SOMERFORD ASSOCIATES LIMITED

Splunk Elite Partner for Cloud and Enterprise

As a Splunk Elite Partner we provide Splunk Enterprise which monitors and analyses machine data from any source to deliver operational intelligence that optimises your IT, security and business performance. With intuitive analysis features, machine learning, packaged applications and open APIs, it is a leading enterprise-wide analytics platform.

Features

• Collects and indexes log and machine data from any source
• Powerful search, analysis and visualization capabilities empower users
• Fraud and cyber threat detection analysis
• Real-time analysis and insight for operational intelligence and business reporting
• Information Assurance and security analytics
• Automated compliance monitoring, alerting and reporting
• Monitor non-heterogeneous networks with unpredictable formats
• Monitor Logistics RFID and logistics databases machine data (HUMS)
• Monitor Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) data
• Big Data Analytics and visualisation

Benefits

• Monitor performance of network infrastructure against Service Level Agreements
• Real-time network intelligence, avoid costly network escalations/downtime
• Consolidate legacy software tools
• Provide effective security compliance and reduce costs
• Detect and reduce internal and external cyber threats/abuse
• Proactively monitor clients/users understand and anticipate their needs
• Increase security and network management assets productivity
• Automate business processes
• Analyse and visualise ‘big data’ internet traffic and machine data
• Analyse machine data from systems with varying formats

• Education pricing available
• Free trial 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@somerfordassociates.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 15

Service ID

134585685277792

Contact

Penny Harrison
07897075103
info@somerfordassociates.com

About your service

• Service categories:

  Systems Infrastructure Software

  System and service management

  • IT operations management
  • IT service management
• Multi cloud support: Yes

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model:
  • Public cloud
  • Private cloud
  • Hybrid cloud
• Service constraints: None
• System requirements:
  • Hardware non Windows> 2 x 6 core 2+GHZ, 12GB RAM
  • Windows> 2 x 6 core 2+GHZ, 12GB RAM
  • Linux, 3.x, 4.x or 5.4.x and higher
  • Mac OS 10.15
  • Windows Server 2016 or 2019

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes
• Support response times: Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm excl bank holidays customers receive an initial response within one business hour
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: No
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support: No
• Onsite support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support levels: We provide support from priority 1 to priority 4 cases on any existing configuration or part of the platform that is in total or partial failure as well as not working as expected. We also provide configuration guidance and recommendations for use cases. Each customer receives their own Account Manager who works closely with Support and ensures that cases can be followed up. Somerfords Support desk is available as a value added service in addition to the maintenance and support purchased alongside the license.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Splunk can provide free evaluation licences. Somerford Associates will provide Professional Services to help plan and execute your deployment and offer a full catalogue of training services to support the deployment.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: The Splunk tool provides analysis and visualisation of data from various sources. The data rests at its original location and does not solely reside in Splunk. Therefore there is no need for data extraction at end of contract.
• End-of-contract process: If a licence is terminated Splunk can provide Professional Services at extra cost to help the Buyer to migrate their analytic needs to another supplier.
• Documentation accessibility standard: EN 301 549

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: Mobile web browser functionality is the same.; Splunk Mobile App provides visualisations, alerting and interactivity to execute actions from a finger press.; With the Splunk Augmented Reality app, you can create your own virtual workspace in augmented reality via your phone.
• Service interface: No
• User support accessibility: EN 301 549
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: The Splunk Enterprise REST API provides methods for accessing every feature in our product. Your program talks to Splunk Enterprise using HTTP or HTTPS, the same protocols that your web browser uses to interact with web pages, and follows the principles of Representational State Transfer (REST).
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • ODF
  • PDF
• API sandbox or test environment: Yes
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: The user is able to configure dashboards, alerts, reports and underlying target data sources. Configuration can be through Splunk Web, Splunk's Command Line Interface (CLI), Splunk's REST API or directly within configuration.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Splunk Cloud sits on dedicated infrastructure scaled appropriately to each customers license size. Alternatively Splunk sits in the buyers network or the infrastructure of their chosen cloud provider and therefore contention is under their control.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Splunk has a monitoring console that will display information such as usage of resources, number of searches/reports by user, the types of queries they are running, and also any latency in data ingestion, parsing, or searching.
• Reporting types:
  • API access
  • Real-time dashboards
  • Regular reports
• Resource tagging: No
• FOCUS resource tagging: No

Resellers

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

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Conforms to BS7858:2019
• Government security clearance: Developed Vetting (DV)

