The City of Schertz Information Technologies Dept. has the responsibility of providing a robust, reliable, secure and scalable platform for the City's mission-critical information assets. As part of the overall disaster recovery and business continuity plan the IT dept in 2019 purchased and installed an enterprise-level virtual server capable of consolidating multiple physical servers as well as laying the foundation for systems replication later on. For this FY Council approved a line item in the IT budget to purchase a second identical virtual server that would create a target for replication and business continuity. The vendor chosen for this purchase is Great South Inc, DBA Computer Solutions. Under Texas DIR buy board contract DIR-TSO-4167 they provided the original system and have submitted a proposal under the same Texas DIR buy board contract for the second system in the amount of $88.624.84. 

By adding additional infrastructure such as geographically separated virtual data management systems the City continues to move closer to having a robust and reliable disaster-recovery and business continuity foundation. In the event of a disaster or catastrophic systems' failure mission-critical information systems, this technology purchase will allow the City's mission-critical information assets to be replicated and retrievable from different locations.

Continuous access to City resources by staff and others ensures that the City can meet citizens' expectations for services and support - especially in times of emergencies. By having a robust disaster recovery and business continuity foundation in place, staff can respond more quickly to emergencies and focus on supporting the community using systems and information assets that otherwise would not be readily available.

Recommend approval to purchase computer equipment in the amount of $88,624.84 from Great South Inc, DBA Computer Solutions

This purchase is a budgeted expense as approved by Council in the FY 20/21 IT budget. 

Staff recommends Council approve Resolution No. 20-R-121 authorizing the purchase of computer equipment from Great South, Inc., DBA Computer Solutions in the amount of 88,624.84.