IT Panel Touts Need for Technology

Watertown Daily Times

IT panel touts need for technology

By ELIZABETH GRAHAM

TIMES STAFF WRITER

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2009

CANTON — The St. Lawrence County Information Technology Committee's goal is high-speed Internet access for all, but its members first must convince decision makers and taxpayers that technology investments are necessary to stay competitive, even in tough financial times.

"If some of these initiatives require taxpayer money, it's important to tell folks why it's important," committee member Kevin P. Lynch, network services director at Clarkson University, Potsdam, said at the committee's Jan. 22 meeting. "Some people think of it as a luxury, not a necessity."

St. Lawrence County lawmakers grappled with that notion last fall when finalizing the 2009 budget. Legislators nearly axed an IT director position from the budget to reduce spending, although IT Committee Chairwoman Laura J. Perry, D-Hopkinton stressed the need for someone to oversee the county's technology needs. The $97,000 position was restored in the final budget, but by a close 9-6 vote.

Several lawmakers also opposed last year's telephone replacement project in county buildings, although the existing system was 30 years old and regularly broke down.

"The difficulty is in justifying it at the outset," Ms. Perry said. "I think you can look to examples like the investment in an IT director, a new phone system, and the cross-town fiber connections between the county buildings. Those things are needed for an organization of our size and complexity to operate in today's environment."

Ms. Perry said there could be a generational misunderstanding about the need for technology. People who grew up using computers and cell phones depend more on such devices than those who grew up without them, she said.

"If you look at the statistics, the 18- to 34-year-olds will not live without the conveniences of cell phones, high-speed Internet and computer access. If we're looking to the future in terms of creating a community that is attractive to residents in that demographic, we need to address those utilities," she said.

IT Committee member Gregory A. Stahl, St. Lawrence University's telecommunications manager, said it's also important to educate county residents and small businesses about why investment in high-speed Internet access is important for the future.

"It almost becomes a negative if they see the cost, but they don't see the benefit," Mr. Lynch said.

A major benefit could be a means for attainable economic development, Ms. Perry said.

"One of the things we can do while preserving the character of the area is improve access to technology, contrary to some other economic development strategies that folks look to," she said. "We don't have the ability to address the needs of those types of facilities, but we could, and I believe in a much shorter time frame with fewer resources, address technology needs to bring us up to speed."