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Select Board approves evaluation to switch to a unified communications/IT provider; staff to finalize audit and contract details
Summary
Town staff presented a proposal to consolidate phone and Internet services under a single vendor (Fiduum) to address repeated outages that impacted public safety facilities; the board approved moving forward pending a detailed audit, town-counsel review, and clearer budget-line numbers.
Town managers and IT staff presented a proposal Dec. 9 to consolidate municipal phone and Internet services under a single vendor (Fiduum) after multiple outages interrupted police, fire, and administrative operations. Staff said the town has experienced multi-hour outages, including an instance lasting more than 14 hours that primarily affected public-safety functions.
The proposed change would centralize service with Fiduum and reduce the number of vendors supporting town systems from three to one while retaining a local IT provider (Mainstay) for firewall and support services. Staff estimated a one-time savings by avoiding an $8,000 server upgrade and an $8,000 firewall upgrade, and projected a total subscription cost of approximately $5,500 per year for all main facilities. The town expects some one-time savings in year one but an increase in recurring subscription fees.
Select Board members pressed for assurances on redundancy (including retaining copper lines for critical alarm and elevator circuits) and asked for an audit to identify legacy wiring or services the town continues to pay for. Staff said they will bring back a detailed billing breakdown by building and an implementation plan showing what lines and systems would be ported to the new provider.
The board made and seconded a motion to proceed with the Fiduum contract implementation pending audit results and town-counsel review of contract terms; the motion carried by voice vote.
A staff follow-up will provide a line-by-line budget comparison during the next budget session and identify any onetime savings realized by removing redundant services.
