Summary#
Montréal city council adopted a position for the agglomeration council to authorize added spending on Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft support services. The agglomeration council makes the final decision at a later meeting. City staff say the goal is to replace outdated security tools and support the City’s cybersecurity work.
- The proposed added spending for Microsoft Sentinel is $223,051.50, taxes included, raising that contract’s total to $1,158,278.48, taxes included.
- The City would also pay the ministère de la Cybersécurité et du Numérique (MCN) up to $1,207.24, taxes included, in cloud-broker management fees.
- The City would award Microsoft Canada inc. a $192,212.91, taxes-included contract without a call for tenders for a bank of hours dedicated to support engineering.
- The resolution authorizes the City’s director of cybersecurity to sign documents related to the support contract.
What it means for you#
- Residents: The decision does not directly change a resident’s rights, fees, or services. The technology is for City systems; staff say better protection could help reduce risks to municipal operations and data.
- City IT staff: The proposed purchases cover Microsoft Sentinel, a security-monitoring service, and Microsoft Datalake, a place to store data for security analysis. The support hours are intended to help with training, migration, and integration.
- Taxpayers: The decision summary records a combined maximum cost of $416,471.65, taxes included. The City council’s adopted position is not the agglomeration council’s final decision.
Money#
The decision summary gives a combined maximum of $416,471.65, taxes included ($380,294.13 net of tax rebates).
- This is made up of $223,051.50 for Sentinel, up to $1,207.24 in MCN fees, and $192,212.91 for support engineering.
- The resolution gives no duration for the new support-hours contract. The existing cloud-platform contract runs from February 1, 2024, to January 31, 2027.
What is unclear#
- The decision does not state how many support hours the $192,212.91 buys, or when they must be used.
- It does not set out service standards, reporting requirements, or how the City will assess the results.
- It does not explain how this work relates to the City’s existing Microsoft support contract beyond saying that the support-hour prices are based on that contract.
Case for#
- City staff say the City’s current security tools have reached the end of their useful life.
- Staff say the City already has Microsoft 365 E5 licences with some security features, so Sentinel may avoid buying equivalent features from another supplier.
- The support hours could give City teams access to engineers familiar with Microsoft products during migration and integration.
Case against#
- The support contract is awarded directly to Microsoft, without a call for tenders; the materials do not compare its price with other support options.
- The decision does not state the number of hours, the contract term, or how unused hours would be handled.
- The materials describe expected security benefits, but do not set measurable targets for showing whether the spending improves detection or response.