Loudoun County has again been named one of the most technologically advanced county governments in the United States. Loudoun is ranked in the top ten of its population category in a national survey conducted by the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties. Loudoun has scored in the top tier of the survey every year since 2004.

The 2012 Digital Counties Survey recognizes leading examples of counties using information and communications technology. “This year, counties are focused on saving money where they can by simplifying their information technology infrastructure and sharing systems with other governments,” Center for Digital Government Executive Director Todd Sander said. “Many of them have found ways to provide better information security, transparency and citizen engagement with innovative uses of social media” and other technologies.

Loudoun County continues to expand its online services through its website, www.loudoun.gov , which provides easy access to Loudoun County’s social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube..

The website also provides access to the Alert Loudoun system, at www.loudoun.gov/alert , which allows residents to receive e-mails or text messages over their cellular phones or pagers. Subscribers can receive alerts in various categories, including weather watches and warnings and emergency notifications.

Loudoun County has instituted a variety of computing changes during the past year designed to gain efficiencies, including collaborating with the Loudoun County Public Schools in a new Enterprise Resource Planning system that has already saved millions of dollars in software, hardware and implementation costs. The county has made other technological changes in the past year that also embrace cloud-based computing, consolidation, virtualization, or co-location.

More information about the survey and the Center for Digital Government is available online at www.centerdigitalgov.com .

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Media Contact: Anna Nissinen, Public Affairs and Communications Officer, 703-777-0113; anna.nissinen@loudoun.gov