CANTABULAR LTD

Cantabular - multi-lingual data publication software with real-time privacy protections

Cantabular is high performance, multi-lingual data publication software with real-time privacy protection. It is used by the Office for National Statistics and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) to automate disclosure controls for confidential 2021 Census data.

Features

• Automation of Statistical Disclosure Control methods including cell-key perturbation
• Storage, serving, re-ordering and filtering of pre-computed output tables
• Safety checks of generated output tables in real-time
• Control of disclosure control methods using novel rules language
• Secure administration User Interface for table creation and internal productivity
• GraphQL and OpenAPI REST APIs for automation and integration
• Customisation of statistical variables and categories
• Metadata service with GraphQL API
• Public web browser UI for integrated flexible dissemination

Benefits

• Publish vastly more data
• Publish new data releases sooner
• Allow internal and external users to design their own outputs
• Reduce time to data publication
• Automate and speed up time-consuming and manual processes
• Reliable, reproducible outputs
• Integrate metadata publication

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

Framework

G-Cloud 15

Service ID

192729565461101

Contact

Aine McGuire
0771 0377929
aine@cantabular.com

About the service

• Service categories:
  • Application Development and Deployment
    • Data management
      • Data integration and intelligence
        • Data Ingestion and Transformation Software
        • Data Access Infrastructure Software
        • Metadata Management Software
• Multi cloud support: Yes

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model:
  • Public cloud
  • Private cloud
  • Hybrid cloud
• Service constraints: No constraints
• System requirements: No additional software required

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes
• Support response times: Response times are related to a service level agreement. From 1 hour to 8 hours.
• 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 a service level support agreement - that maps to customer requirements and it is designed in collaboration with the customer.; There are four priority levels 1-4:; 1. Critical Business Impact: Production system down.; 2. Significant Business Impact: Important feature unavailable with no acceptable work around. ; 3. Some Business Impact: (standard priority); functionality queries.; 4. Minimal Business Impact:Query or request for information.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: We provide onsite training and user documentation. We assist organisations in getting their data into a suitable format for loading into Cantabular. We provide an integration service to support customers installing the software in their environment.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
• Documentation accessibility standard: None or don’t know
• How the documentation is accessible: Our documentation is generated as PDF and HTML from common structured source in restructured text format. Consequently we could adapt output for customers if they have particular requirements for accessibility which are not met by our default formats.
• End-of-contract data extraction: The nature of the service is such that the data is always under the full control of the user. The data is typically sensitive and thus users have independent secure copies.
• End-of-contract process: Since the data is under the control of the user there are no specific "end of contract" processes to follow.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Opera
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: The nature of the product means that users are typically using desktop devices. Not all features may be available on mobile devices.
• Service interface: Yes
• Description of service interface: We provide a web user interface which can be deployed for a public facing UI. It can be customised for deployment by the customer with additional contracted services. The customer can also write their own user interface using our GraphQL API or REST API.
• Accessibility standards: WCAG 2.2 AA
• Accessibility testing: None as yet.
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.2 AA
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: Users can produce output tables, access structural and reference metadata. We provide a GraphQL API which is easy to consume and facilitates multiple queries in one request.
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats:
  • Open API (also known as Swagger)
  • HTML
  • PDF
  • Other
• API sandbox or test environment: Yes
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: Users can configure statistical disclosure control rules and rule parameters.; ; Users can integrate with their own user interface using the APIs.; ; Users can customise banding / mapping of data into derived variables.; ; Users can filter data and restrict which variables are published.; ; Users can provide their own parameters and configuration for the cell key algorithm.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Service does not used shared cloud infrastructure

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: We provide service metrics using the prometheus.io exposition format: https://prometheus.io/docs/instrumenting/exposition_formats/#text-based-format
• Reporting types:
  • API access
  • Real-time dashboards
  • Regular reports
• Resource tagging: Yes
• FOCUS resource tagging: Yes

Supplier type

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: Security Clearance (SC)

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 every 6 months
• Penetration testing approach: In-house
• Protecting data at rest: Other
• Other data at rest protection approach: Private cloud offering means this is under customer control
• Data sanitisation process: No
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Data download is available in CSV (for Excel), and HTML preview.
• 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: Private cloud deployment means this is under customer control
• Approach to resilience: Software can be replicated behind a load balancer. Each instance is protected from overload by intrinsic software controls limiting memory use and maximum concurrent requests.
• Outage reporting: Private cloud deployment means this is under customer control

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: No
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Private cloud deployment means this is under customer control
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Management access authentication:
  • Username or password
  • Other
• Description of management access authentication: Listening on separate IP address which can be protected by network level access controls or firewalls.

