AKITA SYSTEMS LIMITED

Storage Infrastructure Management as a Service

Akita provides cloud-based storage infrastructure and storage device management software, enabling centralised monitoring, configuration and lifecycle control without physical hardware management.

Features

• Centralised software management of storage infrastructure and storage devices.
• Cloud-based management interface for storage configuration and lifecycle control.
• Automated monitoring of storage health, capacity usage and device status.
• Policy-based configuration controls across supported storage platforms.
• Automated inventory tracking of storage devices and configurations.
• Role-based access control for storage management functions.
• Automated alerts for storage faults and capacity thresholds.
• Self-service dashboards showing storage performance and usage trends.

Benefits

• Reduces effort required to manage storage infrastructure environments.
• Improves visibility of storage health and capacity utilisation.
• Prevents outages through proactive monitoring and alerting.
• Simplifies storage lifecycle and configuration management.
• Reduces misconfiguration risk through centralised policy control.
• Supports consistent storage management across environments.
• Improves availability and reliability of storage services.
• Enables better capacity planning using performance insights.

• Education pricing available

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at info@akita.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 15

Service ID

511639601719854

Contact

Akita
0330 058 8000
info@akita.co.uk

About the service

• Service categories:

  Systems Infrastructure Software

  Security

  Data security

  • Information protection
  • Digital trust
• Multi cloud support: No

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: Yes, but can also be used as a standalone service
• What software services is the service an extension to: The service extends existing storage platforms and storage management software by providing a cloud-based control layer for centralised monitoring, policy management and lifecycle oversight.
• Cloud deployment model: Hybrid cloud
• Service constraints: The service requires supported storage platforms and compatible storage devices. Operation depends on secure network connectivity to the cloud management platform. Planned maintenance is notified in advance and scheduled outside core business hours where possible. The service excludes physical hardware supply, installation, on-site support or replacement.
• System requirements:
  • Supported storage platforms and compatible storage devices.
  • Secure network connectivity between storage environments and management platform.
  • Administrative permissions for storage configuration and policy management.
  • Modern web browser access to the cloud management interface.
  • Time synchronisation enabled on managed storage systems.
  • Firewall rules allowing outbound connectivity to management platform endpoints.
  • Supported operating systems on storage controllers and appliances.
  • Inventory access for automated storage discovery and lifecycle tracking.

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes
• Support response times: Akita provides email and online ticketing support during UK business hours, Monday to Friday. Initial responses are prioritised based on issue severity and impact. Requests logged outside business hours are handled on the next business day, with critical issues managed in line with agreed escalation procedures.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: Yes
• Online ticketing support accessibility: WCAG 2.2 AA
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support: No
• Onsite support: No
• Support levels: Akita provides tiered support for the service, delivered remotely through email and online ticketing. Support is available during UK business hours, Monday to Friday, with response times aligned to issue priority.; ; Standard support is included within the service price and covers incident response, service queries, configuration guidance and fault investigation related to the management platform. Incidents are prioritised based on impact and urgency, with defined response targets for critical, high, medium and low priority issues.; ; Enhanced support options are available at additional cost where buyers require extended support hours, faster response times or named escalation routes. Pricing for enhanced support is agreed at call-off and depends on the level of coverage and response commitments required.; ; Akita assigns a named technical contact for service onboarding and ongoing service governance. This role provides continuity, service oversight and coordination of support activity. Day-to-day support is delivered by cloud support engineers with experience in storage platforms and infrastructure management software.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Akita supports users to get started through a structured onboarding process delivered remotely. This includes initial service setup, configuration guidance and validation of connectivity to supported storage platforms. Buyers are provided with user documentation covering access, configuration, monitoring and reporting features.; ; Online knowledge resources and written guidance are available to support day-to-day use of the service. Where required, remote walkthrough sessions are provided to administrators to explain key features, configuration options and operational best practice.; ; The service does not include on-site training. Ongoing support is provided through email and online ticketing to assist users as they adopt and use the service.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: At contract end, buyers can extract their service data through the management interface and API. This includes configuration data, inventory records, monitoring data and reporting outputs generated by the service. Data can be exported in commonly used, machine-readable formats to support reuse or transition to another service.; ; Where required, Akita provides guidance to support data extraction and offboarding activities during the notice period. Access remains available for the duration of the contract to allow buyers to complete data exports.; ; Following contract termination and confirmation that data extraction has been completed, service access is disabled and data held within the service is securely deleted in accordance with Akita’s data retention and sanitisation processes.
• End-of-contract process: At the end of the contract, buyers retain access to the service for the agreed contract term to complete data extraction and offboarding activities. Akita supports a standard offboarding process which includes service access termination, revocation of user accounts and secure deletion of service data in line with agreed retention policies.; ; The contract price includes standard offboarding activities, access to export service data through the management interface and API, and guidance provided through email or ticketing support during the notice period.; ; Additional support, such as extended access beyond the contract end date, bespoke reporting, or enhanced offboarding assistance, can be provided at extra cost if required. Any additional costs are agreed with the buyer in advance at call-off.; ; The service does not include physical hardware removal, on-site activities or data extraction from buyer-owned systems outside the scope of the service.
• Documentation accessibility standard: WCAG 2.2 AA

