HCPS FL Logo Information and Technology
Action Item
DATE: Tuesday, December 11, 2012
TO: School Board Members
FROM: MaryEllen Elia, Superintendent
SUBJECT / RECOMMENDATIONS

Approve Purchase of IBM Passport Advantage Software Through Midrange Support & Services, Inc. (Information and Technology Division)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

IBM WebSphere Portal software is distributed through IBM's Passport Advantage program.  Passport Advantage software is IBM's software license and maintenance offerings for distributed software.  This software is offered through State of Florida agreement # 252-500-09-1.   On July 26, 2011, the Board approved the piggy-back of the State of Florida agreement # 252-500-09-1 for mainframe and other software.

The IBM WebSphere Portal, known in the district as the Education Connect Gateway or ED-Connect, is the backbone of how district teachers and staff access many school and district applications.  It is also the strategic direction for the development of access to the Empowering Effective Teacher scorecards and dashboards, as well as to a future for parent access to student information.

This agenda item provides additional IBM WebSphere Portal software licenses to cover increases in system utilization.  The additional licenses will increase the concurrent user capacity for our student information system and teacher dashboards.

The immediate expenditure will be approximately $125,000 for licenses based on current system utilization.  The teacher dashboards pilot program is currently underway with 15 schools.  This request includes approval to extend capacity, if needed, to cover all teachers and locations.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
All Strategic Objectives
FINANCIAL IMPACT (Budgeted:  Yes)
The total expense will not exceed $215,000.  This expense will be funded through E-Rate reimbursement funds from the Information and Technology Division.
EVALUATION

Information Services management and staff monitor system utilization to ensure the district efficiently utilizes software licenses.

SUBMITTED BY:  Richard Laneau Jr., Data Center Manager, Information Services
David J. Steele, Ph.D.   Gretchen Saunders
Chief Information and Technology Officer and Project Director, Empowering Effective Teachers Grant
(813) 272-4600
  Chief Business Officer
(813) 272-4270
    A 5.02
Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) * Mtg.#20121211_519 (Board Meeting) * Section A Item# 5.02