Information Technology

Provides efficient, responsive services that enhance the quality of life, meet common needs, and promote a safe and healthy community.

The Information Technology Department (ITD) is focused on providing responsive, secure and resilient technology services to our highly valued business customers so that they, in turn, can provide excellent service to the citizens of Escambia County.

ITD is a driven, 24/7 technology services, solution and infrastructure support department for the Board of County Commissioners, Constitutional Officers and Article V agencies. (Offices of the Florida 2nd Judicial Circuit's Public Defender, State Attorney, Circuit Court).

ITD will provide and maintain robust and secure employee internet access and e-mail for BCC employees, Tax Collector, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, the State Attorney and Public Defender throughout the 1st Judicial Circuit.

ITD will maintain secure network file and storage systems and provide overall network security including firewalls, e-mail filtering, virus protection, intrusion detection and prevention and network access controls.

ITD will provide wireless access to employees at all County facilities and guest wireless access for emergency operations center responders and media.

ITD will provide secure and reliable public wireless access to 19 Community Centers and 20 Community Parks.

ITD will support over 250 virtual servers, 150 network switches and routers, 75 business systems and 40 desktop applications.

ITD will support and maintain over 3000 laptops, desktops, tablets, 1300 mobile devices, 300 printers and copiers, along with various software for all BCC employees.

ITD will deploy, maintain, troubleshoot, and upgrade business systems for all County departments and divisions by employing collaborative business intelligence to support and facilitate efficient, cost-effective and innovative business solutions.

ITD will provide 24x7 Network /Infrastructure /Application emergency support to Escambia County.

ITD will provide both VoIP and legacy telephone services to the Board, Constitutional Officers, and Article V agencies (Offices of the Florida 2nd Judicial Circuit's Public Defender, State Attorney, Circuit Court).

Maintain the County’s websites and domains to ensure they remain secure, functional, responsive, and up to date by managing updates, resolving technical issues, and supporting a consistent, accessible online presence.

The Service Delivery Division will provide accurate inventory and asset management of network and computer hardware and devices.

ITD is responsible for disaster recovery support services for all ??? business data.

Vision

• To provide added value to our business partners by delivering innovative, customer-centric, secure and resilient technology services and solutions, through a Shared Vision, a Shared Purpose, and with a Shared Responsibility.

Guiding Principles

• We are customer-driven and focused on the business needs and requirements of our county business partners and stakeholders.
• We will achieve Safety Excellence by actively participating in Safety First values.
• We will perform our jobs utilizing our Core Values of integrity, trust, ethical behavior at all times, and accountability for the services we provide.
• We will assist our business partners with their technological needs in a responsive, empathetic and innovative manner.
• We will make it easy for our business partners to do business with us by actively listening and embracing the principles of change management.
• We will be reliable, responsive and focus on delivering the desired results that make a positive difference in the business delivery matrix, always placing our customers’ needs at the top of desired IT business outcomes.
• We will value and invest in our talented team members who are the foundation of our success.
• We will promote collaboration, transparency, and embrace change in a positive and proactive manner sensitive to the needs and requirements of our business partners.
• We will prioritize, conduct periodic assessments of our expenditures to ensure value and need, and respect financial constraints of the organization and taxpayers to fulfill our mission while we identify critical needs and goals to protect and safeguard our vital assets.

In Fiscal Year 2025 - 2026, the Information Technology Department (ITD) will be working on its own internal processes and procedures to improve the services offered to the ECBCC and other Constitutionals.

ITD will continue to enhance the use of Office 365 products to build upon efficiency and explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools within the cloud platform.

ITD will continue to enhance and investigate the use of Manage Engine ITIL service desk solution to setup effective Service Level Expectations so we can better serve our customers.

ITD will explore the expanded use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in all ITD network and security tools to leverage this technology in a safe, innovative, and ethical manner.  

ITD will explore the creation of an IT Governance Council to promote oversight, collaboration and transparency within the County organization.

The Infrastructure Division will implement Disaster Recovery as a service to minimize downtime in the event of a disaster.

The Networking Division will continue to replace all end-of-life network equipment with new network equipment within existing budgeted resources.

ITD will continue to work on enhancing the Wi-Fi capability at all County facilities employing devices and boosters.

ITD Security team will continue to enhance the security posture of the BCC and other Constitutionals offices through collaboration, expansion of proactive security activities, and consistent and effective monthly communications.

The Service Delivery Division will pursue timely cyclical replacement of end-of-life user devices with a 5-year refresh model within budgeted financial and staffing resources.

ITD will be open and transparent with all stakeholders, business partners, constitutional offices and other County IT leaders and will communicate regularly and consistently in a trusted and unifying manner.

PEOPLE AND CULTURE

• Our team has been incident free for the year.
• Our team continues to improve the Information Technology organizational structure.

EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS

• Information Technology has done an effective job of leveraging technology to meet our customers’ business needs.
• Increased our Internet Wide Area Network (WAN) connection to support the increased load from work from home Virtual Private Network (VPN) users.
• Continue improving the Multi-Function Authentication (MFA) on all County IDs, VPN Connectivity, and applications to increase our Security posture.
• Business Analyst Engagement: Monthly collaboration meetings have commenced between our Business Analyst and each department to better understand and align with departmental needs and priorities.
• New ITD Library Staffing and Services Model: A revised ITD support model for the County Library system has been successfully implemented to enhance service delivery and streamline support.
• Cloud Migrations Completed:
  • The organization's website has been fully migrated from on-premise infrastructure to a secure and scalable cloud environment.
  • Our IT ticketing system has also transitioned to a cloud-based platform, improving reliability and accessibility.
• EMS Equipment Upgrade: IT deployed 40 new tablets to EMS teams, replacing outdated devices and supporting new crew expansions.
• Beulah Fire Station Setup: Complete network setup and device deployment were successfully completed for the new Beulah Fire Station, ensuring readiness from day one.
• Printer/Copier Upgrades: Approximately 60 aging networked printers and copiers across the organization were upgraded, improving efficiency and reducing maintenance issues.

CYBERSECURITY

• The IT Security Governance Team will continue to meet monthly to discuss a wide range of important and trending cyber security issues.

* Benchmark Sources - A variety of technical reporting sources; Robert Half and Gartner Group

For additional information please see our interactive reports here