Agenda - 12-05-2005-9c - Laserfiche WebLink

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: December 5, 2005 Action Agenda Item No. ~ -L SUBJECT: Capital Purchase for Server Replacement DEPARTMENT: Information Technologies/ Purchasing PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): SAN Quote Detail 12/01/05 IT Committee Chair Memo INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Jones, 245-1709 Pam Jones, 245-2652 PURPOSE: To consider authorizing the purchase of a computer server dedicated to storing and managing countywide data from 4Front Technologies, via pricing from the purchase contract awarded by the State of North Carolina. BACKGROUND: The County s reliance on technology has increased appreciably over the past few years. This increased reliance has been a key element in allowing the County to provide new and improved setvices to the public without a proportional increase in staff, Much of the County's information assets are created, maintained and archived in digital format. The County's needs far highly reliable data storage and retention have become critical. The recommended equipment purchase that is the subject of this agenda item will: Provide better retention of the County's digital information • Produce increased availability of services to public and employees • Consolidate data management needs with full (backup) redundancy, improving successful backup operations from current 89% to upwards of 99% • Replace unreliable servers, same more than 8 years old, that put vital County data and service availability at risk • Boost "up time" network performance so that outages are fewer and shorter • Facilitate transition to a newer, more stable e-mail system -the County's #1 business application • Permit redirection of IT departmental focus from server system (hardware) problems to business solution (software) projects • Be funded through the 2005-06 allocation already approved by the BOCC and already appropriated through the IT Capital Project Qrdinance Centralized Storage The County has 6 file servers spread throughout the County. The distribution of these servers was historically necessitated by the lack of high-speed network connectivity. However, as the County has upgraded major portions of the Countyy's network, a more centralized consolidation of data management is possible and preferable. A Storage Area Network allows the County to manage all its data in an aggregated storage environment, with full data redundancy and the ability to cheaply and incrementally add more storage without disrupting service to citizens.