Through IT Modernization our networks and the demands on them have grown significantly. We have increased network port capacity to the point of reaching a level of saturation that has direct and negative impact on our operations and customers.
Other factors that have impacted network performance and reliability have come from a budget and complexity standpoint. They have held back our ability to keep up with demand and keep things running smoothly.
What is happening now?
After holding several high-level meetings focused on the network, the following decisions and outcomes have been established:
1. It was determined that it was imperative to simplify our network. Along these lines we will work to reduce the number of “core” locations we support. Our two primary core network and data center locations will be at the Chinden Campus and the State Controller’s Office datacenter located in Boise at the JRW building.
2. Working with EA and the technical teams we have established the following network standards based on a “best-of-breed” approach:
- Datacenter network: Arista Networks
- Core network: Cisco
- Agency networks: Juniper (with some exceptions with ITD and DHW for now)
- Wireless networks: Juniper Mist
3. We recently purchased just over $800,000 in replacement hardware to upgrade the core network (Cisco) and our Datacenter interconnects (Arista) which provide the main connectivity between Chinden and SCO/JRW.
4. We have more than $900,000 approved in our FY 26 budget for 21 router replacements.
In addition to those items above, our management team is carefully considering staffing needs across the network team to make sure we have support, capability and capacity to provide improved overall network support through Phase 6 of IT Modernization.
