ACCOUNT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AND THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES” MUNICIPALITY OF GLYFADA, ATHENS, GREECE FEBRUARY 2011 – APRIL 2014
MICHAEL CHALARIS EXPERT IT CONSULTANT – MUNICIPALITY OF GLYFADA michael.chalaris@glyfada.gr - mikehlr@hotmail.com
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
PROLOGUE Our times are defined by rapid advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) which influence the everyday life of citizens in almost every way. This technological progress offers many opportunities but also presents significant challenges, which our municipality must meet with technological solutions that increase productivity, reduce costs and improve services by making them direct, transparent and dynamic. This report describes the efforts made during the last three years to modernize the IT Infrastructure of the Municipality of Glyfada and to implement new digital services for its citizens. This work is the result of a close and harmonious collaboration between myself and the IT Department of Glyfada’s Municipality, as well as with many other colleagues of different departments, whom I also would like to thank wholeheartedly. I believe that the reader will recognize the significant progress made during my mandate, which was the result of a collective effort, distinguished by a meticulous strategic planning process and the methodical implementation of a great many projects. Our efforts mainly focused on Data Safety, Cloud Computing, Mobile Apps, Social Networking, e-Services, Wi-Fi, Telematics, IT security policy, and Business Process Modeling. We consider the resulting infrastructure development to be significant, and there is considerable scope for further future use and development which would benefit both Municipal staff and Glyfada citizens.
1|Page Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks goes to Valia Tsonou and Alexia Eastwood for assisting me in the translation and editing of this report. Glyfada, July 2014
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ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
Table of Contents 1.
OUR VISION CONCERNING THE DIGITAL AGE IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF GLYFADA ....................................... 4
2. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) AS A LEVER OF DEVELOPMENT, EFFICIENCY AND TRANSPARENCY IN THE OPERATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF GLYFADA ..................................................... 6 3.
OPERATIONAL UPGRADE OF THE IT DEPARTMENT ........................................................................................ 8 3.1 Prior State ....................................................................................................................................................... 8 3.2 Present State .................................................................................................................................................. 9
4.
DEVELOPING THE IT SYSTEM: FROM ISOLATED WORKSTATIONS TO A MODERN IT NETWORK ................. 11 4.1 Private Cloud Data Centre ............................................................................................................................ 11 4.2 System Management ................................................................................................................................... 13 4.3 New Workstations ........................................................................................................................................ 13 4.4 Thin Clients units .......................................................................................................................................... 14 4.5 Citrix XenApp – Windows Apps on demand ................................................................................................ 14 4.6 Virtual Desktop Infrastructure ..................................................................................................................... 14
5.
UPGRADE AND CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURES ................................................................ 15 5.1 Interconnection of remote buildings of the Municipality of Glyfada with Optical Fibre ........................... 15 5.2 Upgrade of the SYZEFXIS telecom line ......................................................................................................... 15 5.3 Upgrade of active network equipment ........................................................................................................ 16 5.4 Telephone Centre Upgrade .......................................................................................................................... 16 5.5 Free access to the proprietary Wi-Fi network ............................................................................................. 16 5.6 Telematics ..................................................................................................................................................... 17
6.
SECURITY AND ACCESS CONTROL ................................................................................................................. 18 6.1 Workstation Security .................................................................................................................................... 18 6.2 Backup .......................................................................................................................................................... 18 6.3 Storage Area Network (SAN) ........................................................................................................................ 18 6.4 Active Directory ............................................................................................................................................ 19 6.5 Internet/Computer Security Policy .............................................................................................................. 19
7.
NEW E-SERVICES TO CITIZENS ....................................................................................................................... 20 7.1 The Portal of the Municipality of Glyfada.................................................................................................... 20 7.2 Social Media ................................................................................................................................................. 21 7.3 Geographic Information System (GIS) ......................................................................................................... 21 7.4 Managing vulnerable social groups ............................................................................................................. 22
8.
APPS FOR SMARTPHONES AND TABLETS ...................................................................................................... 23 8.1 eAsti - Glyfada .............................................................................................................................................. 23 8.2 Electronic City Guide .................................................................................................................................... 24
9.
FUTURE GOALS .............................................................................................................................................. 25
3|Page Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
1. OUR VISION CONCERNING THE DIGITAL AGE IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF GLYFADA The emergence of the Municipality of Glyfada as a developing and effective institution which will provide local public services was and remains our ultimate vision. Realizing this goal requires an ongoing and scientific assessment and improvement of its internal organization and operations. A modern vision of our municipality should include:
The creation of conditions to facilitate the expansion of the municipality’s ever developing role, improving its capacity to draw up and implement programmes of economic development, social policy, environmental protection etc. and thereafter including them in the national planning process and utilizing European Union (EU) funding programmes.
