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43 <br />ensure wise investments. First, a cost - benefit analysis of projects should be undertaken, along with a <br />clear, multi -year understanding of the total cost of ownership for a given project. The total cost of <br />ownership includes hardware and software maintenance, ongoing training, support and operations <br />and allows the government to plan its expenditures in an appropriate manner without neglecting the <br />funding requirements of the project in the years to come. In addition, upgrades and replacement <br />plans for systems are imperative and must be included in the budget. Ideally, the County should <br />separate its budget requests and funding for ongoing IT infrastructure and maintenance from the IT <br />project budget requests and funding (typically focused on user departments). <br />Orange County is a successful, technology - friendly government and should continue investing in <br />technology to enhance the internal and external services of the organization. As the County keeps its <br />eye on growth and the future, it is imperative that technology investments keep pace with that vision. <br />Orange County is moving into another exciting period of growth and renewal and it is critical that <br />technology serve as a tool for improving efficiency and effectiveness. Furthermore, technology will <br />allow the County to grow quickly and respond to increase customer demands. <br />"The number one benefit of information technology is that <br />it empowers people to do what they want to do. <br />It lets people be creative. It lets people be productive. <br />It lets people learn things they didn't think they could learn before, <br />and so in a sense it is all about potential." <br />Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO <br />41 <br />