Information Technology Strategic Plan

Fiscal Years 2013/14 2017/18

City Council
Bill Harrison, Mayor
Anu Natarajan, Vice Mayor
Suzanne Lee Chan, Councilmember
Vinnie Bacon, Councilmember
Raj Salwan, Councilmember

City Manager
Fred Diaz

Information Technology Services Director

Marilyn J. Crane

Acknowledgments
Putting together an Information Technology Strategic Plan requires a
collaborative effort from many people. The City Manager and Information
Technology Services Director would like to thank the City Executive
Staff, and others for their invaluable assistance:
Christine Frost, GIS Manager
Alicia Hernandez, Business Systems Manager
David Yu, Infrastructure Services Manager
Cheryl Golden, Communications Manager
Elisa Chang, Executive Assistant/Graphic Artist

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ii | City of Fremont Information Technology Strategic Plan FY 2013/14 2017/18

Table of Contents
Introduction
yy Introduction.............................................................................. 1

Executive Summary
yy Executive Summary................................................................. 3

Current Environment
yy City Organization..................................................................... 5
yy IT Organization.......................................................................... 7
yy Internal Information Technology Users................................... 12
yy External Information Technology Users.................................. 16

General Trends in Technology

yy General Trends in Technology................................................ 17

Vision, Mission, and Guiding Principles

yy IT Vision...................................................................................... 19
yy IT Mission.................................................................................... 19
yy IT Guiding Principles................................................................. 20

Strategic Planning Methodology for Technology

yy Strategic Planning Methodology for Technology................ 23
yy Project Initiation and Approval.............................................. 23
yy Project Review Criteria............................................................ 24
yy Project Funding Strategies...................................................... 25
yy Project Management.............................................................. 26
yy Project Change Management.............................................. 27

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Table of Contents
IT Strategic Initiatives
yy IT Strategic Initiatives................................................................ 29
yy Open Data Initiative................................................................ 29
yy Mobile Applications................................................................. 30
yy Enterprise Applications............................................................ 30
yy Business Intelligence................................................................. 31
yy Citywide Security Plan............................................................. 31
yy IT Fiber Optic Infrastructure..................................................... 32
yy Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)....................................... 32
yy Citywide Broadband and Wi-Fi Access................................. 33

Strategic Projects for Departments

yy Strategic Projects for Departments....................................... 35

Conclusion
yy Conclusion................................................................................ 37

Appendix A
yy Information Technology Strategic Plan Projects................ A1

iv | City of Fremont Information Technology Strategic Plan FY 2013/14 2017/18

Introduction
Welcome to the first City of Fremont (Citys) Information Technology (IT) Strategic Plan that
focuses the Citys resources on the efficient and effective use of technology to deliver City services.
The purpose of an IT Strategic Plan is to define initiatives and objectives that align with the Citys
business goals and to improve the balance between demand for more and better technology and
available City resources, including staff and capital and operating funds.
The City faces the challenge of aging IT systems and limited IT resources. This five-year Strategic
Plan for Fiscal Years 2013/14 through 2017/18 provides a roadmap that will help the City close
the gap between current and future IT needs. The plan addresses the key immediate and long-term
technology issues facing the City and describes the projects necessary to address the issues as well
as a planning methodology to prioritize and fund projects. The Plan also describes the major service
areas and IT initiatives to strategically align the City to better deliver these services as effectively as
possible. Since this is the first IT Strategic Plan for the City, the Plan includes trends in municipal
government and the information technology industry to support the Citys technology goals and
objectives.
The IT Strategic Plan development and planning process was a citywide effort involving City
employees representing all departments. The process focused on identifying the current technology
infrastructure, current technology issues, and forecasted technology needs in addition to the services
delivered by the Information Technology Services (ITS) Department. The information gathered
during the process, together with research about how other cities are addressing technology needs
and current technology trends, was used to identify specific technology recommendations.
The need for an information technology strategic plan was affirmed by Management Partners in the
Strategic Fiscal Sustainability Study that was completed in 2011. The Study recommended that an
IT strategic plan should be developed to help prioritize the Citys investments in technology that will
improve efficiency and effectiveness by reducing the need for staff and/or improving staff workload
capacity. Consistent with the Study, this IT Strategic Plan focuses on improving IT services that
meet broad organizational needs as well as supports collaboration and sharing of IT resources.
The IT Strategic Plan is to be updated annually to ensure that it remains current with the Citys
evolving IT environment. The projects identified in Appendix A will be reviewed and any new
initiatives will be added, or existing projects removed, based on the current business needs of the
City over the short range (less than two years), medium range (three to four years), and long range
(five years plus).
The Citys Information Technology Services Director is responsible for annual updates and
collaborates with all City departments in the review process. The Plan is made available to all
department staff and the general public through the Citys website.
The commitment of all City departments is essential for the success of the IT Strategic Plan and
for the City to realize the associated benefits. All departments must work together to balance daily
departmental operations while embracing citywide organizational changes resulting from technology
initiatives.

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2 | City of Fremont Information Technology Strategic Plan FY 2013/14 2017/18

Executive Summary
Executive Summary
The Information Technology (IT) Strategic Plan defines the initiatives and objectives that align
with the Citys business goals and needs. The Plan identifies a strategy in order for the City to
successfully invest in and use technology to enable the City to support and improve service delivery.
The Plan describes the current City organization and provides details on the Information Technology
Services (ITS) Department as it is the Departments responsibility to deliver technology and support
services to internal and external users to enable them to achieve their business goals and objectives.
The ITS Department consists of four divisions: Business Systems, Infrastructure Services,
Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Administrative Support. Each division is described in
the Plan along with its primary service delivery areas.
This is the first IT Strategic Plan for the City of Fremont. Therefore, the Plan identifies internal and
external technology users because it is important to understand all users and their business needs in
order to deliver the needed technology and related support.
Acknowledgment and analysis of general trends in technology are included in the IT Strategic Plan
to provide background for the City to position itself to take advantage of emerging technologies in a
timely manner. General technology trends include the following:

Increased Internet speed and bandwidth

Mobility and wireless applications
Cloud computing
eCommerce
Social media

Service delivery models

Business intelligence
Business continuity
GIS-enabled technology
Collaboration

The IT Vision is: To become an integral partner with our customers and the community to enable
the City to be recognized as a leader in technology that prides itself on innovation, transparency, and
accountability.
The IT Mission is: To deliver the best proven technology and services available for computer, data,
telecommunications, mapping, and critical business systems to employees and the public through
excellent customer service, continuous improvement, innovative problem-solving, adherence to
standardized information best practices, and collaborative solutions.
The IT mission lists the various technology goals for the ITS Department. The IT Strategic Plan
also describes guiding principles for governing the daily actions of the ITS Department staff
and for planning new projects. The IT guiding principles are broken down into five categories:
organizational, infrastructure, data, application, and GIS.

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Executive Summary
The IT Strategic Plan establishes a methodology for decision-making related to new technology and
includes criteria for reviewing and prioritizing projects. The Plan identifies potential project funding
strategies that include the existing fund to replace the technology infrastructure and a new fund for
replacement of enterprise applications. A formal project management program is introduced as well
as a process change management methodology that considers the impact of new technology on the
Citys employees.
Finally, the IT strategic initiatives are identified and include the following:

Open data
Mobile applications
Enterprise applications
Business intelligence

Citywide security plan

IT fiber optic infrastructure
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
Citywide Broadband and Wi-Fi

Appendix A contains a list of the projects identified by all City departments over the next five
years, Fiscal Years 2013/14 through 2017/18. The list describes the projects and their expected
implementation timelines. It is important to note that the projects may change over the five-year
period as new projects are introduced and existing projects re-prioritized based on available staffing
and capital and operating costs and as a result of changes in technology.
The IT Strategic Plan is a roadmap that will help the City more closely align business goals and
objectives with technology needs and support services. It is a living document that will be updated
annually by the ITS Director in collaboration with all City departments.
The Plan is the first step in the strategic planning effort. To implement the projects, the City must
develop detailed implementation plans that identify specific actions, schedules and timeframes,
and resource requirements (staff, funding, etc.). The ITS Department will work with the user
departments to create the implementation plans for those short-range projects listed in Appendix A.

