Effective Upgrade

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Found in: Case Studies

The Brevard County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement service to nearly 500,000 citizens living on Florida's Atlantic coast. The agency patrols Brevard County's unincorporated areas, operates the Brevard County Detention Center and supports 13 municipal police departments located in the county.

Like most law enforcement organizations, the Brevard County Sheriff uses an array of technologies to protect county residents. Applications such as e-mail and Web-based information systems have become fundamental crime-fighting tools for the office.

But growing information demands began to overwhelm the department's e-mail system and other Windows-based applications several years ago, said Charles Gray, assistant MIS director for the Sheriff's Information Systems Division.

"It's kind of ironic to think that we here at the Sheriff's Office have had e-mail for only about seven years," said Gray. "In that period of time, it's gone from a novelty to a critical application."

As the importance of e-mail increased, the Sheriff's e-mail servers struggled to meet the demand. "I had terrible performance problems," Gray said, "because we had pushed them beyond their specifications."

Windows servers in the Sheriff's data center also support Web-based access to the agency's case report tracking, jail management and records management systems. And they power the mobile data switch that links computers in patrol cars to state and federal databases -- a function that's vital to the safety of deputies in the field.

"Deputies use the mobile data system to query the state of Florida and the FBI's National Crime Information Center to see if the person they pulled over for speeding is wanted for murder," Gray said. "People could die if that system doesn't work."

Finding a Solution
In 2003, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office began an initiative to improve the stability, reliability and performance of Windows systems in its data center. After reviewing proposals from a number of technology providers, the Sheriff chose Gateway to deliver a turnkey upgrade that included new servers, storage and software, as well as the services needed to deploy them.

Obtaining a comprehensive solution was key to Gray, who noted that the Sheriff's small Information Systems staff included few Windows experts. "At the time, we were basically UNIX people who had learned a little Windows," Gray said. "I needed a vendor that could provide the full migration."

Gray, an IT industry veteran, also had another reason for wanting a single company to take charge of the complex project.

"I try to avoid the finger-pointing scenario by making one individual responsible for the success of the project on the vendor side," he said. "So I'm looking for a vendor who can provide all the pieces of the project. In this case, I needed hardware -- servers, storage, tape backup, etc . -- a variety of software licenses, installation services and software configuration services."

Gateway offered the best solution to Gray's requirements.

"Gateway came in with a better fit -- what they proposed to me in both goods and services was more in keeping with what I envisioned, and at a much better price," he said. "They proved more flexible, and quite frankly, more professional and responsive to our queries."

Impressive Performance
Over a period of about three and half months, Gateway deployed new Gateway servers, Gateway and SAN storage, and Gateway tape backup equipment in the Sheriff's data center. The company also upgraded the Sheriff's Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 e-mail software to Exchange Server 2000 and migrated the office from Microsoft's Windows NT Server operating system to Windows Server 2003.

"We went from an NT domain to a Windows 2003/Active Directory-type domain, which is a major change -- especially in light of the fact that we have a mix of Windows 2000 and Windows 98 clients with laptops and desktops," Gray said. "Another major piece of the project was the migration from Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2000. That's a difficult and complex task, and Gateway was impressive."

Results of the project were well worth the effort.

"The upgrade gives me the performance I need, and more importantly, the stability and reliability I need," Gray said. The new technology also delivers stronger manageability, allowing the Sheriff's six-member Information Systems staff to meet the needs of an expanding user base.

The Information Systems Division now supports 2,000 users on the Sheriff's Web-based BULLET 20000 system -- which provides access to case tracking, jail management and records management information -- and more than 900 e-mail clients. In addition, Information Systems staff support nearly 400 wireless mobile data laptops used by deputies and 500 desktop PCs.

"I have so much more control over the assignation of users, permissions, access control and security," Gray said. "The new technology also scales out better, which is becoming an issue now. I have well over 3,000 total users hitting my data center."

Satisfied Customer
The Brevard County Sheriff's Office strives to maximize its human, material, financial and information resources. And the office continually seeks ways to work more effectively and efficiently.

Upgrading the Windows servers and storage infrastructure to Gateway in the Sheriff's data center helps the office meet those goals. The new Gateway systems give deputies reliable access to technology tools that are fundamental to successful law enforcement. At the same time, improved reliability and manageability allow the Sheriff's Information Systems Division to deliver these services more securely and cost-effectively.

That's a combination that makes Gray pleased with his decision to purchase Gateway.

"The bottom line, when all is said and done, is that I'm glad I did business with Gateway," Gray said. "I'm very happy with the work they did."