LOCKNEY — The Lockney City Council on Tuesday voted to accept a proposal from Amarillo-based Yellow City IT for managed information technology services during its regular meeting.
The agreement formalizes the city’s ongoing relationship with Yellow City IT, who currently provides IT and computer services to the city — plus, it initiates a data migration to the cloud from a physical server at City Hall.
Yellow City IT representative Jesus Anaya, who was at the meeting to present the proposal, noted that the city’s current server is aging and will need replacement soon. Anaya suggested that, instead of replacing the physical server, the city move its data to the Microsoft Cloud. This would cut down on the amount of upkeep and maintenance required compared to installing a new physical server, Anaya said.
According to Anaya, the only con over a local server is that data access relies on a stable internet connection. As part of the proposal, Yellow City IT would resell AW Broadband fiber internet service to the city and the city could add a backup connection if needed.
The cost to the city for IT, Cloud infrastructure, backup and fiber internet will be $1,529. The city will pay an up-front fee of $10,647.09 for setup and three years’ worth of cloud computing service. Anaya said that this figure is comparable to the cost of purchasing, installing and maintaining a new local server. All total, either option would cost around $20,000 over the course of three years, Anaya said.
The contract has a three-year term, but City Attorney Lanny Voss was quick to point out that either party could terminate the agreement prematurely with advance notice.
The council voted unanimously to accept the proposal as written and transition to cloud computing.
