ISD receives statewide award

LONGVIEW — The City of Longview Information Services Department and the City of Kilgore earned the 2020 Best of Texas award for Best IT Collaboration presented by Government Technology magazine as part of the annual Texas Digital Government Summit. The Best of Texas Awards program recognizes public-sector professionals and local government organizations for their dedication and contributions to advancing information technology in Texas.

Winners are selected based on a number of criteria, including collaboration among agencies, innovative use of technology, economic benefits and improving public services and business processes. The collaboration between the two East Texas municipalities began in Oct. 2012., when Kilgore approached Longview about a partnership. Upon agreement, Longview began providing support for all of Kilgore’s desktops, software, servers, and IT related projects. Kilgore was able to take advantage of purchasing agreements that were already in place with Longview and save money immediately. The cost of desktops alone dropped by over 400%. In addition, Longview added Kilgore to its existing IT work order system. Longview redesigned Kilgore’s existing network to increase security policies, and began providing project management for all IT related projects.

In October 2019, the City of Longview invested in information services by making it the city’s ninth full, director-led department. The department also provides GIS support for the City of Henderson.