Xpertex

Secure Azure

Secure Azure is a platform accreditable to OFFICAL-SENSITIVE hosted in Microsoft Azure and configured to allow your corporate devices to securely connect. This enhances customers ability to respond to protectively marked tenders and can be used to collaborate with your current and prospective customers.

Features

• Secure Azure
• Solution validated and approved by Microsoft UK.
• Complete, on-demand scalability.
• A reduced security footprint
• Azure’s dynamic scale up/down capabilities
• Access control of all users and devices.

Benefits

• Highly secure
• Secure supply chain
• Safe business to business (b2b) data sharing
• Secure Azure
• Scalable
• OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE

£1,250 a user a year

• Education pricing available

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  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 louise.carter@xpertex.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

116679016683420

Contact

Louise Carter
08450341412
louise.carter@xpertex.com

Service scope

• Service constraints: None as of current design.
• System requirements:
  • Microsoft Office
  • Windows enterprise multi-session
  • Bespoke requirements
  • Windows virtual desktop

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: We offer 4hr, 8hr or Next Business Day (NBD) SLA's according to the customer requirements and in line with ITIL processes.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: Yes
• Online ticketing support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 A
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support: Yes, at an extra cost
• Web chat support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support accessibility standard: None or don’t know
• How the web chat support is accessible: Web chat is available either via our ticketing portal, or direct supplier to customer Teams instant messaging.
• Web chat accessibility testing: None.
• Onsite support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support levels: We can provide 4hr, 8hr, or NBD on site support. Pricing varies, but please refer to the SFIA rate card for engineer rates to give indicative pricing.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Telephone, remote and onsite support and delivery services, backed up by manufacturer (Microsoft) support. Access training is provided.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • PDF
  • Other
• Other documentation formats:
  • Online
  • Helpdesk
  • Bespoke Build Guides
  • Bespoke Operations Guides
• End-of-contract data extraction: Customers can request that we send over data at the end of the contract.
• End-of-contract process: Depending on the design, customers could lose all access at the end of the contract if not renewed. Customer has the chance to renew at additional cost.; ; As long as the customers contract minimum term has been fulfilled, no end of contract charges will be necessary.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Using the web interface: Access to the VM via active directory domain services.
• Web interface accessibility standard: None or don’t know
• How the web interface is accessible: All the accessibility features of windows will be available.
• Web interface accessibility testing: We have not had to opportunity to as of yet
• API: No
• Command line interface: No

Scaling

• Scaling available: Yes
• Scaling type:
  • Automatic
  • Manual
• Independence of resources: Azure will automatically scale up or out depending on demand.
• Usage notifications: No

Analytics

• Infrastructure or application metrics: No

Resellers

• Supplier type: Reseller providing extra features and support
• Organisation whose services are being resold: Microsoft

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: Up to Developed Vetting (DV)

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: Yes
• Datacentre security standards: Managed by a third party
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: ‘IT Health Check’ performed by a CHECK service provider
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Physical access control, complying with CSA CCM v3.0
  • Physical access control, complying with SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type:
  • Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
  • Deleted data can’t be directly accessed
  • Hardware containing data is completely destroyed
• Equipment disposal approach: Complying with a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v.30, CAS (Sanitisation) or ISO/IEC 27001

Backup and recovery

• Backup and recovery: Yes
• What’s backed up:
  • Virtual machines
  • User data
  • Solution configuration
• Backup controls: This is done automatically.
• Datacentre setup: Multiple datacentres with disaster recovery
• Scheduling backups: Supplier controls the whole backup schedule
• Backup recovery: Users contact the support team

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: Cloud services so relies on the underlying cloud availability and resilience. Based on design.
• Approach to resilience: Available on request. Typically everything is both GEO and locally resilient.
• Outage reporting: Via cloud service emails, status alerts, reports etc.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google apps)
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: All management traffic goes through us and is managed via 2 factory authentication.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
• Devices users manage the service through: Any device but through a bastion host (a bastion host is a server that provides access to a private network from an external network such as the internet)

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: User-defined
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: User-defined
• How long system logs are stored for: User-defined

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: No
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Other security certifications: Yes
• Any other security certifications: ISO9001