The enhancement of services for citizens by improving their quality, efficiency, and availability through restructuring, revisiting operational planning and setting measurable targets.
Improved working conditions for municipal employees, as well as restructuring and refining employees’ responsibilities and tasks, and providing training opportunities to increase efficiency and boost morale.
Increased collaboration and co-ordination between municipal departments, between services and political bodies, and between the municipality and the institutions it oversees.
Increased collaboration between the municipality and other public, social and private institutions, and the development of citizen participation, regarding the citizen not only as a user of public services, but also and principally as an active citizen.
In this way, the central services of our Municipality will be developed and improved, grouped according to their object and aim as follows: Executive Services, providing all dimensions of staff and office support to the political and executive branches of the municipality using evidence based methodologies to provide professional support to the decision making process. Environment and Quality of Life Services, which concern the protection of the natural environment and the promotion of urban development. 4|Page Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
Services of Social protection, Education, Culture and Sports, which concern the social protection, the protection of public health and the provision of services in the sectors of education, culture and sports. Services of Local Financial Development, which concern the tertiary sector (trade, tourism) as well as the promotion of employment. Lending digital support to these services will increase the efficiency of municipal operations in general, and improve the services offered to citizens.
5|Page Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
2. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) AS A LEVER OF DEVELOPMENT, EFFICIENCY AND TRANSPARENCY IN THE OPERATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF GLYFADA The ICT infrastructure of the municipality must be developed in combination with organizational changes and a greater operational flexibility, so that the municipal services and democratic processes can be improved. The use of ICT to improve efficiency in local government offers many opportunities to strengthen democracy and the democratic process, which can increase social prosperity and quality of life, create more equitable social structures and fortify the social web. This can be achieved through strengthening democratic participation and educating citizens through online initiatives and social media, reinforcing two way interactions between citizens and local government, combating social exclusion and increasing the transparency of governmental processes. The transition to the Knowledge Society contributes directly to local development, and promotes political transparency. ICT, through viable and high quality infrastructure, can contribute to local development by supporting entrepreneurship and collaboration, and attracting, supporting and interlinking enterprises of different sectors of the economy. ICT can offer a competitive and cooperative advantage, and exploiting these opportunities leads to innovative and continuously developing local societies and economies that ultimately benefit citizens. Two factors determine the current priorities of local government in Greece: I.
the reduction of available resources,
II.
the increased jurisdiction resulting from administrative reforms.
Taking into consideration the above, mayors are compelled to seek the rational management of jurisdictions and resources, as well as to undertake planning based on the competitive characteristics of their region’s identity. The infrastructure of information society is a public good in the same way as the water supply, the sewerage system, waste management, and energy production are, and should be dealt with as such.
6|Page Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
Our main goal is evident and concrete: neighborhoods, households, enterprises, citizens and children at schools should have free access to ICT Infrastructure and services provided by the Municipality of Glyfada. This report will describe the efforts undertaken by the Municipality of Glyfada from 2011 until the present day to attain the above mentioned goals. We will begin by describing the state in which we encountered the municipal ICT services before detailing the actions that we have taken, and concluding with a plan for future development. In this way, the strategic planning of our municipality’s development will become clear, and we will see the course of its organizational and functional modernization, and describe the creation of the new IT infrastructure we have built to support electronic services.
Figure: Road Chart of the modernization of the Municipality of Glyfada and the new digital services to the citizen’s best interest
Upon concluding this report, we believe that the reader will be able to recognize the efforts made and the results accomplished towards making the Municipality of Glyfada an electronically better and friendlier local authority concerning the everyday routine of its citizens, of its employees, of its elected representatives and of those involved in the municipality in general. During these three years, with the support and collaboration of the municipal staff and the IT Department, ICT projects have been developed implementing best practices of electronic governing, while at the same time planning for a better use of ICT in our Municipality in the future. Most importantly, the transition to the new Information Age in the Municipality of Glyfada is transparent and open, inviting participation of all interested parties, and was accomplished at minimum cost.
7|Page Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
3. OPERATIONAL UPGRADE OF THE IT DEPARTMENT 3.1 Prior State With the undertaking of my duties, practically in the beginning of the current mayoral mandate, I quickly noticed a lack of strategy in ICT issues, as well as a series of dysfunctions, delays and inefficiencies, which unfortunately are present in many places of the civil service in Greece. I am reporting for information purposes:
The ineffective use of new Information and Communication Technologies by both the previous municipal authorities and the IT Department.
A lack of leadership and policy direction for the municipality’s operational IT processes, aiming at the citizens’ satisfaction and at a better organization of the municipality.
The preponderant perception that Information Technology is only about PCs and certain smaller or bigger computer applications.
The long tendering procedures which, given the rapid development of technology, led to supplies of obsolete products. The rigid institutional framework and the absence of effective follow-up and control mechanisms of IT projects led to a poor utilization of the allocated resources.
