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County IT warns of expiring firewalls and rising costs; commissioners consider purchase timing and phased replacement
Summary
The county’s IT lead told commissioners that firewall hardware and licensing are nearing end of life and estimated replacement costs of about $31,000 per site for five critical sites; commissioners discussed phased replacement, license pricing uncertainty and limited remaining IT reserve funds.
The county’s IT representative briefed commissioners on a technology capital need that will affect next year’s budget: aging firewall hardware and licensing for multiple county sites are scheduled to reach end of life in March, and replacement will require a multi‑site effort.
IT staff said five sites need new firewall hardware with licensing; the estimate given in the hearing was about $31,000 per site, inclusive of a multi‑year licensing estimate. Staff said hardware typically lasts seven to ten years and that licensing is usually purchased in five‑year bundles; they advised that vendor pricing can vary and that final numbers can only be requested within 30 days of ordering.
Commissioners discussed options to spread replacements over multiple years and to prioritize the courthouse and emergency operations center (EOC) because those sites host the county’s replicated critical data. IT staff suggested beginning with courthouse and sheriff’s department and phasing other sites over time; ordering multiple units at once can also yield vendor discounts.
Other items discussed included about 8–10 remaining Windows 10 machines that may require either replacement or Microsoft’s paid extended support (about $60 per machine per year) and an upcoming license renewal on key systems. Commissioners and IT staff also talked about an overall IT upgrades reserve that had been reduced during the budget process — staff recommended planning to replenish or stagger replacements.
No procurement decisions were made at the hearing; IT will provide quotes and a proposed multi‑year replacement plan for commissioners to consider as part of the final budget process.
