County IT and the federation question

Almost every county we work with has the same internal debate. Should the assessor, the clerk, the sheriff, public health, public works, and HR all share an IT team? Or should each have their own?

The case for centralization

Economies of scale. Consistent security posture. One vendor relationship per category. Career paths for IT staff. Easier audits.

The case for distribution

Departments have genuinely different needs. The sheriff's CJIS-controlled environment is not the assessor's tax software. Concentrating decision-making slows everyone down. Department heads want IT staff who answer to them.

What works in practice

Hybrid. A central IT team owns shared services (network, identity, email, backup, security baseline). Department-aligned staff own department-specific applications and workflows. The central team sets standards. The department staff implement them locally.

What kills the hybrid model

Ambiguity about who owns what. Document the boundaries. Rehearse the boundaries quarterly.