Two years after an information technology scandal created upheaval at Sarasota City Hall, officials say there is still work to be done to get the department completely on track. "We've made some progress, but this is not an overnight thing," said Sarasota City Auditor and Clerk Pam Nadalini. 

She said the city remains in the process of updating frameworks, something being done with professional guidance from outside experts. Most importantly, Nadalini said, she is working to make sure all members of the IT staff have a comprehensive understanding of the network diagram adopted by the department.

The IT department was central in a shakeup of City Hall that happened after the City Commission in 2011 was moved out of the auspices of the City Manager's Office and under the control of the City Auditor and Clerk's Office. Subsequent investigation of complaints showed security issues with the city servers and a failure to properly update software. Amid the investigation, a number of city officials, most prominently City Manager Robert Bartolotta, were forced out of their jobs, though no criminal wrongdoing was ever found.

Earlier this year, an audit of the IT department showed there remained significant concerns with security. Right now the department is without a director, though Nadalini said more than 300 people have applied for that job. No internal applicants applied.

Nadalini told City Commissioners in a meeting Tuesday that the department has seen significant improvement. "This is something that frankly will be a continuous effort as it relates to staff to improve as we move forward," she said. She did stress that critical patches to software are now being applied on a regular basis.