2006-11-20 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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thousands of dollars each month. Now the County is on a new fiber optic network which it receives free from Oceanic Cable. This saves the County thousands each month and is more efficient. Mr. Yugawa said that the County also now has Voice Over IP, which will also save thousands of dollars. If the old County Building and new County Building go with Voice Over IP, he estimates it would save the County about $6,000 per month. Mr. Yugawa said he also would like to utilize the Police Department's microwave system, which goes across the island, rather than pay Hawaiian Telcom a monthly cost. He would like to connect the West Hawaii offices and give them greater speed, the ability to do video conferencing, and Voice Over IP. With the microwave network, he would also like to create wireless networks within the major urban areas. The Police Department is moving towards having mobile data terminals in their vehicles so they can receive information from Dispatch right away. Mr. Yugawa explained that the officers will be able to see on those terminals the picture of the addresses, etc., that Dispatch can see. Mr. Yugawa would like to set up a County wireless network with the microwave, rather than using a wireless carrier's network, which is costly. Using the microwave will save money as well as create the County's own network. Mr. Yugawa said he would recommend that all departments revisit their telecommunication invoices to make sure they actually have what they are paying for. Now that County offices are moving, they are discovering a lot of lines being paid for which are not being used. All departments need to do an audit on this. Eliminating the unused lines will save a lot of money in itself. b. Do you see any way to consolidate services, activities, and functions of a similar nature within your own department as well as with other departments? Mr. Yugawa said he would like Data Systems to become the focal point for all things data. They are trying to connect all the departments to the fiber network and eliminate redundant servers and duties. He would like all of this to come under Data Systems' control. Mr. Yugawa would like standardization of computer systems, as currently there are three different County groups which handle data —there are analysts at the Prosecutor's Office, at the Police Department, and at Data Systems itself. The groups at the Prosecutor's Office and Police Department do not come under the purview of Data Systems. They should all be under Data Systems' purview so that there is a standardized plan of what is required for all systems. They should all have the same standards and virus protection. Mr. Yugawa said that when he first started with the County, there were three different GIS map systems with three different departments. In order for the 11