Grove Information Systems

MindLink - Multi Security Cleared Communications Platform

MindLink is an ultra-secure chat messaging platform built specifically for classified scenarios in government and regulated industries.

Features

• Ultra-secure chat messaging platform
• Focus on government and regulated industries.
• Skype for Business replacement

Benefits

• Balances competing needs of agility and information assurance
• Uses multitenant data-centric security model rooted in government classification systems
• Federated protocol designed for cross domain and coalition collaboration.

£100 a user a year

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

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

142017019039258

Contact

Philip Witheridge
+44 207 493 6741
pwitheridge@groveis.com

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: MindLink Chat Engine; MindLink Chat Anywhere; XMPP Federation Gateway; MindLink Mobile
• Cloud deployment model: Private cloud
• Service constraints: MindLink is designed to operate in air-gapped networks and over constrained and low-bandwidth links.; ; The server can operate on low-compute hardware with minimal external dependencies (only a Microsoft SQL Server is required).; ; The client application can run in any web-browser, including Internet Explorer 11
• System requirements:
  • Dual or Quad core, 64-bit CPU (minimum 2.4 GHz)
  • Gigabit Ethernet connection
  • 4GB RAM
  • Minimum 1Gb disk space
  • Windows Server 2016 / 2019 / 2022
  • SQL Server 2016+ database

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support response times: 15 minutes
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: No
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support: No
• Onsite support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support levels: P1 – Critical business impact or critical loss of service Must be logged via telephone 75% of calls within Business Hours will be responded to within 1 minute. Outside Business Hours be responded within 30 min. Resolution plan will be relayed within next 4 hours P2 – Major or partial loss of service where a work-around does not exist May be logged via telephone or via mail. Logged within Business Hours will be responded to within 30 mins. Logged outside of Business Hours will be responded on the next Business Day P3 – Question or how to queries or minor service impact May be logged via telephone or via mail. Logged within Business Hours will be responded to within 1 Hour. Logged outside of Business Hours will be responded on the next Business Day P4 - Documentation and enhancement requests May be logged via telephone or via mailL Logged within Business Hours will be responded to within 3 Hours. Logged outside of Business Hours will be responded on the next Business Day Provided that the customer provides all requested information in timely manner Technican Account Manager can be assigned.
• Support available to third parties: No

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Upon sign up, Grove requests a Technical Point of Contact list of any authorised personnel who can log, access and change tickets on your organisation's behalf. Those users are then sent credentials, instructions and log in tokens to enable them to utilise our support service
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats: HTML
• End-of-contract data extraction: No data is collated by the vendor
• End-of-contract process: License key will expire and software will cease working. ; ; Software should be uninstalled.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Internet Explorer 11
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Opera
• Application to install: Yes
• Compatible operating systems: Windows
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: No differences in features between browser and mobile
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• Description of service interface: Users access the system via a modern HTML 5 web app running in a web browser.; ; Administrators install and configure the server components using a GUI configuration utility.; ; Administrators manage the application via an interactive PowerShell library of Cmdlets.
• Accessibility standards: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• Accessibility testing: Main user client interface has been implemented to WCAG 2.2 AA standards.
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: The MindLink API is a REST-ful API that allows bidirectional chat-bot integration. The MindLink Administration API is a web-based GraphQL API that allows the system to be administered.
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats: HTML
• API sandbox or test environment: No
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: Various integration plugin points to directory and audit infrastructure. MindLink professional service team able to assist in authoring plugin components.; ; Interface is white-labellable with own branding.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Self managing server cluster for horizontal scale and resiliency

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Resource usage and system health monitoring
• Reporting types: Real-time dashboards

Resellers

• Supplier type: Reseller providing extra support
• Organisation whose services are being resold: MindLink

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Conforms to BS7858:2019
• 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
  • European Economic Area (EEA)
  • Other locations
• User control over data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Datacentre security standards: Supplier-defined controls
• Penetration testing frequency: Less than once a year
• Penetration testing approach: Another external penetration testing organisation
• Protecting data at rest: Other
• Other data at rest protection approach: Can only provide with signed NDA
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type: Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: API and scriptable tooling to import for legacy migrations and export for compliance archiving
• Data export formats: Other
• Other data export formats: Compliance export in any format via PowerShell script
• Data import formats: Other
• Other data import formats: Compliance import in any format via PowerShell script

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: Can only provide with signed NDA
• Approach to resilience: Can only provide with signed NDA
• Outage reporting: Run with standard monitoring software's

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Multi layer admin and management models
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Management access authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • 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: At least 12 months

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:
  • NSA Zero Trust Accreditation
  • ATO at GCHQ & NSA

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: Yes
• Security governance standards: Other
• Other security governance standards: Cyber Essentials Plus
• Information security policies and processes: Can only provide with signed NDA

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: Can only provide with signed NDA
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: Can only provide with signed NDA
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Can only provide with signed NDA
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Can only provide with signed NDA

Secure development

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

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: Yes
• Connected networks: Other
• Other public sector networks: System is self-contained and installable on public sector networks

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Covid-19 recovery
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Covid-19 recovery

  MIRACL support organisationsand businesses to manage and recover from theimpacts of COVID-19, including where new waysof working are needed to deliver services bymaking secure authentication to needed serviceseasy to use and available from any device.

  Equal opportunity

  MIRACL's MFA allows anyone to authenticate withsomething as simple as a 4 digit PIN. Previouslydisadvantaged individuals will find using MIRACL'sMFA easy. We thus allow access to services which otherwise could be difficult for a certain segmentof the population.

  Wellbeing

  MIRACL's MFA allows users to authenticate inunder 2 seconds. You don't have to find yourmobile, transfer an OTP, open an authenticatorapp, etc. The user's mental health and wellbeingwill be positively impacted.

Pricing

• Price: £100 a user a year
• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: 30 day trial

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