Ponca City, Oklahoma

Craige Baird, Technology Services Director, Ponca City, Oklahoma, and President, OGITA

GMIS member since 2010

Number of IT staff: 4

Population: 25,387

IT budget: $1 million

Q: What has been a significant technology achievement for you or your organization?
A: Ponca City has done many things over the last few years to ensure our technology is ready to handle the demands that we knew our City departments, schools, citizens, and businesses would need. We have run more than 360 miles of fiber which we use to not only connect all city facilities but also to serve as the backbone for our 500 wireless mesh Wi-Fi routers that give free internet to all of our citizens. We use the fiber to connect every school as well as sell broadband to most businesses in Ponca City. The fiber optics have allowed us to create our own offsite Disaster Recovery center that we own and have created a full redundant copy of all of our virtual server farm. This DR center also has redundant servers for our virtual desktops so no matter where the fiber gets cut our users always have a connection to their desktop and the servers. All desktops and servers are replicating 24 hours a day to ensure at the time communication is lost from one server farm and the desktops switch to the other farm, their data and the servers’ data is at the same point it was on the old connection they just lost. So far this year we have one four awards around the US for the design and multiple vendor strategies in place so this helps with our department’s future budget ... success reaps its own rewards.

Q: What future initiatives are you hoping to accomplish in the next year?

A: The City of Ponca City is looking at new areas of use for their Fiber Optics as well as the Wi-Fi Mesh. These new ventures will expand on what we can do with technology for our schools, citizens and businesses in Ponca City. We are always looking at ways to make Ponca City more enjoyable, if that can be done (ha), and our business profitable.

Q: Best advice you could offer your fellow members is ...

A: Look at what will help your departments, citizens, and businesses. Then figure a way to help bring that service or technology to them, whether you become the provider or just a medium to bring a vendor who can. This will help the quality of life and business in your community.

Q: We all know GMIS membership is worth its weight in gold, but what do you feel is the best benefit you get out of GMIS?

A: I love the GMIS email Listserve and communications that come with it. Many times a single Listserve group email will spark a phone call or email discussion and that will lead to meeting someone you can rely on in the future and call on often. We have brought several OGITA members to GMIS and using both these organizations has helped to improved Oklahoma technology.

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