To seek agreement to draw down the £247,500 funds identified in the 2024/25 capital budget to replace the ageing computer server equipment with manufacturer supported equipment, to allow security and operational integrity to be maintained, in line with emerging vulnerabilities and Cyber Security threats.

That:

a) Agreement to draw down the funds identified in the 2024/25 capital budget (£247,500) to replace ageing server hosting equipment;

b) Authority be delegated to the Herefordshire Council Head of ICT and Digital to take all operational decisions to implement the above recommendation.

1.             The council could decide not replace the VMWare. This option is not recommended as the risk of security and hardware failure will increase over time. Risk of security compromise will increase over time as cyber security threats and vulnerabilities for the ageing technologies emerge.