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IT vendor recommends migration to Microsoft cloud; mail-machine vendors present upgrade options
Summary
Fair Networks told commissioners the county's on-premises Exchange server will soon be unsupported and recommended migration to Microsoft 365; mail-machine vendors presented leasing and maintenance proposals and the board asked for two weeks to decide.
County IT contractors briefed commissioners on the courthouse network and e-mail infrastructure during Tuesday’s meeting and recommended migration from the county’s on-premises Microsoft Exchange environment to Microsoft 365 as the current server approaches end of support.
An IT representative said Microsoft has delayed a new Exchange release and that the county’s in-house Exchange servers are approaching unsupported status, which will effectively force a migration. The consultant told the board some older Office licenses in the county are registered to e-mail accounts the county no longer controls, and those machines will need updated licensing as they are replaced. The vendor said security and litigation-hold features available through Microsoft 365 would remain available and that the vendor will assist with migration planning and budgeting; staff said they hope to include the project in next year’s budget cycle.
No formal action was taken. Commissioners asked for a budget timeline and additional details; staff and the vendor said they would return with cost estimates and a migration plan.
On a separate agenda item, two vendors presented proposals to replace or lease new mail-processing equipment used by county offices. Vernon Stevens of 7 Business Machines described a second-generation unit with updated software and carrier-billing integration that the vendor said would save the county on some larger or oddly sized postal items. Stevens said his firm would match the county’s existing pricing for commissioners’ accounts and highlighted an expected lifecycle of eight to nine years for the new equipment and an on-site service turnaround generally under four hours for reported malfunctions.
County staff said the courthouse sends the majority of mail and that some departments use different campus machines; the board asked for two weeks to review proposals and confirm whether to proceed under existing state procurement cooperatives. Commissioners did not vote on the mail-machine procurement at the meeting.