The fragmentation of operational systems. We noted a high level of duplication of information systems, with minimal interoperability.
A lack in the use of ICT personnel, based on the qualifications and skills that they have to offer.
The absence of basic IT security policy
The absence of IT and organizational culture.
ICT community funds were not being utilized.
The majority of record keeping and document management was in paper form.
An entire lack of electronic presence on the Internet (web site) as well as no provision of electronic services to citizens.
8|Page Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
3.2 Present State During my three-year mandate, through my daily collaboration with the IT Department, we tried to promote a new culture of Information Technology in the municipality. This was achieved via a series of actions, as described below.
Direct support to municipal staff. Direct assistance and resolution of everyday IT problems.
IT training for Municipal staff. Realization of a series of seminars by the IT Department and other ΙΤ partner companies, to familiarize staff with Information Technology and to train them to use it effectively.
Contact with partner companies. Close collaboration with the companies that develop software for various services of the Municipality of Glyfada in order to ensure both the unhindered operation of these applications and the direct resolution of any technical problems encountered.
Contact with other companies in the field of Information Technology. Communication with other IT companies, so that optimal solutions for the Municipality of Glyfada can be delivered.
Developing IT solutions to meet the municipality’s specific needs. The IT Department, in an ongoing collaboration with the private sector, are working to customize existing software to better meet the municipality’s specific needs.
Attendance of Information Technology events. The Municipality of Glyfada has an active presence in the most important events in the field of Information Technology, of both public and private interest, in order to exchange opinions with experts in the field.
Student traineeships. Students of Universities and Technological Educational Institutes were given the chance to undertake practical internships in the Municipality’s IT Department, with positive results both for the municipality and the students.
Programmes of the Manpower Employment Organization (ΟΑΕΔ). Employment programmes through the Manpower Employment organization were used in order to harness the labor required to digitize municipal documents.
9|Page Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
Document digitization. Existing municipal records were scanned and digitized resulting in the saving of tens of thousands of printed documents within the year. Proposals and invitations regarding all the municipality’s committees are now scanned and dispatched electronically to their recipients. Municipal staff have gradually become more familiar with the idea of a digitized filing system, leading to a drastic reduction in unnecessary document printing. Through the action “Data Digitalization in the TABs”, which was financed 100% from the O.P. Digital Convergence, a systematic digitalization and creation of metadata has been initiated, concerning documents of the municipal council, the stores, the cemetery, the registry office and the urban planning services.
The Document Search Engine. A document search engine (Microsoft SharePoint Search 2010 Express) was installed and customized successfully within the municipality’s data centre. The search engine utilizes the latest technology and is visually and functionally similar to the popular search engines of the Internet, such as Google, Bing etc. The employees of the Municipality of Glyfada are able to search only through the files for which they have access rights, and they are able to filter the results further with extra search criteria.
Process modelling. Aiming at the representation and analysis of current processes and their future optimization, the Municipality of Glyfada has obtained a modern Business Process Modelling tool which is now being piloted.
The installation of state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure. The IT Department undertook a series of structural changes which aimed to make municipal systems and data more readily available and more secure. New technologies were introduced to increase the productivity of staff and improve the IT facilities, as well as to improve citizens’ services. Modern techniques and technologies of data safety, cloud computing, smartphone and tablet applications were developed, and the extensive use of social networking technologies were promoted.
The subsequent chapters will describe in more detail the philosophy and the general architecture of ICT Infrastructures, as well as give a detailed overview of the digital services that were developed in our municipality.
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ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
4. DEVELOPING THE IT SYSTEM: FROM ISOLATED WORKSTATIONS TO A MODERN IT NETWORK 4.1 Private Cloud Data Centre During the past few years there have been rapid developments in Information Technology, as well as a significant increase in the volume of data transmitted daily. Data needs are continuously increasing, and there is a need for new infrastructure to support these services as well as their management mechanisms. The most radical technology of these last years in the IT sector is beyond any doubt the virtualization of IT systems. Until the recent past, each server only ran one software platform. This led to situations where servers were underused (energy inefficient) or could not serve the workload (unreliable). Through virtualization, every server can run more than one operating system at the same time, which is beneficial both economically and in terms of flexibility for future development Aiming at providing a better service to both its citizens and workers, the Municipality of Glyfada proceeded to update its IT Infrastructure in the summer of 2012, putting into practice a modern private cloud data centre. For the implementation of the private cloud the Microsoft virtualization technology Hyper-V 2008 R2 was used. All the applications/services of the Municipality of Glyfada are now hosted in the above mentioned “cloud”, which is supported by modern hardware and software technologies. By means of virtualization, each physical computing resource has become uniform and is simultaneously shared by many virtual machines. At the same time, the IT infrastructure management has become better and more streamlined, while the backup mechanism has also become considerably more functional. There is currently a better exploitation of the available resources (such as processing power, memory, network, storage space etc.) in comparison to the traditional approach that statistically touched upon 7%-15% of the available hardware’s real usage.