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations:
  • United Kingdom
  • European Economic Area (EEA)
  • Other locations
• 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: In-house
• Protecting data at rest: Other
• Other data at rest protection approach: Splunk's own cloud service uses logical data separation, authenticated user accounts, and industry standard hardening. Data in transit is encrypted with industry standard SSL and data at rest is encrypted with AES 256-bit encryption. This service is acccredited to ISO27001. We can help the buyer to enable a similar configuration suitable for their data at rest protection.
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Equipment disposal approach: Complying with a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v4.0, CAS (Sanitisation) or ISO/IEC 27001
• Data sanitisation type:
  • Deleted data can’t be directly accessed / Cryptographic Erasure
  • Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation / Secure Erase

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: There are many ways that a user can export data. Splunk provides a REST API to export data. Data can be exported by the Splunk Web facility. Users can use the Command Line Interface, SDK's and data forwarding tools.
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats:
  • XML
  • JSON
  • Raw data
• Data import formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data import formats:
  • XML
  • JSON
  • Raw data

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: Splunk Cloud is considered available if you are able to log into your Splunk Cloud Service account and initiate a search using Splunk Software. Splunk continuously monitors the status of each Splunk Cloud environment to ensure the SLA of 100% uptime. In addition, Splunk Cloud monitors several additional health and performance variables.; ; Alternatively Splunk sits within the Buyers network or the infrastructure of their chosen cloud provider. Availability is controlled by the Buyer or their cloud provider.
• Approach to resilience: Splunk handles resilience by replication of data across a cluster of Splunk Indexers across data centres. Splunk Cloud maintains a seven-day backup of data and configuration files and backups run continuously.; ; Alternatively Splunk sits within the Buyers network or the infrastructure of their chosen cloud provider. Resilience is the responsibility of the Buyer or their cloud provider.
• Outage reporting: Splunk provides a cloud monitoring console to monitor the health of your Splunk Cloud environment. Email alerts are also available.; ; Alternatively Splunk sits within the Buyers network or the infrastructure of their chosen cloud provider. Outage reporting is the responsibility of the Buyer or their cloud provider.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: The Splunk user authentication system allows the assignment of roles which provide highly granular custom permissions. The Buyer can define all roles using a list of capabilities and data access restrictions.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • Username or password

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users have access to real-time audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: User-defined
• Access to supplier activity audit information: No audit information available
• How long system logs are stored for: User-defined

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: Our Cloud based service uses trusted third-party validation. Auditing of our processes and policies efforts to safeguard customer data to industry standards worldwide. Working with our audit partners, SOC 2 Type 2 attestation is completed for all Splunk Cloud customer environments and ISO 27001 certification is completed for Splunk Cloud customer environments provisioned for data ingestion of over 20GB/day.
• Software Security Code of Practice: Yes

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: For Splunk initiated changes, maintenance is performed at most once per month and Customers will receive notice of Routine Maintenance by email at least 48 hours in advance. You can request an alternate time within the Routine Maintenance window if required. For Customer initiated changes, the maintenance can be performed regularly. Customer's will receive email notice when such maintenance is starting and when complete.; ; Alternatively Splunk sits in the network of the Buyer or the infrastructure of their chosen cloud provider, Configuration and change management is the responsibility of the Buyer or their supplier.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: We have a robust process for threats to the Splunk platform. We maintain a policy of evaluating all potential security vulnerabilities that are discovered internally or externally within two business days of discovery. We use the industry standard CVSSv2 to rate vulnerabilities. In the case of critical risk, high impact vulnerabilities, Splunk will make all reasonable effort to supply patches, assuming that patches are a viable stop-gap for customers who cannot otherwise upgrade Splunk.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Splunk monitors application and platform components of the service for potential issues. Cloud Operations staff monitor alerts and logs for issues, and log a ticket for issues that require remediation. In the event of application or data compromise affecting customer data, the customer is notified immediately and remains in contact with the remediation team until resolution.; ; The security measures of Splunk and AWS/GCP are further described in the Splunk Docs at https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/SplunkCloud/latest/Service/SplunkCloudservice#Security
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Splunk maintains an incident response policy and program, with defined processes, roles and responsibilities. Customers may submit security issues through the normal support channels or any additional channels as provided in the EULA.
• Post-quantum cryptography secure: Yes

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: Yes
• Description of free trial: Splunk offers a free trial of the platform in two main ways, a Splunk-hosted cloud environment. Ingest up to 5GB of your own data per day for 14 days. Or, Splunk Enterprise on your own hardware to collect, analyze your data. Index up to 500MB per day for 60 days.
• Link to free trial: https://www.splunk.com/en_us/download.html#platform

