Blab Tech
Haywood County to Replace 255 Aging Computers with $346,000 Laptop Upgrade
Haywood County, North Carolina, will replace 255 county‑owned computers with new laptops at a total cost of $346,000. The purchase is funded with money that the county saved on five IT projects completed between 2022 and 2026.
The county’s chief information officer, Joey Webb Jr., said the laptops were chosen because they provide mobility for staff and can be docked at desks for a desktop‑like experience. "Everybody in the workforce, in a post‑COVID environment, is worried about mobility and being able to work from anywhere just in case another event like that were to happen again or any type of disaster like Helene, where we need to move people or get them back in service as quickly as possible," Webb said.
The replacement is part of a broader effort to modernize county technology. The 255 computers being retired are approaching the end of their useful life, and the new laptops will allow employees across departments to work more flexibly. The county’s IT savings fund, which was created by reallocating unspent capital from completed projects, provided the $346,000 needed for the purchase.
According to the county’s IT savings report, the largest single source of savings came from a justice center security system upgrade that saved $260,000. The remaining $86,000 of the total came from other projects, including a security system upgrade for the county courthouse and a data center consolidation.
The laptops will be distributed to departments as needed, with docking stations installed at workstations to provide a desktop‑like experience when employees are on site. The move is intended to improve resilience in the event of future disruptions, such as the recent earthquakes that were recorded in western North Carolina, and to support the county’s emergency response plans.
Haywood County’s population was 62,089 in the 2020 census, and its county seat is Waynesville. The county has been working to keep its technology infrastructure up to date while managing limited budgets. The use of unspent funds from previous projects demonstrates a strategy of reallocating capital to critical needs rather than seeking new appropriations.
The decision to replace desktops with laptops is consistent with a national trend among local governments to adopt mobile computing solutions. Laptops offer the same processing power as desktops but add the flexibility of mobility, which is especially valuable for employees who may need to work remotely during emergencies.
The county has not announced any additional funding sources or future technology upgrades beyond the laptop replacement. The project is expected to be completed in the coming months, with the new laptops distributed to staff by the end of the fiscal year.
In summary, Haywood County is investing $346,000 in 255 new laptops, funded by savings from previous IT projects. The upgrade aims to improve workforce mobility, support emergency response, and modernize the county’s technology infrastructure.
The county’s chief information officer, Joey Webb Jr., said the laptops were chosen because they provide mobility for staff and can be docked at desks for a desktop‑like experience. "Everybody in the workforce, in a post‑COVID environment, is worried about mobility and being able to work from anywhere just in case another event like that were to happen again or any type of disaster like Helene, where we need to move people or get them back in service as quickly as possible," Webb said.
The replacement is part of a broader effort to modernize county technology. The 255 computers being retired are approaching the end of their useful life, and the new laptops will allow employees across departments to work more flexibly. The county’s IT savings fund, which was created by reallocating unspent capital from completed projects, provided the $346,000 needed for the purchase.
According to the county’s IT savings report, the largest single source of savings came from a justice center security system upgrade that saved $260,000. The remaining $86,000 of the total came from other projects, including a security system upgrade for the county courthouse and a data center consolidation.
The laptops will be distributed to departments as needed, with docking stations installed at workstations to provide a desktop‑like experience when employees are on site. The move is intended to improve resilience in the event of future disruptions, such as the recent earthquakes that were recorded in western North Carolina, and to support the county’s emergency response plans.
Haywood County’s population was 62,089 in the 2020 census, and its county seat is Waynesville. The county has been working to keep its technology infrastructure up to date while managing limited budgets. The use of unspent funds from previous projects demonstrates a strategy of reallocating capital to critical needs rather than seeking new appropriations.
The decision to replace desktops with laptops is consistent with a national trend among local governments to adopt mobile computing solutions. Laptops offer the same processing power as desktops but add the flexibility of mobility, which is especially valuable for employees who may need to work remotely during emergencies.
The county has not announced any additional funding sources or future technology upgrades beyond the laptop replacement. The project is expected to be completed in the coming months, with the new laptops distributed to staff by the end of the fiscal year.
In summary, Haywood County is investing $346,000 in 255 new laptops, funded by savings from previous IT projects. The upgrade aims to improve workforce mobility, support emergency response, and modernize the county’s technology infrastructure.
