2026 Chronology RFP 24-577 DRaaS

Chronology- Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)

The Division of Information and Instructional Technology (DIIT) seeks approval to renew Disaster
Recovery as a Service (DRaaS), a districtwide initiative designed to safeguard the continuity of
technology operations in the event of a system outage or regional disaster. DRaaS enables
secure replication of critical district data and provides rapid failover so essential instructional,
business, and operational services remain uninterrupted. This renewal supports the district’s
commitment to ensuring that students and staff can rely on stable access to the applications
and services required for daily teaching, learning, and operations.

RFP 24-577 was publicly issued in December 2023, evaluated in January 2024, and awarded to
MGT (formerly Layer 3) as the lowest responsible and responsive bidder in alignment with
DeKalb County School District procurement policy. The resulting agreement is a five-year award
requiring annual Board approval.

Cloud-Based Replication and Storage
DRaaS continuously replicates critical district systems—including student information,
instructional platforms, financial applications, and core administrative services—to a secure
cloud environment. This ensures current copies of priority systems are available and operational
even if the primary data center experiences an outage.
Benefits include:
● Maintains up-to-date copies of critical systems needed for instruction and business operations
● Provides an off-site recovery environment protected from local outages or damage
● Supports access to essential tools even when the primary environment is unavailable
● Reduces reliance on physical backup systems stored on-premises

Managed Disaster Recovery Infrastructure
Under DRaaS, the disaster recovery environment is fully managed by a qualified provider.
Services include infrastructure configuration, performance management, backup validation,
recovery orchestration, and incident response support. This approach ensures that recovery
systems are maintained, monitored, and ready for activation without placing operational
burden on district staff.
Benefits include:​
 ● Ensures disaster recovery tools are properly configured and maintained​
 ● Provides expert support during incidents, reducing recovery time​
 ● Allows internal staff to focus on instructional technology services​
 ● Strengthens readiness through professional management and oversight

Real-Time Monitoring and Support
The disaster recovery environment is actively monitored to detect issues, verify system integrity,
and confirm recovery readiness. Continuous monitoring allows the vendor to identify
irregularities, address configuration concerns, and maintain recovery performance before any
disruption occurs.

Benefits include:​
● Provides continuous visibility into system health and readiness​
● Enables proactive issue resolution before outages impact schools​
● Improves confidence in recovery operations districtwide​
● Protects uptime for instructional and operational systems

Automated Failover Capability
In the event of a system outage or regional disaster, DRaaS can transition critical services from
the primary environment to the recovery environment with minimal disruption. Failover
ensures that classroom technology, communication services, payroll systems, and safety
platforms remain available even during an emergency.
Benefits include:​
 ● Preserves instruction and business operations during outages​
 ● Reduces downtime through rapid, automated recovery processes​
 ● Supports consistent access to digital learning and communication tools​
 ● Maintains district operations during unforeseen events

Scalable Recovery Capacity
As new applications are adopted or existing platforms expand, DRaaS provides flexible storage
and processing capacity without requiring new physical infrastructure. The service grows with
district needs, supporting new initiatives while maintaining recovery protection.
Benefits include:​
● Aligns with evolving instructional and operational requirements​
● Eliminates large capital investments for additional recovery hardware​
● Ensures consistent levels of protection as systems grow​
● Supports long-term planning and modernization efforts

Scheduled Recovery Testing
DRaaS includes planned testing to verify that systems can be restored correctly and in the
proper sequence. Testing helps validate procedures, identify potential gaps, and strengthen the
district’s ability to recover systems quickly and accurately.
Benefits include:​
● Confirms recovery procedures are functioning as intended​
● Reduces risk by identifying issues before an outage occurs​
● Improves recovery time and reduces downtime during a real incident​
● Provides assurance to leadership on system readiness

Through DRaaS, the district strengthens operational resiliency, mitigates the risk of prolonged
outages, and protects the functionality of core systems that sustain everyday instruction and
district operations.

Financial Impact:
 Year                                             Cost

 2024                                             $400,000

 2025                                             $400,000

 2026                                             $365,274 requested