Berry Hill moves to protect important data
By Louis Medina
Diversity Institute Fellow
03.13.06
Berry Hill's important electronic files will soon be protected from fire, power outages and computer viruses.
The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to obtain a software package from Nashville-based Spann Technology, which will provide an off-site backup system for city hall and police department data.
"We keep backups on site now," City Manager Joseph Baker said. Copies of the data are currently stored on portable hard drives that are not fire protected, he said.
John A. Spann IV, owner of the company, said that stored files, which include arrest records, accounting and tax information, would be encrypted so that only authorized City of Berry Hill employees could decipher it.
After the meeting, Spann said the cost to the city would be $100 per month in monthly payments, or $1,000 per year in yearly payments.
Although it will have its computer files properly stored, the City of Berry Hill hasn't quite entered cyberspace. "We definitely are behind the times on not having a web site," Mayor Harold Spray said. However, the board postponed indefinitely a vote on selecting a web site developer.