Integrated Infrastructure Scale-Out Storage and Data Protection Solutions

The Vendor is required to provide integrated infrastructure scale-out storage and data protection solutions to replace aging compute, storage, and tape-based backup systems with a unified, modern platform.
- Modernization goals:
•    Replace aging servers, storage arrays, and tape-based backup systems 
•    Improve availability and resiliency for critical ERP, academic, research, and administrative workloads 
•    Enhance protection against ransomware and other cyber threats through immutable storage, air-gapped vaulting, and anomaly detection 
•    Simplify operations for a lean it staff via centralized lifecycle management and automation 
•    Enable flexible growth in capacity and performance over the next 5 7+ years without disruptive forklift upgrades 
•    Utilize cloud object storage for cost-optimized long-term retention 
•    Ensure the new solution interoperates natively with existing infrastructure at other university and campuses without requiring wholesale replacement of those environments 
•    Provide independent, immutable backup and rapid recovery of Microsoft 365 (exchange online, OneDrive, SharePoint, and teams) data to protect against accidental deletion, insider threat, and ransomware events. 
•    Establish a predictable, multi-year pricing model that delivers flat annual budgeting, incorporates growth and lifecycle refresh, and eliminates disruptive periodic capital expenditures.
- Primary objectives:
•    Implement a modern, scalable compute platform using enterprise-grade x86 servers optimized for virtualization and key workloads. 
•    Deploy an all-flash primary storage platform for tier 1 and tier 2 workloads with advanced data reduction and high availability.
•    Implement a scale-out file platform with production, disaster recovery, and vault/archive capabilities. 
•    Replace the tape library with a disk- and cloud-based data protection solution providing immutable copies, rapid recovery, and a cyber-vault architecture. 
•    Introduce a centralized management and automation platform to deliver policy-based management, self-service provisioning, and infrastructure-as-code integration. 
•    Achieve predictable, flat annual costs across a 5 7 year lifecycle, including growth, support, and lifecycle management. 
•    Ensure native interoperability with existing infrastructure and services at other university campuses.