DATE: January 23, 2024
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Robert W. Bash, Director of Internal Services/Chief Information Officer
SUBJECT: Agreement with SHI International, Corp. for CrowdStrike Cybersecurity Software Products and Services
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with SHI International, Corp. for CrowdStrike cybersecurity software products and services, effective upon execution, not to exceed five consecutive years, total not to exceed $2,121,000.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action, which will allow the Internal Services Department - Information Technology Division (ISD - IT) to utilize CrowdStrike cybersecurity software through SHI International, Corp (SHI). This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board choose not to approve the recommended action, the County will be without efficient cybersecurity protection software.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action for ISD - IT Org 8905. The maximum compensation for the recommended five-year agreement is $2,121,000. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the ISD - IT Org 8905 FY 2023-24 Adopted Budget and will be included in subsequent annual budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
ISD - IT has used CrowdStrike software since 2018 to protect County data and mitigate cybersecurity threats, including phishing, malware, and ransomware attacks. CrowdStrike is a leader in cloud-delivered next-generation endpoint protection.
On September 27, 2023, the ISD - Purchasing Division, on behalf of ISD - IT, issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ) No. 24-017 for the purposes of establishing an agreement for CrowdStrike cybersecurity software services.
Two vendors, SHI and ThinkCP Technologies, responded to the RFQ by the October 10, 2023 closing date. The responses were reviewed, and SHI was determined to be the lowest responsive bidder who best met the needs of the County as requested in the RFQ.
The recommended agreement deviates from County standard as it includes mutual indemnification. SHI seeks mutual indemnification because they are a reseller of the products and not the publisher or manufacturer of the products being procured. County Human Resources - Risk Management advises against mutual indemnification, however ISD - IT believes the risks associated with the above non-standard language are an acceptable business risk.
Approval of the recommended action will approve the recommended agreement with SHI for CrowdStrike cybersecurity software products and services, effective upon execution, not to exceed five consecutive years, and total compensation not to exceed $2,121,000.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Agreement with SHI International, Corp.
CAO ANALYST:
Ahla Yang