DATE: August 6, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Information Technologies Department
TITLE: PURCHASE ORDER TO RENEW AND UPGRADE THE VARONIS DATA SECURITY PLATFORM
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council approve a Purchase Order to CDWG, in the amount of $550,033, to renew and upgrade the Varonis Data Security Platform; and authorize the Finance Director or their designee to execute the purchase order.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
On April 19, 2023, the City Council approved a Purchase Order for three years for the Varonis Data Security Platform. This product allows the Information Technologies team to reduce risk by scanning network files to identify those that contain Personal Identifying Information (PII), and then determine if only users that are authorized to access this data are able to. The product also looks for abnormalities in internal users attempting to access data, as well as external attempts to infiltrate users accounts through password attacks.
As we enter the third year of using the platform, there is an opportunity for an upgrade that will allow staff to further secure the City’s data by moving to the cloud version of the product. This upgrade will automatically apply security patches as they are made available by the vendor as well as leverage higher-level user behavior analytics (UBA) and built-in threat models to detect and respond to insider threats and other malicious activity.
The annual charge for the original purchase was $117,634 per year. The upgraded product is $183,345 per year for the three-year term. Staff anticipated this upgrade and included a funding request in the FY25/26 budget to cover the larger annual payment.
Varonis Data Advantage is provided through the City’s distribution partner CDWG. CDWG is an authorized reseller and provides products and technology services under a cooperative purchasing contract through Sourcewell (RFP #121923, 121923-CDWG). The agreement price was quoted from the terms in that agreement.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total cost of the three-year purchase order is $550,033. This will be charged in three equal annual payments to the I.T. Network Infrastructure Account 155162841.5355.0009. This account has an available balance of $212,000 for this current fiscal year payment; therefore, sufficient funds are available. Future years will be budgeted through the normal annual budget approval process.
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
Does not apply.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
The referenced documents have been reviewed by the City Attorney and approved as to form.
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Prepared by: Chris Freeman, Information Technologies Procurement Analyst
Reviewed by: Rob O’Brien, Deputy City Manager
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Staff Report
2. Quote
3. CDWG Sourcewell Contract