4 | City of Fremont Information Technology Strategic Plan FY 2013/14 2017/18

Current Environment
Current Environment
City Organization
The City of Fremont is located within Alameda County on the southeast side of the San Francisco
Bay. The City covers over 90 square miles and is the fourth most populous city in the Bay Area
with a population of 219,926. Fremont represents a wide range of educational, socioeconomic, and
ethnic backgrounds. Recognized as a part of Silicon Valley, the Citys expectations are that it is a
highly technical organization that provides proven and solid technology to deliver its services to the
community.
The City government is composed of 13 departments led by a management team of a City
Manager, one Assistant City Manager, a City Attorney and five elected officials. The operating
departments include Community Development, Community Services (Parks, Recreation), Economic
Development, Fire, Human Services, Police, and Public Works. The internal services departments
include City Attorneys Office, City Clerks Office, City Managers Office, Finance, Human
Resources, and Information Technology Services.
Citywide Goals and Initiatives
The City Councils vision is that the City will be a globally-connected economic center with
community pride, strong neighborhoods, engaged citizens from all cultures, and a superb quality of
life. To better understand how technology aligns with the Citys business processes, it is helpful to
be familiar with the Citys initiatives and goals. The lists below are not complete or in priority order
and identify some of the projects that demonstrate the relationship between the Citys goals and
initiatives (taken from the Fiscal Year 2013/14 Operating Budget) and the technology initiatives and
projects described in this IT Strategic Plan.
Citywide Goals

A safe community
A vibrant local economy
Public facilities and programs for recreation
Building a caring community
Involvement of a diverse population
Effective and efficient city government
Creating an aging friendly community

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Current Environment
Citywide Initiatives
South Fremont/Warm Springs Area development project
Downtown/Capitol Avenue development project
Continue to focus retail attraction efforts on strategic opportunities in Downtown, Pacific
Commons, and neighborhood districts
Emerging technology and business investment
Replace the Community Development Department permitting software system
Purchase a new software solution to optimize the use of the CERS program
Continue to develop methods of utilizing criminal information
Consolidation of Fremont Police Department communications center with the Union City Police
Department
Marketing and public relations efforts to promote the City and attract businesses to the City and
launch the new business and proposition website
Continue to implement new methods and tools to facilitate civic engagement and enhance access
to open government
Expand the Citys social media program
Continue to manage the electronic distribution of agenda packets
Implement the migration of the Citys financial applications
Upgrade the Citys business license application
Develop and implement an employee performance management program
Expand mobility by creating, or integrating with, applications
Standardize project management methodology for information technology projects

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Current Environment
IT Organization
The Information Technology Services (ITS) Department is one of the Citys internal services
departments. The current ITS Department consists of 22 full-time employees and is led by the
Director of Information Technology Services who reports to the Assistant City Manager. There are
four divisions in the Department: Business Systems, Infrastructure Services, GIS, and Administrative
Support.
Information Technology Services
Administration
Information Technology Services Director
Accounting Specialist II
Information Technology Manager

Business Systems
Business Systems Manager
Senior Systems Analyst/Programmer
Systems Analyst/Programmer

1.0
1.0
4.0

Geographic Information Systems

GIS Manager
Systems Analyst/Programmer
Info Systems Application Specialist III
Computer Specialist

1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0

1.0
1.0
1.0

Infrastructure Services
Infrastructure Services Manager
Data Processing/Telecom. Technician
Network Engineer
Computer Specialist

1.0
1.0
2.0
5.0

Business Systems
The Business Systems division is responsible for fulfilling the information and service needs of the
City by providing leadership in acquiring, deploying, and maintaining high quality, cost-effective
and timely solutions. Software applications are one of the most critical technology assets in the City.
The effective selection, implementation, and management of the Citys software applications are
critical in attaining a high level of staff productivity, cost-effective service delivery, efficient business
processes, and a return on the Citys technology investment.
Service Delivery Areas
The Business Systems division provides support in five primary areas that are described below:
1. Application Review and Assessment Services includes the review and
assessment of all new application acquisition to ensure that the system
complies with the Citys standards.
2. Project Management Services for consistent implementation of new
applications and systems.
3. Database Administration Services includes the configuration,
management, and upgrade of the Citys standard databases, which are
Oracle and Microsoft SQL database systems.

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Current Environment
4. Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Services includes coordinating with vendors, customer
interfaces, application configuration and management, and report creation for the Citys third
party commercial software applications. The Business Systems team works closely with the user
departments to define and communicate requirements to the COTS vendors.
5. Mobile Applications Development Services is a new service area for the ITS Department.
These services include working with City departments to develop mobile applications to meet a
business need and the support of the applications after implementation.
The Business Systems team supports over 52 applications used throughout the City. There are two
main categories of software applications:
1. Enterprise applications that all City departments depend upon and, therefore, form the
core of the Citys software infrastructure such as the Oracle/PeopleSoft Human Capital
Management (Human Resources/Payroll), the financial management system, and the
document management system; and
2. Departmental applications that one or a few City departments rely upon for specific business
processes such as the Tidemark permitting system, the MaintStar Public Works work order
management system and the Human Services PsychConsult patient tracking system.
The relationship between enterprise applications, as well as between enterprise and departmental
business applications, has been inconsistent due to incompatible technologies and decentralized
software selection in the past years. The ITS Department is implementing a standard approach for
future software applications to maximize interoperability and minimize support costs.
Infrastructure Services
The Infrastructure Services division ensures that the computer, telecommunications, data network,
and security systems are available to enable City staff to provide essential services to their
customers. The Infrastructure Services division also maintains desktop applications that reside on
the standard City computer image.

The Citys computer inventory consists of 700 desktop computer, 137 laptops and tablets, 100 Police
ruggedized laptops (mobile data computers), and 40 Fire ruggedized laptops. The useful life for
computer equipment is five years. All computer systems run Microsoft Windows operating system
(currently Windows 7), Microsoft Office (2010), and Microsoft Exchange 2010/Outlook electronic
mail in addition to Sophos Anti-Virus software, Adobe Acrobat Reader, and Microsoft Internet
Explorer.
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Current Environment
The ITS Department also supports over 400 smartphones, both City-owned and personally owned
devices, and electronic tablets. The Department is deploying a mobile data management system
to more efficiently manage these devices and to provide a City store for downloading approved
smartphone applications.
The Citys inventory of 129 network printers includes black and white laser printers, color printers,
and color plotters. The useful life for printing devices is five years. There are also multi-function
copiers that combine the functions of copying, printing, scanning, and faxing. These multi-function
units are more cost effective than single function printers. The ITS Department is working on an
initiative to reduce the number of network printers and stand-alone scanners by 40% over the next
three fiscal years.
Service Delivery Areas
The Infrastructure Services division provides support in five major areas that are described below:
1. The central Service Desk is the single point of contact to make it easier for customers
to report incidents and requests related to technology. The central Service Desk reduces
operational costs and improves usage of available ITS resources. The technicians coordinate
and resolve reported incidents as quickly as possible over the telephone and through e-mail
or remote desktop assistance. The Service Desk also provides assistance for other activities
such as user account passwords and change requests. The technicians create a tracking ticket
based on the type of service required and assign the ticket to the next level of support if they
are unable to resolve the issue.
2. Desktop technicians are the first point of escalation if the Service Desk technicians cannot
resolve the incident. The desktop technicians provide guidance and instruction to the
Service Desk technicians to diagnose and resolve incidents as well as provide support based
on tickets escalated by the Service Desk. The desktop technicians are also responsible
for completing special projects such as major upgrades to operating system and desktop
applications. The desktop technicians typically contact the customer to schedule an
appointment for an on-site visit or provide support using remote desktop assistance.
3. Network Services includes all services to provide and maintain the Citys network
infrastructure, which is based on Ethernet and consists of two core switches connected via
a 2 Gbps wide area network (WAN) fiber link. The Citys workstations and servers connect
to edge switches at 1 Gbps to each core switch. The fiber connects five City buildings:
City Hall Administration, Development Services Center, Police Department, Maintenance
Center, and Fire Station 1. The other 15 remote offices connect to the Citys main fiber
infrastructure through T1 lines. The wireless infrastructure consists of 50 access points
installed throughout 5 buildings. The routing and switching infrastructure is standardized on
Cisco hardware.

The network engineers are responsible for the Citys wireless support, network security,
and firewall configuration including intrusion prevention and intrusion detection through
monitoring of the Citys network traffic. Network Services is also responsible for the
administration of secure remote access for employees and vendors and of employee network
and e-mail accounts as well as an e-mail filtering system that eliminates up to 15% of
unwanted e-mail per week before it reaches the Citys network.
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Current Environment
Network Services also provides after-hours support primarily for the Police and Fire
Departments through a rotation of network engineers based on one-week assignments.
Service levels for response to these departments are determined based on the severity of the
incident.
4. System and Storage Administration Services includes server administration and
management, testing, patch management, anti-virus monitoring, and operating system
upgrades. The City runs a VMware virtualized server infrastructure with 90 virtual machines
on seven physical host Dell servers that were recently replaced in 2013. There are also
15 physical servers that run some legacy applications (such as computer-aided dispatch)
that currently cannot operate in a virtual server environment. The City standardizes on the
Microsoft Windows Server operating system.

