Flash Array Network Storage and Support Services

The vendor is required to provide flash array network storage and support services, to support the continued modernization of the city’s network storage infrastructure through scalable, resilient, and future ready hardware and related services.
- Network storage arrays by implementing an upgraded and comprehensive flash-based storage array that will provide a shared, centralized storage environment offering flexible storage capacity and performance, robust fault tolerance, and intuitive administration.
- Mandatory general specifications:
•    The solution, including all mandatory technical specifications, shall be available out-of-the-box. while configuration may be necessary along with limited development for integrations, customized development for core functionalities shall not be required as the proposed solution already exists in a fully working form. 
•    The solution shall be 100% flash-based and support non-disruptive upgrades to hardware and software components. 
•    The solution shall support backward compatibility between storage media and controller generations, allowing for a mix of different generations and densities of storage media within the same array, enabling capacity expansion and consolidation without re-purchasing or migrating existing data. 
•    The solution shall be accessible through all common end-user devices (including but not limited to; computers, tablets, and smartphones), while utilizing all commonly available browser interfaces. 
•    The solution shall be provided with a minimum three (3) year warranty, 24 x 7 with four (4) hour response with manufacturer or supplier representative responsible for on-site part replacement and all related costs. 
•    All hardware and software components of the solution shall be a currently supported product by the manufacturer, and not scheduled for end-of-sale or end-of-support for at least six (6) years. 
•    The solution shall comply with the most current government, including but not limited to security and cloud standards.
•    The solution must have the ability to support seamless, non-disruptive scaling to enable in-place upgrades of hardware, firmware, and software components, including controllers and storage media, without requiring data migration or service downtime. 
•    This shall ensure continuous solution availability and performance during expansion or modernization. 
•    The solution shall allow for seamless capacity upgrades, expansion, and consolidation using higher-density media without downtime or performance degradation. 
•    The solution shall provide a unified management interface that offers real-time visibility into system health, performance, and capacity. 
•    The solution’s unified management interface shall allow administrators to monitor, configure, and manage all storage arrays from one centralized dashboard (i.e. single pane of glass). 
•    The solution shall have the ability to generate notifications via email in the case of performance issues or faults. 
•    The solution shall include built-in telemetry, monitoring, and artificial intelligence for IT operations (“AIOPS”) capabilities accessible from any device. 
•    The solution shall include integrated data monitoring, planning, and reporting tools for performance analytics and workload simulation to support proactive capacity planning, performance optimization, and operational transparency. 
•    The solution must support secure, policy-driven data movement across environments with automation capabilities that reduce manual effort and accelerate deployment timelines.
- Mandatory security specifications
•    The solution must support secure, identity-integrated access through multi-factor authentication or single-sign on (SSO) using azure active directory (AD) and security assertion markup language (SAML) integration to align with the city’s existing identity infrastructure. 
•    The solution must include built-in safeguards against ransomware, including protection features such as immutable snapshot backup capabilities and secure, rapid recovery workflows. 
•    The solution must include robust disaster recovery and backup capabilities, including the ability for replication and restore to a remote site, ensuring data integrity and rapid restoration in the event of failure or disruption.
- Non-mandatory general specifications
•    The solution should offer predictable upgrade paths, including controller refreshes and hardware trade-in programs, as part of a subscription or lifecycle management model, to minimize upgrade costs and extend the useful life of the solution. 
•    The solution should provide secure, policy-driven data migration with minimal downtime and risk mitigation strategies. 
•    The solution should have the ability to integrate with third-party monitoring and orchestration tools, including ManageEngine op manager. 
•    The solution should have built-in integration with the microsoft backup platform. 
•    The solution should have built-in integration with the VMware Esxi platform.
- Non-mandatory security specifications
•    The solution should include monitoring to proactively respond to security threats, system failures, or other issues that may impact the security or usability of the solution. 
•    The solution should utilize role-based access control and security management configurations to control access to all data and system components, ensuring that user permissions are managed centrally through integration with external identity providers, such as azure ad group memberships that align with the city’s security policies. 
•    The solution should provide a human-readable, immutable audit log that records all configuration management processes and control changes performed by administrators. 
•    The solution should include support for syslog or log shipping to external logging aggregators.

- Contract Period/Term: 3 years
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: October 21, 2025