IT Consultant Provides Information to Starke County Commissioners

Posted on December 4, 2019
Author Anita Goodan, WKVI

The Starke County Commissioners are preparing for a large purchase of IT equipment after a consultant’s presentation Monday night.

In October, IT Director Richard Franks presented quotes to the commissioners and the county council during a joint session for Microsoft licenses for the server and infrastructure.  He explained that data storage is nearly out of space and the county needs an additional host for virtual servers.  The current unit is not expandable.

At the time, a quote from Dell for the upgrade would be about $60,000 with another $40,000 for licenses.

During that meeting, Commissioner Kathy Norem suggested that an independent consultant come in and offer an assessment.  She also thought a 10-year technology plan should be devised so government officials can see what kind of expenses could be anticipated each year.

Kyle Oakley, an IT consultant from Golden Tech in Valparaiso, told the commissioners this week that there is a need for the equipment previously proposed by Franks.  The problem the county faces is time as the end-of-life of Windows 7 looms on Jan. 14, 2020.

“Microsoft will no longer provide patches or security updates for those versions of the operating system which for most organizations means that your risk inherently goes up immediately the moment that day comes because those vulnerabilities can be exploited by malicious threats,” said Oakley.

Oakley was asked to review quotes from Dell and put together a proposal to see what can be done for the county that’s cost-effective.  He was also asked to provide a quote for consultant fees to create a technology plan so the commissioners can plan for any large purchases down the line.  Oakley said an initial cost would be about $1,500, but will provide a formal contract during commissioners’ next meeting on Dec. 16.

Also during the meeting on Dec. 16, the commissioners will present an additional appropriation request to the county council in order to purchase the needed equipment out of the Cumulative Capital Development Fund.