Sean, the county IT director, presented a recommended renewal for the county's cloud email security service at the Sept. 29 Clinton County work session, saying the system blocks spam and phishing, provides encryption and offers message tracking and reporting.

"It protects our network and, it, filters out malicious emails, and it's a cloud gateway between Clinton County's Gmail and the Gmail web server itself or email server itself. So it sits in the middle. It's kinda like an email cop," Sean said.

Sean told commissioners his reports show about 27,758 phishing attempts in a recent month; the vendor also provides configurable reports that he receives weekly. He offered two quotes: a one-year renewal for $10,251.50 and a five-year option for $28,891.70, which he said represented an approximate discount compared with annual renewals. Sean said the county is already using the product and that renewal would continue current protections.

A commissioner suggested testing the vendor for a year before committing to a five-year contract; Sean said he would ask the vendor whether that arrangement is possible. The IT director said the system also supports encrypted email delivery and additional security controls.

Why it matters: County email systems receive large volumes of malicious messages that pose security and operational risks. The IT director characterized the product as an established part of the county's email defense and proposed renewal options for the commissioners' consideration.

The IT director said he will bring a formal recommendation to the commissioners for a future meeting, and staff will follow up with vendor clarification about contract length and trial options.