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: As an ISO 27001 certified organisation, Xpertex follow processes that support our policies that themselves have been derived from our Statement of Applicability (SoA). ; Examples of our documentation suite – ; 1. Risk Assessment; 2. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery; 3. Non-conformance and Breaches ; 4. Physical Security ; 5. Personnel Security including remote working; 6. Network Security ; 7. Technology estate; 8. Crypto Management (where required); 9. Supply Chain Assurance (via the Rizikon toolset); 8. User SyOps; 10. Asset Management including safe Destruction and Disposal ; 11. Change Control; 12. Data Classification and Handling; ; We have an over-arching Security Management Plan (SMP), that covers all aspects of our Information Security estate and is available upon request.; We re-certify to ISO 27001 every 3 years, but we are subject to annual maintenance audits (next audit due in June 2022). ; The Security Controller has responsibility to audit compliance against the controls in the ISO standard, these audit records form part of continual improvement posture we have that is driven by our ISO 9001 Quality Management System (that has recently been recertified).; Monthly board meetings include a standing agenda from the security controller where all security matters are discussed and minuted.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: All part of our standard Impact Assessment, ITL lifecycle management and Change Management processes.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: Cloud boundary firewall vulnerabilities are managed using the standard manufacturer processes. Any and all potential vulnerabilities are published on the suppliers website.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Xpertex provide protective monitoring services to our customers. Internally, we use AlienVault software in line and accordance with our CE+ and ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certfications.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Details of impact of specific failures and associated priorities and SLA's are be discussed and agreed with customers in line with ITIL best practice. Our Service Manager will work to resolve service incidents to meet target performance level (KPI's and SLA's) and can escalate our response through the Service Director.; Incidents are reported by telephone our email through to our service desk and are reported in accordance with the support contract in place between us and the customer at that time.

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Supplier-defined process

Separation between users

• Virtualisation technology used to keep applications and users sharing the same infrastructure apart: Yes
• Who implements virtualisation: Third-party
• Third-party virtualisation provider: Microsoft
• How shared infrastructure is kept separate: Customers would design with us how this could work as the solution is bespoke.

Energy efficiency

• Energy-efficient datacentres: No

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Fighting climate change

  Your answer must be at least 10 words; Xpertex is committed to continually improving our environmental performance and monitoring. Xpertex has started the process to gain the following two environmental ISO accreditations:; ; ISO 14001 Environmental Management System; ISO 50001 Energy Management System; This is on top of our existing ISO9001, ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials PLUS accreditations.; ; Critical to our core operation is our IT infrastructure and Data Centre, which house our IT equipment, along with connectivity to our cloud Infrastructure. Xpertex recognises that energy efficient practices, and reducing our carbon footprint, are paramount in achieving our corporate sustainability goals.; ; Xpertex also works with its customers to help them reduce their carbon footprint where appropriate.; ; Full social value statement https://xpertex.com/social-values/

  Tackling economic inequality

  We are committed to equal pay for our workforce. To address our gender pay gap, we have several initiatives in place, to not only attract more talent, but to encourage a more balanced, and rewarding workplace.; ; Working with educational institutions to help attract more women into STEM focused roles.; We have a mentoring programme available for all, to encourage progression into senior roles.; Training is available to cover areas like Equality & Diversity, Unconscious Bias, etc.; We have established a Women’s Working Group who assist in supporting the attraction, retention and promotion of our female talent across the business.; ; Full social value statement https://xpertex.com/social-values/

  Equal opportunity

  Xpertex is committed to developing, supporting and sustaining a diverse workforce. It strives to create a working environment where everyone can to do their job, to the best of their ability, without having to face discrimination, harassment or victimisation. Xpertex avoids unlawful discrimination in all aspects of employment including recruitment, promotion, training opportunities, pay and benefits, discipline and selection for redundancy. Any decisions concerning employment, promotion and training will be based on objective, job-related criteria and merit. Disability and personal/home commitments will not form the basis of employment decisions except where absolutely reasonable and permissible within anti-discrimination law.; ; Xpertex monitors the ethnic, gender, age composition of our existing workforce as well as the number of people with disabilities within these groups and will consider and take any appropriate action to address any problems that may be identified by the monitoring process.; ; Full social value statement https://xpertex.com/social-values/

  Wellbeing

  Xpertex has an Employee Assistance Programme available to all staff which provides access to advice, counselling and support. Workplace mental health is especially important to the company with information and advice issued on a regular basis. We give every employee a day off on their birthday and additional holiday allowances are in place to recognise length of service milestones. We conduct an annual staff survey which provides opportunity for any issues to be raised to the senior management. Processes exist where concerns can be raised without fear of negative consequences for the individual raising the concerns. Flexible working practises developed during the Covid pandemic are in place giving all staff the ability to work from home where possible. We are continuing to provide these flexible working practices post-pandemic. Flexible working hours are encouraged and were invaluable during the pandemic and enabled parents with school age children to home-school their children, and those with responsibilities to the elderly to provide the support they wish to give. Staff are also encouraged to volunteer to continue to volunteer in the community. Xpertex participated in a local initiative to offer IT equipment to under-privileged children in the local community allowing them to conduct their schooling from home. When staff started to return to the office, all sensible precautions have been maintained. A cycle to work and an electric car salary sacrifice scheme are also available to all employees.; ; Full social value statement https://xpertex.com/social-values/

Pricing

• Price: £1,250 a user a year
• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: No

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  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 louise.carter@xpertex.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.