Storage administration includes configuration and management of the storage area network
(SAN) and other storage systems and the system backup processes. The data storage
infrastructure is built upon Xiotech SAN equipment and consists of 60 terabytes. The backup
infrastructure consists of a EMC Data Domain backup appliance and EMC NetWorker
backup software.

5. Telecommunications Services supports over 16 data circuits, 40 T1 connections to City

facilities, 5 Mitel telephone systems, and 965 handsets. The telecommunications technician
is also responsible for the cabling and wiring throughout the City to ensure that standards are
maintained.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
The GIS division is responsible for developing and maintaining geospatial data while delivering
simple, interactive mapping tools to enable City employees and citizens to seamlessly access, query,
and visualize the information.

Service Delivery Areas

The GIS division provides services in the following areas:
1. GIS Products and Services include development and maintenance of GIS data, tools and
models, and support for spatial and web applications. GIS products include the development
of GIS tools and web-based applications and geo-processing models and customized spatial
10 | City of Fremont Information Technology Strategic Plan FY 2013/14 2017/18

Current Environment
data for computer applications. GIS services include generation and updating of data layers,
building and maintenance of geo-processing models, custom map products, and authoring of
metadata and other documentation. The GIS division is also responsible for reviewing street
names and issuing addresses along with reviewing development projects following public
safety guidelines.
2. Enterprise GIS Project Support includes the coordination and development of GIS data
collected by other departments that is distributed to desktop computers or mobile devices
for use in the office and in the field. Enterprise GIS support also distributes GIS-related
software and licensing to all participating City departments, publishes City-generated GIS
data to a centralized server environment to optimize system performance, develops custom
GIS applications including two external GIS web-based applications used by Economic
Development and developers, and coordinates training to City departments.
3. Southern Alameda County Geographic Information System Authority (SACGISA)
is a joint powers authority (JPA) created in 2000 with four other local agencies: City of
Union City, City of Newark, Alameda County Water District, and Union Sanitary District.
SACGISAs primary purpose is to provide GIS services including parcel map updates, data
layers, and GIS tools and models to all agencies for cost-effective delivery of services. The
City of Union City withdrew from SACGISA in 2011; however, the other agencies remain
dedicated to the original intent of the JPA.
The IT Strategic Plan identifies several high level initiatives and projects for GIS such as developing
and maintaining more complex spatial databases and better interaction with business applications.
The ITS Department intends to create a separate strategic plan for GIS to better clarify the direction
and roadmap for this specific service delivery area.
Administrative Support
The Administrative Support group is responsible for procurement, finance, budget, and the overall
operations of the ITS Department.

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Current Environment
Internal Information Technology Users
One of the purposes of this IT Strategic Plan is to encompass the relevant business needs of all
City information technology users. Therefore, it is important to understand the business goals and
needs of the Citys departments. A brief overview outlining those departmental goals and special
information technology services and support needs are summarized in this section.
City Managers Office
Provides support and advice to the City Council; manages and
coordinates citywide service delivery; leads efforts to promote
communication and to publicize the Citys programs, services and best
practices; and provides leadership to departments and City activities.
Special technology needs include social media tools, methods for
community engagement such as open data and mobile applications, and
citywide applications such as a citizen/customer relationship management
system.
City Attorneys Office
Provides a full range of legal services to the City. The City
Attorneys Office advises the City Council, commissions, boards
and all City departments on legal matters such as land use and
environmental regulations, special development projects, potential
liability for City actions, and compliance with federal and State
laws as well as employment laws. The City Attorneys Office also
provides risk management services to the City.
The City Attorneys office relies on technology solutions such as a contract management system,
records management, eDiscovery, electronic mail archiving, and risk management database.
Office of the City Clerk
Oversees the preparation of the City Council agenda, records the
City Councils actions in official minutes, maintains a computerized
legislative history, and safeguards official City documents. The City
Clerks Office manages and conducts elections and coordinates the
Citys Records Management Program as well as provides citywide mail
services.
Special technology needs include systems such as electronic web-based automated agenda,
document imaging management, and records management. The City Clerks Office relies upon
the audio visual systems in the Council Chambers used in the live broadcast of City Council and
Planning Commission meetings and other presentations and meetings held in the City Council
Chambers.
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Current Environment
Community Development Department
Provides planning, building and safety, community preservation, housing,
and environmental sustainability services. The Community Development
Department works to implement the Citys goals as referenced in
the General Plan to preserve open space and hillsides, maintain the
communitys historic town centers and characters, build high quality
residential and commercial development in targeted areas, and maintain
and expand the range of housing alternatives. The Department also plays a
lead role in implementation of the Climate Action Plan adopted by the City
Council in 2012.
Special technology needs include a robust land use management/
permitting system built upon GIS as the foundation to replace an aging
permitting system so that the system is fully integrated with other City
enterprise applications. The new permitting system will foster better information and workflow and
include a billing work order system to accurately track and charge back hours used by staff members
in the Development Cost Center. The Community Development Department needs online permitting
approval and 24/7 access by developers and the community. The Department uses radios and
smartphones for communications in the field, tablets, document management and imaging systems, and
automated agenda management for Planning Commission meetings. The Community Development
Planning Division relies upon GIS data and mapping products including critical property attributes to
perform its own geospatial tasks. The Department also works closely with the ITS GIS Division for
addressing and street naming assignment in development and other planning projects.
Community Services Department
Strives to enhance the quality of life for Fremont
residents and its visitors by providing leisure activities,
parks and community facilities, park and street median
maintenance, community landscape architecture, and
environmental services. The Community Services
Department manages public use of recreation facilities
and oversees the Citys park system. The Department
also provides performing and visual arts, sports, teen
and early childhood development programs, academic
enrichment, park visitors services, and manages
community centers, special facilities, and historic sites.
The Environmental Services Division is responsible for environmentally sound and cost-effective
methods for the disposal of garbage and household hazardous waste, recovery of recyclables, waste
prevention, and flow of clean storm water into streams and the San Francisco Bay.
Specific technology needs include a class registration and facility reservation system that is available
24/7, work order management system, mobile applications to enable employees to work in the parks
and outside areas, and GIS data and mapping services to analyze and display water shed areas,
collection routes, location of trash capture devices, and landscaping assets. The Community Services
Department relies upon social media to communicate real-time with its customers and for marketing
purposes and wireless connectivity at parks, community centers, and other public facilities.
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Current Environment
Economic Development Department
Proactively works with the business community, real estate brokers,
developers, and property owners to create a supportive environment
for desired retail, office, and technology industrial development. The
Department serves as a liaison between property owners, developers,
and City staff and assists with site selection, marketing, and permitting.
The Economic Development Department relies heavily on social media
tools to reach out to the various groups and to promote the City, on
databases for businesses including the business license application, and on GIS services that link
and visualize multiple data sets together and provide this information to the business community.
Additionally, the Department is working with IT Services to explore the feasibility of using the
Citys fiber infrastructure as a marketing tool to attract new businesses to the City.
Finance Department
Provides financial information, policy analyses, and recommendations
that help the City Council and all City departments make decisions about
how to best allocate the Citys resources. The Finance Department
includes accounting of the Citys resources, budget, purchasing and
accounts payable, revenue collection and audit, and managing the Citys
investment, debt financing and banking functions.
The Finance Department uses technology services and support
extensively. Technology systems include citywide financial management
(general ledger, accounts payable, purchasing, budgeting, accounts
receivable, fixed assets, etc.), cashiering, business license, online bidding,
as well as interfaces with external systems such as banking and investment.
Fire Department
Provides fire, medical, rescue, and life safety emergency services within the City. Fire Department
outcomes include reducing casualties and the loss of life, improving patient outcomes, reducing
property loss and damage, effecting successful extrications of trapped victims, and protecting the
environment from the effects of hazardous materials release.
Information technology products and services are critical to the
Fire Department that uses several primary systems: computeraided dispatch (CAD) with data provided from GIS including
address assignment following public safety guidelines, records
management, the California Electronic Reporting System
(CERS), GIS emergency coordination and custom mapping
services, and staff roster/scheduling. The Fire Department
relies upon other technologies including mobile data computers, radios, iPads, smartphones, fire
station alerting, social media, and internal and external websites. The Fire Department also uses
collaboration tools such as audio, video, and web conferencing to reduce the amount of time that
firefighters need to travel to the main office for training and other general purpose meetings.
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Current Environment
Human Resources Department
Provides specialized assistance to all employees in employer and labor
relations; citywide policy development; employee and organizational
development and training; recruitment; examination, classification, and
compensation; and benefits and payroll administration.
Special technology needs include the human capital management (HR/
payroll) system for online benefits, online self-service time reporting for
employees, and on-boarding for new employees; online recruitment system; FMLA (Family Medical
Leave Act) reporting; and social media tools for increased outreach during recruitments.
Human Services Department
Delivers and supports services by forging long-term community
partnerships, engaging with and building the capacity of the
community to do its own problem-solving, and leveraging
financial and volunteer resources. The Human Services
Departments major service areas include Youth and Family
Services, Family Resource Center, Aging and Family Services,
Mobility and Transportation Services, and City and Federal
Grant Administration.
Special technology needs include a patient tracking system that meets the HIPAA (Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act) security requirements; grant management; data integration, data
sharing, and accessibility of data with external agencies; and social media tools to reach the public in
multiple languages. The Human Services Department uses tablets for case workers and relies upon
GIS for evaluating client location/distribution and for analysis around demographics.
Police Department
Safeguards lives and property and enhances public safety.
The Police Departments major service areas include patrol,
investigation, traffic enforcement, 9-1-1 emergency services, and
animal control. The Police Department also provides crime trend
analysis, operates the School Resource Officer program, provides
community engagement, and operates a detention facility.
The Police Department relies on several critical information
technology systems and services including computer-aided
dispatch with data provided from GIS, 9-1-1 telephone, radio, records management, GIS, crime
analysis, video surveillance, digital imaging and management, and access to data through many
external agencies. Other critical technologies used by the Police Department are case management,
property management, report-writing, animal control application, mobile data computers, in-car
video, license plate recognition, smartphones, a mobile command vehicle, geospatial data for
emergency responses and crime analysis, and social media tools.

