The Starke County Council members and Commissioners reviewed a proposed quote for an update in internet infrastructure Monday night.
IT Director Richard Franks presented quotes for Microsoft licenses for the server and infrastructure.
“To add the extra storage we need, we need a different appliance for the storage which is included in this quote,” explained Franks. “Also, we want to upgrade the switches for those servers and the additional host to host our virtual servers on it.”
Franks noted that data storage is the big issue as storage is almost full and the current unit is not expandable. The unit proposed for purchase would be expandable.
The quote from Dell for the upgrade would be about $68,000.
If the commissioners would approve a quote to move from Dell, a complete replacement would be $121,000.
Commissioner Kathy Norem stated that the commissioners recognize the importance of the upgrade, but they didn’t anticipate such a large price tag. She suggested that an independent consultant come in and offer an assessment. She also thought a 10-year technology plan should be devised so government officials can see what kind of expenses could be anticipated each year.
Council President Dave Pearman thought Lenovo and HP should submit quotes so the government leaders can see a cost comparison.
Councilman Freddie Baker made a motion to table the decision, hire an outside consultant and review two more quotes for the proposed upgrade. The council approved the motion with a unanimous vote with agreement from the commissioners.
