Client: City of Pleasant Valley, Missouri (Clay County, 2,961 residents)
Sector: Municipal government
Environment: All computers and servers across City Hall, City Courts, Fire, and Police
Service: Managed IT Services
Client since: 2014
Pleasant Valley’s previous IT provider maintained systems after hours and sometimes took days to return a support call. The city website kept going down. MDL took over managed network services for every department, with 24/7 coverage for the ones that cannot wait. Here is what changed.
The Challenge
The city struggled to keep its website up, and support requests to its previous managed services provider went unanswered, sometimes for days at a time.
The deeper problem was the service model. The previous provider did most of its maintenance after hours, so city employees never interacted with the people fixing their systems. Work happened, but nobody at the city understood what had been done or why.
Two departments carried risk beyond inconvenience. The Fire Department had no reliable offsite backup of its data. Police dispatchers, officers, and detectives needed immediate access to criminal justice information during traffic stops and investigations, at any hour.
What MDL Did
MDL took on managed network services for all computers and servers across every city department, with 24/7 support for City, Court, Fire, and Police. The work differs by department:
Fire Department
Maintain firehouse software. Implemented a cloud-based backup system running nightly. The department had no reliable offsite backup before this.
Police Department
24/7 computer support for dispatchers, officers, and detectives. Maintain the full-time VPN connection to the City of Kansas City, MO, and the State of Missouri used to access criminal justice information. Set up a new digital fingerprint system.
City Courts
Keep computer systems functioning during hearings and procedures. Maintain servers, computers, and wireless network communications.
City Hall
Keep accounting systems running. Maintain the city website. Maintain recording systems and ensure they work during board meetings. Assist staff with annual city IT budgets.
MDL also handled a full computer and server upgrade for the city.
The Outcome
Downtime dropped to minimal across city systems. The transition from the previous provider was smooth and caused little disruption. The computer and server upgrade was completed with very little downtime for staff or the city website.
The city also saved money in an unexpected place. MDL resolves issues with third-party software the city already owned, where those vendors charge per call for support.
“Our previous provider was not responsive in a timely manner, and we had issues with our website. Since retaining MDL, our downtime has been minimal and we’ve received quick support when problems arise.”
“MDL has helped us through issues with other provider’s software. This saves us money in some cases where software providers charge on a per call basis for tech support.”
Asked whether she would recommend MDL to other businesses and government offices, Fox’s answer was a straightforward yes: “MDL has provided us with excellent service!”
Why Government IT Is Different
Local government runs several departments with genuinely different requirements under one budget. Court systems have to work during a hearing. Police systems have to work at 3 am. Fire systems have to survive a building loss. City Hall has to close the books.
MDL’s experience across those departments is what made the Pleasant Valley engagement work, and budget reality shapes the approach: long-term technology planning that reduces cost over time rather than one-off purchases.
Request a proposal, and we will scope what your departments actually need.
