HomeMy WebLinkAboutFIN 2022-02-14 Item 1C - Report - 2021 Annual Report: Technology and Infrastructure Services DepartmentCity of Tukwila
Allan Ekberg, Mayor
INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM
TO: Community Services and Safety Committee
FROM: Joel Bush and Chief Technology Officer
CC: Mayor Ekberg
DATE: 2/08/2022
SUBJECT: Technology & Innovation Services 2021 Annual Report
ISSUE
Provide a report out on Technology and Innovation Service's 2021 accomplishments.
BACKGROUND
Technology and Innovation Services is sharing 2021 accomplishments with Community
Services and Safety Committee to impart how technology contributes to the achievement of the
City of Tukwila's goals and objectives.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
None
RECOMMENDATION
Information Only.
ATTACHMENTS
Report
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Technology & Innovation Services Annual Report
2021 continued to evolve the hybrid -virtual City. With the ever-changing landscape of the pandemic,
2021 brought agile to a new level. Staff members were using technology on site, off-site, and
everywhere in-between. TIS rose to the challenge, enhancing security, enabling self-service, supporting
cloud services, and maintaining a high level of one-on-one user support for staff.
TIS Operations spent much of their time in 2021
addressing hybrid meeting technologies
throughout the City to support physical and
remote meeting attendees at the Tukwila
Municipal Court, City Council Chambers and
Committee meeting rooms, connecting Council,
staff and meeting stakeholders with these
critical City services. Building out the
Emergency Operations HAM Radio
infrastructure was another point of emphasis
this year, bringing a more resilient
communications infrastructure during any
potential catastrophic event.
Employee changes: TIS welcomed a new addition this year. Will Ragin has done a fantastic job in his first
year and continues to rise to the occasion to meet the challenges presented. In addition to Will Ragin
being a huge support to TIS Operations, Alan Dunning has joined the team as a temporary employee,
dedicated to advancing the As -built project. Having worked as a TIS intern for the past several years,
Ryan Mathew received direct admittance to UWs Computer Science program with Junior standing for
the 2021/2022 year. This is a great example of how mentoring can be mutually beneficial and provide
growth for all involved.
Network Services: Increased resiliency, speed, and performance of City services were realized by
modernizing the City's virtual server and on -premise storage area network. New device quarantine was
added to the Dark Trace appliance to help mitigate network intrusions. The Justice Center camera and
Card Access system was connected to the City network with strict access, allowing easier monitoring and
management by Justice Center personnel. A site -to -site VPN was created with Central Square, which
enabled users working on site or remotely secure access to Finance Enterprise.
Public Safety: Legacy servers were transitioned to virtual computers to increase resiliency.
Chromebooks were replaced and deployed to the EOC for longevity and ease of maintenance. Active
Directory integration/Azure Single Sign -On was configured in new and existing software and systems.
GIS: The transition of primary enterprise data to
the new Enterprise/Portal environment was
completed, enhancing the ability for staff to
utilize self-service GIS tools. Developed and
initiated a 3 phased As -Built project,
collaborating with Public Works and City Clerk's
office, to bring greater visibility to As-builts and
the ability to locate assets throughout the City.
In support of the Smart City/Digital Equity grant
proposal, fiber locations around the City were
identified and plotted, and a webmap was
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created to tell the story, which was well
received by internal and external customers.
Technology & Innovation Services Annual Report
Projects/Database support: Community Development and Online permitting services were upgraded in
an effort to stabilize Trakit and take advantages of fixes to the product. Lucity Asset Management was
configured and implemented for Fleet, and Neogov Performance Management was rolled out in Q4 of
2021, allowing completion of a full transition off of Lanteria. Throughout 2021, TIS supported Finance in
Phase I configuration of Finance Enterprise.
Small Cell Wireless: Working in tandem with the Planning Department, TIS pushed forward with an
update to the Tukwila Municipal Code as related to Small Cell Wireless and permitting. The update
brings Tukwila's code into the current era of wireless infrastructure permitting. Along with the code
update, a design standard for Small Wireless Facilities located on City poles was adopted. This initial
design meets the need for the majority of Tukwila's light poles. More designs are forthcoming as needs
are identified.
Cloud PBX: The completion of the City's migration to a new Cloud PBX was a milestone that was
completed in Q3. Along with providing resiliency and increased access, the new Cloud PBX enabled the
City to terminate service on aging and expensive analog services. Similarly, shortly after the Cloud PBX
migration was completed a new Cloud Fax Server was also implemented allowing even more analog
services to be discontinued. TIS is looking to terminate the remaining analog lines by moving alarm
systems to wireless connectivity in 2022. Panic buttons were also added onto the Cloud PBX system as
the solution built into the new Justice Center was found lacking. The new solution allowed for updated
buttons to be used throughout the rest of the City as well.
Franchise: TIS continues to partner with local vendors and service providers to try and bring resources
to the residents of Tukwila. A franchise agreement and asset sharing agreement with Extenet was
finalized early in 2021 to mirror the agreement made with Zayo at the end of 2020. These asset sharing
agreements will help build out Tukwila's network of fiber throughout the City and enable future projects
like Municipal LTE (CBRS). TIS worked with Nokia to successfully demo CBRS technology, which
essentially enables Tukwila to be its own cell network provider and offer service in desired areas where
financial or technological needs exist.
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