Will County Ad-Hoc IT Assessment Committee met June 2.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
I. CALL TO ORDER
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
Ms. Mueller led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
III. ROLL CALL
Chair Judy Ogalla called the meeting to order at 9:02 AM
| Attendee Name | Title | Status | Arrived |
| Judy Ogalla | Chair | Present | |
| Margaret Tyson | Vice Chair | Present | |
| Saud Gazanfer | Member | Absent | |
| Annette Parker | Member | Absent | |
| Denise E. Winfrey | Member | Absent | |
| Meta Mueller | Member | Present | |
| Mike Fricilone | District 7 (R - Homer Glen) | Present |
Present from the State's Attorney's Office: M. Guzman.
IV. MINUTES APPROVAL
1. WC Ad-Hoc IT Assessment Committee - Regular Meeting - May 5, 2022 9:30 AM
| RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Meta Mueller, Member SECONDER: Margaret Tyson, Vice Chair AYES: Ogalla, Tyson, Mueller ABSENT: Gazanfer, Parker, Winfrey |
VI. NEW BUSINESS
1. Cisco Enterprise Agreement
(Mike Shay)
Mr. Shay stated we have extensive agreements with Cisco Enterprise, I have several ARPA funding requests for some additional services from Cisco Enterprise. We have three buckets of products and services from them. The first are our communication tools, the Cisco WebEx room kits, and Cisco WebEx. The second are the network expenses such as network equipment, Emco, the entire Courthouse, and several other locations. We are hopefully expanding that with ARPA funding for security concerns. As we started looking towards insurance reels for the county one of the things that came up is the multipack for authentications is going to be required for all endpoints that are remote. We also found out that within a year it is anticipated that it will be required for every endpoint user. We started looking for the best tools that we can get for that; we are doing a pilot for a product called Duo, which is a Cisco security product. As we started that conversation with Cisco, they said that now we have crossed a threshold where you maybe be better off to go with an enterprise agreement for your security products. Not communication protects, not the network, but the security projects.
Mr. Shay reviewed the PowerPoint Presentation that was provided in the agenda.
Mr. Fricilone said some of these products that we have different agreements on over a 12-to-36-month period, will they rebate us if we are getting out of one that we have two years left on?
Mr. Shay replied, Microsoft would do that, but Microsoft also does what they call a true up. Cisco does what they call a true forward, we will not get a rebate for past costs, but we will get all the savings for future costs, and you don’t pay if you have overage until the following year. What that means is with Duo we buy 2,300 licenses, then we need 2,000 we don’t pay for that extra three hundred until the following year. Where Microsoft would charge you for the year previous. You pay at the next annual payment for anything that you have added, and you don’t have to pay retroactive for that, it helps with budget a lot.
Mr. Fricilone commented we have already paid on a three-year term or are we paying that annually for three years.
Mr. Shay confirmed we are paying that annually.
Mr. Fricilone stated if we are paying ten dollars for three years, are they going to credit us the ten dollars for the year in the future? So, they are going to let us out of the three-year deal.
Mr. Shay answered yes.
Mr. Fricilone asked can get a discount if we pay for five-years up front? How can we get the best deal?
Mr. Shay answered I can investigate if we pay all five-years at once.
Mr. Fricilone stated we may be able to do that if they give us enough of a discount, then the only thing we might pay is the overage.
Mr. Shay stated it is a substantial savings over the next five years.
Mr. Fricilone asked if we must bid this out.
Mr. Shay advised these are all state contracts, or group purchases, so it does not require that.
2. UAT Testing for Payroll
(Denise Maiolo)
Mr. Shay stated we are experiencing a transition in the leadership of the project; previously leadership had organized that I was the sponsor, Mr. Tidwell was the internal PM (Project Manager), Cathy Maris was our third-party PM, and Cheri Sears was the vendor PM. We are realigning that, and Ms. Maiolo is going to be the project sponsor.
Ms. Maiolo said I want to thank everyone who has been part of our steering committee. Since we have last talked, we have been on a fact-finding mission to gather information and see where we are at and what our needs are for the future. We were asked to do some testing and Ms. Maris will talk about that. We have held meetings with our testers and have created a support group for them to find out what the challenges and issues are. We have learned there were challenges trying to access the system with individuals that didn’t have the training or the knowledge, also challenges with individuals that are new to the County. We found that there were issues with configuration, some of the pay holds, and some of the pay rules. There are several things that are involved in this process. At the same time, we have done what you asked, and I reached out to McHenry County, and they too have had some lessons learned, some challenges and experiences with this project. They have been very forth right in letting us know that their project was delayed as well. They have had a transition in staffing that they recently implemented this past August but have not been successful with issues like end of the year W-2’s and experiencing some additional challenges. There is a lot of work that needs to be done for us to understand whether this is the right decision going forward. We are also having conversations with New World to see what other options may or may not be there. At this point we are in a holding pattern, I expect I will have some resolution, I want that in the next thirty days so that we can lift off either way. We have received the acknowledgement that New World will continue to support the program. They are not going away, and they will not be deprecating the system, there is clarification on that, we have that confirmation, and Mr. Shay and I have reached out to New World. We have some breathing room and have a little bit of time now to reset, regroup and determine what our next steps are. There is no end date for the system that we have currently been using. They let us know that they have about 14 users at this time. They will transition at some point; it will be enough in advance so we can make our transition. It is not expected to occur within the next 24 months.
