Title
An Ordinance approving a statement of work with Analysts International Corporation (AIC) for the upgrade of server operating systems and Lawson ERP software in the amount of $108,240.00, and authorizing the City Manager to execute the same by and on behalf of the City. (F&BC 2/6/23)
Body
Issue/Request:
Staff is seeking approval of an agreement with Analysts International Corporation (AIC) to provide services to upgrade servers operating systems and the City’s Lawson ERP software.
Key Issues:
-The Lawson Enterprise Resource Planning software (ERP) is critical to the function of our organization, and is currently running on server software that Microsoft will no longer support after October of 2023. The version of database software currently in use is also nearing end of life.
-The system spans across 12 separate servers, all of which will need to be upgraded to the newest compatible version of the Microsoft server operating system. The database software SQLServer, will also be upgraded.
-The Lawson software itself is due to be patched. This will also be completed by AIC during this project.
-AIC was awarded a competitively bid (RFP #2022-041 Lawson Support Services) contract to provide support services for our Lawson software environment.
-Upgrading the servers by city staff is not practical, given current workload, and the complexity of the Server/Database/Software integrations would require more time for City staff to manage than it would a dedicated consulting resource.
Proposed Committee Motion:
I move to recommend to City Council an Ordinance approving a statement of work with Analysts International Corporation (AIC) for the upgrade of server operating systems and Lawson ERP software in the amount of $108,240, and authorizing the City Manager to execute the same by and on behalf of the City.
Background:
The Lawson ERP system has been in place since 2012, and since that point has been upgraded and patched many times. At certain points the city has opted to engage a consultant to complete all or portions of the work, due to either the time sensitivity or complexity of the effort. In this case both circumstances are of concern.
There is a date certain that Microsoft will no longer provide performance and security upgrades and patches to its software. For the 12-server software used to run the Lawson environment, that date in October 10, 2023. Followed shortly after by Microsoft SQLServer on July 9, 2024. There are also patches available for the Lawson system itself which need to be applied.
The availability of staff resources would preclude a timely migration of the scale and complexity of this environment. Having outside staff familiar with our environment improves the efficiency of the project because of the complexity of the integrated environment setup across the servers that need to be upgraded.
Impact/Analysis:
Not upgrading the servers would at some point leave them vulnerable to cyber-attack, due to new vulnerabilities not being patched; and the potential of incompatibility with other software, not certified to work with older versions of the Microsoft Server operating system.
Timeline:
Start: Estimate: March 2023
Finish: Estimate: August 2023
Other Information/Unique Characteristics:
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Presenter
Stephen L. Marsh
Recommendation
Recommendation: Staff Recommends approval of an Ordinance approving a statement of work with Analysts International Corporation (AIC) for the upgrade of server operating systems and Lawson ERP software in the amount of $108,240, and authorizing the City Manager to execute the same by and on behalf of the City.
Committee Recommendation
Committee Recommendation: [Enter Committee Recommendation text Here]