BN 2019/21 Adopted Budget

Information Technology Department

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

The Information Technology (IT) Department consists of two divisions: Information Systems and Telecommunications.


The Information Systems (IS) Division identifies and delivers solutions which enhance the capabilities, facilitate the efficiency, and support the decision-making process of city government. The Information Systems Division provides a wide range of technology services including systems hardware, software, telephony, systems analysis/design, IT project management, data/information security, and end-user helpdesk support.


The Telecommunications Division is known externally as Ashland Fiber Network (AFN). AFN provides high performance, reliable and cost competitive telecommunication services to the City and citizens of Ashland. The Telecommunications Division is responsible for all the operational activities of AFN. AFN works in partnership with local Internet Service Providers (ISP) to offer a wide selection of value added services to the community.

Information Technology Divisions

Information Systems Division

Information Systems Division, or IS, employs 8.5 FTE who are responsible for network infrastructure, systems analysis, personal productivity/communications systems, technical support and systems administration.


The IS Division is responsible for network design, installation, and support and has primary responsibility for network communications throughout the City, including: fiber optic links between City sites, network wiring, wireless networking, internet access, and mobile data networks for safety personnel and first-responders. In addition, the Division supports and maintains the City’s email, telephone, and voicemail systems.


The IS Division includes the City’s IT Help Desk. The IT Help Desk provides remote and onsite technical support for a range of applications and technologies. The IS Division supports the entire information lifecycle, from requirements definition to systems design, through information creation/collection/sharing, communications, data security/recovery, and replacement/maintenance.


IS administers and maintains the City’s business systems, database applications, data center operations, data storage, information security operations, and disaster recovery preparedness. The IS division is responsible for technology and security policy development, establishing organizational technology standards, central coordination of IT procurement, technology inventory. The Department works with other departments on the deployment of new services. In addition, IS provides limited back up customer service and technical support for Ashland Fiber Network (AFN).


Goals

  • Installation of a new VoIP telephone system across all sites (June 30th, 2019)
  • Migration of all Windows 7 workstations to Windows 10 (December 31st, 2019)
  • Replacement and Testing of Backup/Recovery System (August 1, 2019)
  • Employee Security Awareness Training (September 1, 2019)
  • Completion of In-Depth Critical Infrastructure Security Assessment with Department of Homeland Security (July 2019)

Accomplishments

  • Via an intergovernmental agreement, provided IT technical support services to the City of Talent for 9 months, while they had no IT staff.
  • Deployed 13-15 new building-security cameras for various departments, installed fire monitoring watershed camera, Skate Park camera, Public Art Camera
  • Eliminated Telecom Technician position (0.5 FTE) and began using contractors for all network cabling and advanced telephone tech support.
  • Administered system updates, security patches, and version upgrades on 94 internal production systems.
  • Risk Management Data Security Review/Assessment
  • Procured and configured a mobile bank of laptops that can be quickly deployed in either a Training Room or an Emergency Operations Center scenario.
  • Worked with AFN to re-engineer the network connection that Ashland Police Department uses for their law-enforcement connectivity to Medford PD and ECSO Dispatch Center. This reduced costs while improving performance.
  • Expanded the network to include secure wireless networking in all City buildings.
  • The Information Systems security team assisted the Ashland Police Department and Municipal Courts by implementing information security enhancements and participating in the on-site CJIS audit by Oregon State Police.
  • Implemented new automation tools for software deployment to streamline updates, deliver security patches, and expedite remote software distribution to City PCs.

Performance Measures

  • On Track to Close 7,692 Help Desk Support Requests (Biennium)
  • On Track to Complete 500 IT Related Purchases for Departments (Biennium)
  • 34% Increase in User Support Ticket Completion Rate (2018-2019)

Telecommunications Division (Ashland Fiber Network)

The Telecommunication Division provides high-speed, robust, broadband telecommunication services to residential, commercial, health care and educational customers in the Ashland area. Services are offered directly through the Telecommunications Division (AFN) or through retail partners. Approximately 4,200 homes and businesses rely on AFN for all the right connections.


AFN presently has nine cable modem service levels enabling customers to select the service level that best fits their needs. AFN does not differentiate between residential and business accounts. All customers pay the same rate. AFN’s direct fiber service provides connections up to 1 Gigabit per second, with 99.9% connection availability, and 24/7 local technical support. AFN also offers up to 24Mbps wireless service via a tower serving residential customers living outside the urban growth boundary.


Cable TV is provided to the community through a lease agreement between AFN and a local retail partner. The cable TV signals transit AFN’s network. AFN is responsible for the maintenance and compliance of the network along with performing hot-connects and disconnects for TV installations and responding to majority of the cable TV service calls. The City data network transits through AFN connections as the City government operation relies on the Telecommunications Division for critical connectivity. AFN’s facilities include a combination of 119 miles of coaxial network and 25 miles of fiber on 1,750 utility poles or buried in underground conduits. AFN’s outside plant includes 40 optical nodes and more than 1,000 amplifiers, power supplies and other active devices. AFN’s Headend and Network Operations Center is configured with industry standard equipment. With the recent upgrade of the Headend, the current internet bandwidth capacity is now 20 Gigabits. AFN continues to provide competitive services to our customers and to create valuable products and services for our community.


In addition, the Telecommunications division provides network infrastructure for the City of Ashland and limited back up technical support for the Information Systems department.


Goals

  • Continue to improve customer service and system reliability
  • Increase the total number of subscribers by 10 percent.
  • Increase revenue 4 percent (per industry forecasts).
  • Continue to achieve industry standard performance benchmarks for the following areas:
  • Service interruptions caused by node issue.
  • Customer outages corrected the same day.
  • New customer connects within 2 business days.
  • Network latency.
  • Network uptime.
  • Facilities inspected % plan completed.
  • Facility remediation.

Accomplishments

  • Moved to 7 days per week installation schedule without additional cost to the city.
  • Installed live-stream webcams (Plaza, Columbia Hotel, etc.).
  • Upgraded wireless access points in the downtown business corridor.
  • Purchased and Installed Adtran equipment.
  • Bandwidth RFP (reduced operating costs, doubled capacity, provides the City with carrier & path diversity). Installed a new Juniper MX-104 with dual hardware routing to increase system reliability and enable the plant edge routers to operate on a common platform. Developed and executed a new AFN marketing strategy/campaign.
  • Doubled subscriber bandwidth at no extra charge to the customer.
  • Completed several fiber, cox, and wireless infrastructure installations.
  • Created and launched a new website.

Performance Measures