ITS is the Board of County Commissioners' provider of technology integration and support services. These services include Communications, Desktop, Geographic Information, Business Solutions and Data Management. The "customers" that ITS supports fall into three categories:

• Public - citizens and external government agencies
• Other County Agencies - funded by the Board of County Commissioners
• County Administrator departments: those County departments that report directly to the County Administrator.

ITS supports more than 5,000 clients located in more than 400 Hillsborough County administrative sites. The following technical services are offered to our customers:

Communications Services: Communications services are the "highways" that deliver information to the public and between County staff. Wide Area Networks (WAN's) and Local Area Networks (LAN's) provide communications means among departmental work group members. ITS provides voice and non-emergency telecommunications planning and support services, LAN-based connectivity services, WAN-based intersection links with other County agencies, and Internet connectivity for the public.

Desktop Services: ITS provides a standard desktop that includes: file and print sharing, e-mail, and office automation products, such as word processing and spreadsheets. Internet access and County web site support have recently been added to this service. Through the Internet, the public can now e-mail County agencies and departments. These new components redefine the "standard" desktop for the ITS clients. Upgrades and replacements of these products are routinely managed by ITS staff. "Specialized" desktops that support particular applications, such as GIS, are also maintained. Additionally, customer training and support are now provided by ITS Technical Support.

Geographic Information Systems & Services: GIS services allow County users to link disparate pieces of information by location. GIS combines geographic and other types of data to generate maps and reports, enabling users to collect, manage, and interpret location-based information in a planned and systematic way. ITS is committed to providing GIS planning services to Hillsborough County agencies as well as maintaining GIS related databases, servers and applications for departments managed by the County Administrator.

Business Solutions & Services: Technical project management, applications acquisition and/or development and software systems implementation and business analysis services are offered to ITS clients. Application integration services are provided for other County clients on an as-needed basis.

Information Distribution & Data Management Services: Direct database management and integration services are provided to ITS clients. Data integrity and consistency are maintained in accordance with data architecture standards.