Info must flow: Tech specialist keeps county connected

Rick Cook keeps the information highway running like a race track.

He's so good at it, he won a state award.

Cook is the network administrator for Catawba County's Technology Department. He makes sure the cybernet that links county agencies with municipalities is fast, accessible and free-flowing.

His work with Catawba County municipalities earned him the 2009 James S. Cooper Award from the N.C. Local Government Information System Association, a statewide organization focused on connectivity among local governments.

Actually, inter-governmental connectivity has been around in Catawba County for about 10 years, Cook said.

"We're getting faster and better," he said.

The home-grown cybernet enables the county and Catawba towns to share tax and GIS information, databases and even building inspection information and software, Cook said.

"Police departments and the sheriff's office also share," he said. "Being connected helps everyone do their jobs better and respond faster."

Cook's job description looks like a daunting task for the most formidable computer guru.

According to the county, "As network administrator ... Cook is responsible for overseeing Wide Area Network and Local Area Network transmission; operation, maintenance, repair and development of all operating systems; networks and network infrastructure, including servers and hardware components; wireless development, maintenance and access; the purchase of systems and network components; provision of internet services, including security, authentication, disaster recovery and firewall; server backups; remote access capability; knowledge and implementation of protocols ..."

Whew! That's not all, but it's enough. Suffice it to say that when somebody in local government in Catawba County hops on a computer and needs to connect with someone or some computer in another office, it's done. Fast and with little fuss.

It's Cook's job to make it so.

The fruits of his labor aren't confined to government officials and staffers. The public benefits, too.

Much of what a county or city employee can access is available to anyone.

The GIS system that has Catawba County mapped from every angle and is a trove of information is an example of public access.

And more is coming, according to Cook.

"The next step for the cybernet is to continue building the wireless network and extend wireless access to the public.

"More public access, that's the goal," he said.

Cook sees wireless as a universal giant step in communications technology.

Sure, wireless is entrenched in the public psyche now, but the applications for wireless will grow, Cook said.

"It's hard to predict where technology will go, but you can expect cell phone applications to improve and the ability to push information through the Internet to expand."

Mobility will drive technology, he said. "Everything will become more mobile. You can take the network with you now, and it's only going to get better," he said.

And with fewer wires and the need to plug into the Web or wall-mounted power sources.

As for the award, it's nice to be recognized by one's peers, but Cook is modest about the honor.

"Success is not due to any one person. Everyone here and in Catawba County is great to work with.

The cities and county work well together.

"This is a team effort," Cook said.

That may be, but he's a star, according to Jim Chandler, assistant executive director and director of Public Services for the Western Piedmont Council of Governments, and Parviz Mollahassani, who works with Newton's technology department.

They nominated Cook for the Cooper Award. It's for going beyond one's normal duties to enhance inter-agency cooperation.

"Rick has been the primary force in implementing and maintaining our county fiber Wide Area Network, in implementing our shared broadband Internet connection and many other collaborative efforts," Chandler wrote in the letter of nomination.

"He is responsible for much of the technological advancement that has occurred in the public sector throughout Catawba County, yet he never seeks credit or acknowledgment. Rick is a true public servant."

Cook has worked for Catawba County a total of 25 years. There was a brief interlude when he formed his own business. He sold MRV Consultants, however, and went back to the county.

He was named Catawba County Employee of the Year in 2007.

But, "I'm just a team member," Cook said.

He's looking forward to a bigger, hotter network to merge government and the public.

"Faster and better," are two of his favorite words.

Faster and better also mean bigger, and that presents some problems.

"Security is a concern," Cook said, "but we'll make everything as secure as possible. We'll not stop with the improvements."

That's the game plan for the county, according to Terry Bledsoe, Catawba County's chief information officer. And Cook will be in the thick of the action.

"Rick exemplifies the spirit of collaboration and sharing that our department and Catawba County believes in," Bledsoe said.

"Working together with the municipalities and other organizations, we have been able to provide better services for our citizens, and Rick has been a leader in all of those efforts."

The county can't do without an information superhighway, and Rick Cook is determined it won't have any potholes.

Dave Hardin, Catawba County Public Information Officer, contributed information for this report.