Content

Procurement of an email spam threat protection
service to continue to protect the Council from email spam and
email-based cyber-attacks.

Reasons for the decision

The Council's existing email spam and threat
protection service licensing expires in September 2025 and will
soon be discontinued by the vendor. Continued protection has been
recommended by the ICT department to mitigate the impact of email
spam and the risk of email based cyber-attacks on the
Council.
The Council published a Decision on 3rd July 2025 to implement a
replacement solution. There is insufficient time to complete
contractual arrangements and a safe migration to the new platform
prior to the expiry of the existing solution.
As the vendor will continue to operate the solution over the coming
six months, a six-month extension will provide protection whilst
the new solution is purchased and implemented.

Alternative options considered

No alternative options were identified. The
Council is in the process of contracting with a provider for the
new solution. This Decision enables the existing configured service
to continue whilst the new solution is implemented. Any alternative
option would still require a period of implementation.