HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 11h - IT Strategic Plan
DATE: December 3, 2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Henry Chen, Interim Administrative Services Director
By: Wilson Luo, Information Technology Manager
SUBJECT: PURCHASE ORDER WITH SDI PRESENCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
OF A FIVE-YEAR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STRATEGIC PLAN IN
AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $60,000
CEQA: Not a Project
Recommendation: Approve
SUMMARY
An Information Technology (“IT”) Strategic Plan is designed as a long-term vision and
roadmap for the City’s technology initiatives, ensuring alignment with the City’s overall
goals. Critical areas such as network infrastructure and management, cybersecurity, data
storage, and telecommunications will be covered in the plan. The Strategic Plan will be
based on industry best practices related to system configuration, network security, and
overall IT operations. The preparation of this plan will be overseen by SDI Presence
(“SDI”), Arcadia’s current IT service provider, who is uniquely qualified to assist the City
in this effort.
It is recommended that the City Council approve a Purchase Order with SDI Presence for
the development of a five-year Information Technology Strategic Plan in an amount not
to exceed $60,000.
DISCUSSION
Managing the ever-evolving digital landscape in technology and ensuring that the City
remains adaptable and successful with its available IT resources, requires the
development of a long-term plan to address IT issues and concerns. The development of
an IT Strategic Plan is recommended as an industry best practice to outline a pathway
for IT spending, enabling the procurement of effective IT solutions to address the City’s
needs. The following areas will be addressed in the City’s strategic plan.
• Department Applications and Systems – The needs of each department will be
reviewed with a focus on improving service capacity, enhancing integration with
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December 3, 2024
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other City systems, increasing transparency for residents, and achieving cost
efficiencies.
• IT Infrastructure – Overall system infrastructure capacity, security setup, and future
growth needs will be reviewed as part of this initiative. A holistic plan will be
provided to address this growth and offer a roadmap for efficient investment to
meet those needs. The security infrastructure will also be reviewed by SDI to
improve disaster recovery capacity, including data backup and system
redundancies.
• IT Operations – The current processes and procedures used by IT staff to maintain
network and application operations will be reviewed to identify technological
solutions that could enhance service while reducing costs.
• Telecommunication – The City’s business telephone system, mobile operations,
remote work system, and inter-connectivity with other government agencies will be
covered in this initiative.
The City’s current IT service provider, SDI, has been engaged to develop this IT Strategic
Plan. Having served as the City’s IT provider for the last 6 years, they have gained an
intimate knowledge of current systems and operations, making them well positioned to
assist with the development of this plan.
SDI has a strong background in IT consulting as an IT solutions provider for many other
local municipalities. They bring a well-balanced group of individuals with extensive IT
experience with local government agencies. SDI has the resources and knowledge to
complete this project, having conducted over 90 IT strategic plans within California. Their
team of dedicated project managers are in the Los Angeles area and will be conducting
much of the project on-site, tailoring the project timeline to the City’s needs and working
with staff availability. Interviews and workshops will be conducted by SDI, face-to-face, to
ensure a thorough understanding of concerns and priorities.
The five-year IT Strategic Plan will serve as a guiding document that not only aligns future
IT initiatives with business objectives but also provides a structured approach to project
management and risk mitigation. The plan will ensure the City’s future IT projects are
planned thoughtfully, increasing the probability of success and ensuring a unified overall
approach to IT operations.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The proposed action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental
Quality Act (“CEQA”), under Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines, as it can be
seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the environment.
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December 3, 2024
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FISCAL IMPACT
Carryover funds of $30,000 budgeted in the previous Fiscal Year, along with an approved
appropriation of $30,000 in the current Fiscal Year’s Capital Improvement Program, will
cover the anticipated $60,000 cost for the IT strategic plan. No additional appropriation is
required.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council determine this action is not a project under the
California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”); and approve a Purchase Order with SDI
Presence for the development of a five-year Information Technology Strategic Plan in an
amount not to exceed $60,000.