Public Safety Radio System Cloud Backup System Resiliency

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

Sumter County became the first to use a cloud-hosted backup system for a public safety radio system. The purpose was to create a resilient and secure system to ensure continuous uninterrupted services for emergency response. This is critical to communicate and coordinate with federal, state and local agencies to keep citizens safe, especially during disasters. During the height of Hurricane Ian’s impact on Sumter County in 2022, this system was put to the test and successfully kept operations running smoothly. During the hurricane, a power failure occurred that could have affected the backup operations of the Sumter County Public Safety Radio System. However, at no time did the Sumter County Public Safety Radio System cease supporting first responders as the radio communications continued working in the cloud hosted backup system without any notice by field users. Though disasters are unpredictable, Sumter County has found it imperative to proactively prepare by planning and investing in backup systems that will maintain support to all Sumter County residents and our first responders.