Ventura County Grand Jury • 1996-1997

Evaluation of Ventura County’s Information Technology Systems

8 pages

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Findings 10 findings

Departmental application Development Standards and management Guide- lines, 7195.

Network AccessP olicy, 10/95.

Internet Policy, 11/95.

Electronic Mail Policy, 1 l/95.

LAN and LAN Services Standards and Management Guidelines, 12/95.

Information Technology Strategy, 1196. Information Technology Strategy, 10/96, Rev 1.

Technology-Based Information Systems Policy, 4/96.

Centralized Host Systems, 4196.

Employee Technology Use Policy, 7/96. Employee Technology Use Policy, 9/96, Rev 1.

F10

Interim Five Year Projection, 7/96. Five Year Plan Update and Financing Plan, 9/96, Rev 1. Although these documents are subject to revision, they have been widely dlssemi- nated throughout various county agencies. In the November 1996 meeting, the ITC made a proposal to seek a Microsoft Variable Select Agreement Pricing and the Novell Licensing Purchase Program to take advantage of the volume discount for its software needs. If approved, the county will be making another step towards desktop software and network operat- ing systems standardization by their licensing commitments with Miaosoft and Novell. Furthermore, maintenance contracts for Groupwise (mall software) and Netware (network operating system) were also discussed at the meeting. Data on PC survey The PC inventory results from a survey initiated by the Board of Supervisors and carried out by the CAO. In a memorandum dated November 6,1996, from the CA0 to the Board of Supervisors, the county-wide personal computer/terminal/printer inventory revealed the following results:

Recommendations 4

R1

The Board of Supervisors/CA0 should provide the funding required to retrofit the Data Center In order to position itself to accommodate the modernization program. Furthermore, the funding source for the five-year technology plan should be identified for the out-years so that the county and ISD can focus on the goals as set forth by the ITC. Z. We feel it is important to ensure that employees use standard procedures in doing their jobs and to arm them with proper training. In addition to offering training courses, the county should conduct specialized, in-house technology trainings for new software systems and job related tasks. We feel any in-house trainings should be provided by either ISD or the computer user’s group (DISAC). .~
R3

The county should replace its inventory of computer terminals with PC workstations and run a terminal emulation program on these PCS. .- %. Each agency in the county should strive to develop/generate their own expertise to interface at a technical level with ISD in information technology. These -- technological teams would be more proactive rather than responsive to infor- mation technology issues in meeting and optimizing inter-department require- ments. Immediate attention needs to be devoted to the year 2000 reprogram- ming effort ,-
R5

Several agencies are inundated with data and the demand for data. The county -_ should look into a document imaging system which will store and retrieve data -,_ in an efficient manner. In today’s state-of-art technology, nobody likes to get information tomorrow. Information must be provided “on-line,” if not at “real- .._ time.” To provide for the creation and the maintenance of information to be ,- made “on-line,” the CA0 should identify a county Data Base Administrator. This person would coordinate the design and implementation of a financial/ personnel, land base/GIS, medical, and social service databases.
R6

The facilities under which the Public Social Servlce Agency operates are in need - of improvement in order to carry out its role as provider of public social service. Futhennore, the agency’s antiquated eligibility determination process is labori- ous and error-prone. Although state and federal regulations have literally _. choked the agency’s will to bring changes, some improvements can be made at _. the local level. The agency needs to improve its infrastructure and equipment. The PSSAs ites need to have modem electrical and communication wiring and switching to go with its modernization plan.