R2012-67 AUTHORIZING AGREEMENT ALEXANDER OPEN SYSTEMS (AOS)

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MANAGEMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT Management Information Services Division MEMORANDUM NO. 2012-05 April 2, 2012 MEMO TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Ryan P. McCrady, City Manager Gerard J. Bauer, Assistant City Manager for Administration Randy Aldrich, Manager, MIS Division SUBJECT: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Implementation SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that City Council approve the attached resolution, authorizing the City Manager to execute a purchase agreement with AOS for professional services, software, and hardware to implement a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. BACKGROUND: Last fall, MIS issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to implement a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). Goals of the project were as follows: 1) Extend desktop replacement life cycle from 5 to 8-or-more years 2) Improve personal computer management efficiency 3) Increase user support efficiency 4) Facilitate Microsoft Windows 7 migration and future upgrades 5) Improve price efficiency The solution sought was comprehensive and cost-effective based on all of the requirements encompassed within the RFP, having a well-defined architecture to meet the long-term needs of the City. Three organizations (AOS, Sentinel, and Presidio) responded to the RFP by the December 16, 2011, deadline, and 3 others declined. Individual meetings with all three vendors were conducted to review their proposals. All proposed VMware View software, with different models of CISCO servers and EMC storage area network (SAN) hardware and software, as the platform to run the virtual desktop environment. The proposed CISCO servers and EMC SANs have different technical innovations and capabilities depending on model. The AOS proposal not only addressed the immediate need to implement VDI but also incorporated newer infrastructure technology that would have a longer life cycle and greater capacity than the other proposals. This technology consists of blade servers, 10 gigabit fiber channel, and data storage auto-tiering, which requires less power, less management time, and less physical space than older technology for this project. The improved management efficiency gained on the virtual desktop will also be gained on the virtual server and its network administration in the next replacement cycle, in addition to an estimated $25,000 - $30,000 hardware savings.