These days, when some local governments end up having to pay large sums of money to hackers to keep the government running, few department positions are more important than Information Technology Services Department director.
On Tuesday, Dec. 12, the City of High Point announced that five-year IT employee Adam Ward had been named to that position.
Keeping the city’s computers and information safe and secure will be just one of Ward’s new responsibilities – but it may now be the most difficult part of the job. Several years ago, former Guilford County Manager Marty Lawing told the Board of Commissioners that it was astonishing how often and how hard hackers came after Guilford County government, though he would not publicly explain further.
Hackers no doubt go after High Point in the same way.
Ward will begin as information technology services director immediately.
The department has a total of 62 employees and an annual budget of $15 million.
As the director, he’ll manage the department and take over duties such as ensuring network security, overseeing the city’s technology infrastructure and the system’s applications, providing user support and supporting the city’s 911 and radio services divisions.
Ward has been with the City of High Point since 2018 and has served as a server administrator, network and security manager, assistant director of information technology, and, most recently, he was the interim director of information technology.
Before taking a job with the city, he worked for Alamance Community College from 2010 to 2018 and, prior to that, for Greensboro Day School from 2006 to 2010.
He knows a thing or two about computing. He has a bachelor’s degree in information technology/information system security and a master’s degree in information systems from the University of Phoenix, and he has earned numerous licenses and certifications in information technology.
