County IT reports switch failure, recent firewall updates and proposes third-party penetration test
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Summary
Fulton County IT staff told commissioners a hardware bug caused a multi-switch outage last week, said firewalls and server software were recently updated, and recommended a third-party penetration test using Xerox IT solutions to assess network security.
FULTON COUNTY — County IT staff reported to commissioners on June 2 that a known hardware bug caused a stack of six switches to fail last week, temporarily disrupting services at the courthouse, and described steps taken to restore systems and harden the network.
"We had a stack of 6 switches go down on us all at once," the IT presenter said during department updates, adding that the problem was a known HP hardware bug affecting pre-COVID units and that replacement units are on order. IT staff said services were restored and that they deployed updated firewall hardware and upgraded server software in recent weeks.
Why it matters: The outage affected courthouse systems that rely on the network. County staff said the recent firewall replacements and software updates reduce the county's exposure to the same type of failure.
Penetration test proposal: IT staff recommended hiring an external vendor to perform a penetration test to identify network weaknesses and priorities for remediation. The vendor proposed was Xerox IT Solutions (formerly IT Savvy). The IT presenter described the test: the vendor would send a device to be plugged into the network and a tester would attempt to exploit weaknesses in passwords, Wi-Fi security and other areas, then provide a report with findings and recommendations.
County coordination: IT staff said they would await a parallel quote from Rochester Police Department and would bring the vendor quote back to the commissioners at the next meeting for formal approval. The IT staffer said the assessment would be conducted in coordination with other agencies that share county systems.
Other technical notes: staff reported they migrated to the latest NetMotion servers and updated server operating systems; they also described an ongoing MondoPad livestream/copyright issue affecting a meeting-room device and said additional cameras had been added to improve transitions.
What was not decided: Commissioners did not authorize expenditure or select a vendor at the June 2 meeting; staff will return with costs and scheduling for a formal decision.
Provenance: Excerpts from the meeting record where IT reported the outage and proposed the test are cited below.