Title
a. Approve and authorize the Acting Director of Information Technology to accept a donation of network equipment and associated hardware support valued at $21,424.44 from Arista Networks Inc., to evaluate and plan for network upgrades; and
b. Authorize the Information Technology Department to use the equipment for testing and research in the Information Technology Department’s laboratory.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve and authorize the Acting Director of Information Technology to accept a donation of network equipment and associated hardware support valued at $21,424.44 from Arista Networks Inc., to evaluate and plan for network upgrades; and
b. Authorize the Information Technology Department to use the equipment for testing and research in the Information Technology Department’s laboratory.
SUMMARY:
Arista Networks Inc. sells network switching devices for migration of storage and large data archives to the cloud. Arista Network Inc.’s “seed program” is part of its marketing campaign, through which it provides free equipment with the purpose of competing with Cisco Inc. devices. Arista wishes to donate a “starter kit,” consisting of 4 network switches, to the County for testing purposes. Pursuant to the Government Code, the Board of Supervisors is empowered to accept this gift to serve a public purpose, here, feature testing and research.
DISCUSSION:
If the Board authorizes acceptance of the donated Arista Networks Inc. equipment, the Infrastructure Division of the County Information Technology Department has an opportunity to test network equipment at no cost to the County. The Information Technology Department is currently in the process of implementing a network refresh project, involving major procurements and upgrades to the County network to improve security and functionality. Using the Arista switching equipment will enhance that effort, as it enables the County to evaluate and plan for network upgrades.
Conducting an in-house analysis of the equipment is a cost-effective way for the County to identify the benefits and drawbacks of this network switching technology and to evaluate the utility of specific features offered by the equipment for the conduct of County business. The testing and evaluation will be conducted in the Information Technology Department’s laboratory, which is unconnected to the County network.
Arista is not currently a County vendor and the donation is made without obligation to purchase any Arista Network products or equipment at any time. Because the County network is standardized on Cisco network switching devices, Arista Networks Inc. will not be a selected vendor in the upcoming network refresh project. Thus, no perception of obligation or favoritism to Arista Networks, Inc. is created by acceptance of the donation.
Government Code section 25355 provides that the Board of Supervisors may accept any gift made in favor of the County. Government Code section 25356 provides authority for the Board of Supervisors to prescribe the purpose and use of the donation from Arista Networks, Inc. Accordingly, it is recommended that the Board accept the donated Arista equipment and authorize its use for Information Technology Department research and feature testing purposes.
The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) requires, by regulation, that local officials that accept gifts for local agency purposes document the transaction and post information about the transaction on the County website if the fair market value is worth more than $2,500. Additionally, Government Code section 25355 requires the authorized County officer, here the Interim Director of the Information Technology Department, to file a report with the Board of Supervisors documenting the source and value of any gift valued in excess of $10,000. Upon approval of acceptance of the Arista Networks Inc. donation, the Information Technology Department will comply with the FPPC regulation and will file the appropriate report with the Board.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Auditor-Controller has reviewed this Board Report for fiscal provisions, and County Counsel has reviewed this Board Report and approves the recommendation that the donation from Arista Networks Inc. be accepted.
FINANCING:
Approval of the recommendation action will have no impact on the County General Fund.
Prepared by: Sandra Shaffer, Management Analyst III, 759-6957
Approved by:
Eric Chatham, Interim Director of Information Technology, 759-6920
Attachments: Arista Budgetary Quote re: Donated Equipment and Hardware Support