Storage Area Network (SAN) Device and Ongoing Support

Proposals should demonstrate the submitter’s ability to fully meet the following Scope of Services:
1. Technical Specifications: a. Storage Capacity: Minimum of 70TB on disk of usable capacity. b. Storage Scalability: Must be scalable to accommodate future storage growth without needing a complete overhaul. The new SAN device should allow for the addition of extra storage modules, ensuring long-term flexibility and cost-efficiency. c. Connectivity: o Must support Fiber Channel, iSCSI, or equivalent high-speed protocols to ensure seamless data transfer. o Minimum of (8) 10 Gbps Ethernet ports, with redundancy to support high availability and minimize risk of downtime. o Must include dual-controller architecture to enable automatic failover in case of a controller failure, ensuring uninterrupted operation. d. Performance: o SAN will be a general use solution, that we have reported average IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) of 240 for general use. Virtual servers will include but not be limited to file & print, SQL, and application servers. e. Data Management: o Must include support for thin provisioning to optimize storage allocation and reduce wastage of storage capacity. o Must include built-in data deduplication and compression features to maximize storage efficiency and reduce the total cost of ownership. o Must have snapshot, cloning, and replication capabilities to protect data and ensure quick recovery from failures or disasters. f. Data Integrity & Security: o Encryption of data at rest and in transit (using AES-256 encryption or equivalent) to ensure data protection and compliance with relevant security standards. o Role-based access control (RBAC) to restrict access based on user roles and maintain data security. o Secure authentication methods, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), to further safeguard the system.
2. Virtualization Support: The SAN device must integrate seamlessly with the City’s virtualized server environment and include, at a minimum, the following virtualization support features: a. Integration with VMware and Hyper-V. b. Support for virtual machine (VM) storage provisioning to allow for dynamic allocation of storage to individual VMs, as needed.
3. High Availability & Redundancy: The SAN device must be designed with redundancy and fault tolerance features, including at a minimum: a. Fully redundant power supplies and hot-swappable components to allow replacement without system downtime. b. RAID support (RAID 5, 6, 10, or equivalent) to provide protection against drive failures and ensure fault tolerance. c. Automated failover and load balancing across multiple paths to prevent system failure in case of a network or hardware issue.
4. Maintenance & Support: a. Must include a support contract with a minimum term of 36 months. The City will prioritize support contracts that include an option to extend support services for up to 60 months. b. Service-Level Agreements (SLAs): o 24/7 technical support, with a guaranteed response time of 4 hours or less on critical issues. o Next-business-day on-site support for hardware failures. o Ongoing firmware and software updates to include bug fixes, security patches, and performance enhancements.
5. Professional Services: With deployment, the following professional services will be required: a. Installation and configuration of the SAN device to ensure full integration with the City’s existing infrastructure. b. Data migration services to facilitate transition of data from the current storage system to the new SAN, designed to minimize interruptions c. Post-installation testing to validate the performance, redundancy, and high availability of the SAN device.
6. Documentation & Training: The submitter must provide detailed documentation and training to City IT staff for ongoing management and troubleshooting of the SAN: a. Full technical documentation including setup guides, user manuals, and troubleshooting guides. b. Offer training sessions for IT personnel on managing the SAN device, best practices for data storage, and handling system maintenance tasks.