To: Board of Supervisors
From: Marc Shorr, Information Technology Director
Report Title: Purchase Order with General Datatech L.P.
☒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 General Datatech, L.P. (GDT) for redundancy power supply for the County’s firewall, subject to the terms of GDT’s Terms, in an amount not to exceed $2,500.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The cost for this contract is within the Department of Information Technology’s IT Project Supplement Funding for Network Equipment Upgrades FY 25/26 (100% General Fund).
BACKGROUND:
The Department of Information Technology (DoIT) is responsible for managing the County’s firewall infrastructure and ensuring the security, availability, and resilience of network services for all users. As part of this effort, DoIT utilizes Palo Alto Networks’ advance security and SD-WAN platforms to protect critical County systems and data.
To enhance the reliability of this infrastructure, DoIT intends to procure redundant power supply units compatible with the County’s existing Palo Alto devices. These redundant power supplies are essential to mitigate operational risk, ensure business continuity, and support disaster recovery efforts in the event of hardware failure.
The parts will be purchased through GDT, an authorized third-party reseller of Palo Alto components, ensuring full compatibility. This proactive measure aligns with industry best practices, and it is critical to maintaining the County’s secure and uninterrupted operations.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Without redundant power supplies, a single hardware failure could potentially lead to service interruptions and increased recovery time, impacting network availability and overall system reliability.