To: Board of Supervisors
From: Marc Shorr, Information Technology Director
Report Title: Purchase Order with ePlus Technology, Inc. for security subscriptions and Premium Support Services to co-term the County’s Palo Alto Firewall Network
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Purchasing Agent, or designee, to execute on behalf of the Chief Information Officer, a purchase order with ePlus Technology, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $815,000, subject to the terms of the NASPO Agreement and Participating Addendum with Palo Alto Networks, Inc., for security subscriptions and Premium Support Services through August 31, 2028.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The cost of this product is included in the department’s FY 26-27 budget (100% User Departments).
BACKGROUND:
The Department of Information Technology (DoIT) manages the County’s internet traffic and is responsible for securing the network infrastructure for all users. To ensure the continued protection and reliability of this infrastructure, DoIT is renewing firewall security subscriptions and premium support services for the County’s Palo Alto Networks firewalls through the NASPO cooperative purchasing agreement. The Board of Supervisors approved the County’s participation in this agreement on May 13, 2025.
Palo Alto Networks provides the enterprise firewall platform that protects the County’s network infrastructure from evolving cybersecurity threats. This three-year co-term renewal consolidates multiple firewall models, security subscriptions, premium support services, and software updates under a common expiration date, simplifying license administration, renewals, and support management while improving operational efficiency and long-term budget planning. The subscriptions provide advanced threat prevention, malware analysis, URL filtering, remote access security, centralized firewall management, and vendor technical support, ensuring the continued protection and reliability of the County’s information systems. The total amount of the three-year co-term agreement is $810,911.68.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the Palo Alto firewall subscriptions are not co-termed, subscription renewals will continue to occur on varying schedules, increasing administrative effort to manage multiple renewal dates and procurements. In addition, subscription costs will not be normalized over the next three years, reducing budget predictability and increasing the potential for uneven annual expenditures