Mission Need
Orange County is home to more than 3.2 million residents and 30 million visitors annually who depend on County services. Delivering those services across 22 departments that handle everything from public safety to public health requires reliable, secure and connected technology.
OCIT recognized that the next generation of government services would demand more than just keeping the lights on. To lead, the County needed technology systems that could scale, protect against evolving cyber threats and adapt quickly to new ways of working.
The mission was clear: create a unified modern IT environment that enables every department to work smarter, respond faster and deliver better outcomes for residents. OCIT took charge, bringing together departments, standardizing tools and putting advanced cybersecurity front and center. Their vision was not only to set the standard for modern, resilient government IT, but also to accelerate the County’s adoption of new technologies, more secure infrastructure and applications, and more adaptive IT framework that will shape the future of public services.
Solution
OCIT launched a major effort to rethink how technology can enable our County departments to better serve the public while reducing costs and ensuring that County data and systems are securely maintained. With help from SAIC as their IT managed services partner, the county:
- Centralized IT operations and service delivery so departments could standardize on a common suite of technology, make more efficient use of human resources, and introduce Countywide operational processes and policies.
- Strengthened data protection and improved disaster recovery and business continuity measures to ensure uninterrupted delivery of critical County services.
- Built and operationalized a Security Operations Center (SOC) to monitor threats and respond to issues 24x7x365 in real time. The SOC was up and running in less than five months and now tracks more than 10 million events per month.
- Enabled remote work and business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic, quickly distributing laptops and maintaining service with no disruptions.
- Demonstrated ability to respond to major cybersecurity incidents in less than 48 hours with strong coordination and preparedness.
- Upgraded infrastructure and refreshed legacy systems to improve performance, security and maintainability
- Positioned the county for future cloud migration by modernizing core IT environments and voice infrastructure, laying the groundwork for scalable growth.
As part of this work, SAIC partnered with the County to ensure its technology investments delivered maximum value, refining our support model to use resources more efficiently while maintaining high-quality service.
Beyond day-to-day operations, OCIT and SAIC have also delivered several high-visibility modernization efforts such as the new County Administration buildings, which reflect the County’s continued focus on innovation and long-term growth.
Mission Impact
Since launching its transformation OCIT has driven more than 200 technology projects that strengthen county operations and services. Today the team supports over 16,000 employees, manages systems across more than 200 locations and maintains nearly 1,000 physical and virtual servers. They coordinate with dozens of vendors and deliver tailored support for every department.
Service quality has remained high with internal satisfaction scores above 95 percent. Departments now have modern tools to serve residents more effectively. The new Security Operations Center has become a model that other counties are looking to replicate.
OCIT’s work has positioned Orange County for the future by advancing cloud readiness and enabling ongoing technology upgrades. Technology is no longer just a support function but a driver of better government. Residents benefit from connected and responsive services and the County is ready to meet challenges ahead with confidence.
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