For City Council Meeting [August 13, 2019]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Rod Foster, City Administrator
FROM: Jessica Brown, Finance Director
Title
Request City Council to Approve Purchase Orders with Dell EMC in the total amount of $295,591.29 plus tax for the Purchase of five (5) Replacement Servers, (4) PowerSwitch S3100 network switches, associated equipment and software, and five (5) year service warranty.
(ACTION)
Body
BACKGROUND:
As a result of continuous connectivity and stability concerns with the City’s Exchange Server and Outlook databases, the City’s Information Technology Services Division (ITSD) retained an Information Technology (IT) Consultant in July 2019 to assist ITSD in resolving these issues and stabilizing the system. Additionally, as part of the City Administrator’s efforts to provide comprehensive assessments of City Departments, the IT Consultant is in the process of conducting an assessment of the City’s IT infrastructure which may include networks, servers, personal desktop/laptop computers, equipment inside/outside cable plant, and other communications infrastructure.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Over the last several weeks, the IT Consultant has worked with ITSD staff to accomplish multiple tasks and improvements within the City’s IT environment including:
• Stabilizing and restoring email services within the City;
• Oversight of the Office 365 implementation project;
• Replacement and upgrade of the City’s email spam filter, backup and archiving system;
• Replacement and upgrade of network switches allowing for increased access;
• Increasing City internet bandwidth;
• Restoration and reconfiguration of VPN access for users also enabling faster access;
During this preliminary stage of the assessment, the IT Consultant identified some critical areas requiring immediate attention including the replacement of 14 servers. The City uses over 150 different software applications or modules throughout all departments and these applications are all housed on the City servers. Currently, the City’s IT infrastructure includes many older servers, switches and other computer equipment that may cause hardware failure, data corruption, and/or loss of data. Per industry best practices, servers should be replaced every four to five years and the City’s servers identified for replacement are 8 years old and have exceeded their useful life.
The City’s current server environment consists of Dell hardware and the IT Consultant is recommending the replacement of the 14 identified servers with new Dell servers, Storage Area Network (SAN), and virtualization software licenses. Also included is a five-year warranty. Dell infrastructure hardware does not limit the City to solely Dell products. The use of Dell hardware is also consistent with both the City Police and Fire Departments. All quotes and pricing of required equipment and upgrades were received from Dell under the National Association of State Procurement Officials “NASPO” Value Point Cooperative Program (formerly WSCA-NASPO) contract #B27160.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
The request is not a Project as defined by Section 15378 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. Pursuant to Section 15378 (b)(5) a project does not include organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
This action is consistent with Guiding Principle 3A in the General Plan:
Our City government will lead by example, and will operate in an open, transparent, and responsive manner that meets the needs of the citizens and is a good place to do business.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed and approved this staff report.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Operating Budget Impact
There is no impact to the operating budget with the approval of this item.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
The cost associated with the approval of this item is $295,591.29 plus tax and budget appropriation is available in the 2019-20 IT Budget 780-500-2152-3030.
Licensing
Prior to execution of the Professional Service Agreement/Purchase Order/Construction Contract, the vendor shall submit a business license application and pay a Business License tax at the rate of __________, as well as Administration and State fees.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve Purchase Orders with Dell EMC in the total amount of $295,591.29 plus tax for the Purchase of five (5) Replacement Servers, (4) PowerSwitch S3100 network switches, associated equipment and software, and five (5) year service warranty.