Knox County Chief Information Officer Kyle Webb informed the Board of Commissioners on October 21 that the Information Technology (IT) department has initiated a strategy to enhance operational efficiency by dedicating servers to specific tasks.
"Previously, way before even I started here, there were servers that were doing multiple duties, and generally, if you can, you should have servers do pretty much singular tasks. That way, if one thing goes down, you're not taking down a whole bunch of stuff at one time," Webb told the commissioners, according to a YouTube meeting video.
Webb said that Deputy Chief Information Officer Trevor Ditmars has been actively deploying new domain controllers to manage user logins on computers. The IT Department is also creating file servers to separate file handling from domain control functions.
Webb further mentioned their assistance to the Knox County Board of Elections with preparations for early voting and election day. The Ohio Secretary of State's Office was conducting an audit as part of the state's security policy and procedures. He described this as a standard requirement and noted that overall operations had been "unremarkable," adding, "which is what I like. Unremarkable is good."
The IT Department had to revise the method by which the 911 center performs multifactor authentication for computer access. Employees are prohibited from bringing phones into the dispatch center; therefore, they cannot use them for confirmation access. A new policy was implemented where authenticator keys are used instead; these keys are plugged into computers when employees begin their shifts.
All computer replacements in Mount Vernon and Knox County have been completed. The IT department is now collaborating with each department to plan for 2026 budgeting needs related to IT expenses.
