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Buffalo County approves Two Trees managed IT services and moves forward with state-backed secure email plan
Summary
Commissioners voted to enroll county networks in a Two Trees managed-services program at $596 per month (with a possible $95 monthly firewall add-on) and authorized staff to sign documents to participate in Secure SD’s Microsoft 365 government email migration that the state is funding through April 2028.
Buffalo County commissioners approved a managed IT and cybersecurity support agreement with Two Trees and took steps to participate in the state-backed Secure SD government email migration.
Representative Greg Richtor introduced Two Trees’ presentation; a Two Trees representative described a managed-services package that includes endpoint detection and response (EDR), security information/event management (SIEM) functionality, patch management and prioritized on-site response. The presenter said the basic county package proposed would cover one firewall, one wireless access point, a network switch and nine computers for a monthly fee of $596, with a potential additional $95 per month if an off-site highway firewall is added to the managed plan.
County commissioners asked how the service handles compromises and backups; the presenter said an off-site team monitors alerts 24/7, can isolate compromised machines, and provides on-site remediation when necessary. The presenter recommended daily off-site backups for critical servers and described migration and device licensing details for county staff.
Commissioners also discussed Secure SD’s state-supported Microsoft 365 government tenant. Two Trees staff explained the state will provide G3 licenses for full-time county employees and G1 email licenses for commissioners, plus an optional Defender threat-protection add-on; licensing and setup costs are being funded by Secure SD through April 2028, after which the county will need to budget for ongoing costs if the state funding stops. The presenter said M365 Government accounts would use a buffalo.sdcount.gov domain and that Two Trees would assist with migration, on-site follow-up and user training.
Anita moved to accept Two Trees’ managed-services quote at the monthly rate presented; commissioners approved the motion by voice vote. County staff were authorized to sign the quote and finalize paperwork; commissioners were told that if the highway firewall is added later it would increase the monthly cost by roughly $95. Two Trees staff and county staff agreed to finalize user lists and licensing counts before migration.
The vote authorizes contracting for the described managed-services support and to proceed with Secure SD migration paperwork; specific billing and user details will be finalized during implementation.
