_{CTG UAlbany Tracks How IT Leaders are Responding to COVID-19}

Cities such as Schenectady needed to find a way to provide remote learning for thousands of students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Patrick Dodson, for the Daily Gazette, used by permission)

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 7, 2020) – As New York grappled with mounting COVID-19 cases in early March, the need for stronger measures to abate the spread of the disease became increasingly apparent.

The task for local and county governments was clear: they needed to find a way to close down while remaining open. This charge fell to government information technology leaders, who each had their own unique set of circumstances to grapple with.

Infographic by CTG UAlbany

CTG UAlbany recently polled a group of New York’s county and city IT leaders to share their experiences from the last several weeks and offer some insights on the future.

Program Director Meghan Cook and Director Theresa A. Pardo shared their findings with Government Technology, a national leader covering IT’s role in state and local governments in the information age.

Among the leaders profiled included the CIOs of Yonkers, Rochester, Westchester County and others.

For upstate cities like Schenectady, one of the top priorites was finding a way to provide access for the thousands of students who needed to transition to remote learning.

“The mayor knew public Wi-Fi was a key ingredient for the city to become smarter,” said Schenectady’s signal superintendent, John Coluccio. “The most exciting part of this project is seeing the difference access is making every day for the kids here in Schenectady. We’ve seen the stats; kids are using the public Wi-Fi; school is open.”

Read the full article at govtech.com.

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