Information Technology

Fast Facts

iPhones and iPads account for 74 percent of mobile devices connecting to NPUC email services, Android 10 percent and Windows phone 8 percent.

Motivations behind cyber attacks making the news in 2015 included cybercrime (67 percent), hacktivism (21 percent), cyber espionage (10 percent) and cyber warfare (2 percent).

Worldwide there was an average of 160 successful cyber attacks per week in 2015 — three times the number in 2010. The average cost in the U.S. to deal with attacks is $15 million, more than double the average cost in 2010.

Mission

Facilitating ministry and growth.

Summary

After much prayer and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit we will reach all people for God’s kingdom by broadly employing technology. The North Pacific Union Conference (NPUC) information technology department provides technology engineering, management and support service to NPUC and Northwest conference offices. Hardware is the foundation of all technology endeavors, but without software, hardware is useless. The NPUC information technology department is preparing to restart software development to further increase ministry effectiveness.

What's Been Accomplished

IMPROVED CONNECTIVITY — Most conference offices have 50–100 megabits per second of internet bandwidth.

ENGINEERING AND SUPPORT — Upgraded wired and wireless networks at several locations.

GREENER DATA ROOM — Re-engineered data room cooling system at NPUC to use outside air when temperatures are below 55 degrees, saving energy costs and extending air-conditioning equipment life.

MICROSOFT OFFICE 365 — Deployed at Alaska, Montana, Oregon and Washington conferences and NPUC.

PHONE SYSTEM — Upgraded phone system at Alaska and Oregon conferences and NPUC and installing new phone systems at Washington Conference and Sunset Lake Camp.

SOFTWARE UPDATES — Most client systems upgraded to Windows 8 or Windows 10 and latest versions of Microsoft Office. Maintained payroll software and upgraded trust management software.

ONGOING SUPPORT — Provided the technological needs for Alaska, Montana and Washington conferences as well as consultation and support for Idaho, Oregon and Upper Columbia conferences.

The Challenges Ahead

CYBER SECURITY — It will cost more to stay ahead of cyberspace threats, but we must keep this a top priority even more today than before to ensure our church's mission continues to move forward.

TRAINING — New tools and new ways of doing things will only be used intelligently with training.

SERVICE OPTIONS — There are Software as a Service (SaaS) options galore, but it’s important to know why, where and when to use them .

HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE — We will analyze, procure, develop and test to find the best hardware and software to accomplish our mission.