Details are as follows;
?The WAPs support the Council’s Wifi network across our office
and leisure centre estate.
?The existing hardware being replaced is end-of-life (between 5
and 9 years old) and starting to cause network issues and faults.
? For cybersecurity reasons this note deliberately omits to record
the manufacturer/ WAP type as to do so could be helpful to
cyber-aggressors attempting to attack the Council’s domain. The
supplier is Garnter top-quartile.
? The new equipment is compatible with existing cybersecurity
products and hardware and will enhance the Council’s
cybersecurity further.
?The new WAPS support Wifi 6 signalling protocol.
Additionally, the WAP replacement represents an ‘invest-to-save’ opportunity. The total replacement cost of the hardware plus 5 years licensing costs plus installation and configuration costs equate to what the Council currently pays for the aged, existing WAP licensing costs over a five year period (including anticipated 5 year license cost increases) .i.e. the new WAPs will pay for themselves and be cost neutral over approximately a five year period.
The total replacement cost inclusive of installation and 5 years licensing is £67,000.
There is no accompanying report.
The replacement WAPs will further enhance the Council’s cybersecurity.
The installation programme will need to be carefully managed/ coordinated around existing Council meetings and key events as there will be periods when areas/ offices of each building will be without a Wifi signal and we will be recommending that staff either work from home or relocate temporarily to other areas where the Wifi signal is not affected.
From an equality perspective all of the council’s IT supportive services are, and will continue to be offered in an accessible manner.
Th procurement route is through the GCloud13 framework and is in accordance with Council’s rules of procurement.
The procurement installation is being undertaken through the Council’s existing cyber security and network management and support contract(s) with Intergence Systems Ltd.

To purchase new Wireless Applications Points (WAPs) to replace aged and end-of-life existing network corporate infrastructure hardware at a total replacement cost of £67,000 inclusive of installation and 5 years licensing.

Option 1)Do nothing. From a ‘do nothing’ perspective the existing aged-WAPs are starting to cause network faults and failures currently causing minor operational problems and work-arounds. It is anticipated that these would steadily increase in frequency ultimately cause significant operational and service failures.
Option 2)Purchasing ‘lesser’ or ‘cheaper’ products was briefly considered before being discarded as it would have added unnecessary complexity and potential compatibility issues with existing and essential network hardware components. It would have also reduced our network monitoring/ visibility and therefore our cyber-defence capabilities.
Option 3) Decision To Purchase Gartner Top-Quartlie Products Compatible With Key existing Network Components;
Cyber-security attack is a significant risk to the Council and could result in major operational disruption and possible theft of data in turn causing major Council reputational loss. Doing nothing is not an option.
The WAP replacement will extend the Council's existing cybersecurity 'fabric' further strengthen the Councils cybersecurity visibility, monitoring and alerting capabilities.