CC MEETING: May 12, 2020
DATE: May 5, 2020
TO: Erin Rinehart, City Manager
FROM: Andy Horn, Director of Information Systems
Title
Consider Authorizing The City Manager To Approve A Contract For Security Appliance Purchase And Installation From Criticalstart Through The Texas DIR Cooperative Program In An Amount Not To Exceed $250,419.75.
Body
BACKGROUND:
The Information Systems Department maintains a “refresh cycle” of its hardware components to ensure that they are kept in good order, on par with modern standards, and within the support cycle of their respective manufacturers. An “appliance” is generally a piece of hardware which is self-contained and does not rely on other aspects of the City’s datacenter to function, relieving stress from the overall server structure and allowing easy maintenance.
Two of the City’s security-related appliances are due for refresh based on the refresh plan and their expected life span. Based upon professional input and evaluation from the Departments Information Security Officer, the Department has identified a new hardware vendor and new professional services vendor which are qualified and capable of providing the appliances and the respective labor to assist in its timely implementation. Criticalstart, a North Texas company, has assisted several other government entities in our area and has previously partnered with the City for an assessment of our infrastructure. Criticalstart is a member of the Texas Department of Information Resources cooperative purchasing program and the City is able to procure these items through that relationship.
The items within this scope of work are highly recommended within the industry as a part of the Gartner “magic quadrant” and a significant improvement over the City’s prior toolset with a relatively minor increase in price, resulting in a large return on investment. This toolset will include three years of subscriptions to updates and warranty to ensure we maintain a secure environment. These items would be budgeted for replacement on a three-year basis within the Department’s Refresh Fund, with an appropriate increase for inflation on the expected purchase dates.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
The funds for the services are budgeted in the IS Refresh Fund (#854105-106600199). Due to the criticality of the project, a five percent contingency has been built into the requested approval amount.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION/ACTION DESIRED:
Staff recommends approval of an expenditure for security appliances from Criticalstart (Texas DIR Contract #DIR-TSO-3898) for an amount not to exceed $250,419.75.