Selectman Bongiorno outlines RFP for town IT assessment; Microsoft 365 consolidation planned

Selectman John Bongiorno said the Advanced Technology committee is drafting a request for proposals for a comprehensive assessment of municipal hardware, network systems, phone infrastructure and software covering Town Hall, the WPCA, and Public Works (excluding fire and ambulance services). An automated asset-inventory application has been acquired at no cost to assist in compiling equipment inventories.

Bongiorno said plans include centralizing municipal operations under a single Microsoft 365 domain and evaluating Microsoft Copilot for enterprise‑level AI capabilities while addressing compliance concerns related to personal AI tools. He noted recent outages that affected public Wi‑Fi access points powered through Town Hall—Town Hall lacks an emergency generator—and vendor registration issues with Ruckus equipment delayed remote recovery. The committee is evaluating CEN fiber connections for the new ambulance facility and local fire departments; the current fire department network relies on a 17‑year‑old fiber switch that requires replacement.