How Edgar County Upgraded 911 Operations by Moving to the Cloud

For smaller public safety agencies, modernizing technology can be a challenge. Especially when resources are tight, staffing is lean, and hardware is expensive to maintain and upgrade. But Edgar County, Illinois proved it doesn’t have to be that way.

Located about three hours south of Chicago, Edgar County had been using an on-prem system for several years – CentralSquare’s Public Safety Pro Suite. At the start of 2025, however, the county made a smart decision: migrate to Pro Suite in the cloud.

Led by Taylor Ray, the county’s 911 Director, the move was both strategic and practical. She wanted to simplify operations, reduce reliance on local IT and limit downtime during a facility relocation.

Edgar County’s story is a model for how smaller agencies can take smart, low-risk steps toward modernization. The software stayed the same. The dispatchers didn’t even notice the change. But behind the scenes, the shift to the cloud opened new doors for efficiency, flexibility and long-term resilience.

Keep reading to learn why Edgar County made the switch, how the migration unfolded and what benefits they’ve seen since going live in the cloud.

The Catalyst: Why Edgar County Moved to the Cloud

For Edgar County, moving to the cloud wasn’t about keeping up with technology trends. It was a practical decision driven by timing, budget and operational realities.

The county had reached the five-year mark on its hardware lifecycle – meaning it was time to replace servers, upgrade equipment and invest in another round of on-prem infrastructure. Instead of sinking more money into hardware, Taylor Ray saw an opportunity to move their on-prem Pro Suite to the cloud and eliminate the need for future refreshes.

At the same time, Edgar County was preparing to move to a new facility as part of a jail construction project. The cloud offered a way to simplify that transition and avoid downtime during the move.

Another factor was IT personnel. The department doesn’t have a dedicated IT person. They share resources with the county (one IT guy), which means tech issues can become bottlenecks. Migrating to the cloud with CentralSquare helped lighten the load for Taylor’s team and the IT worker.

Thanks to CentralSquare’s migration process, moving to the cloud was quick and painless.

What the Migration Process Looked Like

For many agencies, moving to the cloud can feel daunting, especially for smaller teams juggling daily responsibilities. But Edgar County showed that migrating to the cloud doesn’t have to be complicated.

According to Taylor, the process was fast, smooth and surprisingly straightforward. “It’s the exact same application,” she said. “Our dispatchers didn’t even know we went to the cloud. They wouldn’t have noticed a difference.”

The key to this seamless transition was CentralSquare’s dedicated cloud implementation team. From the initial kickoff to final go-live, they provided clear guidance, walked through checklists and handled much of the heavy lifting. Taylor described it as a “white glove” experience, where her team was supported at every step.

Testing began in January 2025 and was completed in phases. When it came time to go live, it happened quickly and with minimal disruption. “[CentralSquare] called me and said, ‘We’re ready to go live next week.’ And I was like, ‘What? Okay.’”

The only hiccups Taylor encountered were minor – things she didn’t test because they weren’t part of her daily workflow. But even those were resolved quickly by CentralSquare’s team. In her words, “If I do have an issue, I call in, and it’s normally fixed within an hour.”

For Edgar County, moving to the cloud wasn’t a major lift. It was a well-supported, low-risk upgrade that kept their systems stable and their team focused.

Key Benefits Edgar County Has Seen So Far

Since going live, Edgar County has seen meaningful improvements in day-to-day operations. Most notably, fewer headaches and more flexibility.

For Taylor, one of the advantages of Pro Suite is being able to respond to urgent requests from anywhere. Like the time her daughter was sick and the coroner called asking for something mission-critical. That kind of remote accessibility is especially helpful for small departments, where the director wears many hats and can’t always be on-site.

Equally important is the reduced reliance on IT staff. Like many small agencies, Edgar County relies on a county-wide resource who’s stretched thin. Moving to the cloud removed that bottleneck. No more coordinating server maintenance, troubleshooting hardware issues or worrying about software updates. “Not having to deal with our IT guy – that’s the major benefit,” Taylor said.

The transition also eliminated the need for expensive hardware refreshes. Now, Edgar County is always up to date, automatically. When issues do arise, CentralSquare’s support team responds quickly. Most problems have been resolved in under an hour.

Advice for Other Agencies: Just Do It

When asked what she would say to other agencies considering the cloud, Taylor Ray didn’t hesitate: “Just do it.”

For Edgar County, the switch to Pro Suite in the cloud was smooth, cost-effective and practical. As on-prem Pro Suite users, the day-to-day experience didn’t change for her dispatchers. The interface stayed the same. There was no steep learning curve, no complex overhaul.

“There’s no difference as far the application goes. It’s the exact same. It’ll save you money, IT problems…and if you have any issues, CentralSquare resolves it very fast.”

Taylor Ray, 911 Director at Edgar County

The reliability of the cloud matters, especially for smaller agencies without in-house IT. The cloud takes the pressure off. No hardware refreshes. No server maintenance. No waiting on outside tech support to troubleshoot issues.

CentralSquare’s cloud team walks agencies through every step, minimizing risk and downtime. The result is a more resilient and responsive operation – without the stress of managing infrastructure.

A Smart, Scalable Future

Edgar County’s migration proves what many smaller agencies are starting to realize: moving to the cloud doesn’t have to be complicated, disruptive or expensive. With the right partner, it can be a smooth transition to a more stable and scalable future.

Moving to CentralSquare Pro Suite in the cloud is especially easy if you’re already using Pro Suite on-premises. By migrating to the cloud, Edgar County gained automatic updates, faster troubleshooting and greater reliability – all without changing the day-to-day experience for their dispatchers.

Edgar County made the move. Your agency can too. Schedule a discovery call today to learn how CentralSquare Public Safety Pro Suite in the cloud can benefit your agency.