COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Jeffrey M. Marecic, Chief Information Officer
DATE: January 21, 2025
SUBJECT: Adoption of a Resolution Entering into an Agreement with the ReDesign Group for the Implementation of a Cloud-based Computer Backup System
Description:
The City Council will consider adopting a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into an agreement with the ReDesign Group to implement a cloud -based computer backup system.
Environmental Notice:
The activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the California Environmental Quality Act State Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to State Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3) no environmental review is required.
RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt a Resolution authorizing the City Manager or designee to enter into an agreement with the ReDesign Group to implement a cloud -based computer backup system and provide three years of system maintenance, licensing, and support.
BACKGROUND:
The City operates numerous critical computer applications and systems essential to the functioning of all City Departments. These include office applications such as email, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams, as well as department-specific applications for Public Safety, Finance, Public Works, Library, City Attorney, Recreation and Parks, City Manager, Utilities, and Community Development. These systems store and process current and historical transactional data within databases housed in City datacenters that are located at the Police Department and City Hall. This data is maintained in two locations within the data centers: an active transactional database and a backup copy stored on separate computer hardware. The backup copy facilitates quick recovery of information that has been accidentally deleted or otherwise corrupted.
While this backup strategy is highly effective for typical recovery scenarios, it does not safeguard the City’s data against local disasters such as fires, floods, or earthquakes that could destroy or incapacitate the data center equipment. Additionally, housing both the transactional data and its backup in the same physical location exposes the City to the 2 risk of cyber-attacks, which could potentially compromise both the primary database and the backup.
The proposed solution is to create backup data at a second location situated offsite. This solution will ensure that, regardless of any disaster event, the City will have a copy of its critical data with which it can recover its transactional systems in a timely manner.
DISCUSSION:
The proposed project follows best practices in the computer information security industry.
This strategy labelled the “3 -2-1” strategy states that organizations should maintain 3 copies of their data (1 primary and 2 copies), on 2 different storage media, with 1 copy stored offsite away from the primary storage location. Our current approach already fulfills the first two principles of this strategy, and this project aims to enhance our informati on security posture by implementing the third principle. The City’s Information Technology division follows a continuous improvement methodology, especially when it comes to information security. In response to the increasing prevalence and sophistication of cyber- attacks, the division has systematically reinforced its security defenses over the past several years. This project represents the next step in improving system security.
By adopting this enhanced backup strategy, the City will achieve several key benefits:
Increased Data Resiliency : Safeguarding our data against local disasters ensures uninterrupted operations and quick recovery.
Enhanced Cybersecurity: Reducing the risk of simultaneous compromise of both primary and backup data mitigates the potential impact of cyber-attacks. Compliance and Best Practices: Aligning with industry standards demonstrates the City's commitment to data protection and serves as a benchmark for continuous improvement, which is a key element in our annual application for cyber insurance.
The proprietary nature of our backup solution precludes seamless integration with other vendor solutions. Attempting such integration would introduce unnecessary complexity by necessitating disparate hardware and software, potentially leading to synchronization errors between backup datasets. Re Design was responsible for the design and installation of our current hyperconverged infrastructure, which represents an investment exceeding one million dollars. Re Design also provides ongoing support, annual maintenance, and licensing for the existing system. Introducing another vendor or dissimilar hardware and software for a relatively minor addition would be disruptive and result in the nee d to manage multiple support vendors and technologies. As such, this project complies with the standardization requirements in the City’s procurement guidelines.
The procurement mechanism for this project adheres to the Cooperative Purchasing Program out lined in City Council Resolution No. 2004 -31, which authorizes the establishment of a cooperative purchasing program for procuring supplies, services, and 3 equipment. The products have been pre -negotiated under the NASPO ValuePoint Cooperative Purchasing Pr ogram contract number 23026, utilizing the California Participating Addendum number 7-23-70-55-01.
This project not only reinforces our current security measures but also positions the City as a proactive leader in information security management.
Fiscal Considerations
The cost for the project including system implementation and 3 years of licensing, support, and maintenance is $199,278. These funds have already been appropriated in the final phase of the capital project to implement Microsoft Office 365.
Impact to the Community
The community benefits from this project by ensuring that all City data and information are securely stored and recoverable in the event of a local disaster or cyber -attack that may render the City’s computer systems inoperable.
ATTACHMENTS
A - Resolution