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Digital Counties Focus -- Franklin County, Va.

Digital Counties Survey best practices information.

In February of this year, Franklin County, Va. -- population 51,500 -- began moving its offices into a former grocery store that went out of business. The 50,000 square-foot facility helped save money through consolidation of offices, enabling better security, environmental control and handicapped accessibility. Here are some additional highlights of the county's improvements and changes which garnered a top finish in the 2010 Digital Counties Survey:

  • Consolidated server rooms into a data center based on APC InfraStruXure (hot aisle, cold aisle) design which reduced power and cooling requirements and eased management of infrastructure.
  • Extended VoIP implementation to Social Services, reducing phone expenses and adding efficiencies.
  • GIS enhancements.
  • Reviewed Microsoft licensing agreements to reduce costs. Software assurance renewals were dropped for some product lines to help meet budget cuts without affecting staff positions or salaries.
  • Disaster recovery enhancements.
  • Thin-client deployment.
The county also expanded its broadband network with a private-sector wireless Internet provider, and funded enhancements to improve connectivity between county facilities and to help citizens in the Northwestern portion of the county access the Internet.

Contact: Information Technology Director Sandie Terry

Photo: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Wayne E. Hanson served as a writer and editor with e.Republic from 1989 to 2013, having worked for several business units including Government Technology magazine, the Center for Digital Government, Governing, and Digital Communities. Hanson was a juror from 1999 to 2004 with the Stockholm Challenge and Global Junior Challenge competitions in information technology and education.