IT upgrade boosts efficiency in Chicago court
The Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill., has installed HP Thin Client technology supported by HP ProLiant blade serversto improve access to services and court files online at 17 court locations. The new IT setup relies on cloud-based virtualization software and data storage from Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP.
About 1,900 employees in the court clerk’s office — more than 80 percent of the court’s staff — traded in slow, aging computer terminals for the new IT equipment. Four hundred additional HP Thin Clients were installed as public service terminals.
The new equipment gives court staffers and the public web-based access to applications, which eliminate the need for many to travel to court locations. Previously, residents could not access court services online. Instead, they had to navigate a maze of rules to find the right office or court to conduct their business in person.
Thin clients are solid state devices that connect over a network to a server where the bulk of the processing takes place. Thin clients do not have a hard drive, which allows for more secure storage of data and applications on the server. HP BladeSystemservers installed as part of the IT upgrade support the thin clients and will accommodate continued growth.
Among the first systems developed to speed the court’s work was an integrated cashiering and security system, which automated processing of traffic court fines to eliminate errors and reduce long lines.
The Circuit Court of Cook County operates 17 locations, including branch courts in Chicago and five suburban districts, the Criminal Courts complex, and a records center. Litigants file 2 million new cases annually, and more than 400 judges conduct 6.5 million hearings each year. The court clerk’s office manages 1 billion electronic court records.