11 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
Furthermore, the virtual servers that host the key services of the municipality (e.g. financial applications databases, Citrix etc.) are in cluster form, so that in the event of destruction or a dysfunction of a physical server, a second automatically undertakes its hosting, without it being perceptible to the final users. The Municipality of Glyfada also now has the ability to directly create new infrastructure without any additional cost, in other words to create new virtual servers or workstations for various new operations of the municipality, at either an operational or pilot level. Such an operation could be training personnel in a real work computing environment, yet in isolation and without interfering with the productive work environment. At this moment the IT Department has under productive operation the following virtual machines:
Financial Applications (General Accountancy, Economic Management etc.), Payroll, Human Resources Services etc., based on MS-SQL Server 2008 R2 Database System
Barracuda Backup Software
Marina Management System
Cemetery Software
Citrix XenApp 6.5
SharePoint Search Express 2010 Search engine
Spiceworks 7.1
Active Directory Domain Controller (Server 2012 R2)
Wi-Fi Management (Unify)
System Management Infrastructure, MS-System Center 2012
LDAP Services (Active Directory 2012 R2)
Web Services of Municipality’s Portal
Web Services to exchange economic data with the Ministry of Finance
Local test servers for training and test purposes
VDI workstations for selected users
12 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
4.2 System Management The fundamental objective of the creation of the Private Cloud was to focus on innovative services as opposed to simply maintaining previous systems and technologies. The expense was rationalized in that this system was the most direct and rapid IT solution that met our new needs. For this reason, the IT Department of the Municipality installed and successfully customized Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2012. Our goal is both preventive and proactive problem solving, as well as centralized management of all physical and virtual IT Infrastructure. The central management of all infrastructure under one unified platform succinctly offers:
Centralized system management of virtual machines, storage space and virtual network infrastructure.
Equal load distribution among servers.
Automatic OS updates without the interruption of services.
Monitoring and behavior analysis of applications and their infrastructure.
Ticketing mechanisms.
Distribution system for client software Installation, updates, patches etc.
Spiceworks 7.1 administrative tool is also being used by the IT Department for real-time monitoring of all IP-based devices status (UPS, toner/ink, server state etc.). 4.3 New Workstations Each software product has a circle of life, which begins with its release and expires when the product is no longer supported or sold. The operating system on which the overwhelming majority of workstations in the Municipality of Glyfada were based was Windows XP, which was released in October 2001. Windows XP updates which ensure the protection of computers from harmful viruses, spyware and malware software, expired on April 8th 2014. The IT Department systematically purchased new state-of-the-art PCs that support modern OSs to replace the majority of obsolete workstations.
13 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
More specifically, the 55 new workstations procured by the Municipality in 2014 run Windows 8.1 GR Professional 64bit. There are also some new state-of-the-art computers that had been supplied within the period 2011-2013, which run Windows 7 GR Enterprise 64bit. With the approval of the Municipal Council, the older workstations were donated to various institutions of our municipality, such as the open care centre for the elderly, vocational senior high schools, the social solidarity clinic etc. 4.4 Thin Clients units The IT Department piloted five Thin Client units (Wyse), benefiting from its modern IT infrastructure. Thin Clients are computers that exclusively use servers in order to fulfil their processing requirements. Compared to the traditional approach, a solution based upon a Thin Client presents the following important advantages: low cost, space ergonomics due to its extremely small size, environmental friendliness with minimal energy consumption, simplicity, central management, low-noise operation etc. 4.5 Citrix XenApp – Windows Apps on demand Citrix XenApp was installed and configured to ensure an easy, fast, secure and reliable user access for most of the municipality’s applications that now run in the private cloud data centre. Access to these applications is available through traditional PCs and Thin Clients that are based on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X operating systems from all municipal buildings. 4.6 Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) has been created for use by selected municipal staff and is hosted in the Private Cloud Data Centre of the Municipality of Glyfada. Therefore all the processing activity takes place there, which offers high operational performance speeds, availability and efficiency.
