Bloomington Receives 2026 Best of Indiana Award for Technology Partnership with Indiana University

The City of Bloomington received the 2026 Best of Indiana Award for Best Application Serving an Organization's Business Needs – Local at the 2026 Indiana Digital Government Summit on October 6. The award recognizes a technology infrastructure partnership between the City and the Indiana University Data Center that improves the security, reliability, and continuity of systems supporting City operations. The City retains ownership and management of its servers, hardware, systems, and data, and remains responsible for access controls and cybersecurity, while IU provides the physical facility and supporting infrastructure. In August 2026, through the project, the City relocated its primary computing infrastructure to a secure City cabinet within Indiana University’s Data Center.

The project team included Rick Dietz, Mike Crump, Seth Tierney, Rob Cronk, and Stephen Hudson. Dietz, Crump, Tierney, and Hudson accepted the award on behalf of the City. Mark Spencer and Jamie Mobley represented Indiana University.

The Bloomington-IU Datacenter Colocation Project, led by the City’s Information & Technology Services (ITS) Department, consolidated several dispersed server clusters into a secure, centralized environment. The City’s primary storage and virtual computing systems now run inside the state-of-the-art IU Data Center, a fortified facility that also houses the university’s compute and storage infrastructure.

ITS Infrastructure

The ITS Operations and Infrastructure team supports and monitors hundreds of servers, including systems that operate around the clock for Bloomington Police, Fire, and Utilities. The move also allows equipment previously used as the City’s primary infrastructure to serve as disaster recovery sites.

The colocation arrangement provided dedicated rack space for City workloads and high-speed connectivity. It also strengthens physical security and improves availability for more than 300 applications supporting City government operations. These applications include systems residents use for online payments, permitting, mapping, and systems City employees use to process requests.

The City / IU Partnership

The partnership grew from conversations over several years between City ITS staff and Indiana University Information Technology Services (UITS) leaders about hosting City systems within existing IU facilities. The arrangement allows the City to own and directly manage its servers and hardware while using the IU Data Center’s physical infrastructure. Years of collaboration between City ITS, UITS leadership, and IU Data Center staff helped bring the project into production. The partnership modernizes City IT infrastructure and improves operational continuity, redundancy, and disaster recovery.

“Indiana University and the City of Bloomington are close partners, and this recognition only reinforces our strong collaboration,” said Mark Spencer, Assistant Vice President of Networks and Infrastructure, Indiana University. “This project is a great example of how IU’s technology infrastructure and expertise serve not only the university, but also our broader community. Our Data Center team and the City of Bloomington have been steadfast in their work to provide secure, reliable, and resilient technology services.”

The IU Data Center

The IU Data Center is a reinforced concrete facility built to withstand EF5 tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods. Its Tier III redundant emergency power system features two flywheels and three diesel generators. A high-density chilled-water system uses specialized chillers, water-to-water heat exchangers, and hot-aisle/cold-aisle airflow.

Constructing and maintaining a municipal facility with comparable capabilities would require a significant City investment. IU’s existing facility provides that infrastructure locally. The City already has fiber running into IU's network to support the on-campus fire station and other uses, along with longstanding relationships between City and IU technology staff.

“That combination of geographic proximity, existing network connections, and trust built over years made the colocation project at the IU Datacenter possible,” said Rick Dietz, City of Bloomington ITS Director. “This is a partnership that will serve the entire Bloomington community, including IU students, faculty, and staff residents of Bloomington for years to come.”