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Current Environment
Public Works Department
Maintains the City infrastructure, designs and constructs new or improved public facilities, manages
a safe and efficient citywide transportation network, and reviews development projects in accordance
with the Fremont Municipal Code and standards. The Public Works Department partners with
regional transportation agencies to ensure that the Citys
interests are considered in major regional projects.
Special technology needs include a work order management
system, fleet management system, computer-aided design
for engineering projects, capital improvement program
application, contract management, citizen/customer relationship
management system, and mobile devices such as laptops,
tablets, and smartphones. The Public Works Department relies
upon radios and GIS, the Citys network infrastructure for
communications and security needed by the citywide traffic signal system, and mobile applications
for access by field workers.

External Information Technology Users

The City departments provide services to external users including residents, local businesses and
industries, community organizations, and other governmental agencies. Technology has either a
direct or indirect impact on the Citys ability to deliver these services. The City Councils long-term
outcomes include community engagement and fostering a dynamic local economy. The IT Strategic
Plan recognizes the need to consider how technology can affect the external users and assist in
achieving the City Councils goals.

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General Trends in Technology

General Trends in Technology
The information technology industry is changing rapidly. Technologies such as data and voice are
converging and now using a single network to send information and to place telephone calls. Almost
every individual uses a smartphone or some type of mobile device to communicate, share, collect,
and access information such as messages, photos, data, and videos.
To be successful on a long-term basis, this IT Strategic Plan acknowledges current and expected
trends in order to position the City to take advantage of new and emerging technologies in a timely
manner.

Increased Internet Speed and Bandwidth

Over the past decade, we have seen a remarkable increase in network speed when accessing and
retrieving data. We are transitioning into a population that will demand higher network speeds from
home, work, and wireless devices. These increased network speeds create the expectation that the
speed of the Internet experienced at home be equal to the network speed at the workplace.

Mobility and Wireless Applications

As wireless networking speeds have increased, smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices have
evolved to process and deliver information that can take advantage of this increased power. Some
of the vendors we currently work with offer a smartphone or mobile application. City employees
who work in the field want to be able to access the application, which will increase efficiency and
responsiveness to requests for repairs and information. Mobility also needs to address bring-yourown-device (BYOD) as organizations are expanding services available for smartphones and mobile
devices.

Cloud Computing
Everyone is talking about the cloud, and there are many definitions. Basically, cloud computing
shifts the responsibility of data storage from internal to external resources with access using a web
browser.

eCommerce
The City should deliver as many services as practical to allow the community to conduct city-related
business from home, work, or mobile device 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Social Media
Social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Nixle) can provide a platform for citizen
engagement and distribute information quickly. Social media also offers more image- and videobased communication.
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General Trends in Technology

Service Delivery Models
There are several newer models available to deliver software and other IT services in addition to the
traditional on-premise model. Cloud computing provides some unique opportunities to deliver
services to the Citys customers. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) enables users to access data from
their applications using a web browser eliminating the need to physically install client software on a
computer. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) is the ability for the ITS Department to remotely create,
access, and control the servers responsible for providing data and applications to users.

Business Intelligence
Today, we have access to a lot of data. Unstructured data (non-database items such as tweets, social
media posts, Google searches, and other Internet data) will grow 80% over the course of the next
five years, creating a huge IT challenge. It is difficultif not impossibleto determine the most
important data points. Business intelligence is a broad category of applications and technologies
for gathering, storing, analyzing, and providing access to structured (in-house databases) and
unstructured data to enable decision-makers to make better choices when evaluating business
opportunities.

Business Continuity
Information technology departments are familiar with Murphys Law, which states that what can go
wrong, will go wrong. It is safe to say that, at some point, computer systems will fail due to cyberattacks, natural disaster or human error.

GIS-Enabled Technology
The integration of GIS interfaces and data into existing software and other applications represents a
great opportunity for GIS to evolve into a critical pillar of data sharing and data collection.

Collaboration
Collaboration is an essential tool where users can collaborate over the telephone or video across
multiple departments, sharing documents and other data from anywhere at any time.

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Vision, Mission, and Guiding Principles

Vision, Mission, and Guiding Principles
IT Vision
The City of Fremont Information Technology Services (ITS) Departments vision for technology
will directly support and enhance the Citys overall goals and objectives. The IT vision must be
considered when making decisions about investments in technology and prioritizing projects. The IT
vision for the City is:
To become an integral partner with our customers and the community to
enable the City to be recognized as a leader in technology that prides itself on
innovation, transparency, and accountability.

IT Mission
The ITS Department delivers the best proven technology and services available for computer,
data, telecommunications, mapping, and critical business systems of the City to employees and the
public through excellent customer service, continuous improvement, innovative problem-solving,
adherence to standardized information technology best practices, and collaborative solutions.
The ITS Department is committed to being a provider of critical services for all City departments.
The technology services goals for the ITS Department are:
Continue to align technology with the City Council priorities and the
business goals of the organization.
Build alliances with key decision-makers.
Lobby for, and obtain, financial and other resources to deliver services and
implement projects.
Deliver quality customer service at all times.
Promote a commitment to excellence.
Assist in converting business requirements to technical needs.
Provide innovative problem-solving solutions using proven technologies.
Maximize the Citys investment in technology.
Develop and manage a technology infrastructure and processes to electronically preserve and
share the extensive knowledge base of City departments.
Maintain highly skilled and motivated information technology professionals.

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Vision, Mission, and Guiding Principles

IT Guiding Principles
The Citys IT Guiding Principles are used to govern the daily actions of the ITS Department staff.
The Guiding Principles are also used during the planning process to consider a projects relationship
to the IT strategic initiatives before the project is approved and prioritized. The Guiding Principles
are broken down into five main categories: organizational, infrastructure, data, application, and GIS.
Organizational Principles
1 The City will be the best technology user, not the first technology user.
2 Technology solutions must add value, which means that the systems are cost-effective while
optimizing usefulness.
3 Only proven technologies will be implemented for critical systems.
4 People are the key to success in any organization. Invest in training in parallel with
technology to ensure that employees can use that technology effectively and proficiently.
5 Service level agreements will be developed with every City department to manage customer
expectations.
Infrastructure Principles
1 The Citys IT infrastructure (data centers, networks, telecommunications, wireless systems,
etc.) is the foundation of the Citys operations and must be capable of delivering secure,
innovative, and accessible systems.
2 The Citys IT infrastructure must be secure, reliable, and disaster resilient to provide
24/7/365 online services.
Data Principles
1 Access to information must be easily available anytime-anywhere to promote the Citys wellbeing to enable day-to-day decision-making, enhance learning and cultural opportunities, and
engage residents in civic participation.
2 Technical solutions should improve information sharing (as appropriate and ensuring
confidentiality) across the City.
3 An information security strategy balances the need to minimize risk with the desire to
maintain an open environment that facilitates the exchange of information.

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Vision, Mission, and Guiding Principles

Application Principles
1 The City will purchase commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software applications and minimize
customization to reduce implementation and support costs, whenever available and practical.
2 Innovative solutions will use business intelligence, be web-enabled, and assure data
integration with other applicable applications.
3 A hybrid of cloud computing, both public and private, and on-premise solutions will be
implemented, whenever available and practical.
4 Maintain up-to-date capabilities of systems with software version upgrades.
5 Optimize application functionality.
GIS Principles
1 GIS will be used as a foundation for representing spatial information in overall technology
architecture.
2 Analysis of GIS solutions will be included as part of business process reviews.