14 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
5. UPGRADE AND CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURES One of the most important challenges in the Information Technology field nowadays is the upgrade and evolution of networks and their infrastructures. The rapid development of broadband and the increasing demand for innovative products have created new infrastructure needs. Furthermore, integral technological infrastructures are a prerequisite in order to have viable and energy efficient “smart” cities. The Municipality of Glyfada’s recent progress towards creating a modern network infrastructure represents a significant step forward in realizing this objective. 5.1 Interconnection of remote buildings of the Municipality of Glyfada with Optical Fibre In response to the constantly increasing needs for fast and reliable data and voice transmission, as well as to the reduction of telecommunications costs, the Municipality of Glyfada proceeded successfully to the installation of a proprietary network of optical fibre, which connects the Town Hall with the Technical Service Building (42, Diadochou Pavlou str.), the renovated Old Town Hall (2, S. Karagiorga
and Posidonos av.), the Waste
Management & Street Cleaning Services Building (3, A. Panagouli str.) and the empty plot of municipal land located at the intersection of P. Mpakogianni and Al. Panagouli streets (pending for future use). 5.2 Upgrade of the SYZEFXIS telecom line The voice and data network SYZEFXIS for the Municipality of Glyfada was until recently limited to the speed of 8Mbps. At the same time however, the need for fast internet access has increased exponentially during the past few years. A lot of organic services of the Municipality use internet applications (such as Clarity OpenGov Portal - DIAVGEIA, eprocurement, e-county registry etc.) in order to handle their daily operational processes. The Municipality of Glyfada, in collaboration with the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (ΟΤΕ) and the Information Society S.A. (ΚτΠ Α.Ε.) that manages the SYZEFXIS network, installed a new SYZEFXIS line of VDSL technology and increased its speed to 50Mbps. The network decongestion and the speed increase on the internet were instantly notable from all PC users of the municipality.
15 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
5.3 Upgrade of active network equipment The active network equipment has been upgraded so as to serve the increased volume of daily voice and data traffic in the local area network of the Municipality of Glyfada. The new infrastructure now supports Voice over IP (VoIP) and Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology based telephones. 5.4 Telephone Centre Upgrade The operating system of the telephone centre was upgraded to its latest version. Given that the various remote municipal buildings are now connected by optical fibre, IP telephone appliances can be installed going forward. Communication between all interconnected remote buildings and the Town Hall is now cost-free. 5.5 Free access to the proprietary Wi-Fi network The European citizens’ right to free access to the Internet is guaranteed by the 11th article of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which recognizes a range of personal, civil, political, economic and social rights concerning the freedom of expression and information. Moreover, in article 94, paragraph 2 of the L. 3852/ 2010, case 4 has been added, which expressly states that “the citizens’ service of free wireless access to the internet through the SYZEFXIS Network or other providers” constitutes one of the additional jurisdictions of Municipalities that are added in the article 75 of the Municipalities and Communities Code in the chapter “Quality of Life and Proper Operation of Cities”. The Municipality of Glyfada has successfully implemented the first phase of its proprietary Wi-Fi network for open and free access to the Internet for all citizens. A web has been installed on the roof of the Town Hall, which is connected to the municipal Private Cloud Data Centre for its central management (Unify) and ADSL internet feed, and with the use of three sector antennas it functions as a central distributor of wireless internet access (Point to Multipoint topology). A similar network has also been installed in the Municipal Athletic Centre of Glyfada. The Municipality of Glyfada now has the ability to easily create new wireless access points (Wi-Fi Hotspots) in Glyfada. To create a new hotspot, a one-way antenna should be placed to create a junction, followed by a Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch, following which the access point can be placed.
16 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
The geographic areas in which hotspots have been installed cover so far the following regions: the Town Hall of Glyfada, Katraki Square, Esperidon Square, the 3rd Marina and the Municipal Athletic Centre of Glyfada (exterior space/Nymphs square and indoor basketball court). There is a daily use of at least 280 unique users, with an average data transmission of 18 gigabytes per day. Unfortunately, despite the Charter of Fundamental rights guaranteeing free Internet access, the delegate of the Court of Auditors did not consider the relatively trivial expense of the creation of the wireless infrastructure as a justifiable cost. Nevertheless, a relative plan and study has been conducted concerning at least twenty-five (25) new access points that cover an important geographic extent of Glyfada. 5.6 Telematics Telematics is the sector of technology that weds the Information Technology world with Telecommunications. Telematics applications are constantly gaining ground in the modern world, radically changing the methods of communication and information transmission. The Municipality of Glyfada, within the framework of its operations modernization, has installed in twenty-three (23) vehicles of the municipality’s Waste Management & Street Cleaning Department a complete telematics solution. This system supports the following vehicle operations in real time: vehicle tracking, speed control, control of the engine on/off time, creation of dynamic reports, viewing history of the last 12 months, playback trip route and map border creation. Finally, the system is extendable with analogue and digital ports for interconnections with sensors, peripherals and other sub systems. It is worth noting that the Telematics systems that had been placed in two vehicles of the Municipal Police were reinstalled in two vehicles of the Waste Management & Street Cleaning Department without any additional cost to the municipality. The Telematics system is currently being extended, through the installation of operations control sensors and fuel monitoring that will be interlinked with the vehicle computers (OBU) of each vehicle. In its final phase, the management software of Telematics will produce special reports of real time fuel consumption in litres, combined with the covered distance in kilometers, as well as the fuel tank fillings of each vehicle depicted in charts, along with detailed reports.