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
• Software Security Code of Practice: No
• Security governance certified: No
• Security governance approach: We have employees with special interest and expertise in the field of IT security. We consult internally on all security related software matters and externally when necessary.
• Information security policies and processes: We use code audit and review for all security related development. We design in security features from the ground up.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: We use version control, pull requests and code review before deployment and changes.
• Vulnerability management type: Undisclosed
• Vulnerability management approach: Threats to software are assessed at the architectural design phase, and on an ongoing basis as changes are made.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: We deploy all available resources immediately to any security incidents. If there is a risk to customer data, customers are notified as soon as possible after the risk is understood.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Post-quantum cryptography secure: No
• Incident management approach: Users can report incidents to security@cantabular.com. There is no pre-defined process for common events, as incidents are very rare.

Secure development

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

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Pricing

• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: We can offer a trial version of the software to assist in assessing viability for the customer’s data.

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: 7.5%
• Between £2,500,001 and £5,000,000: 12.5%
• Over £5,000,001: 15%

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: No
• ISO 28000:2022 certification: No
• ISO 9001 certification: No
• Quality management systems (QMS): No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: No
• Cyber Essentials Alternative: In relation to the services you do not have a current and valid Cyber Essentials certificate which has been awarded by one of the government approved Cyber Essentials accreditation bodies but you are working towards gaining it, and will be in a position to confirm that you have been awarded a current and valid Cyber Essentials certificate by one of the government approved accreditation bodies within 12 months of the date of award.
• Cyber essentials plus: No
• Cyber Essentials Alternative: In relation to the services you do not have a current and valid Cyber Essentials Plus certificate which has been awarded by one of the government approved Cyber Essentials accreditation bodies but you are working towards gaining it, and will be in a position to confirm that you have been awarded a current and valid Cyber Essentials Plus certificate by one of the government approved accreditation bodies within 12 months of the date of award.
• Other security certifications: No

Social value

• 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
  • Plans to engage the contract workforce in deciding the most important workplace issues to address
  • Ensuring new workers are informed of their right to join a trade union
  • Monitoring of employee engagement rates (by protected characteristic) and, where necessary, the development of actions to ensure all voices are heard across the diversity of the workforce
  • 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
  • Activities to cascade good practice on fair working conditions throughout the supply chain
  • Offer a pay and leave entitlement to all eligible staff who become kinship carers, ideally equivalent to statutory adoption pay and leave
  • Payment of more than the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage (as appropriate) to the contract workforce
  • Monitoring and reporting of gender and ethnicity pay gaps and plans to address them where necessary
  • Entitlement to sick pay for the contract workforce, with provision in place for any staff who do not meet the earnings threshold for statutory sick pay, payment of sick pay from day one of absence and payment of staff on the contract workforce who are off sick a replacement income of 100% of their usual earnings for as long as possible
  • Plans for an appropriate income replacement policy for staff who are required to spend time away from work to care for a sick dependent or close relative
  • Understanding of in-work progression issues affecting 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 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 the contract workforce by providing career advice, and providing opportunities for staff working on the contract with in-work progression career development into known skills shortages or high growth areas
  • Support for educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications
  • Volunteering opportunities for staff
  • Understanding of the modern slavery risks and issues affecting the market, industry, sector or country (of origin or of source) relevant to the contract, and the workforce in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key subcontractors
  • Measures to identify, mitigate and manage modern slavery risks relating to the contract and how these will be implemented
  • 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
  • How these flow down the supply chain and are monitored Illustrative examples include reporting, site visits, audits, etc.
  • How to ensure business decisions re: price/cost, short lead times, payment timescales do not create modern slavery risks in the supply chain
  • How the supplier will work with NGOs, trade unions or other businesses to address modern slavery risk
  • Means of influencing staff, suppliers, customers, communities and/or any other appropriate stakeholders with respect to modern slavery risks relating to the contract

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

  • Understanding of employment and relevant skills issues, and of the education and training issues relating to the contract. Illustrative examples: demographics, skills shortages, new opportunities in high growth sectors, geographic/local community and skills/employment challenges
  • Support for educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications
  • Activities to support relevant sector related skills growth and sustainability in the contract workforce. Illustrative examples: careers talks, curriculum support, literacy support, safety talks and volunteering
  • Delivery of apprenticeships, supported internships and T Level industry placement opportunities (Level 2, 3 and 4+) in relation to the contract

