RPVCCA_CC_SR_2013_11_19_06_City_Council_Access_To_EmailCrrYOF
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
REVIEWED:
HONORABLE MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL MEM~S
DENNIS McLEAN, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE &
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
NOVEMBER 19, 2013
CITY COUNCIL ACCESS TO EMAIL SYSTEM
CAROLYN LEHR, CITY MANAGER ~
RECOMMENDATION
Direct staff to establish @rpv.com email accounts for use by Councilmembers, as
requested.
DISCUSSION
The City has migrated email hosting from Palos Verdes on the Net's ("PVNET") mail
server, its previous email host, to its own Microsoft ("MS") Exchange email server that
resides on the Dell virtual (server) system as a part of the on-going Information
Technology ("IT") upgrade. The benefits of maintaining and using a transparent email
system on the City's MS Exchange system include:
(1) Easier archival of all email in accordance with the City Council direction
on February 7, 2012;
(2) Allows for web-based access to email using Outlook Web Access; and
(3) Improved search for email subject to Public Record Act ("PRA")
requests.
A question about the City Council's email use was raised during the City Council meeting
on October 29th. Staff suggested that it would agendize the matter for consideration by
the City Council at a subsequent meeting. City Councilmembers do not currently access
the MS Exchange email system directly. Until the MS Exchange email server was
installed and configured with the recent IT Upgrade, it would have been impractical for
Councilmembers to use the City's email system. Although the City Council currently have
been provided @rpv.com accounts, they are merely "alias" accounts. Emails sent to the
City Councilmember's @rpv.com email address pass through the City's email server to
their designated personal email accounts. Replies from Councilmembers are sent from
their personal email accounts, not a @rpv.com account. Therefore, reply emails from
Councilmembers do not appear to look like "official" City email messages, possibly
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CITY COUNCIL ACCESS TO EMAIL SYSTEM
November 19, 2013
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causing confusion for the email recipient. This also causes Councilmember's personal
email and City business to be co-mingled. If the City Council elects to enable use the
City's MS Exchange email server for voluntary use, Staff offers the following set-up
choices for consideration by the City Council.
Use ofOWA
Any City Councilmember that wishes to use the @rpv.com email system could choose to
use the web-based email access only, known as MS Outlook Web Access ("OWA"), to
read and send email. The use of OWA merely requires access to the Internet. It's a
robust, yet simple approach for using the @rpv.com email system that does not require
installation, nor set-up and support of Outlook on a Councilmember's desktop computer
or laptop. OWA can also be accessed with an iPad, or most any tablet device.
This is Staff's recommended alternative, as it would avoid Outlook set-up and changes
for Councilmembers on their personal computers. If Outlook is installed on the personal
computers of a Councilmember, it would need to be changed with future Outlook software
patches, fixes and upgrades, as well as changes initiated by Internet Service Providers
used by Councilmembers. Installation and changes of Outlook installed on the personal
computers of Councilmembers may require support by the City's IT provider. The three
capabilities described above could be utilized with OWA access by Councilmembers,
especially archival and search during PRA's.
Installation of Outlook on Personal Desktop Computers or Laptops of Councilmembers
The City's "enterprise" MS license enables the installation of MS Outlook on the personal
desktop computers or laptops of Councilmembers with a diminutive, additional licensing
cost. This approach would likely require personal installation of MS Outlook by PVNET
staff onto Councilmember's selected computers to ensure a successful transition for
Councilmembers. In the event any Councilmember already uses MS Outlook on a
computer that they wish to use for their@rpv.com account, they could add the @rpv.com
account as a second MS Outlook account. Doing so would enable the Councilmember
to create Contacts, use the Calendar feature, Tasks and Notes for City business on their
personal computer. Like the use of OWA, archival and search capabilities could be
utilized by Councilmembers if Outlook was installed on their personal computers. Emails
would be stored on the MS Exchange server.
No Change of Email Use
The City Council may elect to make no email changes and continue to use the @rpv.com
alias and their personal email accounts. None of the benefits described above would be
derived, including email archival and easier search during PRA's.
FISCAL IMPACT
Regardless whether the City Council chooses to use the City's @rpv.com email server,
staff expects that the fiscal impact of any additional direct costs can be absorbed within
the FY13-14 budget.
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