Ranked Among the Nations Best!

Department of Information Technology

From left to right; Jim Davis, Consultant; Commissioner Corey O’Brien; Austin Burke, President of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce; Jeffrey Mando, Chief Information Officer; Commissioner Jim Wansacz; Colin Doherty, Network Administrator; Andy Skrip, VP of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce; Fred Buttner, Project Manager; Bill Risse, Conxx Project Manager; Commissioner Patrick O’Malley

On September 26, 2012, Commissioner’s meeting
approving the Wireless Information Technology agreement

A new day in communication technology and accessibility in Lackawanna County has arrived. The Lackawanna County Commissioners held a groundbreaking and radio signing on July 30, 2013 for their multimillion dollar Wireless Initiative Project. Officials from the State, County, Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, Lakeland School District, Conxx Smart Technologies and other invited guests attended the ceremony on the Linden Street side of Courthouse Square. “Today marks the beginning of the future of advanced technology in Lackawanna County,” said Commissioner Corey D. O’Brien. “Our vision of creating a network that would not only improve the infrastructure of Lackawanna County, but also establish a network that could benefit the entire community has come to fruition. Our project will create a countywide carrier-grade, multi-service wireless network that we expect will benefit our entire region for many years to come.” “This project is about improving Lackawanna County’s overall network infrastructure, increasing network sustainability and stability, and improving public safety by adding networking abilities that are not currently available,” explained Commissioner Jim Wansacz. We will also help local businesses, schools, the medical community, and the taxpayers of Lackawanna County save money and live safer.” “This is a great project because we are involving multiple partners,” said Commissioner Patrick O’Malley. “The efficiencies of this new technology will have a positive impact on our County. This will also create revenue opportunities for the local economy.” “The carrier-grade wireless network will focus on enhancing public safety and government efficiency and create economic development opportunities for the business and medical community sectors,” said the County’s Chief Information Officer Jeffrey Mando. The base ring, which consists of a carrier-grade, multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) wireless microwave network with radios, will utilize ten strategic locations throughout the County, including Lakeland High School. When completed, Lackawanna County will have extensive wireless coverage across the entire County with unlimited options and possibilities for moving forward.

Lackawanna County Wireless Initiative Project Groundbreaking

The Digital Counties Survey is a national study by the Center for Digital Technology and the National Association of Counties (NACo). The top digital counties were honored at a national awards ceremony during NACo’s annual conference at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, July 16, 2011. Lackawanna County Information Technology Director Jeffrey Mando’s continuing focus on making innovative technological advancements while saving the county money has resulted in Lackawanna County being named one of America’s top digital county governments by The Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties (NACo). Lackawanna County received second place honors in the competition for jurisdictions with populations between 150,000 and 249,999. Thousands of counties from across the nation competed with Lackawanna County for the top award by participating in the 2011 Digital Counties Survey. The Lackawanna County IT staff has been dedicated to “doing more with less”, moving technology forward while saving taxpayers money by utilizing innovative techniques.

Lackawanna County Earns Top Honors In the 2011 Digital Counties Survey

Lackawanna County’s Information Technology Department has done it again!! The IT division has received national recognition two years running for both its innovative use of technology and for disseminating information about the programs and services offered by Lackawanna County. The award is from the Center For Digital Government and the Digital Communities Program – a division of parent company e.Republic. According to Commissioners Jim Wansacz, Corey D. O’Brien and Patrick M. O’Malley, Lackawanna County finished fifth in the 150,000 – 249,999 population category of the Digital Counties survey. The Commissioners noted that this is a great honor to be a 2012 survey winner, and it also recognized the staff’s strategic use of funds by “doing more with less.” “This is great news for us,” said Commissioner Jim Wansacz. “It shows the ingenuity and talent of our staff in putting out a good product on the internet for all to see and maintaining and advancing the technology in-house in a cost effective manner.” “We have had some great breakthroughs in the IT department and this award substantiates it,” explained Commissioner Corey D. O’Brien. “Jeff Mando and his staff have more with less and saved taxpayers a great deal. The online records and wireless availability in both county buildings and on courthouse square are tremendous developments.” “This is great news. It is also very important for us to have advanced IT amenities for serving the public and selling our area to prospects that are looking to invest here,” said Commissioner Patrick M. O’Malley. “These types of accolades let people and companies know that Lackawanna County has the cutting edge infrastructure to compete for new jobs, company relocations and sophisticated computing opportunities.” “It’s an honor being recognized as one of the best nationally, but, more importantly, it’s wonderful to see that Counties all over the United States are working hard towards one goal, to advance technology and make things better for generations to come, ” said Jeff Mando, Director of Information Technology. “I’m proud to just be a part of it.”