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: No
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.2 AA
• Description of service interface: The service is accessed through a secure, browser-based cloud management interface. Users can view storage health, capacity and alerts, manage configurations, apply policies and access reporting dashboards. The interface uses role-based access controls to restrict functionality by user role and provides self-service visibility of managed storage environments.
• Accessibility standards: WCAG 2.2 AA
• Accessibility testing: The service interface is designed in line with recognised accessibility standards and vendor accessibility guidance. The interface supports keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility and scalable text within supported browsers. Where underlying platform components are provided by third-party vendors, accessibility conformance is aligned to their published accessibility statements. Akita reviews accessibility feedback as part of ongoing service improvement.
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: The service provides a secure API that allows authorised users to integrate the management platform with existing systems and automation workflows. Through the API, users can onboard supported storage platforms, retrieve configuration and inventory data, monitor storage health and capacity metrics, and manage alerts and policies where supported.
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
• API sandbox or test environment: No
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: Users can customise the service through configuration options available within the management interface and API. Customisable elements include monitoring thresholds, alerting rules, policy settings, reporting views and access controls. This allows buyers to align the service to their operational requirements without altering the underlying platform.; ; Customisation is performed by authorised users using role-based access controls. Administrators can define policies, configure alerts, manage user roles and tailor dashboards, while standard users are limited to viewing and reporting functions based on assigned permissions.; ; All customisation is configuration-based and does not involve bespoke development or changes to core service functionality. Changes take effect in line with platform validation and change control processes to ensure service stability and security.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: The service uses logical separation and resource controls within the cloud management platform to isolate customer environments. Buyer data, configurations and management operations are segregated to prevent cross-impact. Platform capacity is monitored and scaled to maintain performance, ensuring that activity by one user does not adversely affect others.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: The service provides usage and operational metrics including storage capacity utilisation, performance trends, alert volumes, device inventory status and configuration changes. Metrics support monitoring, capacity planning and operational oversight of managed storage environments.
• Reporting types:
  • API access
  • Real-time dashboards
  • Regular reports
• Resource tagging: Yes
• FOCUS resource tagging: No

Supplier type

• Supplier type: Reseller providing extra features and support
• Organisation whose services are being resold: Established third-party storage platform and device management vendors.

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations: United Kingdom
• User control over data storage and processing locations: No
• Datacentre security standards: Managed by a third party
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: Another external penetration testing organisation
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Physical access control, complying with another standard
  • Encryption of all physical media
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service
• Data sanitisation type:
  • Deleted data can’t be directly accessed / Cryptographic Erasure
  • Data Erasure

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Users export their data through the service interface and API. Data can be downloaded in commonly used, machine-readable formats, including configuration records, inventory data, monitoring outputs and reports. Exports can be performed on demand by authorised users during the contract term and notice period.
• Data export formats: CSV
• Data import formats: CSV

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks: TLS (version 1.2 or above)
• Data protection within supplier network: TLS (version 1.2 or above)

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: The service is designed to provide high availability through resilient cloud infrastructure and platform monitoring. Akita targets service availability in line with agreed service levels set out at call-off, excluding planned maintenance and factors outside Akita’s reasonable control.; ; Availability commitments and any associated service level targets are agreed with buyers at call-off and documented within the contract. Where availability levels are not met, service credits may be applied in accordance with the agreed SLA framework. Service credits are applied as a proportionate refund against the affected service charges and represent the buyer’s sole remedy for SLA breaches.; ; Planned maintenance is scheduled outside core business hours where possible and notified in advance. The service does not provide guaranteed uptime for buyer-managed storage platforms or third-party services outside the scope of the management platform.
• Approach to resilience: The service is designed for resilience through the use of highly available cloud infrastructure, platform monitoring and controlled change management. Core service components are hosted on resilient third-party cloud platforms with built-in redundancy across infrastructure layers, including compute, storage and networking.; ; Service availability is supported through continuous health monitoring, automated alerting and defined incident response processes. Platform capacity is monitored and scaled to maintain performance and reduce the risk of service degradation.; ; Datacentre resilience, including physical security, power, cooling and environmental controls, is provided by the underlying cloud infrastructure provider and operates in line with recognised industry standards. Detailed datacentre architecture and location-specific resilience information is available to buyers on request where required for assurance purposes.; ; Planned maintenance is managed to minimise disruption, with advance notice provided where possible. The service does not depend on a single physical component or location for normal operation, supporting continuity of service in the event of infrastructure failures.
• Outage reporting: The service reports outages and service issues through multiple channels. Users receive notifications via email and the service ticketing system for confirmed incidents and significant service degradation. Outage updates and progress communications are provided as part of incident management until resolution.; ; Service status and incident information is available to authorised users through the management interface, including alerts and operational messages. Where supported, incident and status data can also be accessed through the service API for integration with buyer monitoring or service management tools.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Access to management interfaces and support channels is restricted using role-based access controls and user authentication. Users are assigned roles that define permitted actions within the service, ensuring least-privilege access. Administrative functions are limited to authorised users only. Support access is controlled through authenticated ticketing systems, with requests logged and tracked. Access rights are reviewed and updated as part of user management and offboarding processes.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Username or password

