IT Innovation Day: Where Technology Meets Creativity

Sprout (pictured above) is one of the new HP desktop platforms to be presented at IT Innovation Day on Wednesday, March 4.

It’s the end of the day, you suddenly need a flash drive and don’t have one. So you run down the hall and get one from the new IT vending machine. Just like that, the day is saved!

That’s one of the possibilities you’ll hear about at the upcoming County Information Technology Innovation Day. The event, presented by the County’s Technology Office, HP and AT&T, will showcase new information technologies and web-based solutions that may greatly improve how our business runs.

“IT Innovation Day is where technology meets creativity,” said Chief Information Officer Mikel Haas. “The goal is to spark our imaginations with the latest and greatest technology.”

The event is open to all County employees and will be held from 1 to 4 p.m., March 4 in the County Operations Center Chambers at 5520 Overland Ave.

HP, the County’s IT outsource partner, began putting on these demonstrations a few years ago as a way to collaborate with employees and brainstorm ideas to increase work efficiency and improve customer service. 

More than a half-dozen new technologies and web-based solutions will be showcased at this year’s session, including a desktop computer with camera for capturing images of 2D and 3D objects, a document security practice, and that vending machine.

Instead of sodas or snacks, it could be stocked with IT accessories and other key supplies. At the vending machine, users would swipe their employee badge or purchasing card for the machine to dispense the supplies right at a County facility. The idea would ensure 24/7 access to supplies to reduce user downtime and decrease procurement time.

Another idea being shared at IT Innovation Day is an onsite mobile engagement application for smartphones. The app would provide real-time, location-specific information to visitors of County facilities such as County buildings, parks or libraries. For example, a visitor to the County Administration Center might receive a welcome message on their iPhone as they arrive in the lobby. The app would list available services at that site such as passports, marriage licenses and getting copies of birth certificates. Then based on visitor selections, additional data would be provided regarding the onsite County departments, services and relative location to the visitor.

CTO project manager Patty Carpenter and HP’s Kathleen Self organized the event, with support from Haas and HP Account Executive Cathy Varner. They encouraged departments to attend and see if the concepts presented could become a reality.

“IT Innovation Day is an opportunity,” Carpenter said. “These technologies could be a perfect fit solution or an idea to build on.”