THE FOURTH MEETING OF THE

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SUB-COMMITTEE

CANADA ROOM, MARKHAM CIVIC CENTRE

MAY 17, 2005

MINUTES

Attendance

Regional Councillor J. Jones

Regional Councillor B. O’Donnell

Councillor S. Daurio

Councillor A. Chiu

Staff:

Andy Taylor, Commissioner of Corporate Services

Nasir Kenea, Manager, Applications & GIS

Francis Poon, Manager, Client Delivery

Sugun Rao, Manager, Technology

Judy Kee, Committee Clerk

The Information Technology Sub-Committee convened at the hour of 9:05 a.m. with Councillor B. O’Donnell in the Chair.

1. ONEYORK STEERING COMMITTEE -

MINUTES – APRIL 22, 2005

Moved by Councillor A. Chiu

Seconded by Regional Councillor J. Jones

That the minutes of the OneYork Steering Committee meeting held on April 22, 2005 be received.

CARRIED

2. TOWN’S DEFENSE STRATEGY AGAINST SPAM

Mr. Sugun Rao, Manager of Technology, gave a presentation on SPAM, which is electronic junk mail, where it comes from, and explained the Town’s current defence strategy against Spam, and what measures staff should take to combat SPAM.

Members expressed concern regarding the large number of SPAM being received, and staff described ways spam operations harvest addresses. Currently, the Town runs Sophos PureMessage, which identifies SPAM by using a combination of filtering technologies, which reduces the number of SPAMS received by staff. It was noted that staff have the options of either deleting the emails received or forwarding them on to the IT Help Desk.

It was noted that the anti-spam measures are not perfect, but staff will continue to work towards establishing a procedure to deal with SPAM.

Moved by Regional Councillor J. Jones

Seconded by Councillor S. Daurio

That the presentation of the Manager of Technology regarding the Town’s Defence Strategy against SPAM be received;

And that staff develop a set of guidelines for staff to follow with respect to SPAM.

CARRIED

3. VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL (VOIP) UPDATE

Mr. Francis Poon, Manager of Client Delivery, provided an update on VOIP 911 implementation, and presented details of a system provided by Vonage Canada. He advised that Vonage converts the phone call into data that runs through high-speed internet connections, similar to email directly to the local police department, but the customer must provide a physical address prior to the system being activated.

Committee discussed the advantages of the service; the use of GPS chips; the use of network infrastructure in a more cost effective manner; however, it was noted that one disadvantage would be if the customer’s internet service is down, then the 911 service would not be available.

Moved by Councillor S. Daurio

Seconded by Regional Councillor J. Jones

That the presentation of the Manager of Client Delivery, regarding VOIP 911 Implementation, be received.

CARRIED

4. WIRELESS PROJECT UPDATE

Mr. Sugun Rao, Manager of Technology, gave a brief presentation updating Committee on the deployment schedules for the services being provided to enable remote access for email and pre-authorized data for Town Staff at the Civic Centre and other remote Town facilities.

Committee discussed the benefits of the project; costs involved; and similar installations at Region of York and other municipalities for revenue opportunities.

Moved by Councillor S. Daurio

Seconded by Regional Councillor J. Jones

That the update by the Manager of Technology regarding the Wireless Project, be received.

CARRIED

5. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STRATEGIC PLAN

Mr. Andy Taylor, Commissioner of Corporate Services, advised that a date is being scheduled to have the IT Strategic Plan presented for external review to the business community. A copy will be provided to the Region of York, marked “confidential”.

ADJOURNMENT

The Information Technology Sub-Committee meeting adjourned at the hour of10:30 a.m.