Newton City staff seek $550,000 to replace aging storage network as IT budget advances

City IT staff told the Programs & Services Committee on May 14 that the city's main storage-area network (SAN), installed about six years ago, is no longer supported by the manufacturer and should be replaced.

Greg, a member of the IT team, said the vendor declared the platform end of life and third-party support would cost roughly $70,000 a year but would not include security updates. "Once we lose support of the manufacturer...you're in a bind," he said, explaining that without vendor updates the system is exposed to security and compatibility risks.

Deputy IT director Rachel Sherman described the department's near-term priorities, including upgrades that improved redundancy for critical services, a phased transition of some applications to cloud-based platforms, and a new website and intranet project to improve accessibility and docket tracking. "The IT department's focus this year is to deliver technology that is secure, accessible, reliable, and efficient across the city," Sherman said.

Council members pressed staff on procurement timing and alternatives. Staff said the $550,000 figure is an estimate provided by the consultant who originally designed the system and that the department will issue an RFP; procurement for hardware is expected to take three to four months. The department also described warranty and lifecycle expectations for a replacement (a 3-year warranty with a probable 5'to'6-year useful life) and noted that cloud licensing for some financial systems would be substantially more expensive than on-prem deployments.

The IT operating and capital requests, taken together, were put to a straw vote and advanced by the committee (recorded 6-0). Next steps: staff will pursue procurement (RFP), refine costs as bids return, and bring a formal appropriation to a future council meeting for final action.