Mrs. Ogalla stated you have come to a whole different turn of everything, because we have had lots of changes number one, then the issue we had with our first UAT we stopped and looked at those and found out all the problems that we have had. Going forward we’ll have New World; we don’t have to worry about it being gone. If you want to move forward with using the system we had taken with the UKG, or if you would maybe take a different path.
Ms. Maiolo replied that is correct, when we are at that point, I expect to have a conversation with Executive Bertino-Tarrant and bring that back for your advice so we can all be a part of that same discussion. I will involve my steering committee as well as individuals and users in various departments. We found that the communication at the onset of this project was lacking, so we really need to bring back that conversation with the various departments that are involved. We need to generate an excitement within the departments to get the champions going in those areas, so everyone can continue to drive that forward. At some point everyone is going to have to use that system and we need everyone’s cooperation and buy in.
Mrs. Ogalla said we look forward to that; and hopefully you will be able to give us an answer in the next month.
Ms. Maiolo replied I feel confident that we will be in a better place. We continue to have success with some of those discussions. If there are contracts that need to be evaluated, we will have additional reporting on that. Ms. Dolan has continued to soldier on with a lot of the configuration and challenges. We do continue to work on this because, whether we stay with Kronos or move someplace else we must have that information and knowledge, it is important for us to gain that. That is why we have also expanded our knowledge base of internal experts who are helping us; we are trying to get more people on that team as well. I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the hard work of Ms. Maris, Ms. Dolan, Mr. Shay, and Ms. Marcum as well as everyone who is out there who have shown a lot of support.
Mrs. Ogalla stated good thing you got to talk with McHenry County because you found out what their lessons learned was, but then you found out that they had issues so do we want to put ourselves in that same situation or is there a better option out there?
Ms. Maiolo stated that is what we are trying to find out, and that is why we will continue some additional conversations. Having inherited this project I need to understand that we are physically responsible, and we understand that we need to do our due diligence to ensure that this is the right decision. At the same time, we must make sure that whatever we select going forward, the maintenance is going to be there for us; that we are going to have that level of support.
Ms. Tyson said you need a dedicated support person. Do most companies supply that when you buy a package?
Ms. Maiolo replied I am not aware that is a part of our package.
Mrs. Ogalla added I don’t think it was designed to do what we needed to do, so they were retro fitting it to do that, and it may not be the best fit for us. While there may be additional costs, I think it makes since to look at it. We know that we have had trouble from the beginning; so, I think it is good to ask if this is the right way to go.
Ms. Maiolo replied it is challenging but is better than what we currently have. We don’t want to settle for something that is not going to be useful going forward. We would like to have a product that is going to integrate for future needs. I envision something for us to move to an online recruitment tool, someone can go into our website, apply online. Then when we hire them, they can do an electronic on boarding, then their information will integrate over into our ACM Program so that we can reduce the amount of double entry. Our work can be more efficient, and we can focus on the individuals that need more assistance. We don’t have a large team; I have ten on my staff and we are below ratio, and we are full service; we service over 2,200 employees; we just want to make sure we are providing the best service that we can.
Ms. Ogalla stated I agree; I am glad you are looking at that to determine what is the best thing. If you need a meeting before then please let us know.
Ms. Maris stated I have been reviewing some of the testing and helping some of the departments. I feel they are starting to get on board, we are addressing their issues and showing them how to test. We also put out the instructions with the help of Mr. Shay and his team, I think that some of the people weren’t reading the instructions, because the instructions are explicit and tell you step by step. I think that some of the things that they think failed haven’t; they say it failed and I look at it and it is working fine. I feel that they are just missing some of the steps, when I send the project back, I am explaining to them what needs to be done. I think that communication is going to help in the long run.
Mr. Fricilone asked if we are considering changing the payroll dates to the 15th and the end of the month.
Ms. Maiolo stated some of this is driven by agreement; when you are paying to date you are paying in advance of people working. There will be some discussion that will have to occur; that will mean more discussion with the Executive’s Office. I am in favor of moving into one system because it is much easier administratively; it will have to occur over periods of time.
Mrs. Ogalla stated standardizing as much as we can makes life easier, less things to set up, and less things to worry about. I want us to have the best system that works for us, and if we must rethink what we are doing that is fine. If you need a meeting beforehand so that we can move faster, please let us know.
VII. OTHER NEW BUSINESS
Mr. Shay stated we do continue to get security notices from the Fed’s regarding the War in Ukraine. SISA, NSA, and Homeland Security, all the Federal Cyber Security agencies and Cyber Security command have adopted what they are referring to as “defense forward” which means they are actively and aggressively containing cyber-attacks from our opponents in the cyber realm. So, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and China. We have a lot of stuff going on, just so you are aware we continue to get those notices. It does seem like some of the attacks abated with the United State’s more aggressive stance of defense forward. Just so you know we are getting those notices, we are paying attention to them, and a lot of work is going on behind the scenes.
VIII. PUBLIC COMMENT
IX. CHAIRS REPORT/ ANNOUNCEMENTS
Ms. Tyson asked if you have a deadline where you need money for security insurance.
Mr. Shay stated no, Ms. Maiolo and I have had a conversation with our cyber insurer, we are automatically renewed this July. If it happens within this calendar year so we can plan for the following calendar year we should be fine.
X. EXECUTIVE SESSION
XI. ADJOURNMENT
1. Motion to Adjourn @ 9:38 AM
| RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Meta Mueller, Member SECONDER: Margaret Tyson, Vice Chair AYES: Ogalla, Tyson, Mueller, Fricilone ABSENT: Gazanfer, Parker, Winfrey |
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