Addendum #1
1. What is the count of PST files and total aggregate size of PST files that will need to be ingested for the pilot?
Approximately 260 PST files totaling 180GB will be included in the pilot. 2. Are the Windows XP clients running XP 64 bit or 32 bit OS? Windows XP clients are running 32-bit Windows XP SP3.
3. What version of DART (EMC’s NAS OS) is running on the EMC VNX NAS devices?
There are 2 main VNX NAS devices that will potentially be targets for file archiving. They are running versions 7.1.47-5 and 7.1.56-5.
4. How many hours do nightly backups typically take for email and file servers? Email: 2 separate email systems take 10 to 11 hours per system for a full backup
Files: 2 separate files systems require 48 hours and 10.5 hours respectively for a full backup. 5. Servers – Would you prefer physical hardware or virtual machines?
Virtual servers are preferred
6. If you are you interested in virtualizing the environment, what is your virtual platform? VMware 5.1
7. Given the option to propose on premise and cloud based solutions, may a bidder submit separate bids for each; one for on premise and one for a cloud solution?
Yes
8. What is the expected rate of data growth for the enterprise?
For email, estimate a 3% growth per year. For files, a 2% growth should be estimated
9. What does "archive" mean? A file completely removed from a file system. Or does it mean HSM where a stub file in the file system points to a location outside the file system with transparent recall?
10. In section 2.1.1 it states, "Search across multiple mailboxes, file shares, or archive locations based upon set permissions." Search everything from the same application interface?
While access to the archived data in the should follow the requirements stated in question 9, a unified interface to search across disparate types of archive data for public records requests is not strictly required, but is preferred. Any overarching search functions should be easy to use, versatile, and fast.
11. Is all backup data in the current environment being written only to the HP P200 system? No. Some other targets are used, and tapes are used for long term retention.
12. Are there tape drives in the current environment used for creation of off-site copies? Yes
13. In the current environment, is there a Disaster Recovery site? If so how is data being duplicated at the DR site?
Yes, there is a secondary data center. Certain production and backup data are replicated at various time intervals utilizing different technology.
14. Would a solution that moved existing file shares from the Production VNX storage system be acceptable?
We are open to creative solutions that fit the long term need of the City in a cost effective manner. 15. Would any of the archived files need an Indefinite retention, ie WORM emulation?
There are a limited number of record types within City of Columbus agencies that have an infinite retention period. The number and scope of these electronic records is unknown.
16. What is the difference with 3.2.1 and 3.2.3? Are you looking for 6 references total or 3? Can the references come from the manufacturer or must they be from the reseller? Can a reference come from a subcontractor?
Section 3.2.1 relates to minimum requirements for information that needs to be included in Section Two of the proposal (see section 5.2 of the RFP). Section 3.2.3 relates to minimum requirements for
information to be included in Section Five of the proposal (see section 5.5 of the RFP). A minimum of three (3) past clients’ contact information must be included in Section Five of the proposal.
“Professional References” means contact information for clients served by the vendor as the prime contractor. References from manufacturers, resellers, or subcontractors would not be responsive if they were not past clients.
We are looking for options, and both stated use cases may be valid. For instance, the City may keep all email for 90 days, but once that initial period is up, if it has been deleted from a user’s mailbox as a per City retention policies, then it should be deleted from the archive location as well.
18. Does this mean that the City wants to archive data FROM structured databases, such as SQL or Oracle? Or does this mean that the City would like to store archived messages and files in a SQL database?
The intent of requirement 1.8 is to find out if the proposed solution can archive data from structured databases. While this is not in the scope of this project, these and other optional feature sets may influence which product is selected.
19. Can you explain what you mean by “excluding certain target repositories from capturing data?” Please provide an example of the desired capability.
The requirement 1.9 is asking if subdirectories, folders, mailboxes, etc., can be restricted from the archiving rules. For instance, if a certain directory in an archived file system is known to house files with a very short life span in transit between departments, the City may want to exclude that directory from being archived, since the data eventually resides elsewhere.
20. What does “target repository” mean here? Is that a mailbox, Exchange Database, file folder, etc? Can you provide an example of this use case?