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Strategic Planning Methodology for Technology

Strategic Planning Methodology for Technology
The City needs to establish a more formal structure for the decision-making process as it relates to
new technology that includes a cross-departmental body that is responsible for decisions related to IT
investments. Currently, technology projects are reviewed as part of the Citys Capital Improvement
Program (CIP), a process for whose primary purpose is to identify infrastructure and public works
projects. The new structure should include a documented process that identifies a governing body,
such as the City Leadership Team (CLT), and defines the processes by which it will make decisions
to prioritize technology projects and related funding. This formal structure would also allow more
transparency into the decision-making process and better facilitate the management of competing
priorities within the various City departments.
The CLT consists of all department heads and is the body that is ultimately accountable for the
day-to-day operation of the City and for the Citys delivery of service to its citizens. For projects
and initiatives that require funding and/or the implementation of new City-wide policy relating
to technology, the CLT should be the decision-making body and make recommendations to the
City Manager for approval and adoption in accordance with the Citys budgeting and purchasing
processes.

Project Initiation and Approval

Departments should identify new projects and bring them to the ITS Departments attention on an
annual basis. The ITS Director will review the new projects to make sure that they are aligned with
the Citys strategic plan guidelines and initiatives and submit them to the CLT who will recommend
which projects should be considered to the City Manager. Departments may also identify new
projects and submit them to the IT Services Department outside of the budgeting process. In some
cases, the IT Services Director will work directly with the requesting department director to review
the proposed project rather than bring the project to the CLT. An example is a project for which
outside funding has been awarded and there is sufficient IT staffing resources in the current fiscal
year to plan for and/or implement the new system with no impact on the planned projects for the
year.
The City will acquire all technology systems in accordance with the strategies and guidelines
contained in the IT Strategic Plan. This procedure ensures that the IT Services Department reviews
software and other system purchases in order to determine that the purchase meets a strategic
business need for the department and complies with the approved technology standards.

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Strategic Planning Methodology for Technology

Project Review Criteria
Based on limited resources and the increased demand for IT projects, this Plan presents the
following criteria to be used for reviewing and approving projects:
a) Consolidation Technologies should achieve cost savings, improve performance, and
mitigate risk.
b) Standardization New technologies should consist of the standard specification, standard
test method, standard definition, or standard procedure in order to achieve and maintain
interoperability.
c) Simplification The performance of a process involving a service or product that is least
expensive in terms of effort, money and time,and consistent with the initiatives of the City.
Specific criteria to evaluate and prioritize each project are listed below.
1. Is the Project considered to be a Priority? Will it:
Enhance security
Improve disaster recovery
Support core business
Increase compliance with laws and regulations
Increase efficiency and return on investment
Improve department infrastructure
2. What is the Scope of the Project? Does it:
Move toward a citywide solution
Enhance multi-department business function
Improve a single department
3. What is the Core Function of the Project?
Improve a citywide business process
Represent a departments number one priority
4. What is the funding source?
Enterprise or non-General Fund
Grant or non-City funded
Cost Allocation Citywide
Finance through bond/debt payment
General Fund

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Strategic Planning Methodology for Technology

Project Funding Strategies
The City should continue to fund the replacement of technology infrastructure. Technology
infrastructure includes all hardware and equipment (from the desktop to the data center) that ensure
the Citys technology users are able to access software applications. Data center hardware includes
servers, routing and switching equipment, and data storage and backup equipment that support data
management and data recovery. As the Citys volume of data increases with the introduction of new
applications, and as additional applications are integrated, the data storage and backup capacity must
also increase.
Technology refreshment includes software in the way of updates, through software releases and
patches, so that the applications remain current with vendor support agreements. These updates and
patches are budgeted in the ITS Departments annual operating budget.
Many of the projects identified in this Plan are currently not funded. In order to provide adequate and
intelligent business solutions, the City needs to focus its IT investments, while recognizing financial
limitations, to maximize efficiency and effectiveness and reduce costs.
Currently, projects are funded from the following sources:
General Fund When the project has general citywide impact.
State and Federal Agencies The ITS Department works with City departments to identify
alternative sources of funding including state and federal grants.
Other financial strategies should be considered:
Over time, the City should include software applications in the technology replacement fund.
This practice will enable the City to replace existing legacy applications without the need
to compete for funding resources with other technology and citywide projects. The same
methodology used for the replacement of technology infrastructure will be used; i.e., collecting
an annual amount of replacement dollars for the software application based upon a useful life (in
most cases, 10 years) that is allocated to the user department(s).
Assess a technology fee on building permits for new construction to cover citywide IT services
and projects such as GIS land base updates and Police Department dispatch consolidation.
Develop bond/debt financing instruments for large infrastructure replacements and enhancements
in order to complete high priority projects (such as replacing the fiber throughout the City) in the
next five years while extending repayment over a longer period of time.
Defer projects to later years through prioritization and planning.
The process for securing IT funding begins with each City department. During the budget cycle,
the department identifies IT projects to be accomplished during the fiscal year for which the budget
is being prepared. The ITS Department works collaboratively with each department to estimate
the cost to implement the proposed project. The project costs are included in the ITS Departments
budget request submitted to the City Manager and City Council for approval.

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Strategic Planning Methodology for Technology

Projects that are submitted outside the annual budgeting process are unfunded unless there is funding
available through another source such as a grant. Funding may also be provided by the requesting
department through a reallocation of the departments approved funding. Based on the priority
assigned to unfunded projects added to the project list, the ITS Director will work collaboratively
with the requesting department to determine if additional funding is available from the department
or if a reprioritization of projects already funded by that department should be changed to
accommodate the new project.
The ITS and City departments will need to review and prioritize projects on an annual basis to
identify reductions and/or reallocation of projects to meet budgetary constraints. If these strategies
are not successful, the City will continue to defer and eliminate key projects.

Project Management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing and managing resources
to achieve specific goals. Ineffective project management can result in extended timelines, budget
overruns, and project failures. The ITS Department has commenced utilizing a standardized method
of initiating projects, monitoring, controlling, and/or reporting on project status, handling issue
resolution and change control, and other activities considered integral to the project management
process. However, the City as a whole needs to embrace this methodology that will determine
how resources are being used, what the exact workload is at any given time, and whether or not
resources are being allocated consistently with the priorities and needs of the Citys overall business
objectives.
Prior to initiating a technology project, a formal project charter should be completed to help ensure
that the project is well defined. A project charter authorizes the project and ensures that necessary
resources are provided to be successful. It provides a common understanding of what the project
is about, why it is being done, who is involved, roles and responsibilities, schedule and delivery
approach.
Once a project is initiated, the City should employ a standardized template for the project manager
to track and report on project progress. At a minimum, the project manager should complete the
following templates:
Project Plan (inclusive of issues management, change management, risk management, etc.)
Project Schedule
Budget Tracking
Project Status Reports
The use of a standardized project management framework will help ensure a comprehensive
understanding of projects among stakeholders and impacted staff and help mitigate any risks to the
project.
All IT projects are managed by the ITS Department together with a project manager assigned by the
requesting department. The functional project manager should have the skill set and authority to
effectively perform the required project duties. The project manager(s) should be accountable to the
project sponsor(s) for updates.
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Strategic Planning Methodology for Technology

Process Change Management
One of the ITS Departments responsibilities is to provide support for process change within the
City. People are the key to success in any organization. When new technologies are introduced to
the City, change must be carefully considered as to its impact on the organization and addressed in
the implementation of the new technology.
The ITS Department understands technologies used throughout the City and can take advantage of
applying those technologies wherever possible. The ITS Department can assist departments with
process change as it continuously researches emerging technologies. Information technologies such
as shared databases and system integration can be used to improve existing information systems or
eliminate the need for an outdated technology.
The process change strategy includes:
Communication Decision to change a process should be communicated to all affected
employees as early and often as possible. The fear of change can be minimized with an
effective communication plan.
Continuous Process To minimize disruption during a process change, an alternative
solution should be used.
Project Management Process change needs management support, involvement, and a
commitment to provide the resources to make the change happen.
Staff Skills It is important to understand the skills needed for staff to make the process
change. This effort should begin as soon as possible after the possible change is identified.