  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

  • Understanding of the types of businesses in the market and the level of participation by new businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, VCSEs and mutuals
  • Activities to identify opportunities to open up sub-contracts under the prime contract to a diverse range of businesses, including new businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, VCSEs and mutuals
  • Plans for engaging a diverse range of businesses in engagement activities prior to appointing subcontractors (including activities prior to award of the main contract and during the contract term)
  • Activities that demonstrate a collaborative way to work with a diverse range of businesses as part of the supply chain
  • Advertising of supply chain opportunities openly and to ensure they are accessible to a diverse range of businesses, including advertising all subcontracting opportunities on Contracts Finder
  • Ensuring accessibility to contracting and subcontracting opportunities for disabled business owners and employees
  • Structuring of the supply chain selection process to ensure fairness (e.g. anti-corruption) and encourages participation by a diverse range of businesses, including with regard to new businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, VCSEs and mutual
  • Understanding of local demographics, needs and opportunities for the co-design of the goods, services and works to be delivered under the contract
  • Methods for engaging with different parts of the community (including the education system and charities representing the community) and how communities come together to inform decisions, strategy and projects to leave a positive legacy for future generations
  • Measures to involve local stakeholders and/or users in design (e.g. in the design of services, systems, products or buildings)
  • Plans for positive actions with community groups.
  • Measures for making facilities used in the delivery of the contract available for community groups, education or training
  • Measures to engage users and communities and build relationships to increase community integration build trust and influence how the contract is delivered
  • Plans to respond flexibly and adapt approaches to community engagement and initiatives
  • Support for community-led initiatives relevant to the contract. Illustrative examples: improving transport links; reducing loneliness; helping with English language proficiency; and facilitating social mixing among people with different backgrounds
  • Collaborating with anchor institutions and community groups to make facilities available for education, training or community events
• 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
  • Collaborative ways of working with the supply chain to deliver additional environmental benefits 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
  • Activities to reconnect people with the environment and increase awareness of ways to protect and enhance it
• 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

  • Understanding of employment and skills issues, and of the skills and employment shortages of high growth sectors relating to the contract
  • Creation of employment opportunities particularly for those who face barriers to employment, such as prison leavers, care leavers and/or who are located in deprived areas, and for people in industries with known skills shortages or in high growth sectors
  • Delivery of training schemes and programmes to address any identified skills gaps and under-representation in the workforce for the contract (e.g. prison leavers, care leavers, kinship carers, disabled people)
  • Advertising, promotional and outreach activities designed to raise awareness of the offer to reach the target cohort
  • Understanding of the issues affecting the representation of disabled people in the workforce in the market, industry or sector relevant to the contract, and in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key sub-contractors
  • Collection of the views and expertise of disabled people and their representative organisations on successfully supporting disabled employees or applicants
  • Inclusive and accessible recruitment practices, and retention-focused activities, including those provided in the Guide for line managers on recruiting, managing and developing people with a disability or health condition
  • Introducing transparency to pay and reward processes
  • Offering a range of quality opportunities with routes of progression if appropriate, e.g. T Level industry placements, students supported into higher level apprenticeships.
  • Working conditions which promote an inclusive working environment and promote retention and progression
  • Other measures to provide equality of opportunity for disabled people and those with health conditions into employment, including becoming a Disability Confident employer and inclusion of supported businesses in the contract supply chain
  • 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
  • Inclusive and accessible development practices, including guidance for line managers on recruiting, managing and developing people with a disability or health condition

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

  • Understanding of the issues affecting the development of new skills by target cohort
  • Understanding of the underlying factors affecting improvements to reduce barriers to entry and training schemes for the target cohort(s) related to the contract workforce
  • 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
  • Understanding of issues relating to entering the contract workforce
  • Creation of outreach activities to create a pipeline of employees for the future contract delivery
  • Content of the outreach activity is designed to suit the target cohort
  • 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
  • Understanding barriers to access to health and social care services or employment opportunities e.g. digital inclusion
  • Inclusive and accessible recruitment practices, development practices and retention policies that support-focused activities including those provided in the Guide for line managers on recruiting, managing and developing which support people with a disability or health condition
  • Actions to invest in the physical and mental health and wellbeing of 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 aine@cantabular.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.