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a. Approve and authorize the Contracts/Purchasing Officer to execute an Agreement with PhoneFactor, Inc. in the amount of $18,495 for the period of May 15, 2013 through June 30, 2014 for the provision of enterprise software subscription, maintenance/support for the PhoneFactor application which provides secure pins for remote network access by authorized County employees;
b. Accept non-standard contract provisions as recommended by the Director of Information Technology; and
c. Authorize the Contracts/Purchasing Officer to sign renewals to the software subscription and maintenance/support for up to three additional one year term with the same non-standard contract provisions and where the renewal cost does not exceed in excess of 10% of the yearly cost.
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RECOMMENDATIONS:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
- Approve and authorize the Contracts/Purchasing Officer execute an Agreement with PhoneFactor, Inc. in the amount of $18,495 for the period of May 15, 2013 through June 30, 2014 for the provision of enterprise software subscription, maintenance/support for the PhoneFactor application which provides secure pins for remote network access by authorized County employees;
- Accept non-standard contract provisions as recommended by the Director of Information Technology; and
- Authorize the Contracts/Purchasing Officer to sign renewals to the software subscription and maintenance/support for up to three additional one year term with the same non-standard contract provisions and where the renewal cost does not exceed in excess of 10% of the yearly cost.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The Information Technology Department manages the tools needed for remote access to the County network by County employees while factoring in the critical concept of network security across all platforms of network access. The current method of accessing the County network remotely is with a token which generates a unique one-time passcode for the employee to authenticate their access. This is called two-factor authentication. It has been the standard of ITD to monitor the security risks on the County network and identify the most secure methods of accessing the network remotely without impeding the business needs of the departments. The continued efforts to reduce or eliminate IT related security risk in our business practices is imperative.
The features and functionality provided by the PhoneFactor software will provide flexibility and efficiency for the County users needing remote access to the network. With the proposed application, staff will no longer need tokens which will reduce the device management time, reduce the cost for the tokens, and reduce the staff time needed to address the access issues which may arise from token use. Network authentication with the PhoneFactor software will be a two factor authentication system which utilizes the options such as phone calls, text messaging, and mobile application push to a smartphone or tablet. The approval of this software application subscription, maintenance, and support will assist the County in maintaining remote access security. The vendor is offering a complimentary period of software maintenance and support for the initial software subscription, maintenance and support. The fee is $18,495 for a twelve month term, however to allow for the County of Monterey to run parallel remote access applications for the test and implementation, the vendor is offering to begin the software license subscription, maintenance and support on May 15, 2013 at no additional cost. The annual charges will be billed to the County beginning July 1, 2013.
PhoneFactor, Inc. a Microsoft company is including an Exhibit which amends the county standard liability and indemnification language which is not approved by County Counsel. As with all software subscription, maintenance and support charges, the fee is paid once a year up front with no reimbursement with the exception of cancellation with good cause which will justify a prorated reimbursement amount as specified in Exhibit C attached to this board report. The approval of this Agreement as recommended by the Director of Information Technology will ensure the implementation of increased security for remote network access for County employees.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Agreement was not approved by County Counsel and/or Risk Management due to the presence of the following non-standard and unacceptable terms/conditions in the Agreement: limited or no refund for non-performance of services, and out of state vendor without California registration.
FINANCING:
The funds for payment of this Agreement have been included in the FY 2013-14 Recommended Budget for the Information Technology Department, ITD 1930, Unit 8137, Appropriations Unit INF002. Transactions relating to future fiscal years will be included in each respective Recommended Budget. Should funding be reduced and/or terminated, the County may terminate this Agreement by giving thirty (30) days written notice prior to the ensuing software subscription period.
Prepared by: Sarah House, Management Analyst III, 755-5108
Approved by:
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Dianah Neff, Director of Information Technology
Dated: June 12, 2013
Attachments: Agreement, Exhibits