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IT Strategic Initiatives
Section 6 IT Strategic Initiatives
The City has the opportunity to improve the delivery of its services and better allocate its limited
resources by recognizing the value of technology. Investment in technology can become a strategic
empowerment tool rather than a standard cost-cutting tactic.
Through the collaborative engagement of the Citys department directors and managers, the
following IT strategic initiatives were selected as they either enabled better service delivery citywide
or created the potential for significant citywide savings:

1. Open Data Initiative

2. Mobile Applications
3. Enterprise Applications
4. Business Intelligence
5. Citywide Security Plan
6. IT Fiber Optic Plant
7. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
8. Citywide Broadband and Wi-Fi
1. Open Data Initiative
The creation and deployment of open data applications, using a warehouse of raw and machinereadable data, will enable the City to become more transparent. This initiative encourages
application development by sponsoring community events and by providing an application
showcase on the Citys website where applications that utilize City data are highlighted.
Greater transparency through access to the raw data enables more timely communication
between the City and those wanting information. The traditional methods of requesting and
obtaining information about the City are no longer adequate. Interacting with the City through
the warehouse will enable individuals to get a more responsive, instantaneous answer to a
question as well as enable a self-service for questions, comments, and analysis. Constituents
will also be able to comment and make real-time requests directly to the responsible department
through the Internet.
Expected benefits of this Open Data Initiative include improved accessibility of City services
through channels such as mobile devices and social media tools including Facebook and Twitter.
The Open Data Initiative will also reduce costs in that there will be less demand for City
personnel to answer and provide common information. Engaging our community in developing
applications that will use the raw data also means fewer City resources need to be invested
in development or acquisition of software. It is important to note that the City must balance the
accessibility to data with considerations of privacy and security.

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IT Strategic Initiatives
2. Mobile Applications
Todays citizens are most likely to contact a government office from a
smartphone or mobile device and, in most instances, are using a mobile
application. Mobile applications are effective tools for citizens to receive
information, request service, and report outages or needed repairs.
Mobile applications are also used for more complex services such as
providing real-time traffic information and location-based information
such as crime data or park maps.
Many departments in the City are interested in developing mobile applications including
Environmental Services, Police Department, Fire Department, Public Works, Community
Development, and Community Services.
The City has limited IT resources and isnt necessarily in the position of developing its own
applications. To supplement the IT resources to develop mobile applications, the City should
consider joining other local agencies to create shared applications or to share the cost of
services to customize and develop applications. In the process of selecting new or replacement
applications, the City will include mobile functionality as one of the system requirements, where
appropriate.

3. Enterprise Applications
An Enterprise Application describes a collection of computer programs with common business
applications or tools for supporting the entire City organization. This broad-based software is
intended to solve an enterprise-wide problem rather than a departmental problem.
The City is currently in the process of replacing the financial management system and will
soon embark on replacing the land management (permitting) system that includes a customer
relationship management (CRM) component. The new systems will more closely integrate with
existing enterprise applications such as the Oracle/PeopleSoft Human Capital Management (HR/
Payroll) system.
The City recently implemented functionality in the Oracle/PeopleSoft HCM system with
eBenefits and self-service time reporting. eBenefits enables employees to complete forms online
and eliminates the use of paper. Self-service time reporting eliminates the need for timekeepers
in each department as each employee is now responsible and accountable for his/her own time
resulting in improved efficiency and more effective use of limited staffing resources.
The benefits of implementing closely integrated applications results in decreased costs due to
elimination of redundant functions and more resilient disaster recovery. In addition, integrated
systems enhance collaboration functionality and leverage best practices in the respective areas of
business.

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IT Strategic Initiatives
4. Business Intelligence
Information is one of the most valuable assets that the City has. Providing the right information
to the right people at the right time can help the City gain more insight and drive better
outcomes. A business intelligence solution will optimize hardware and software to deliver
powerful processing and number crunching required for predictive analysis, social media
analytics, modeling, hypothesis testing, and all other analytics operations. Dashboards and
reports can be built by extracting necessary data from structured and unstructured data contained
in all of the existing City systems.
The Police and Fire Departments are ready today to use business intelligence. The Police
Department can use business intelligence for the traditional crime spotting using GIS and
existing data to plot crime centroids and using modeling techniques to predict new centroids
and enable more intelligent dispatching of resources. The Police Department can also use
entity analytics that allows for multi-cultural name information and name matching of offender
signatures to unsolved crime signatures.
The Fire Department can use business intelligence to reduce community risk by identifying
and plotting fire and public health trends and obtaining actionable information necessary for
decision-making in an all-risk fire department with finite resources for performance measures,
resource allocation, and funding.

5. Citywide Security Plan

The ITS Department is currently working on a citywide security plan that is related to several
regulatory bodies including the FBI California Justice Information System (CJIS), Payment Card
Industry (PCI), and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The security
initiative also references best practices for security management published by the ISO 27002
(International Organization for Standardization) and NIST (National Institute of Standards and
Technology).
Several recent incidents in security lapses in other agencies have highlighted the importance
of establishing and implementing a comprehensive security plan. The effort includes revising
existing security policies as well as creating new security policies to ensure the integrity and
recovery of data, which is a valuable City asset. The initiative will also increase computing and
networking performance by reducing inappropriate usage, providing better response to security
incidents, and reducing the Citys exposure to security threats, both internal and external.
Enforcement of IT policies, practices, and procedures ensures that systems are secure and risk is
minimized.
The benefits of a comprehensive citywide security plan include the following:
Reduction in exposure to unwanted intrusions.
Increased confidentiality, integrity, and available of enterprise networks and computing
platforms.
Reduction of security vulnerabilities in citywide network topology to an acceptable risk level.
Creation of a citywide security awareness training program for employees on an annual basis.
Enforcement of IT policies, practices, and procedures
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6. IT Fiber Optic Infrastructure
The Citys fiber optic infrastructure was installed in the early
1990s. The fiber cable transmits the Citys data and voice
telecommunications to multiple City facilities including the
Police Department, Fire Station 1, Administration Buildings
A and B, Development Services Center, Maintenance Center,
Tennis Center, Boathouse, Teen Center, Animal Shelter, and
Senior Center.
The average life span of fiber cabling is 20 to 25 years. As fiber ages, transmission quality of
the fiber degrades resulting in the network equipment retransmitting information, which impacts
users because there is a delay in delivering data to their workstations. There is a need to replace
the existing fiber to facilities and expanding the fiber infrastructure to enable faster speed and
increased bandwidth to other facilities.
Ten out of eleven fire stations are now connected to the Citys infrastructure with T-1 circuits that
are considered slow by todays transmission medium standards. Over the years, these circuits
have failed due to the aging of copper cable strands in the streets. Replacing the existing T-1
copper circuits with fiber will enable the stations personnel to engage in remote training and
video conferencing, reducing the time away from the stations. The fiber optic infrastructure
will also bring fiber to the Fire Training Center on Stevenson Boulevard to enable the Fire
Department to lease the facility to other agencies for training exercises and thereby generate
revenue for the City.
A new fiber optic plant will position the City with the needed infrastructure to use, or expand the
use of, technologies such as teleconferencing, video surveillance, and GIS where large amounts
of data are transmitted.

7. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that allows voice telephone calls, faxes, and
video conferencing to be made over computer networks. Currently, the City operates several
telephone systems with a hybrid of digital and IP telephone sets deployed to departments. A
complete VoIP solution will enable the City to reduce infrastructure maintenance costs and
provide a more resilient disaster recovery plan.

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IT Strategic Initiatives
8. Citywide Broadband and Wi-Fi Access
The City will develop a plan to improve the accessibility to broadband (commonly understood as
high-speed Internet) and wireless access (Wi-Fi) for public services and underserved members
of the community. The broadband plan will explore business models on how the City can build
and sustain municipal broadband services through a fully private network, public network,
public-private partnership (such as Lit San Leandro, a fiber network that was built by one of
the City of San Leandros largest employers), or partnership with other public entities such as the
Fremont Unified School District.
The emerging use of video-based services, reliance on cloud computing, and public demand
for interactive bandwidth intensive City services requires the City to look at increasing the
availability of high-speed and reliable broadband services. In addition, there are certain parts of
the City such as industrial locations and less populated areas that have less than adequate, or no,
broadband services, which thereby affects the economic development of the City.
The ultimate goal of broadband access is to allow people to take advantage of its potential to
improve the users experience for business development, education, or recreation. By expanding
broadband and Wi-Fi capacity throughout the City, the following benefits can be realized:
Departments will have access to required bandwidth to deliver services resulting in increased
reliability and improved service response.
Departments can implement new technologies and applications such as video surveillance.
Enables the City to promote local economic development.
Improved environmental sustainability.
Enhanced quality of life factors through improvements to public health and public safety.
Increased educational opportunities for residents.

