BERNARDSTON — Thanks to a technology survey conducted by the Executive Office of Technology Services & Security, Bernardston has some direction for how to improve its technology network.
Town Coordinator Hugh Campbell said the survey offered three main pieces of advice: buying a new computer for the Police Department, establishing a uniform backup procedure and purchasing business-grade antivirus software.
Because the study considered technology at Town Hall, the Police Department, the Highway Department, the Fire Station, the Senior Center and Cushman Library, discovering a lack of uniformity wasn’t surprising, Campbell said.
“None of the results were surprising,” he said. “It does reinforce — because we’re highly decentralized — we have to do a better job with security.”
Currently, Campbell said most town employees regularly use flash drives to backup their work on their own schedules.
“All our offices aren’t tied into any sort of network,” he said. An ideal system would backup automatically to “take the human element out of the equation” and would be kept off-site in case of fire or another emergency at Town Hall, Campbell explained.
Antivirus software, likewise, is disjointed, he continued, with individual computers using different software depending on user preference.
“They recommend we get more consistent,” Campbell said.
To remedy the technology system’s shortcomings, Campbell said he hopes the town can receive Community Compact grants when a new round of funding begins in January. This would fund a backup system and antivirus software. However, he continued, the new computer for the Police Department, which will replace an outdated one running Windows XP, will be purchased and hooked up immediately using $815 from the department’s budget.
Two other grant-funded surveys are also on the horizon in Bernardston. With $19,500 of Community Compact assistance, the engineering consulting service Stantec developed a maintenance plan for its small bridges, culverts and manholes. Campbell said Tuesday he was waiting to hear the results.
Starting Wednesday, the Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management will assess the town’s vehicles, which are primarily used by the Highway and Fire departments, and arrange a five-year plan for maintenance and replacement. The fleet inventory is supported by an $8,000 grant Bernardston received in March.
Reach Shelby Ashline at:
sashline@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 257