Retiring IT Director gives county a to-do list

In his last “hoorah,” the Lincoln County IT Director handed in his “recommendations for future IT Initiatives.”

Dr. Richard E. Kesling, Ph.D., the Lincoln County IT Director celebrated his last day yesterday after over 17 years.

The county commissioners meeting on Wednesday marked his last briefing, during which he handed a letter to the commissioners, thanking them and past commissioners for their support over the years.

He then outlined the many accomplishments the county and his department have made since he was hired — including going from 23 computers, 25 printers and no other infrastructure to eight servers, four Network Attached Storage devices, 112 computers, six switches, 80 printers, five Wireless Access Points, fiber between all three major county sites in Libby, videoconferencing capability in five sites and a vast array of technical resources available to their employees.

“[The accomplishments] could only have been done with the moral and financial assistance provided by the commissioners,” Kesling said. “I have truly enjoyed my tenure with the county.”

The progress, Kesling said, is not enough to keep up with the times.

Kesling wrote in a letter he submitted to the commissioners on Wednesday, “as budget constraints force decisions regarding staffing levels; as available technology continues to expand at unprecedented rates; as the younger workforce expects better access to new technologies, the county must react proactively.”

Kesling told the commissioners that while the improvements he outlined will cost money, they will save money in the long run. He noted that the new incoming IT Director, Ernie Anderson, will provide the dedication and motivation required to move forward with the improvements, but the county employees must also cooperate with the IT staff.

The director’s last act was to advise the commissioners to institute the following improvements in the future:

• Replace all internal ethernet cabling in the courthouse with fiber optic cable.

• Expand the current Exchange 364 to a full Office 365 plan.

• Initiate Voice Over IP in place of the current telephone system.

• Expand Public wireless to the Libby Annex, the Lincoln County North Annex, and EMA.

• Expand the use of social media by all departments, other than Maintenance and IT.

• Expend the resources to keep the infrastructure current.

• Create a server/client model in the LCNA

• Allocate the resources to finally institute the Electronic Payroll system.

• Inaugurate department supervisor use of Budget Prep.

Kesling admitted that many of the initiatives will cost money, but he strongly believed that the long-term savings will appreciably offset the initial outlay.

“The efficiencies afforded employees will enable them to better perform their role,” Kesling wrote in the letter. “It will also improve morale (another resource in short supply).”