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users receive audit information on a regular basis
• How long user audit data is stored for: At least 12 months
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users receive audit information on a regular basis
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: At least 12 months
• How long system logs are stored for: At least 12 months

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: Yes
• Security governance standards: ISO/IEC 27001
• Information security policies and processes: Akita operates a formal information security management system aligned to ISO/IEC 27001. Information security policies cover access control, data protection, incident management, supplier management, risk assessment and business continuity. Policies are approved by senior management and reviewed regularly to ensure continued relevance and effectiveness.; ; Security governance is overseen by designated senior leadership, with clear reporting lines for information security risks, incidents and compliance. Responsibilities are defined across operational and technical teams to ensure consistent application of security controls.; ; Compliance with policies is enforced through role-based access controls, documented procedures and mandatory staff training. Security incidents are logged, assessed and managed in line with defined incident response processes, with corrective actions tracked to closure.; ; Supplier and third-party risks are assessed as part of procurement and onboarding, and ongoing assurance activities support continued compliance. Policy adherence and control effectiveness are monitored through internal reviews and external audits as part of Akita’s ISO certification programme.
• Software Security Code of Practice: Yes

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: Akita manages configuration and change through documented internal processes aligned to ISO/IEC 27001 controls. Service components are tracked through their lifecycle using configuration records and change logs. Proposed changes are assessed for security, operational impact and risk before approval. Changes are tested and implemented in a controlled manner, with rollback procedures where appropriate. Security impacts are reviewed as part of the change approval process to maintain service integrity and availability.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: Akita operates a documented vulnerability management process aligned to ISO/IEC 27001. Potential threats are assessed through continuous monitoring, vulnerability scanning and review of security advisories. Patches and mitigations are prioritised based on risk and impact and deployed in line with change management procedures. Threat intelligence is informed by vendor security bulletins, trusted industry sources and third-party security notifications. Critical vulnerabilities are addressed promptly to reduce exposure.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Akita uses protective monitoring to identify potential compromises through service logging, automated alerts and security event review. Suspected incidents are assessed and investigated promptly in line with defined incident response procedures. Confirmed security incidents are escalated, contained and remediated based on severity. Response times are prioritised according to impact, with critical incidents addressed immediately and managed through to resolution.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Akita operates documented incident management processes with predefined procedures for common service and security events. Users report incidents through email and the online ticketing system, where incidents are logged, prioritised and tracked. Incident updates and post-incident reports are provided to buyers through the ticketing system and, where appropriate, email communication. Incidents are managed to resolution in line with defined response and escalation processes.
• Post-quantum cryptography secure: No

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Independent review of processes (for example CESG CPA Build Standard, ISO/IEC 27034, ISO/IEC 27001 or CSA CCM v4.0)

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Pricing

• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: No

Discount percentage by annual call-off contract value (excluding VAT)

• Less than £250,000: 0%
• Between £250,000 and £500,000: 0%
• Between £500,001 and £1,000,000: 5%
• Between £1,000,001 and £2,500,000: 7%
• Between £2,500,001 and £5,000,000: 10%
• Over £5,000,001: 10%

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• ISO/IEC 27001 accredited by: British Assessment Bureau (UKAS accredited)
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: Friday 18 January 2019
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: The ISO/IEC 27001 certification does not cover customer-owned systems or infrastructure not managed by Akita Systems Limited, physical security controls at customer premises, end-user devices not under Akita management, or non-IT business activities outside the defined scope of IT support, cloud services, and hosted and recovery services.
• ISO 28000:2022 certification: No
• ISO 9001 certification: Yes
• ISO 9001 certification accredited by: British Assessment Bureau (UKAS accredited)
• ISO 9001 accreditation date: Thursday 23 April 2015
• What the ISO 9001 doesn’t cover: The ISO 9001:2015 certification does not cover activities outside the defined scope of IT service delivery, including non-IT business operations, customer-owned systems or processes not managed by Akita Systems Limited, services delivered entirely by third parties outside Akita’s quality management system, and physical site operations at customer premises where Akita does not have operational control.
• Quality management systems (QMS): Yes
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber Essentials Certificate Number: 56073cca-376a-486b-a991-0f76b99f23b2
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Cyber Essentials Plus Certificate Number: Cc55b424-1c83-4f89-8550-44e6b24ec430
• Other security certifications: No

Social value

• Mission: Make Britain a clean energy superpower:

  To cut bills, create jobs and deliver security with cheaper, zero-carbon electricity by 2030, accelerating to net zero

  Policy Outcome 4: Sustainable procurement practices: Reducing carbon footprints, minimising waste, and promoting the use of clean energy and green technologies.

  • Understanding of opportunities for additional environmental benefits delivery in the performance of the contract, including working towards net zero carbon emissions and use of clean energy and green technologies
  • Understanding of how to influence staff, suppliers, customers, communities and/or any other appropriate stakeholders through the delivery of the contract to support climate and nature protection and improvement

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at info@akita.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.