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Two IT firms pitch managed services and cybersecurity to Bourbon County commissioners
Summary
Advantage Computers and Stronghold Data presented managed-IT, cybersecurity and backup strategies to Bourbon County commissioners, outlining services that include NIST-based assessments, CJIS compliance for law-enforcement systems, regular backups and options for hybrid on-site/remote support.
Representatives from two information-technology firms summarized their services and fielded commissioners' questions about managed services, cyber-security, backups and contracting.
Steve Prasco, representing Advantage Computers and the Jayhawk Software division, described a regional, bank-audited approach to IT service delivery. Prasco said the firm builds its own PCs and servers, provides monitoring tools that generate proactive alerts, offers nightly backups and custom "black box" backups that transfer only daily changes to an off-site vault. He said Advantage supports many district courts and counties in the region and recommended routine security testing and employee cyber-awareness training; he cautioned there is no 100% protection against attacks but that layered defenses and training reduce risk.
Jason Rinkner and Avion (chief technical officer) of Stronghold Data described a service model emphasizing assessments, NIST/800-171 alignment, CJIS compliance for law-enforcement systems, frequent automated backups (Stronghold stated a standard 4-hour backup cadence), vendor-management practices and incident-response capabilities. Stronghold offered quarterly business reviews with county department heads, 24/7 U.S.-based call-center support that triages issues and escalates to on-call engineers, and an underground SOC 2 Type II audited data center for disaster recovery. Stronghold said it can help with grant applications and policy development and emphasized collaboration with insurers and law enforcement for incident response.
Commissioners pressed on cost, on-site staffing levels versus contracted managed service, and on the ability to tailor services ("a la carte") to county needs. Both firms said they can provide flexible contracts, on-site visits as needed and support models ranging from periodic on-site service to full managed-service contracts. Both firms recommended a technology assessment as a first step. The county did not take any procurement action at the meeting.
Ending: Commissioners asked vendors to provide follow-up materials and pricing; the county requested detailed proposals and cost comparisons before any procurement decisions.
