Michigan County's 911 service has announced that their computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system is now operational once again.
The system had been offline due to a cyberattack that also affected other governmental services.
In a timely manner, the restoration has been completed, bringing relief to first responders and county officials, just in time for the highly anticipated Cherry Festival.
County Administrator Nate Alger announced at Wednesday's county board meeting that as of 2 p.m. yesterday, it was operational for all first responders.
“With the Cherry Festival just three days away, the timing couldn't be better,“
An important tool for sending call data to mobile devices in patrol cars, fire engines, and ambulances is the CAD software.
In addition to its role in handling 911 data, the system also provides crucial support for the county's corrections and records departments, contributing to public safety in a wider capacity.
After the cyberattack on June 12, first responders had to rely on radios and cellphones to stay connected with the central dispatch center and communicate with one another.
Emergency services continued to be available, but the absence of comprehensive data from the CAD system, including mapping resources and the whereabouts of nearby patrol units, presented difficulties.
Cloud-Based Migration
The county has successfully addressed these issues by transitioning to a cloud-based solution.
A shift has occurred in the location of the CAD software. It has transitioned from being hosted on local servers to now being housed on secure internet servers managed by Tyler Technologies, a company based in Texas.
According to Jason Torrey, director of Grand Traverse 911 and a member of the county's incident response team, they are currently addressing some bugs and anticipate reaching 90-95 percent operational effectiveness in the coming days.
“Our IT staff and Tyler Technologies deserve recognition for their impressive dedication in making this happen so quickly.”
This achievement in the realm of technology is truly remarkable.
A cloud-based solution is expected to incur upfront costs of around $231,000, along with annual fees of approximately $301,000 going forward.
The annual service contract for Tyler Technologies is set to increase by around $167,000, according to recent reports.
The county is set to receive a prorated credit of $98,000 for the remaining unused portion of the current agreement.
County Finance Director Dean Bott has stated that the 911 surcharge fee on all cellular devices will help cover a significant portion of the additional cost.
A smaller portion will be allocated to the corrections and records department. According to Alger, the county's insurance coverage does not usually include provisions for cyberattack upgrades.
On Wednesday, the commissioners unanimously approved the additional expenses that were incurred earlier during the crisis, using the emergency purchase provision outlined in the county's governance policy.
Two members, Board Vice Chair Brad Jewett and Commissioner Darryl Nelson, were not present at the meeting.
Update on Network Recovery
Officials have reported that around 80 percent of the county's computer infrastructure is now back online.
There are still some areas of the county's IT operations that need further attention before they can be considered fully operational.
The OnBase document management system and the BS&A software used for human resources are still undergoing restoration.
Additionally, the permitting software and GIS systems used for mapping services have not been fully restored either.
The migration of important systems to the cloud is becoming increasingly popular among governments and private industry.
In Grand Traverse County, Microsoft Azure is already being utilized for certain services, while the city has opted for Amazon Web Services.
The county is currently in the process of migrating most or all software applications to cloud-based solutions.
However, determining the costs, timing, and feasibility of this endeavor will require several months of careful evaluation.