City Council:
AN ORDINANCE CONFIRMING AND RATIFYING
AN EMERGENCY PROCUREMENT FOR ENHANCED
EMAIL PROTECTION AND IDENTITY THREAT
DETECTION & RESPONSE SERVICES FOR THE
CITY'S MICROSOFT 365 ENVIRONMENT
Whereas, in correspondence dated January 14, 2026, the Commissioner of the Department of Management Services formally requested authorization for emergency procurement undertaken by the Office/Department of Management Services in December 2025 for enhanced email protection and identity threat detection and response services for the City's Microsoft 365 environment and the engagement of Hi-Link Technology Group LLC to provide Microsoft 365 Identity and Threat Detection & Response services, including 24x7 SOC monitoring and response support, on a City-wide basis; and
Whereas, the City of Mount Vernon relies on its Microsoft 365 email and identity systems as mission-critical infrastructure used daily by every City department to conduct essential governmental operations; and
Whereas, in or about December 2025, the City experienced active and escalating intrusion attempts into its Microsoft 365 email environment, posing a significant and immediate risk of account compromise, service disruption, and exposure of confidential and sensitive City information; and
Whereas, the threat activity was confirmed by a technology vendor as active and ongoing, including suspicious and malicious behavior impacting the City's environment, requiring immediate remediation, containment, and continuous monitoring; and
Whereas, any delay in responding to these real-time cyber threats would have materially increased the likelihood of compromised user accounts, interruption of municipal operations, and harm to the City's information systems and communications; and
Whereas, the Office/Department of Management Services determined that an emergency existed requiring immediate action in order to protect the continuity of City operations and the security of Cit...
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