Board told district won FCC cyber pilot funding; IT recommends firewall subscription and penetration testing

An IT staff member told the Coffee County Board of Education that the district was one of 25 schools in the state accepted into an FCC cyber‑security pilot that will provide $300,000 over three years. The district presented two related purchases for board consideration: an enterprise firewall protection subscription and a multi‑year penetration‑testing contract.

The presenter said the enterprise firewall will be provided under an agreement tied to Palo Alto technology through the district's vendor relationships; the district’s share was described as approximately $1,700 per year under the preferred option, with an alternate price of $2,200 per year. On penetration testing, the IT presenter recommended Bracken Security as the lowest‑priced bidder that met requirements and proposed a plan that would deliver six penetration tests across the three‑year pilot at an estimated $1,450 per year.

The presenter contrasted those prices with market costs for single tests, saying a single government quote ran about $23,000 and that some penetration‑testing packages can exceed $50,000 annually. The IT staff characterized the recommended contracts as a way to provide premium firewall protection and recurring vulnerability testing as part of the FCC pilot.

Board member Preston said he recommended board approval and that the items would be placed on the consent agenda. No formal vote on the procurement award was recorded in the work session; the board will consider the consent agenda at a subsequent meeting.