Sixteen towns have been selected to participate in two new pilot projects to test statewide digital services as part of the Connecticut Municipal Opportunities for Regional Efficiencies Commission’s Nutmeg Network Demonstration Projects.
The new pilots are a human resources portal and an electronic document management system. The demonstration projects are broken into five pilots to show how using the state’s high-speed data fiber Nutmeg Network can impact municipal efficiency and narrow the technology gap that exists among Connecticut towns.
Under the first three projects, which began in 2015, 17 towns gained accessibility to cost-effective technology for video streaming, voice over the internet phones (VoIP), and IT infrastructure hosting services. House Speaker Brendan Sharkey, who established the commission, said one goal of the Nutmeg Network is further cost-saving, regional cooperation among towns.
The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology Inc. and the Capitol Region Council of Governments are leading the projects. CCAT provides direction and guidance in evaluating technologies and vetting the technology readiness of towns.