17 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
6. SECURITY AND ACCESS CONTROL 6.1 Workstation Security In all productive workstations, thorough security scans have been conducted through various specialized tools, and unwanted software was removed wherever it had been located. The IT Department ensures that all applications (main and auxiliary) are always up-to-date. Windows OSs are automatically updated through the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) that has been installed in the Private Cloud Data Centre, in order to maximize safety against potential attacks. 6.2 Backup The danger of a sub system’s destruction constitutes a real threat. Even minor dysfunctions and unfortunate events are likely to have important repercussions in the operational activity of the municipality. A successful restoration of the Municipality’s IT Infrastructure following partial or total destruction is a complex process that involves all departments, systems and resources. For the above reasons a modern HP backup system based on external tapes (Ultrium LTO-5) has been installed. Backup is performed daily on physical and virtual servers, virtual work stations, SQL databases, as well as on the storage area network (SAN), where all the files of the Municipality’s services are stored. 6.3 Storage Area Network (SAN) A modern Storage Area Network (NetApp) was installed, in which all sensitive municipal data is safely stored, and available at high access speeds. Having a better input/output, it can serve more rapidly and effectively both the hosted virtual machines and the users. By dynamically distributing the load in all disk storage devices of the SAN, we have achieved: network congestion control, rapid data transmission, central management, reduction of operational and administrative cost and flexibility for future expansion.
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ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
High data availability is accomplished on three levels: in case of a failure or dysfunction of the virtual server (Hyper-V), of the hard disk (RAID), of double interconnection between each server network adapter and SAN Controllers. 6.4 Active Directory The Active Directory (AD) is a directory service that authenticates and authorizes users and computers to access the IT Infrastructure of the Municipality of Glyfada. When a user is connected with his personal credentials (username & password) to the network, the Active Directory determines whether he is a simple user or an administrator, whether he can install programs, and which network resources he can have access to (e.g. files, printers etc.). The IT Department upgraded the Active Directory from Windows Server 2000 to Windows Server 2012 R2 functional level, so that particular characteristics of the new version may be exploited in complete harmony with the new requirements of the computer security policy, provided that the system is also compatible with the new OS’s and mobile devices. 6.5 Internet/Computer Security Policy The security of the voice and data networks of municipal communications is of particular importance for both the municipality and its citizens. The Municipality of Glyfada must therefore provide an environment of increased security, aiming mainly at ensuring a satisfactory level of confidentiality whilst maintaining the integrity and availability of systems, and consequently of the data processed. As a result, it is essential that all data and systems are protected from various threats (computer fraud, viruses, electronic intruders, natural disasters and so on). Taking into consideration the experiences of an, up to now, laissez-faire approach to IT security, which has repeatedly created problems and disrupted day-to-day work, the IT Department, in collaboration with the Security Incidents Management National Network of the Ministry of Interior, drew up a formal document related to internet/computer security policy which was subsequently distributed to all PC users of the municipality. Its basic aim is to update and sensitize staff to IT security issues and to make them aware of their personal responsibilities regarding data protection and security.
19 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
7. NEW E-SERVICES TO CITIZENS 7.1 The Portal of the Municipality of Glyfada Since March 2011 the official website of the Municipality of Glyfada is available at the electronic address www.glyfada.gr, where citizens can be informed about the activities of the municipality, and access generally useful information concerning Glyfada. An electronic events calendar assembles all the programmed activities of Glyfada. The webpage of the Municipality of Glyfada is constantly updated. Within only three years, more than 500 press releases were issued along with news, announcements etc., accompanied by rich photographic material. All invitations and decisions of municipal bodies regarding the Municipal Council, the Finance Committee and the Quality of Life Committee are also posted. Through the special communication form, citizens can pose questions, and highlight and suggest matters that need to be addressed, receiving personal answers. When it comes to the various athletic events that are organized by Glyfada’s public entity “Κ.Α.Π.ΠΑ”, all interested are able to state their attendance electronically. In the people’s race that took place in 2013, there were 2232 electronic registrations of attendance. The municipality makes systematic use of the Clarity OpenGov Portal (Διαύγεια) and publishes competitions, contract notices etc. to increase the transparency of municipal operations. For the better organization of the municipality’s webpage, the IT department monitors the web traffic using Google Analytics. On average, the web page of the Municipality has 550 unique visitors per day, without taking into account visitors that follow the municipality’s social media pages. The webpage of the Municipality of Glyfada at present offers e-services that cover the citizens’ needs for information and provides official forms to be printed. These services concern the following departments: Registry Office - Civil Marriages, Municipal Urban Planning, Store Authorizations, Economic Services, Technical Services, Marinas and Cemetery.
