Dallas County commissioners are expected to get a request next week to authorize a new IT director search.
That's the recommendation of a committee that oversees the county's IT operations. The recommendation comes almost a month after the county was the target of a cyber attack.
Some commissioners have been reluctant to act on IT matters until they get a report from Gartner, a company hired in August to study the county's computer systems. The report is expected in the near future.
Commissioner Andrew Sommerman said he wants the new director to have a fresh start.
"We don't want to have a brand new director without knowing the direction," he said. "The Gartner report would tell us to go to."
Dallas County was the target of what officials described as a "cybersecurity incident" on Oct. 19. A private firm is investigating the attack, and county officials are still trying to assess its scope. A group of hackers who call themselves "Play" have claimed responsibility.
IT officials had warned of vulnerabilities in the county's computer operations months before an October cyber attack. And earlier this year the county increased its IT budget by millions of dollars.
Dallas County's previous IT director left for another job before the cyber attack.
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