OCALA, FL – The Ocala Police Department (OPD) is reportedly seeking approval for funding of approximately $315,000 in order to maintain critical I.T. infrastructure related to the department’s daily operations, to include various security systems supported by said infrastructure.
A measure to ensure funding for the OPD’s I.T. infrastructure will be going before the Ocala City Council on January 20th, seeking a $314,994 payment to SHI International Corp. in order to maintain their Microsoft 365 cloud subscriptions as well as relevant server and desktop licenses.
The department is currently using Microsoft’s Office 365 SaaS (software as a service) cloud solution, which is most associated with tools like email, Excel, and Word. However, city officials are also pointing to platform’s security and investigative capabilities as being critical for operations.
Said security capabilities relate to the software’s ability to monitor potential internal and external network threats as well as protecting personally identifiable information (PII). As it pertains to investigative capabilities, the software aids officers’ ability to comply with the standards required for the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) used throughout the state.
The software license for the OPD has reportedly increased in cost in comparison to the year prior, with an April 2025 expenditure totaling $303,545 to SHI International Corp. Sourcewell, which specializes in “competitively solicited cooperative contracts,” is assisting the OPD with the acquisition.
While the OPD is seeking formal approval for the expenditure from the city council, the aforementioned initiative has already been accounted for in the police budget for 2026.
A measure to ensure funding for the OPD’s I.T. infrastructure will be going before the Ocala City Council on January 20th, seeking a $314,994 payment to SHI International Corp. in order to maintain their Microsoft 365 cloud subscriptions as well as relevant server and desktop licenses.
The department is currently using Microsoft’s Office 365 SaaS (software as a service) cloud solution, which is most associated with tools like email, Excel, and Word. However, city officials are also pointing to platform’s security and investigative capabilities as being critical for operations.
Said security capabilities relate to the software’s ability to monitor potential internal and external network threats as well as protecting personally identifiable information (PII). As it pertains to investigative capabilities, the software aids officers’ ability to comply with the standards required for the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) used throughout the state.
The software license for the OPD has reportedly increased in cost in comparison to the year prior, with an April 2025 expenditure totaling $303,545 to SHI International Corp. Sourcewell, which specializes in “competitively solicited cooperative contracts,” is assisting the OPD with the acquisition.
While the OPD is seeking formal approval for the expenditure from the city council, the aforementioned initiative has already been accounted for in the police budget for 2026.
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