20 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
7.2 Social Media The great majority of citizens, and in particular young people, use the internet and have a personal profile in at least one social networking site. Responding to the current requirements for direct information through new means of communication, the Municipality of Glyfada has a prominent presence in the most popular social media websites. All posts on the municipal website are also published on Facebook and Twitter. The social media users can comment on posts, send private messages and receive personalized answers to their comments/questions. At this moment, the webpage of the Municipality of Glyfada on Facebook is followed by more than 1400 users. 7.3 Geographic Information System (GIS) In order to improve the services to citizens, Municipality of Glyfada provides free access to its recently implemented proprietary Geographic Information System (GIS). The GIS is a digital platform that incorporates, stores, adapts, analyzes and presents geographically connected information. It includes digital cartographic backgrounds with land-planning-urban data, the Technical and Social Infrastructures of the Municipality, as well as various general points of interest (drugstores, gas stations, schools etc.). Furthermore, enables citizens and residents to indicate any problems with technical, social, cultural and athletic infrastructures of the municipality. The system processes these requests and “leads” them to the people responsible for their resolution. During the submission report, users receive an electronic protocol number in their mobile phone via SMS. The service is accessible through any web browser in the electronic address www.gisglyfadas.gr . A touch based version for tablets is also available.
21 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
7.4 Managing vulnerable social groups Within the context of the Operational Program “Digital Convergence - Proposal 59” and more specifically “ICT and Quality of Life Improvement”, the Municipality of Glyfada submitted a proposal which has been approved for 100% funding from the national programme, “Vulnerable Social Groups Management”. The project will involve developing a user-friendly internet platform to manage the social benefits of the municipality for citizens and residents. The objective is to create an electronic information service for citizens of the municipality in order to facilitate a more efficient handling of their demands, which will benefit both citizens and municipal staff. Through this particular application, municipal citizens and employees will have access to the following functions:
Submit an electronic application for social welfare services of the municipality.
View welfare eligibility conditions and access essential supporting documents.
Approve or reject an application.
Ask for supporting documents and tend to pending issues
Set a deadline to the service offered.
Register your interest in future benefit programmes.
Sign up to receive calendar prompting when seasonal welfare programmes are open for applications.
Check the daily progress of your request/application.
This service is expected to be in use in the autumn of 2014.
22 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
8. APPS FOR SMARTPHONES AND TABLETS In the past few years there has been a spectacular increase of Internet use through mobile devices at a global level. In 2013 more than 1 billion smartphones were sold worldwide and only 300 million PCs over the same time span. It is therefore obvious that these portable devices will gradually replace PCs to a great degree in daily use. Smartphones and tablets incorporate modern operating systems and their functionality is extended by the installation of applications (apps), via their corresponding electronic stores. In our municipality we focused on the development of the following apps: 8.1 eAsti - Glyfada eAsti - Glyfada is a free application for smartphones and tablets aimed at residents of and visitors to the Municipality of Glyfada. The user easily uses his mobile device to report any problems that he has noticed within the borders of the municipality (such as lack of lighting, potholes, vandalism etc.), by simply taking a photograph of the problem and submitting it to the municipality with a simple touch of the screen. The relevant municipal service electronically receives (through the eAsti web administrative console) the photo of the problem along with a short description as well as the precise geographic point which is automatically generated through Google Maps. The administrators of eAsti - Glyfada can communicate directly with the citizen via messages (push notifications) in order to inform them of the progress of their case. The Android version is available at the Google Play store and is compatible with smartphones and tablets based on Android 2.3.3 or later versions. The Apple iOS version is available for downloading at the iTunes Store and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch with iOS 6.0 or later. The application supports Greek and English languages.
23 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
8.2 Electronic City Guide Specialized tourist applications are available in many cities of the world, whose aim is mostly to support small and medium-sized enterprises so that they can increase their international presence and become accessible to potential new customers. The Municipality of Glyfada, wanting to support local businesses, has completed the design and specifications of a modern electronic city guide for portable devices. Glyfada’s entrepreneurs will be able to register their enterprise in the electronic guide free of charge, including such information as:
General information about the enterprise: Description, contact information, social networking, photographs etc.
Services Offered
Price List
Moreover, the application will provide information of general interest such as:
City guide: Sightseeing, amusement suggestions, events etc.
Points of Interest: ATMs, pharmacies, bus stops etc.
Useful phone numbers: Police, hospitals, taxis etc.
At the present time, a study has been submitted and approved and the project is expected to be put out to tender in May 2014. The Android and iOS versions should be available soon in both Greek and English.
