GLOBAL 4 COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED

Cloud Connectivity by Global 4

The service provides the ability to scale bandwidth into Multiple Cloud Providers such as Azure, AWS and Google based on fully monitored and supported infrastructure. Automatically and quickly integrates all the services and features your cloud needs into a ready-made platform for you to use.

Features

• Managed Service
• 24/7 monitoring
• Flexible and dedicated bandwidth
• Safe and Secure access
• Fast, secure data transfer to public cloud
• Protects business continuity
• Slicker operations and improved customer experience

Benefits

• Reduces complexity
• Improves lead time to adopting cloud services
• Reduces risk
• Reduces operational costs
• Improves performance of cloud services
• Increases productivity
• Improves resiliency

£0.01 an instance a minute

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 james.routledge@global4.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

248657459931143

Contact

James Routledge
01403272910
james.routledge@global4.co.uk

Service scope

• Service constraints: Customers need connectivity into Global 4 core.
• System requirements: Internet connection

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: 15 minute response time
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: Yes
• Online ticketing support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support: No
• Onsite support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support levels: Global 4 provides reasonable endeavours to achieve maximum service availability as standard for Cloud Connectivity services. This is underpinned by a 24 hour service desk with a 5 hour fix time for all service affecting faults. In the unlikely event that we are not to meet our service commitments then service credits are available.
• Support available to third parties: No

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: As this service is a fully managed end-to-end cloud access solution, there are no training requirements to address. That being said, Global 4 can provide expertise in optimising the Cloud deployment as an additional service.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • ODF
• End-of-contract data extraction: The Service provides Data Transit only, therefore no Data is stored that would require extraction at the end of contract.
• End-of-contract process: Off-boarding is carried out by our Service Management team and transition, termination and service closure can be determined upon request.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: No
• API: No
• Command line interface: No

Scaling

• Scaling available: No
• Independence of resources: It is a cloud hosted voice solution that is hosted in multiple datacentres with resilient access.
• Usage notifications: No

Analytics

• Infrastructure or application metrics: No

Resellers

• Supplier type: Reseller providing extra features and support
• Organisation whose services are being resold: AWS, Azure and Google

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
• User control over data storage and processing locations: No
• Datacentre security standards: Supplier-defined controls
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: Another external penetration testing organisation
• Protecting data at rest: Encryption of all physical media
• Data sanitisation process: No
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service

Backup and recovery

• Backup and recovery: No

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks: Private network or public sector network
• Data protection within supplier network:
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • IPsec or TLS VPN gateway
  • Legacy SSL and TLS (under version 1.2)

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: SLA of 99.9% is based on those AWS currently provides for the underpinning services. Due to the rapidly evolving nature of AWS’s product offerings, SLAs are best reviewed directly on our website via the links below: • Amazon EC2 SLA: http://aws.amazon.com/ec2-sla/ • Amazon S3 SLA: http://aws.amazon.com/s3-sla • Amazon CloudFront SLA: http://aws.amazon.com/cloudfront/sla/ • Amazon Route 53 SLA: http://aws.amazon.com/route53/sla/ • Amazon RDS SLA: http://aws.amazon.com/rds-sla/ • AWS Shield Advanced SLA: https://aws.amazon.com/shield/sla/ Well-architected solutions on AWS that leverage AWS Service SLA’s and unique AWS capabilities such as multiple Availability Zones, can ease the burden of achieving specific SLA requirements
• Approach to resilience: The Global 4 Business Continuity plan details the process that Global 4 follows in the case of an outage, from detection to resolution. Global 4 aligns its process with AWS’s three-phased approach: Activation and Notification Phase, Recovery Phase, and Reconstitution Phase. This approach ensures that AWS performs system recovery and reconstitution efforts in a methodical sequence, maximising the effectiveness of the recovery and reconstitution efforts and minimising system outage time due to errors and omissions. AWS, for example, maintains a ubiquitous security control environment across all regions. Each data centre is built to physical, environmental, and security standards in an active-active configuration, employing an n+1 redundancy model, ensuring system availability in the event of component failure. Components (N) have at least one independent backup component. All data centres are online and serving traffic. In case of failure, there is sufficient capacity to enable traffic to be load-balanced to the remaining sites. Global 4 is responsible for implementing contingency planning, training and testing for the solution. Global 4 has implemented a robust continuity plan, including the utilisation of frequent server instance back-ups, data redundancy replication, and the flexibility to place instances and store data across multiple Availability Zones.
• Outage reporting: Email alerts

