Cass County approves three‑year Palo Alto firewall subscription, adds budget adjustment

The Cass County Commission voted to approve a three‑year renewal of subscriptions for its Palo Alto firewall devices and to adopt a budget adjustment to cover the cost.

County staff described the Palo Alto devices as the county's primary network gateway that controls inbound and outbound traffic, supports law‑enforcement connectivity and powers the county's VPN for remote workers. "The Palo Alto Firewall is a critical nature device for our cybersecurity on our network," the presenter said. Staff said the equipment came through a 2023 state cybersecurity grant that covered the first three years of licensing and that the county is now buying a three‑year subscription to lock in a lower rate and align with the hardware's expected 6½–7 year life cycle.

Why it matters: county information‑technology staff said the devices provide threat intelligence feeds and automated protections county systems no longer consistently receive from federal sources, and the devices help maintain near‑continuous uptime for critical services. Asked how many malicious attempts the county sees, staff replied: "We see anywhere from hundreds a day up to a couple thousands a day depending on the day of the week..." The presenter added that the three‑year term yields a monthly cost savings compared with rolling one‑year renewals and that a budget adjustment was included with the motion.

Discussion and vote: commissioners asked whether payment is monthly or upfront and whether a budget amendment was needed; meeting staff said payment for the proposed contract is made up front and confirmed the proposed budget adjustment. A commissioner moved to approve the renewal and the included budget adjustment; after a second and a recorded roll call, the chair announced the motion carried.

Next steps: the county will finalize the subscription term and continue to monitor options and vendors at the end of the hardware life cycle, per staff.