Title
Sheriff's Office recommending the Board:
1) Make findings in accordance with Procurement Policy C-17, Section 3.4 (4), that the agreement with Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is exempt from Competitive Bidding due to a competitively bid agreement being utilized;
2) Authorize the use of Utah NASPO ValuePoint Master Agreement AR3229 and State of California Participating Addendum number 7-20-70-47-06 with Palo Alto Networks, inc. for the competitively bid services; and
3) Approve and authorize the Purchasing Agent to issue a Purchase Order to ePlus Technology Inc. in the amount of $150,999.56 for the consolidated renewal of the Palo Alto Networks' multiple firewall device subscriptions and annual support and maintenance for the terms January 7th, 2025, through January 7th, 2026.
FUNDING: General Fund.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
In computing, a firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. A firewall typically establishes a barrier between physical and logical network segments.
The Sheriff's Office currently employs existing firewalls between its internal network infrastructure and the Internet. These devices are instrumental in suppressing much of the malicious attacks that are perpetuated against the system on a continuous basis. The DNS Security, Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, and Wildfire subscription services give us various ways to identify and block threats coming from the Internet and from within our private network. Without these services we would be blind to intruders and be vulnerable to ransomware and other destructive attacks. Additional firewalls help provide network redundancy, resiliency, and business continuity objectives. The support renewal on the firewalls allows us to call for help with problems and replace defective equipment if needed and provides protection against modern threats.
Board approval is being sought due to the total amount of these various renewals being $150,999.56 which is beyond the Purchasing Agent's approval threshold. The Sheriff’s Office is using NASPO AR3229, a competitively bid contract, to purchase the Palo Alto Networks' multiple firewall device subscriptions and annual support and maintenance through ePlus Technology, which is an approved vendor on the contracts partner list.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could choose to not approve this item, however, the subscriptions and support provided ensure security and protection from threats to data and systems within the Sheriff’s Office.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
01/23/2024 Legistar file 23-2243
10/25/2022 Legistar file 22-1712
12/08/2021 Legistar file 21-1975
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
No impact to Net County Cost as funding is available within the Sheriff’s Office budget.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
N/A
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
N/A
CONTACT
Undersheriff Bryan Golmitz