Case Study: Lake County, Indiana

Cenifax has been providing Lake County Indiana government with reliable and quality data processing services for over twenty years. We have guided Lake County from the age of mainframe data processing to state-of-the-art client server applications that have made government more efficient and responsive to the needs of our office holders and citizens.

We have employed a staff of professionals who are proven experts in each of the county data applications. Our staff members have been thoroughly trained in the various programs that are utilized by the county and provide the highest quality service and support. We are very proud of the team that we have assembled to serve Lake County and our users. Officeholders and employees have repeatedly expressed their satisfaction and support.

Cenifax has demonstrated our commitment to Lake County by providing a very high level of service while keeping costs as low as possible. Recognizing the economic stress that has been imposed on county operations, every effort is made to improve efficiency while maintaining quality. With the advent of eFiling in the courts, new revenues have been generated for the county.

Cenifax Lake County Highlights over 20 Years of Service …

1993

• First year of contract with Lake County government to manage all aspects of IT needs and provide data security and stability to users

1995

• Installed and implemented a new Reassessment System for the Lake County Assessor
• Installed the first new records management system for Lake County Sheriff’s Department

1996

• Implemented a whole new electronic voter registration system for the county. The old homegrown system required extensive upgrading and new features. This system has since been replaced by a state system.

1999

• Replaced an antiquated, twenty-year-old mainframe with a new system that supported modern client-server PC-based applications
• Successfully managed the purchase and implementation of new hardware and software prior to the Y2K deadline
• Planned and installed a county-wide data communication network that supported the migration to new data technologies
• Installed and implemented a new tax accounting system
• Acquired, installed, and implemented a new financial management system that included accounting, budgeting, purchasing, payroll, and fixed asset accounting resulting in abandoning the old handwritten ledger records and providing up-to-the-minute financial information
• Installed a new Court Case Management System
• Developed and implemented a county-wide email system, making Lake County one of the first counties in Indiana to have county-wide email

2000

• Verified Y2K compliance with all federal and financial reporting requirements
• Made Internet access widely available to county employees to support government operations
• Developed and provided staffing for a user helpdesk to address user problems and issues

2004

• Facilitated the implementation of a new GIS system for Lake County, creating access to county land records by multiple user types

2005

• Created the On Line Docket for Lake County, providing access to court records over the Internet, which is now used over one million times each month
• Generated, through the Online Docket, several millions of dollars of new revenue for Lake County

2006

• Expanded the county’s Case Management System and Online Docket to nine city and town courts in Lake County.
• Automated the SR-16 reporting process to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles for courts using the Case Management System.
• Developed and implemented an online payment system for minor traffic offenses. This has allowed the clerk’s office to electronically process payments, process case disposition, and reports to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

2010

• Developed and implemented eFiling for courts, clerks, and attorneys. This has allowed attorneys to file documents electronically and made the courts literally “paperless” in eFiled cases

2011

• Created an interface to link the Indiana State ECWS System into the Lake County Court System to provide electronic updating of traffic tickets; as a result, there is no data entry, no delays, and no loss of revenue due to lost or unprocessed paper tickets
• Developed a redundant, fault-tolerant, robust, and mission-critical server and data communication infrastructure to support court operations