Lackawanna County Earns Top Honors In the 2012 Digital Counties Survey.

Earns National IT Honor for the Second Straight Year

Lackawanna County’s Information Technology Department has done a three-peat. The IT division has received national recognition for the third straight year, this time in the area of information and communication technology. The award is from the Center For Digital Government, E-Republic and The National Association of Counties 2103 Digital Counties Survey Award. According to Commissioners Corey D. O’Brien, Jim Wansacz and Patrick M. O’Malley, Lackawanna County finished third in the 150,000 – 249,999 category. The County was also recognized for being the top County in the State of Pennsylvania throughout all population categories. The Commissioners noted that it is another great honor. It highlights both the staff’s strategic use of funds and innovative ideas that lead to advanced services for the community. “We have had some great breakthroughs in the IT department and our wireless initiative will make us even more attractive to businesses,” explained Commissioner Corey D. O’Brien. “This will be a great project for our entire community. It will save the County and businesses money that can be then earmarked for other ventures.” “This is great news again,” said Commissioner Jim Wansacz. “It shows the talent of our staff in advancing the County’s technology capabilities in a cost effective manner.” “This is really tremendous. It is very important for us to continue to have state-of-the-art IT services to get our general and emergency information out to the public,” said Commissioner Patrick M. O’Malley. “This award lets companies know that Lackawanna County has the cutting edge infrastructure to compete for new jobs and provide sophisticated computing services.” “This is purely a solidification of the dedication, determination, and hard work of the Information Technology Department, and the focus our County has in thinking “outside the box,” said Jeffrey Mando, Chief Information Officer for Lackawanna County. “I’m very proud of where our County is headed.” This year, the County scored highly on a wide verity of topics including innovation, environment virtualization, security, social inclusion, computer application programming, networking, doing more with less, and wireless technology. In this 11th annual awards program, the County competed against thousands of other communities of the same size in the mainland USA national category. Counties are evaluated independently on different criteria than the previous year. Mr. Mando noted that many of the County’s innovations have served as “models” for other areas to emulate, making the competition even tougher. With the new wireless initiative, continued upgrades of online records access, growth in social media usage and superior fiscal management, the County will continue to be a leader in IT technology for many years to come.

Lackawanna County Earns Top Honors In the 2013 Digital Counties Survey.

Earns National IT Honor for the Third Straight Year

Lackawanna County’s IT Department Honored Once Again

Lackawanna County, for the fourth time in the last five years, has earned recognition and a spot in the top three Counties in the nation for technology and innovation. The Center for Digital Government (CDG) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) officially announced that Lackawanna County was one of the 2015 Digital Counties Survey winners. The annual survey recognizes leading examples of counties using technology to improve services and boost efficiencies. The survey, conducted by CDG and its Digital Communities program, in partnership with NACo, identifies best technology practices among U.S. counties. “We have had some great breakthroughs in the IT department, such as our wireless initiative,” explained Commissioner Jim Wansacz. “This has been a great project for our community, saving the County and companies money, while also providing state-of-the art opportunities for businesses.” “This is really tremendous. It is very important for us to continue to have state-of-the-art IT services to get our general and emergency information out to the public,” said Commissioner Patrick M. O’Malley. “This award lets companies know that Lackawanna County has the cutting edge infrastructure to compete for new jobs and provide sophisticated computing services and cost saving wireless capabilities to companies.” “This is great news,” said Commissioner Ed Staback. “It shows the talent of our staff in advancing the County’s technology capabilities in a cost effective manner.” “It’s truly an honor to be recognized, but it’s a team effort. This award is dedicated to the hard work performed by the entire County as a whole,” said Jeffrey Mando, Chief Information Officer for Lackawanna County. “I’m proud of what was accomplished and to be a part of it.”