At the Dec. 5 meeting of the Granby Board of Selectmen, Town Manager Erica Robertson presented an update on the town’s Technology Plan. The primary goal of the plan is for the town to strive to be a “smart town,” that is one that leverages technology to increase efficiencies and improve the quality of services for its residents.
Some deficiencies have made it difficult to advance a technology plan: a limited budget, limited professional support, outdated manual processes and aged hardware and software. In an effort to correct some of these problems, Robertson reported that the town has engaged Grey Matter Technologies in a managed services agreement to ensure a healthy network, server support, cyber-security, proper back-ups, desktop support, hardware and software recommendations, assistance with upgrades to infrastructure and proper ongoing maintenance.
Upgrades include using Microsoft 365 and installing new hardware with virtual server capability. The old hardware and software are fragile, out of warranty and no longer supported because of being outdated.
The primary goals of the technology plan upgrades include cybersecurity to protect town data and that of Granby residents—and utilization of online services and sites such as CivicPlus to provide residents with news, event announcements and services. The conversion from manual to automated processes for routine business operations where applicable is especially important in finance, where hand entry of data has been a formidable time-consuming task.
Funding for these improvements comes from the 2024 town budget, the Capital Improvement Plan, ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) and specific grants. Board members asked for another update with more specificity of which sources have funded or are funding individual projects. Robertson agreed.
Robertson also noted that the plan as presented is a draft and is not static. It is subject to change as technology changes, as projects are completed and new initiatives develop. It should be an ever-evolving tool that assists in providing services, increases the efficiency of town government and increasing communication with residents as well as increasing the efficiency of town government.