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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 IT Strategic Plan December 3, 2024 Page 2 of 3 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. IT Strategic Plan December 3, 2024 Page 3 of 3 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.