Resilient Infrastructure​

Summary of Objective Implementation Status

Microsoft Office 365 Deployment

The County wide implementation and migration to Microsoft Office 365 is underway and on track for completion by June, 2023. This project is divided into two phases:

1.  Phase 1 – Migration of County E-mail to Microsoft Office 365
2. Phase 2 – Implementation of  Microsoft Office 365 Services
   • Teams
   • OneDrive
   • Sharepoint Online
   • Microsoft Office 365 Desktop Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, Powerpoint)

Phase 1 is now complete and all County e-mail has been migrated to Microsoft Office 365. Additionally, Multi-Factor Authentication has been implemented to provide additional security for County e-mail. 

Phase 2 is in progress with an anticipated completion by June, 2023. 

Hybrid Workforce

Telework and the needs of a dynamic hybrid workforce has introduced several technical challenges, particularly in respect to utilizing a shared workspace model and incorporating a seamless meeting experience between local and remote staff.  In order to address these challenges, ISD has completed a hot desk prototype as well as an updated conference room configuration to address the needs of a hybrid workforce. This prototype will be ready to demo in January 2023. Following initial feedback on the prototype, ISD will develop a solution that will allow County departments to select the appropriate hot desk and conference room configuration that will best suit their needs. ISD will be providing a dedicated staff resource to attend to what is anticipated to be a growing need for County departments.

Key Milestone Update

Microsoft Office 365 Deployment

Phase 1 – Migration of County E-mail to Microsoft Office 365 – Completed June 8, 2022

• Discovery, Analysis, and Design Session – Completed (Oct-Dec, 2021)
  • Kickoff meeting with implementation vendor
  • Analysis of current environment
  • Preparatory technical tasks prior to implementation and migration
  • Establish technical advisory committee
  • Develop project plan
• County E-Mail Migration to Microsoft Office 365 – Completed (Jan-June, 2022)
  • Nearly 4000 employees, 5700 E-mail accounts, and 6 Terabytes of data migrated to Microsoft Office 365
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) implemented for enhanced security to protect County users from e-mail compromise
  • Coordination with all County departments
    • Timeline
    • Communications Plan
    • Training
    • Open House Sessions
    • Remote and On Site Support
    • Mobile device configuration (Apple and Android)
    • Post migration troubleshooting and support

Phase 2 – Implementation of  Microsoft Office 365 Services – In Progress

• Microsoft Office 365 Desktop Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, Powerpoint) – Completed
• OneDrive Migration (U: Drive) – 90% Complete
• Sharepoint Online (Migration of existing Sharepoint sites) – 96% Complete
• Teams
  • Teams client software deployed – Completed
  • Training – In Progress
• Projected Completion Date – June, 2023

Hybrid Workforce

• Prototype for Hot Desk and Conference Room Configuration
  • Check-In Kiosk
  • Virtual Assistant
  • Cubicle Configuration
  • Calendar Integration
  • Zoom and Microsoft Teams Integration
  • Wireless screen sharing to video conference system
  • Enhanced video and audio capabilities in conference room
  • Ready to demo January 2023

Coordination and Partnership Update

No activity has occurred in regards to city partnerships as the focus has been on implementation and migration of services to Microsoft Office 365. However, several ISD executive and management level staff attended the California Counties Information Services Directors Association (CCISDA) conference Oct 30-Nov 3, 2022. This conference is attended by IT executives from 58 counties within California with the goal of sharing ideas and solutions with our peers on common challenges and initiatives. Future goals include collaboration with cities within Sonoma County to share lessons learned with the Microsoft Office 365 deployment and discuss projects related to infrastructure resiliency.

Community, Equity, and Climate Update

In addition to the migration to Microsoft Office 365, ISD is currently evaluating the viability of shifting traditional data center compute and storage services to a Cloud based infrastructure. The goal is in alignment with providing the ability to access critical applications and services from anywhere, anytime, and from any device. A significant benefit of this approach is the reduction of power consumption and e-waste. This effort will begin in April, 2023.

The Microsoft Office 365 project has provided the necessary tools for front line workers assisting underserved communities. Access to key resources such as e-mail, shared documents, collaboration tools, and many more are now available to be used while working in the community, at home, in the office, and any other location. The mobility offered by the new toolset incorporated into the Microsoft Office 365 product line allows County employees to effectively service the needs of our underserved constituents.

Funding Narrative

Funding associated with the Microsoft Office 365 project currently exists within ISD’s budget and provides the appropriate revenue source for licensing as well as implementation services. The County allocated $100,000 in FY 22-23 to address hybrid meeting spaces to support a hybrid workforce.