Target repository in requirement 1.10 refers to any data object that is being archived, such as a mailbox, Exchange database, file folder, etc. To further clarify, The City is inquiring as to whether the solution can apply multiple rule sets to one target, and if so, how the different rule sets are applied For instance, if two rules are applied to one mailbox, one which archives after 90 days and another which archives after 30 days and deletes the archive after 180 days, do both policies apply? How are conflicting rules
applied?
21. “Can access controls authenticate to multiple Active Directory domains?” Can the City provide an example of this use case?
There are multiple Active Directory domains that do not have trust relationships setup between them. Requirement 2.12 is asking if the solution provides authentication to all domains individually, or if they must all be part of the same forest.
22. “Can e-discovery searches be restricted to specific data sets based on attributes?” Does this mean date range, ownership, data source, department, etc? Can the City provide an example of the desired attributes?
23. “Can users elect to keep expired data for an extended period of time without user
intervention?” If standard retention were 3 years for departmental email, does this mean that users could decide for themselves to exceed City policy? Can the City provide an example of this use case?
This requirement may be mislabeled, it should read “with user intervention”. Requirement 3.4 is seeking to understand what options are presented upon expiration of data in the archive. For example, if
departmental email standard retention is 3 years, does the user have the option to mark certain items as important or still needed so they will not be automatically removed? Can they delay deletion for a certain period of time? What are the options presented to the user when the retention period is up? This should be explained in the proposal.
24. “If expiration policies can be extended, can a maximum extension time be set by administrators?” Please provide an example of how this functionality would work.
Requirement 3.5 is dependent on what options are available per requirement 3.4. For instance, assume that the option to prompt the user for action upon retention rather than automatic deletion is available. If the user has the option to extend the deletion time of retired items by x number of days, can a system level maximum limit be set? Please outline all options in the proposal.
25. “Are users aware when their items have been part of a search or legal hold?” What functionality is the City looking for here? Can you provide an example of the desired behavior?
Requirement 4.7 seeks to clarify if there are any visible indication of certain email items, mailboxes, folders, etc., being flagged by a search or being part of a legal hold, if this option is available in the proposed solution.
26. “Can items be restored from backup to an alternate location?” Does this mean to restore the archive database to a new server or datacenter location? Please provide an example of this use case.
Requirement 5.13 asks if items can be retrieved from the archive to an alternate location, i.e., different from the original location. For instance, if we want to restore a single archive file and transport it out of the system, can we restore this file to a specific folder or file share rather than its original location?
27. “Can individual users permanently delete items or mark items for deletion from the archive, utilizing native interfaces such as Microsoft Outlook or Windows Explorer?” Does the City expect to have set retention policies for archived data? Can the City provide an example of this use case?
28. Does the city anticipate that both the shared file and mail archive system would be handled by one application or would it be acceptable to have handled by two application's?
We are open to creative solutions that fit the long term need of the City in a cost effective manner. 29. Is the city looking to use a scanning solution utilizing any existing stand alone scanners of
multi-function devices to deliver file into new archive system?
The intended use of this solution is for electronic documents only. Paper documents that are scanned to electronic formats may be included in future phases. Any scanned documents would be treated as another electronic document for the initial phase.
30. For the pilot and the up to 100 users and the file share component of the solution, if a concurrent user is used, how often will people be accessing the system and how long would they be using the system during each session?
During the pilot, we anticipate a deployment within the Department of Technology and applicable testing of access to files/email within the archive. We do not have any estimates of frequency or duration of access to the archive system.
31. Will there be other IM/ collaboration content that needs to be captured (i.e. Microsoft Lync, Cisco Jabber, Text Messaging)?
While not in the scope of the current project, other products such as Microsoft SharePoint and Cisco Jabber are in use at the City of Columbus. Future phases may incorporate these products, and the proposal should outline the capabilities to archive data from all applicable technology products.
32. Will all .pst files be brought in? Do you want to leave the .pst files, stub or shortcut them or make the archive the only copy?
The City anticipates that upon the completion of deployment across the entire City, pst files will not be utilized on a day to day basis. PST may still be utilized for information transfer outside of the
organization.
33. Section 8.1- 8.7 The formulas in the scoring sheet seem to be incorrect. The score is being divided by the point score for the question, rather than being multiplied by the point value, as in other sections of the sheet. This results in a "fully meets" response to a 3 point question such as 8.3 resulting in a score of .33. Will an updated matrix be provided or is this the expected scoring behavior?
