Decision

Procurement of firewall hardware and associated licensing, as well as virtual firewall licensing to continue to provide a firewall-protected network from the Millmead House office and the Council's Azure environment.

Reasons for the decision

The Council's current main firewalls reach the end of the vendor's support period in July 2026. This means certain features will cease working, and security updates will no longer be available for these firewalls, which protect the Council's network from Internet threats.

Alternative options considered

The vendor will no longer offer security updates or advanced features, replacement hardware and licensing options were therefore considered.
Three quotes were sought from market resellers. One supplier did not respond to the quotation request. The remaining resellers had previously been awarded security licensing based on best-pricing, and both provided similar pricing on this occasion, suggesting a fair market price was being achieved. The lowest priced option from the remaining resellers was therefore chosen.