Title
a. Authorize the Director of Information Technology, or his designee, to execute an Agreement with CDW-Government LLC (CDW-G), a Carbon Black re-seller, incorporating the terms of CDW-G’s existing NASPO Master Agreement with the State of California for purchase of Carbon Black support services, a cybersecurity threat detection and response platform, in the amount of $88,111.80 for the term of July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020;
b. Authorize the Director of Information Technology, or his designee, to execute order forms and such documents as are necessary to implement the agreement with CDW-G for the County’s purchase of Carbon Black support; and
c. Accept non-standard contract provisions as recommended by the Director of Information Technology.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Authorize the Director of Information Technology, or his designee, to execute an Agreement with CDW-Government LLC (CDW-G), a Carbon Black re-seller, incorporating the terms of CDW-G’s existing NASPO Master Agreement with the State of California for purchase of Carbon Black support services, a cybersecurity threat detection and response platform, in the amount of $88,111.80 for the term of July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020;
b. Authorize the Director of Information Technology, or his designee, to execute order forms and such documents as are necessary to implement the agreement with CDW-G for the County’s purchase of Carbon Black support; and
c. Accept non-standard contract provisions as recommended by the Director of Information Technology.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
On June 28, 2016, the Board approved an agreement with Sable Computers, Inc. dba KIS, for the purchase of licenses, support and maintenance for Carbon Black, a cybersecurity threat detection and response platform, for a three-year term expiring June 30, 2019. The Information Security Team has found a great benefit to the County in using Carbon Black services and wishes to extend them for another year. Carbon Black tools enable the Information Security Team to monitor and resist attempts to disable or compromise the County’s network and electronic business platforms.
For renewal, ITD recommends utilizing an agreement entered into by CDW-Government LLC (CDW-G) with the State of California to obtain discount pricing for continued use of Carbon Black services. CDW-G is an authorized re-seller of Carbon Black products.
Through competitive procurement, the National Association of State Procurement Officers (NASPO) selected specified companies to provide technology goods and services on favorable terms and prices to the State of Arizona through the NASPO Master Agreement. The NASPO Master Agreement has been supplemented and amended twice to clarify its provisions and extend its term. CDW-G was selected as a qualified technology vendor signatory to the NASPO Master Agreement.
The State of California, by Participating Addendum, has adopted the terms of the NASPO Master Agreement for the purchase of specified technology. Both the NASPO Master Agreement and the California Participating Addendum provide that local entities such as the County may, in turn, purchase technology goods and services utilizing the terms of the NASPO Master Agreement. CDW-G has agreed to sell specified Carbon Black products to the County on these favorable terms, which include a 2.2% discount on price.
A significant portion of the Information Technology Security Team’s work is responding to information security incidents. This includes the containment and eradication of malware and ransomware. Because a large amount of today’s malware bypasses traditional anti-virus solutions, Information Technology Security Staff utilize Carbon Black for visibility into the County’s workstations.
Carbon Black is an “endpoint” (workstations, computers, laptops, and other mobile devices) cybersecurity threat detection and response platform that provides Security Operations Centers and Incident Response Teams with access to continuous endpoint recording, customized detection, live response, instantaneous isolation, remediation, and threat banning. Carbon Black makes threats easier to see and stop quickly by empowering security and incident response teams to arm their endpoints more effectively.
Carbon Black is the number one endpoint detection and response solution according to a recent SANS survey of security incident response professionals. The SANS Institute is the primary resource for the County of Monterey’s Information Technology Security Team for resources and training.
The NASPO Master Agreement, which will govern the County’s purchase of Carbon Black tools through CDW-G, contains terms which are non-standard to the County but which are common in the information technology industry. The Director of Information Technology recommends Board approval in order to continue the significant protections that Carbon Black affords to County systems.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel has reviewed the NASPO Master Agreement and does not approve the following non-standard terms: non-standard cure of breach terms; force majeure provisions; non-standard insurance and indemnification terms; and non-standard warranty and acceptance terms.
FINANCING:
The funds for this service in the amount of $88,111.80 have been included in the FY19-20 Recommended Budget for the Information Technology Department, ITD 1930, Budget Unit 8437, Appropriations Unit INF002.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
The Board’s approval of the recommended agreement will help maintain the security, and therefore the availability, of the County’s information resources and will therefore help all County departments meet all of the Board of Supervisor’s strategic initiatives.
X Economic Development
X Administration
X Health & Human Services
X Infrastructure
X Public Safety
Prepared by: Lynnette Beardsall, Management Analyst II, 759-6938
Approved by:
_______________________________________ Date:________
Eric A. Chatham, Director of Information Technology, 759-6920
Attachments: CDW-Government LLC Software Value-Added Reseller Master NASPO Agreement; Supplement No. 1 to the Software Value-Added Reseller Master NASPO Agreement; CDW- Government LLC NASPO Master Agreement Amendment No. 2; CDW-Government LLC NASPO Master Agreement Amendment No. 3; CDW-Government LLC NASPO Pricing Form; CDW-Government LLC State of California Participating Addendum; CDW-Government LLC re-seller authorization letter from Carbon Black; CDW-Government LLC Quote for the County’s purchase
Attachments on file with Clerk of the Board