Technology Solutions recommends purchase of a one (1) year contract with two (2) one-year automatic renewals for the Palo Alto firewall licenses from Solid Border, Inc. in the estimated annual amount of $148,618 for year one (1), $180,058 for year two (2), and $201,653 for year three (3) for a total estimated amount of $530,329.
This system provides network security, monitoring, and controls for incoming and outgoing data traffic based on predetermined security rules. Renewing these licenses will allow Technology Solutions to protect the trusted internal traffic and control untrusted external internet traffic while keeping the City of Plano compliant with regulatory requirements and protecting against a range of potential security threats including malware, hackers, viruses, and other types of attacks.
For the past three years, the City of Plano has purchased multiple firewalls and Palo Alto services to protect city data and control internet traffic. This projected purchase will consolidate licenses for nine Palo Alto systems and reduce operational costs.
This purchase, if approved, will provide a digital barrier between trusted internal networks and untrusted external networks to prevent unauthorized access to or from private networks while controlling authorized data flow.
TS recommends that this purchase is considered a high priority. If the City of Plano does not approve this purchase, it can have serious consequences for the city network security, including unauthorized access to city resources, malware infections, data flood attacks, data theft, and others. Not having firewall licenses will significantly increase the risk of security breaches and cyberattacks.
The City is authorized to purchase from the State Contract list pursuant to Chapter 271 Subchapter D of the Texas Local Government Code and by doing so satisfies any State Law requiring local governments to seek competitive bids for items. (DIR Contract No. DIR-CPO-4850 / City of Plano Internal Contract No. 2023-0399-OR)