Leaders Summit 2016: Unveiling Kane’s Fiber-Optic Cable Network
It is quite possible that Kane County’s 47 miles of fiber-optic cable is the best-kept local technology secret of the new millennium.
That all changes on Friday, May 27, when Kane County hosts the 2016 Leaders Summit, “Connecting Our Futures,” at the Q Center in St. Charles.
From 2005 to the present, Kane County has been quietly investing in 21st century infrastructure. Through a partnership with the Kane County Division of Transportation, the county’s Information Technologies Department, led by Roger Fahnestock, has laid fiber-optic cable as the county has made road improvements — a partnership that reduced the cost of cable-network construction to under $1.5 million, all funded from Public Safety Sales Tax revenue.
Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen is extending an invitation to any and all Kane County leaders to attend the May 27 summit, where you can learn how to exponentially increase your data capacity, build invaluable system redundancy, find multiple new service providers and potentially save buckets of money for your business, government or nonprofit organization.
“What Roger and his team have been able to do — through foresight and planning — is to create a huge opportunity for the businesses, homeowners and public institutions of Kane County,” Lauzen said. “This fiber optic network is an innovation that sets Kane County apart from its neighbors and is something more people should understand and use.”
A “how to” presentation by Fahnestock is just one of several reasons to attend the summit. The keynote speaker is Michael Burke, winner of Goverment Technology Magazine’s “Dreamers, Doers & Drivers Award” and a leader in the Kansas City, MO, “Launch KC” initiative, a program by the Kansas City Economic Development Corporation and the Downtown Council to assist small- and medium-sized tech companies.
Fahnestock also will lead a panel discussion of local business and government leaders who already are connected to Kane County’s fiber-optic network. They include Herb Kuryliw of Northern Illinois University, Troy Mertz of the Conservancy in Gilberts, Dave Cushing of Sunesys and John Duggan, Jr. of Bytegrid.
Finally, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will provide perspective about the bigger picture and why public-private collaboration can lead to economic development. Preckwinkle will talk about the Chicago Metro Exports and Global Cities initiatives that have been made possible by a collaboration of seven Northern Illinois counties.
The agenda includes breakfast, presentation of the second-annual Kane County Sparkler Awards as well as an opportunity to network with Kane County leaders in technology, transportation, economic development and health care.
Click this Eventbrite link to sign up for the leadership summit online. Tickets are $35 each. Space is limited, and more than 150 people already have made their RSVP.
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About the Kane County Information Technology Department
Kane County’s Information Technology Department establishes and maintains technology standards and provides countywide technology planning. The department provides research, development, implementation, management, maintenance, and support for a variety of information systems and technologies including infrastructure, virtualization, storage, client-server environments, application development, web development, Internet access, e-mail, financial systems, databases, desktop software, and computer training. The IT Department assists other county departments and offices to assure the value of their technology investments, provides a secure environment for the county’s information resources and the necessary access to other government agencies and the general public.
