The Information Technology Division (ITD) provides the District Attorney’s Office with technology tools and services. The 27 employees that make up this unit design, develop, implement, and support all information technology hardware, software, business applications, and websites. They also provide support for prosecution in the courtroom and community outreach efforts. In addition, ITD provides direct support to the City Attorney’s Office in their use of the District Attorney’s case management system for criminal prosecution.
The team is responsible for supporting the organization’s data network and servers where information and applications are stored and accessed. This includes data files, email, the DA case management system and the new eDiscovery system. The data network links 10 DA offices and more than 1,400 desktops, laptops, and printers to more than 200 servers and other networks including the County of San Diego, ARJIS, the Sheriff’s Department and the Internet.
Servers and Infrastructure
In 2016, the team successfully finished implementing a new infrastructure that relies on virtual machines. This type of technology provides better security, faster recovery time, less power use, and cooling that helps protect the environment. Backup has been converted to disk, which saves money and effort and provides faster and more secured processes.
Network and Security
The ITD team successfully implemented a new portal for the office that allows access remotely to most of our applications. It was designed to be cross-platform, giving those with different hardware and operating systems access without additional effort.
Application Development
The effort of moving from the old mainframe to a Wintell platform is on track, in partnership with the Sheriff’s Department, the San Diego Superior Court and the County of San Diego. It is expected to go live by the end of July 2017. The mainframe system served the county for more than 40 years.
Web Design
The application development team manages the content and design of the District Attorney’s public website, which receives thousands of views each week from around the world. In addition, the web team manages the DA’s intranet and a growing portfolio of browser-based applications and is researching portal-based solutions to serve external customers more effectively. The team developed a browser-based application that allows Deputy District Attorneys access to the office’s case management system in the courtroom, through laptops and tablets. The team completed designing and implementing the new DA websites to enhance the experience of our external and internal users. In anticipation of the increased number of mobile device and tablet users, the web development team is enhancing and updating the DA web portal to become universal with all browsers.
Technical Assistance
The support team provides technical assistance to all DA employees via phone, email, self-service portal or on-site service. In 2016, the IT Division resolved 13,401 incidents for assistance through its service desk. Ongoing computer hardware and software upgrades provide improved performance, reliability, and security. Other projects include document scanning, technical support for defense attorneys using eDiscovery, and a continuous effort to improve computing capabilities and services using new technology.
A new ticket and inventory system based on Microsoft System Center was implemented, which enhanced control and resulted in cost savings on equipment and services.