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Strategic Projects for Departments

Section 7 Strategic Projects for Departments
A strategic project is one that has the potential to provide significant benefits to the City and/or the
customers it serves. The meetings with departments resulted in the identification and prioritization
of strategic projects that will help ensure the Citys technology environment supports current and
anticipated business needs. These projects span across all departments and will improve services,
operations, and/or increase the security and reliability of the existing and future technology
environment.
These projects were prioritized based on criteria such as financial impact, health and safety impact,
customer service impact, business operations impact, alignment to business vision and mission,
and technology obsolescence. In addition to these criteria, the departments considered additional
factors such as whether they will replace, enhance, or create new infrastructure, operating systems,
or software applications. Consideration was also given to the limited resources (both human and
capital) available to implement and manage technology projects. Each project was evaluated against
these multi-criteria in order to determine its place and priority for inclusion in the five-year IT
Strategic Plan. The actual start date of a project and the successful completion of these projects are
dependent on funding or budget approval.
It is evident that there is a need to replace outdated and obsolete systems with systems that contain
functions that currently do not exist. In some instances, such as the Oracle PeopleSoft Human
Capital Management system, it is prudent to invest in the existing system to add new or substantially
improved capabilities that are already contained in the application but are currently not being used or
are being under-utilized.
Appendix A lists the projects by sponsoring department. In addition, the table provides a brief
description of each project and estimated timeline for implementation. It should be noted that
the City should identify and quantify any additional staffing or support requirements prior to
implementing each project. This includes identifying necessary backfill of key project team members
so that the regular ongoing operations can be maintained during implementation and training of staff
to ensure ongoing support of the technology implemented.

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Conclusion
Conclusion
The City is positioned for success, beginning with the development of this IT Strategic Plan, starting
with the City Councils Vision followed by the IT Vision, IT Mission, and Guiding Principles,
which provide a roadmap for future IT investments. Through the strategies of consolidation,
standardization, and simplification, the City can realize a fundamental shift from continued
operational spending to new project delivery.
The next step in the strategic planning effort is to develop detailed implementation plans that identify
specific actions, schedules and timeframes, and resource requirements such as staffing and funding
for the projects identified in the Plan.
The IT Strategic Plan is the result of a collaborative effort across all departments. The success of
this Plan is dependent upon that collaboration and the commitment of all City departments. The
initiatives selected are those that are most critical to achieving the Citys specific business goals.
The ITS Department endorses the Plan and is committed to providing the leadership and support
needed to ensure successful completion of the initiatives and projects and establishing a solid
technology platform that will serve as a foundation for the future.

City of Fremont Information Technology Strategic Plan FY 2013/14 2017/18 |

37

Conclusion

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38 | City of Fremont Information Technology Strategic Plan FY 2013/14 2017/18

Information Technology Strategic Plan Projects

Appendix A

Fiscal Years 2013/14 2017/18

Appendix A contains the projects that departments have submitted over the next five years during the development of the IT Strategic Plan.
The projects are listed alphabetically by department and include the initiative identified in the Plan. Some of the projects have identified funding while funding for other
projects needs to be determined.
Project Name

FY
FY
FY
FY
FY
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Description

Initiative(s)

Redesign City's Website

The City's website was designed in 2009 and is in need of a "refresh".

The new site will take advantage of new functionalities that are
available.

Open Data

Citizen/Customer Relationship
Management (CRM)

To provide a CRM for residents and other City departments to report

issues and for City employees to track customer inquiries and action
taken, increase efficiency of customer service by minimizing duplicate
staff research, and enable easier follow-up.

Mobile
Applications

Open Data

Create a portal on the City's website to place data (such as permit and
budget information) to enable the public to access it to create
applications.

Open Data

Mobile Applications

Create mobile applications, such as for reporting grafitti and potholes,

and road conditions.

Mobile
Applications

Business Work Order (BWO)

System

Currently a plug-in to the PeopleSoft application. May be a component Enterprise

of new financial management system.
Applications

All Departments

Document Management System Replace the current Cimage document management system with a
system that will provide access to the public to review plans and
permits online and enable building plans to be scanned. Easier to
search. May be a component of new permit system.

Enterprise
Applications

Project Management

System to track capital project (all projects) status.

Enterprise
Applications

Records Management

For paper and electronic documents.

Enterprise
Applications

Data Warehousing, Reporting

A central repository of data for all City departments to easily access

and allow generation of reports that combine data from multiple
database systems.

Business
Intelligence

Business Intelligence

Need citywide BI solution to consolidate all data, both structured and

unstructured, for a single warehouse to use for business decisionmaking. Refer to separate initiatives for Fire and Police.

Business
Intelligence

Citywide Broadband and Wi-Fi

Develop a plan to deliver high-speed internet services to under-served

or unserved areas in the City of Fremont. Determine type of delivery
such as private fiber network, partnership with a video service
provider, or with a private company.

Broadband,
Wi-Fi

Citywide Fiber Network

Infrastructure

Replace aging fiber infrastructure that is 20-25 years old. Expand the
fiber infrastructure by replacing T1 lines to offsite facilities with fiber for
increased network speed. Will enable Fire to offer the Fire Training
Facility to outside agencies to use for training, which will generate
revenue for the City. Need to examine City's role in providing
broadband services to support economic development.

Fiber Optic

Revisedon:9/3/2013

PageA1ofA6

Information Technology Strategic Plan Projects

Appendix A

Fiscal Years 2013/14 2017/18

Appendix A contains the projects that departments have submitted over the next five years during the development of the IT Strategic Plan.
The projects are listed alphabetically by department and include the initiative identified in the Plan. Some of the projects have identified funding while funding for other
projects needs to be determined.
Project Name

FY
FY
FY
FY
FY
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Description

Initiative(s)

System to keep e-mails that are considered records with an

eDiscovery component for public records searches.

Enterprise
Applications

Replace the existing IQM2 MinuteTraq automated agenda system with Enterprise
a system that is more robust and includes indexing for better search
Applications
and video streaming.

City Attorney's Office

E-Mail Archive

City Clerk's Office

Agenda Automation, Video
Streaming

Community Development Department

Land Management System

Replace current Tidemark permitting system.

Enterprise
Applications

Community Services Department

Facilities Reservation

System to enable public and City employees to reserve park and

building facilities online.

Enterprise
Applications

Class Registration System

Replace current ActiveNetwork CLASS registration system.

Enterprise
Applications

Business License System

Upgrade

Upgrade HdL to HdL Prime.

Enterprise
Applications

Budget System

Implement a budget system. May be a module of the new financial

management system or a separate system integrated to the new
financial management system.

Enterprise
Applications

Financial Management System

Implement a system that easily tracks budget vs. expenditures, PO

status, provides copies of financial documents only, easily exports
information (PDF, Excel).

Enterprise
Applications

Fire Data Analytics

System to capture key performance metrics for the Fire Department.

Business
Intelligence

California Electronic Reporting

System (CERS)

Install new comprehensive web-based data management and

reporting system to comply with CalEPA requirements.

Enterprise
Applications

MDC Replacement

Replace existing Panasonic Toughbooks with iPads for use with CAD. Infrastructure

TeleStaff Enhancements &

Database Conversion

Implement enhancements to TeleStaff rostering and scheduling

system and convert database from proprietary database to Microsoft
SQL Server.

Finance Department

Fire Department

Revisedon:9/3/2013

Enterprise
Applications

PageA2ofA6

Information Technology Strategic Plan Projects

Appendix A

Fiscal Years 2013/14 2017/18

Appendix A contains the projects that departments have submitted over the next five years during the development of the IT Strategic Plan.
The projects are listed alphabetically by department and include the initiative identified in the Plan. Some of the projects have identified funding while funding for other
projects needs to be determined.
Project Name

Description

Initiative(s)

Neo-Gov Recruitment System

Integration

Integrate recruitment system with PeopleSoft HR/Payroll system.

Enterprise
Applications

Employee On-Boarding

Create on-boarding page in PeopleSoft to expedite the hiring process

by integrating online applications with HR processes and automating
the many HR forms required to complete the hiring process.

Enterprise
Applications

Manager Dashboard

To provide an at-a-glance view of important information to help

managers know where they need to focus.

Enterprise
Applications

PeopleSoft Upgrade

Upgrade to Version 9.2.

Enterprise
Applications

Performance Management
System

Provide a system to allow managers to complete performance plans

and reviews online and provide workflow and automated approval.

FY
FY
FY
FY
FY
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Human Resources Department

X

Human Services Department

Client Tracking System

Replace current PsychConsult system.

Data Sharing for HIPAA

Compliance

Enterprise
Applications

Open Data

Information Technology Services Department

Citywide Mobile Technology
Strategy

Establish mobile computing standards and processes to support field

staff in accessing information in the field as well as supporting the
electronic collection of information to reduce paper-based processes.
Includes standards for developing mobile apps for use on iPads or
other devices to access applications while in the field.

Mobile
Applicatioins

Citywide Technology Training

Develop and implement a formal training plan to address ongoing

training (classroom, online) needs of department staff. Project
includes development of a knowledge center (UPK).

Enterprise
Applications

Telephone System, Voicemail

System

Replace existing hybrid digital/IP telephone systems and voicemail

systems with full IP-based system and handsets including
collaboration tools such as audio/video/web conferencing.