Identity and authentication

• User authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: The measures implemented in order to manage and restrict access can be divided into six sub-categories: 1) Physical Access Control; 2) Logical Access Control; 3) Access Administration; 4) Authentication and Authorisation; 5) Data Access Control; 6) Data Transfer.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Management access authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Username or password
• Devices users manage the service through: Dedicated device on a segregated network (providers own provision)

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: You control when users can access audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: User-defined
• Access to supplier activity audit information: You control when users can access 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: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: United Registrar of Systems
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 14/06/2021
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: The Registered Scope is as follows: Information security management system for the delivery of communications and associated technologies, products and services provided by the Group.
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: Yes
• Who accredited the PCI DSS certification: NCC Group
• PCI DSS accreditation date: 14/05/2021
• What the PCI DSS doesn’t cover: Our certification covers requirements 9 &12 for our Reading and Global Switch data centres and our HMRC Autopayments service. PCI DSS compliance is designed, built and assessed on a service by service basis. Global 4 is experienced in providing consultancy to help customers to design and deliver PCI DSS compliant solutions on cloud platforms.
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Other security certifications: Yes
• Any other security certifications:
  • ISO27018
  • PSN
  • ISO20000
  • ISO27017
  • CISPE Code of Conduct Certification

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: Global 4's approach to Security forms part of our overall Integrated Business Systems Management scheme. The Company Secretary is responsible at Board level for Information Security and ensuring that our ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation is maintained and enforced.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Configuration and change management approach: Conforms to ISO20000-1, ISO27001 and SSAE-18.
• Vulnerability management type: Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Vulnerability management approach: Conforms to SSAE18 and ISO27001.
• Protective monitoring type: Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Protective monitoring approach: Conforms to ISO27001.
• Incident management type: Conforms to a recognised standard, for example, CSA CCM v3.0 or ISO/IEC 27035:2011 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Incident management approach: Conforms to SSAE18, ISO20000-1 & ISO27001

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 v3.0)

Separation between users

• Virtualisation technology used to keep applications and users sharing the same infrastructure apart: Yes
• Who implements virtualisation: Supplier
• Virtualisation technologies used: VMware
• How shared infrastructure is kept separate: Each organisation is set up using an independent virtual circuit

Energy efficiency

• Energy-efficient datacentres: Yes
• Description of energy efficient datacentres: Comply via BCS recommendations.

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Covid-19 recovery
  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Fighting climate change

  Global 4 operates a paperless office and supports flexible working to minimise travel, which impacts the environment. Where possible, meetings are held virtually using either 8x8's video conferencing system or Microsoft Teams, which Global 4 have an integration into using 8x8. There are recycling bins across the office and this is actively encouraged across the business. Global 4 has recently renewed its company fleet with vehicles offering a lower CO2 emissions value than the previous mark.

  Covid-19 recovery

  Global 4 operated a strict working from home policy during the pandemic, whilst maintaining an operational workforce with minimal use of the furlough scheme. Coming back into the office, Global 4 implemented a one-way system across the office with social distancing, antibacterial gels and dispensers, face masks were obligatory and a camera over the entry to the building alerted if someone wasn't wearing a mask or had a high temperature. We also took measures to ensure staff tested twice per week and submitted their results on our HR platform, isolating and working from home (assuming well enough) in the event of a positive result. Global 4 also supported Clients with free periods of rental during the difficult times. Thanks to its success, Global 4 has been growing and offering employment to support the increase in its workforce, and actively enrols its staff on apprenticeship courses to nurture their growth.

  Tackling economic inequality

  Global 4 actively and regularly interrogates its supply chain to position itself to deliver the best products in the marketplace at the keenest commercials, represented by its accolade of Platinum Partner of 8x8, one of three in the country. We have created employment through the growth of the workforce and success of the business, actively enrolling staff onto apprenticeships to nurture their growth.

  Equal opportunity

  Global 4 are an equal opportunities employer, who employ staff across multiple ethnicities and without any judgment.; Wellbeing

  Wellbeing

  Global 4 subscribe to BUPA's mental health service and actively encourage its staff to use the service at no cost. All management will perform a monthly one-to-one with their respective team members and the dedicated HR team have weekly check ups with new starters whilst they are getting settled into the organisation.

Pricing

• Price: £0.01 an instance a minute
• Discount for educational organisations: No
• 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 james.routledge@global4.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.