24 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
9. FUTURE GOALS Having developed the basic ICT infrastructure, we can easily develop and implement new projects from now on. I report for information purposes some, in my opinion, important objectives for the following municipal mandate: E-signatures: The municipality has been supplied with smartcards for signing documents electronically and the relevant directives are expected from the Ministry of Administrative Reform and e-Governance in the near future to enable their daily use. Thus, secure document transmission will be accelerated considerably both inside and outside the municipality and bureaucracy will be dramatically reduced. E-protocol: The digitalization of incoming documents and their electronic input to the protocol system is recommended. Thereafter, these documents should be electronically distributed to their corresponding recipients. Modern budget planning: A central budget planning management system is recommended in order to improve coordination and efficiency. Discontinuation of Excel spreadsheets with multiple versioning is also recommended since it makes it difficult to track errors and update changes. System for monitoring the tendering process: The municipality has been using a system for monitoring tendering since the beginning of 2014. This system includes a registry of suppliers who can participate in upcoming tenders. Its extension and wide spread use is recommended. This will considerably help in the preparation, realization, management and follow-up of all kinds of supplies, with the recording and follow-up of all stages of implementation, from the application phase to their final processing with the registration of contracts and relative documents.
25 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
E-Procurement: The use of an e-Procurement system is recommended. Its pilot operation has already had positive feedback. Extension of the optical fibre and interconnection with the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE): The interconnection of the optical fibre with the Urban Centre of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (ΟΤΕ) that is located in Ag. Konstantinou Street, 14A is recommended, so that the Municipality of Glyfada can have voice and data transmissions that could reach very high speeds. Inter alia, it may offer the possibility of live streaming of sporting and other events in High Definition quality. Moreover, its extension to other proprietary buildings of the Municipality is highly recommended. Extension of the public Wi-Fi network: Further expansion of the Wi-Fi network in busy public spaces is recommended. Business process optimization: Business Process Modeling of all current operational activities is highly recommended in order to analyze current methodology and efficiency and to find ways to improve and streamline operations. Generation of Quality Management handbooks/manuals is also suggested. E- Services: The expansion of electronic services is recommended, whilst taking IT security seriously, in order to ensure the integrity of the municipality’s back office. The implementation of the above mentioned objectives will lead the Municipality of Glyfada to the avant-garde of Local Authorities, which will have applied the most principles of advanced e-Government, and will rightfully claim the rating of “Best Practice” in the Greek Public Administration.
26 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada
ACCOUNT OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT & THE CREATION OF NEW DIGITAL SERVICES (FEB. 2011 – APR. 2014)
ANNEX OF DECISIONS AND ADMINISTRATIVE ACTS 1.
Supply of new IT system. Decision FC 464/2011 - DIAVGEIA 45ΨΩΩ91-B3K, budgetary expenditure 73.800,00 €
2.
Supply of Telematics system for the Waste Management & Street Cleaning Service vehicles. Decision FC 488/2011 - DIAVGEIA 45Ψ6Ω91-Ρ46, budgetary expenditure 24.600,00 €
3.
Software development for access to the electronic services of the Municipality of Glyfada via smartphones (iPhone and Android). Decision FC 379/2012 - DIAVGEIA Β4ΤΜΩ91-ΙΦΓ, budgetary expenditure 12.300,00 €
4.
Interconnection with optical fibre between the Municipality of Glyfada and the Technical Service, the Municipal Police, the Waste Management & Street Cleaning Service and the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization. Decision FC 491/2012 - DIAVGEIA Β4ΣΤΩ91-50Ι, budgetary expenditure 20.000,00 €
5.
Wireless access to the internet (Wi-Fi) in 5 squares of the Municipality of Glyfada (Eyryali, Katraki, Saint Tryfonas, Karaiskaki and Esperidon Square). Decision FC 570/2012 - DIAVGEIA Β4ΜΛΩ91-Τ32, budgetary expenditure 20.000,00 €
6.
Acquisition of a Business Modelling Tool. Decision FC 572/2012 - DIAVGEIA Β4ΜΛΩ91-ΨΞΤ, budgetary expenditure 20.000,00 €
7.
Extension of Telematics system. Decision FC 355/2013 - DIAVGEIA ΒΛΩΕΩ91-ΓΧΝ, budgetary expenditure 18.450,00 €
8.
Extension of the IT Infrastructure. Decision FC 556/2013 - DIAVGEIA ΒΛ11Ω91-ΕΦ3, budgetary expenditure 73.800,00 €
9.
Supply of a monitoring system of fuel consumption and control sensors of the operation of the Waste Management & Street Cleaning Service vehicles. Decision FC 651/2013 - DIAVGEIA ΒΙ65Ω91-ΤΘΣ, budgetary expenditure 18.450,00 €
10. Electronic City Guide Application of the Municipality of Glyfada for mobile phones and tablets. Budgetary expenditure 1.500,00 €
27 | P a g e Michael Chalaris, Expert IT Consultant, Municipality of Glyfada