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-Editorial
The Imperial County Board of Supervisors on August 12, approved several measures aimed at strengthening the county’s technology infrastructure, advancing small business development, and enhancing public health capacity.
Supervisors ratified and approved previous years of services with Expert Networks, Inc. (XNI) and authorized a new three-year agreement with the firm to provide maintenance, service, and support for the county’s network systems. The renewal, covering July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028, is valued at an amount not to exceed $360,000.
The Board’s decision follows findings from the county’s Information and Technical Services (ITS) department, which determined that current staffing levels and skillsets are insufficient to manage the complex and extensive network infrastructure serving Imperial County and the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office. According to county data, ITS currently supports more than 50 separate networks connecting over 5,000 devices, including 154 switches with 6,344 interfaces and 43 firewalls for the county network, and an additional 25 switches with 1,096 interfaces and 7 firewalls for the Sheriff’s Office.
In addition, ITS oversees two distinct data centers, two active directory domains, and 167 servers, with only one network administrator available to handle the workload. XNI has provided specialized support to the county since assisting in recovery efforts following a 2019 ransomware attack, and its staff are familiar with the county’s infrastructure.
The new contract includes a service level agreement requiring a two-hour callback on issues reported during business hours and a four-hour response outside of those hours. Funding will come from the county’s Internal Services Funds, with no impact on the General Fund.
The Board also authorized out-of-state travel for three members of the Imperial County Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to attend the America’s SBDC Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, from September 1–6, 2025. The cost, not to exceed $8,400, is already budgeted and will not affect the General Fund.
The conference, billed as the premier national gathering for small business support professionals, will provide workshops, training, and networking opportunities. One traveling advisor will focus on expanding services for the county’s Spanish-speaking business community under a Local Immigrant Inclusion and Integration Grant. Another advisor will receive certificate-based training in artificial intelligence applications for business advising.
The SBDC Center Manager Viridiana Rosales-Trujillo, selected as the 2025 State Star award recipient, will represent the Imperial and San Diego SBDC Network and Imperial County at the event. Officials said the training and networking opportunities will directly benefit local entrepreneurs by improving advising services, expanding program offerings, and integrating new technologies.
Supervisors further approved out-of-state travel for two Public Health Department staff members to attend the Public Health Improvement Training on October 7, 2025, and the Open Forum: Next Generation from October 8–10, 2025, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The trainings, hosted by the National Network of Public Health Institutes, focus on performance management, strategic planning, workforce development, quality improvement, and public health accreditation. Imperial County’s participation will be fully funded through the Future of Public Health (FoPH) grant, at a cost between $5,800 and $6,500, with no impact on the General Fund.
The department will also present a workshop at the conference titled “DIY Data Power: Building a Homegrown PM System for Public Health Success,” highlighting its internally developed performance management system. The system has been credited with improving efficiency and service delivery, and the presentation will share lessons learned with public health professionals nationwide.