THE FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DEPARTMENT/ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY SERVICES DIVISION RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTION.
This item supports the Board's Value of "Consistently delivering responsive, efficient, quality services to the public and internal customers" and its Goal to "Build into every process and service effective checks and balances that do not cause inefficiency, but rather ensure consistency, continuity, and quality".
The Office of Economic and Small Business Development (OESBD) established no goals for this Agreement.
On June 6, 2017 (Item No. 33), the Board approved the System and Services Agreement between Broward County and Mission Critical Systems, Inc., for Check Point Software Technologies LTD firewall equipment, software licenses, related consulting, and support and maintenance services, for a period of three years with two one-year renewal options, in the maximum not-to-exceed amount of $2,300,000, including $300,000 allocated for optional services, and authorized the Director of Purchasing to renew the Agreement for the optional renewals. The initial three-year term began on June 6, 2017.
The proposed First Amendment increases the not-to-exceed amount for the remainder of the Agreement, inclusive of renewal options. The First Amendment retains the heavily discounted price structure and Mission Critical Systems, Inc. works directly with the manufacture for additional discounts available through volume purchases, promotions, or special offerings. The proposed estimated increase consists of an additional $2,475,000 in the initial term and $500,000 for each optional renewal term for new equipment purchased via a purchase order, software, and support and maintenance services, and an additional $200,000 for Optional Services requiring a Work Authorization.
Mission Critical Systems, Inc. is a local Broward County based company and has been a “Premier” reseller of Check Point firewall equipment, support and subscription plans, training, and consultation for security items related to firewall services and holds sensitive security information on the County’s perimeter network security. Sensitive Security Information, personal data, and health information traverses the County network and requires high levels of data security. Check Point firewalls are exclusive throughout all Internet connections into the County’s enterprise network. This Amendment is necessary for continuation of these services for various County agencies including the Main and Regional Courthouses, the Aviation Department, the Water and Wastewater Services, the Emergency Operations Center, the Transit Division, the Facilities Management Division and the Traffic Engineering Division.
The Enterprise Technology Services Division, in conjunction with other County agencies, continue to expand the security posture of the County’s Information Technology network by utilizing firewalls to micro-segment the County’s computer network, which is necessary to aid the prevention of malicious activities such as ransomware and malware. The Firewall segmentation is part of necessary controls to contain an outbreak of illicit software designed to spread and infect data. These checks and balances help to prevent computer network security breaches where protected data may be exposed or stolen, impacting County business and critical operations. The accelerated effort is cause for increasing the threshold of expenditures allowed under this contract for continuation of security product deployment into the County’s network utilizing best practices.
This First Amendment was negotiated in a Sunshine meeting held on April 1, 2019. The meeting was attended by representatives from Mission Critical Systems, Inc., the County Attorney’s Office and the Enterprise Technology Services Division. |