VoIP

Applications Portfolio

Create an applications portfolio that identifies all systems used by the

City. Data includes original purchase date and cost, upgrades
including date and cost, whether application meets ISP3 and strategic
requirements, keep or replace.

Enterprise
Applications

Information Security Policy,

Procedures, and Practices
(ISP3)

Develop and implement security policies, procedures, and practices to

ensure that the City meets compliance requirements for DOJ, HIPAA,
and PCI. Policies include change management, incident response,
etc. Initiative will also prepare security awareness training for all City
employees.

Citywide
Security

Password, User Account

Security Policy

Need to implement new password and user account security policy to

meet DOJ/CLETS requirements for PD as well as compliance with
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and PCI
(Payment Card Industry).

Security

Revisedon:9/3/2013

PageA3ofA6

Information Technology Strategic Plan Projects

Appendix A

Fiscal Years 2013/14 2017/18

Appendix A contains the projects that departments have submitted over the next five years during the development of the IT Strategic Plan.
The projects are listed alphabetically by department and include the initiative identified in the Plan. Some of the projects have identified funding while funding for other
projects needs to be determined.
Project Name

Description

Initiative(s)

FY
FY
FY
FY
FY
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Information Technology Services Department (continued)

Business Continuity Plan,
Disaster Recovery

Update the IT Business Continuity Plan and Disaster Recovery Plan to

ensure timely recovery of critical applications in the event of an
unplanned event or outage based on identified business and
operational priorities.

Security

Mobile Data Management

Solution

Implement a MDM to manage smartphones and mobile devices that

access the City's network and e-mail system. Also, manage
applications that employees can download so that the City remains
compliant with software licensing. Includes drafting a "mobile device"
policy or incorporating language for "bring your own device" (BYOD) in
existing A.R. 1.14.

Security

GIS

Update system to ensure reliable, timely, accurate information.

Integration with City applications, training, and self-help tools made
available. Enable use with web browsers (Firefox, Safari) in addition
to MS Internet Explorer. Easier for user to create maps. More layers.

Open Data

Multi-Function
Print/Copy/Scan/Fax Devices

Complete an assessment of existing systems installed throughout the

City including the cost of operations (service, consumables, energy,
etc.). Research value of a managed print services contract for
devices.

Infrastructure

Police Department
2-Factor Authentication

Security

Staff Roster, Scheduling System Implement TeleStaff for PD sworn personnel to manage scheduling
including overtime and shift assignments and to automatically prepare
rosters.

Enterprise
Applications

Facial Recognition

Application on smartphones.

Mobile
Applicatioins

Video Surveillance

Video surveillance in neighborhoods.

Security

Business Intelligence

Deploy predictive analytics for Crime Spotting Time and Space

analytics, entity analytics, and social network analytics for decision
management.

Business
Intelligence

Cloud Forum

Based on Berkeley PD Cloud Forum, develop a website for only PD to

access as a bulletin board for daily rosters, bulletins, and other
information to replace existing paper documents and systems.

Business
Intelligence

Dispatch Consolidation with

Union City, Tiburon Upgrade

Two part project to provide dispatching services to Union City, need to

upgrade CAD and RMS systems to handle multiple agencies. 1st
Phase is an interim solution to begin dispatching during certain times
of the day. 2nd Phase is upgrade to new version for complete
dispatching.

Enterprise
Applications

Data Sharing with Law

Enforcement Agencies

Large data sharing with agencies in Alameda County for better crime
analysis abilities.

Open Data

Crossroads

Phase 2 - Work with Courts and Crossroads to interface from

Crossroads Citations to Court so printing hard copies no longer
required. Phase 3 - Mobile Traffic Accidents, interfaces for
Crossroads to Tiburon and CHP.

Open Data

Revisedon:9/3/2013

DOJ CLETS security requirement for 2-factor authentication by

September 2014 to access CLETS database.

PageA4ofA6

Information Technology Strategic Plan Projects

Appendix A

Fiscal Years 2013/14 2017/18

Appendix A contains the projects that departments have submitted over the next five years during the development of the IT Strategic Plan.
The projects are listed alphabetically by department and include the initiative identified in the Plan. Some of the projects have identified funding while funding for other
projects needs to be determined.
Project Name

Description

Initiative(s)

FY
FY
FY
FY
FY
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Police Department (continued)

Digital Evidence Storage

Combine all digital evidence storage into Coban document

management system.

Infrastructure

Dual-Verification-Vehicles

Dual-verfication procedure-development of process to enter CJIS on

vehicle MDTs.

Security

Motorcycle Cameras

Research and buy either recording equipment for motorcycles or a

personal recording capability.

Infrastructure

911 Phone System

Update our current 9-1-1 phone system to Next Gen.

Enterprise
Applications

Logger

Hardware/Software that records/stores all of PD's radio and 9-1-1

Enterprise
audio files. Upgrade or new equipment would need to be purchased to Applications
coincide with 9-1-1 phone upgrade.

GIS Mapping

Enhanced mapping application to plot 9-1-1 callers. (Currently have

funding, waiting upgrade to Next-Gen to utilize funds.)

Patrol Briefing Room AV

Upgrade

Purchase equipment to improve current AV equipment and install

teleconference equipment.

Infrastructure

Emergency Operations Center

Upgrade

Necessary improvement to City's EOC facility.

Infrastructure

In-Car Digital Video Recording

System, Automated License
Plate Readers.

Installation and implementation of in-car digital video recording system Infrastructure

and Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR).

Chameleon

Replace current system that tracks pet licenses and other shelterrelated activities.

GIS

Enterprise
Applications

Property and Evidence software Upgrade or replace current "Property and Evidence" program that is
(Tiburon)
used to track property/evidence that is entered, stored, released, or
destroyed.

Enterprise
Applications

Wireless Property Management Purchase a program that would allow Property Officers to manage
System
property through a Wi-Fi-enabled device, such as an iPad, so work
could be completed remotely in the warehouse.

Wi-Fi

Police Campus Video

Surveillance

Purchase a program/cameras that would allow the live viewing and

storage of critical areas throughout the Police campus - front
lobby/parking lot, access gates, jail, etc.

Digital Signage System

Security

Create a digital signage system throughout the PD campus for

emergency notifications and to share critical information.

Infrastructure

Online Electronic Payments

Alarms

Research, design, and implement system to electronically 1) capture

alarm registration information and 2) allow residents to pay for alarm
permit fees.

eCommerce

Online Electronic Payments

Special Events

Research, design, and implement system to electronically 1) capture

special event permit information and 2) allow applicants to pay for
special event permit fees.

eCommerce

Revisedon:9/3/2013

PageA5ofA6

Information Technology Strategic Plan Projects

Appendix A

Fiscal Years 2013/14 2017/18

Appendix A contains the projects that departments have submitted over the next five years during the development of the IT Strategic Plan.
The projects are listed alphabetically by department and include the initiative identified in the Plan. Some of the projects have identified funding while funding for other
projects needs to be determined.
Project Name

Description

Initiative(s)

FY
FY
FY
FY
FY
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

GIS

Public Works Department

3D Mapping

Multi-dimensional maps of City assets infrastructure so that staff can

access information from their desks rather than in the field.

Capital Improvement System

Replace current CIPAce software with one that is integrated with other Enterprise
systems such as the financial management system.
Applications

Chemical Management
Software/ Regulated Waste
Management

Maintain inventory, exposure reports, storage site plans, and

environmental reporting. Regulated waste reporting requirements.
May be a component of new work order management system.

Enterprise
Applications

Contract Management Database Implement a database that tracks pertinent contract information for
more effective contract administration. May be a component of new
financial management system.

Enterprise
Applications

Fleet Management System

Replace current Faster system that captures labor, parts, and fuel
costs for fleet management.

Enterprise
Applications

Keycard System

Replace existing Andover Continuum building security system

Infrastructure
(keycard) with a system that will integrate with the PeopleSoft system.

Live Video Streaming/Video

Surveillance

Feed live stream video from Transportations network of CCTV

cameras via the Citys website (internal initially, external ultimately).
Video surveillance in neighborhoods.

Online Training

Provide training videos for fuel, waste inspection, and fuel equipment.

Infrastructure /
Security

Near-live tracking of vehicles on city streets to produce instantaneous

Transportation Performance
performance data such as vehicle speeds, delays, travel time,
Data Collection,
Storage/Archiving, and Analysis congestion hot spots, and travel patterns.

Infrastructure

Transportation Permit

On-line completion, submittal and payment of Transportation Permit.

eCommerce

Talk-to-Text Software

Improve/allow communication with hearing impaired.

Infrastructure

Work Order Management

Replace current MaintStar system for a more user friendly, automatic

data capture, and use of mobile applications. Improve functionality to
include inventory of buildings, project management, and life cycle
costing.

Enterprise
Applications

Revisedon:9/3/2013

X
X

PageA6ofA6