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Barry County approves new IT analyst position and NetVault backup system after debate over storage costs
Summary
After debate about rising data volumes and subscription licensing, the Barry County Board approved a junior security analyst position and the purchase of two Dell servers plus a NetVault/Quest backup contract to expand local backup and recovery capacity.
Barry County commissioners approved a new junior security analyst position and authorized purchase of two Dell PowerEdge R760 servers and a Quest/NetVault backup contract after staff warned existing equipment is reaching capacity and recurring software licensing is now the norm.
County staff said the county’s current backup solution — installed in 2021 — is near the end of its useful life and that data demands have grown substantially as body‑worn camera and video evidence retention have increased. During the discussion staff cited current storage needs “about 90 terabytes” and said the proposed two‑server configuration would provide on‑site redundancy (one copy at the county site, one at central dispatch) to support active file recovery.
The board approved a job description to create a junior security analyst position graded at 12 on the BCCEA pay scale; the motion (moved by Bassett and supported by Getty) passed on a roll call vote. Commissioners asked about qualifications; staff said the county prefers candidates with a bachelor’s degree and three to five years’ experience and noted certain security certifications would be desirable but not mandatory.
On the hardware and software request, staff presented two linked purchases: the servers (quoted at approximately $26,200 for the two units) and the NetVault backup software from Quest (quote $22,519). Staff said the combined package runs roughly $5,200 over the amount originally budgeted but that other budget savings this year could offset the overage. Staff described the expected first‑year cost for implementation and licensing at roughly $48,000 with an ongoing annual license of about $22,050 thereafter.
Officials discussed on‑premises versus cloud storage. Staff said cloud solutions would meet some needs but raised compliance and cost concerns, noting certain criminal justice information must meet CJIS requirements and that cloud retention estimates examined by staff ranged to roughly $8,000 per month (about $96,000 per year) in some vendor models. The board favored a mixed, on‑premises approach to balance cost and local control.
A citizen who spoke during public comment praised staff’s analogy for maintaining aging systems and noted the sheriff’s office’s body and in‑car cameras would go live at the end of the month, underscoring the need for dependable retention and retrieval.
The board voted to purchase the two Dell PowerEdge R760 servers for Barry County Information Systems and approved the agreement between Quest Software Inc. and Barry County for the NetVault backup and recovery solution, authorizing the county administrator to sign. The motions passed by roll call.
