• MASS.GOV/MASSIT/OMST