To: Board of Supervisors
From: Marc Shorr, Information Technology Director
Report Title: Purchase Order with ePlus for Solarwinds
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Purchasing Agent, on behalf of the Chief Information Officer, to execute a purchase order with ePlus Technology, Inc., a third-party reseller for SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC, for the purchase of SolarWinds Network Management software and licenses used by the Wide Area Networks Teams to improve troubleshooting, issues resolution and overall network maintenance in an amount not to exceed $95,000 for the period of March 15, 2026, through March 14, 2029.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The cost of this product is included in the department’s FY 25-26 budget (100% user departments).
BACKGROUND:
The Department of Information Technology (DoIT) intends to purchase software services from SolarWinds to enhance the Wide Area Network (WAN) team’s network monitoring and IP address management capabilities. DoIT plans to implement the unlimited license tiers SLX and IPX for SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor and SolarWinds IP Address Manager. The SLX license will allow the WAN team to monitor an unlimited number of network elements, including devices and interfaces, providing improved visibility into network performance across critical infrastructure.
The IPX license will enable administrators to manage an unlimited number of IP addresses, improving the ability to track both in-use and available IPs in real time and helping prevent issues such as address conflicts or pool exhaustion. The platform also provides automated alerts and a centralized web-based dashboard, allowing the WAN team to efficiently monitor network activity, manage IP resources, and respond quickly to potential issues. By implementing these SolarWinds solutions, DoIT will strengthen its ability to maintain a reliable and well-organized network infrastructure.
The End User License Agreement from SolarWinds includes a limitation of liability, capping SolarWinds’ liability at the amount of license fees paid by the County in the twelve (12) months preceding the first event that triggers the liability.
This procurement was competitively bid. DoIT received quotes from three (3) vendors, and ePlus Technology was selected as the awarded vendor for lowest bid.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the SolarWinds licenses are not obtained, DoIT’s WAN team will have reduced visibility into network activity and IP address usage. Without tools such as SolarWinds IP Address Manager and SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor, it may be more difficult to track and manage IP addresses in real time, which could lead to address conflicts, less efficient resource allocation, and slower identification of network issues.