City staff outline server storage and Office update plan amid stability concerns

City information-technology staff told the Kalispell City Council that they are planning a redesign of how virtual servers store data and are managing recurring Microsoft Office and Teams update problems.

IT staff said the city intends to consolidate underlying storage so virtual servers will not carry their own attached drives. "This can be underlying data storage for all of our virtual servers," a staff member said, describing a move from multiple physical drives to a single network-attached storage device accessible by servers. The staff member said the work is a "complete overhaul of a lot of design" but that the project is not yet finished.

Problems with frequent Office and Teams updates also came up during the discussion. One IT staff member advised a conservative approach to updates: "Anytime there's a problem with Teams or any office applications, our first objection is go through the version and most likely that it's stable." Staff said some users continue to experience crashes after updates and that the department is working through version and configuration issues.

Separately, staff reported they renewed software warranty/licenses on at least one system to avoid a costly repurchase and are evaluating whether additional systems need warranty coverage. No schedule for completion of the server redesign was provided.

Council members asked logistical questions about how the storage change would affect departments and whether any purchases require a purchase order; staff said some equipment will be retired and licenses or warranties will be renewed where appropriate.

The discussion was informational; no formal action was taken and no ordinance, contract award, or budget amendment was proposed during the exchange.