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

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

Non-mandatory Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: No
• ISO 28000:2022 certification: No
• ISO 9001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO 9001 certification: SGS
• ISO 9001 accreditation date: Tuesday 15 March 2022
• What the ISO 9001 doesn’t cover: As our staff are a fully remote workforce the company physical office location is not covered. Clause 7.1.5 (calibration) is not in the scope. ISO 9001 does not cover financial processes.
• Quality management systems (QMS): Yes
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Please provide your Cyber Essentials Certificate Number: F416f438-c625-443c-8b8d-a1b8f3b804e3
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Please provide your Cyber Essentials Plus Certificate Number: 8d0e7cb8-30a3-4374-b713-d15f8d7f0c7d
• Other security certifications: Yes
• Any other security certifications: IASME Cyber Assurance Level 1 Certificate

Social value

• Section B - Commitment for Future: Delivery:

  • Mission: Kick start economic growth. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.

    Policy Outcome 1: Fair work: That offers fair wages and good working conditions. Help people get a job, stay in work, and progress in their careers, with good employment opportunities across the country. Notes: Where there is a large proportion of labour costs in the contract, commercial teams should consider MAC in Outcome 1 as a priority

    • New or retained jobs on the contract workforce in the relevant area that meet the criteria set out in MAC 1b, 1c and 1d
    • Providing opportunities for, and measuring and monitoring of, staff workforce conditions over time, including employee engagement, involvement in decision-making and satisfaction and adapting to any changes in the results, with clear processes for acting on issues identified
    • Employment contracts that reflect actual hours worked; steps taken to ensure employees understand their contracts and have the ability to review and adjust them if actual hours regularly exceed contracted hours
    • Activities that support an environment where staff are educated about, and feel empowered to, address their physical wellbeing
    • Activities that support an environment where staff are educated about and feel empowered to report and address bullying and harassment
    • Payment of more than the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage (as appropriate) to the contract workforce
    • Measures to support in-work progression to help people in the contract workforce, to move into higher paid work by developing new skills relevant to the contract
    • Support for educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications
    • Outline policies and practices to be applied to or put in place for the contract to mitigate and manage modern slavery risks, including: Pre-employment checks, recruitment practices. Workplace conditions, safeguarding plans and processes in place and regular monitoring with relevant groups considered, which may include sampling

  • Mission: Kick start economic growth. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.

    Policy Outcome 2: Skills for growth: Supporting growth sectors and addressing skills gaps.

    • Support for educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications

  • Mission: Kick start economic growth. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.

    Policy Outcome 3: Resilient, innovative and flexible supply chains: Support economic growth through enabling resilient businesses, opportunities for small businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises

    • Activities that demonstrate a collaborative way to work with a diverse range of businesses as part of the supply chain
    • Plans for positive actions with community groups.

  • 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
    • Delivery of additional environmental benefits through 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

  • Mission: Break down barriers to opportunity: By reforming our childcare and education systems, to make sure there is no class ceiling on the ambitions of young people in Britain

    Policy Outcome 6: Employment and training: For those who face barriers to employment

    • Advertising, promotional and outreach activities designed to raise awareness of the offer to reach the target cohort
    • Offering a range of quality opportunities with routes of progression if appropriate, e.g. T Level industry placements, students supported into higher level apprenticeships.
    • Understanding of the issues affecting inequality in employment, skills and pay in the market, industry or sector relevant to the contract, and in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key sub-contractors. Measures to tackle inequality in employment, skills and pay in the contract workforce

  • Mission: Break down barriers to opportunity: By reforming our childcare and education systems, to make sure there is no class ceiling on the ambitions of young people in Britain

    Policy Outcome 7: Creating a pipeline of opportunities: For the contract workforce, reducing barriers to entry for under-represented groups.

    • Other measures to offer development opportunities for the target cohort(s) in the contract workforce
    • Advertising, promotional and outreach activities designed to raise awareness of the offer to reach the target cohort
    • Creation of outreach activities to create a pipeline of employees for the future contract delivery
    • Advertising, promotional and outreach activities designed to raise awareness of the offer to reach the target cohort

  • Mission: Build an NHS fit for the future: That is there when people need it; with fewer lives lost to the biggest killers; in a fairer Britain, where everyone lives well for longer.

    Policy Outcome 8: Increasing productivity through physical and mental wellbeing: In the supply chain and communities in the relevant area.

    • Understanding of issues relating to health and wellbeing, including physical and mental health, in the contract workforce

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