City Takes Enterprise Applications on the Road

City Takes Enterprise Applications on the Road

By deploying wireless appliances and software, The City of Largo, FL, is improving the efficiency of city services and cost-effectively extending the citys IT architecture to fire inspectors, environmental services, and public works officials working remotely in the field.

Easily integrated into the citys existing thin client IT architecture, the secure wireless field personnel to access property records and community development data, e-mail, write or update reports, and conduct research over the Internet. Unlike tablet PCs, wireless tablets have no hard drive or other local storage, making them more secure, more reliable, and more cost-effective.

Largo, known as a City of Progress, is a community of over 70,000 residents, and continues to grow through voluntary annexation. Over the last 10 years, the city successfully developed landmark projects such as Largo Central Park and the Largo Cultural Center. Downtown redevelopment is currently underway, and plans are in place to open a new 93,000 square-foot library in 2005. This ongoing growth created a need for more efficient delivery of city services, such as public safety, fire inspections, building and business inspections, license applications and issuances, environmental studies and compliance, and public works projects.

Largo government officials determined they could speed delivery of municipal services by providing workers in the field with remote wireless access to the citys enterprise information systems. This would allow workers to access, enter, and update information on the road, in real time, instead of requiring a once a day stop at the City Hall facility to drop off their records which would then have to be keyed in by clerical staff.

The city chose to contract with Neoware, a supplier of software, services, and appliances for thin client computing.

Neoware provided us with a solid state thin client wireless solution, which enabled us to put our complete enterprise application suite on the road, says Dave Richards, Assistant Administrator with the City of Largo, Florida. Field reports that used to take days to process can now be delivered in minutes. We can now access department records anytime, anywhere, which is boosting efficiency. Many of our City services personnel work out in the community, and with Neowares mobile wireless tablets and software, they can now access, enter, and update building permits and inspection data, for example, in real time, while out in the field.

In addition to enabling mobile wireless connectivity and making government services more efficient, City officials chose Neowares wireless thin client tablets and software because they improve the overall security and reliability of the Citys entire IT system. Neowares thin client appliances and software are immune from standard PC viruses, and can be locked down to prevent user changes, making them more secure than tablet PCs. And because they have no moving parts, theyre more reliable, an important consideration for devices that will be used in the field.

Neoware thin client appliances and software enable governments and enterprises around the globe to do more with less, commented Michael Kantrowitz, Chairman and CEO of Neoware Systems. Neoware reduces the cost of delivering access to applications for a broad spectrum of users, from desk-based to mobile workers. Thin client appliances are a superb solution for any organization to extend computer access to more workers, while at the same time improving security, reliability, and manageability, and lowering costs.

Editors Note: Neowares products are available from IBM, as well as from select resellers. For more information on Neoware, visit: http://www.neoware.com. Neoware is based in King of Prussia, PA.