BLUESMITH INFORMATION SYSTEMS LTD

Integration Services

This service provides expert support and assistance with all aspects of integrating legacy systems with your cloud-based applications. From current-state analysis through design, implementation, testing and go-live, we'll help build the necessary interfaces, assist with data migration and establish on-going operations to ensure legacy system interoperate with cloud-based applications.

Features

• Avoid costly replacement costs of legacy systems
• Enables stepwise incremental replacement of your existing IT estate
• Both private and public cloud infrastructures are supported
• Dedicated Account Manager to provide single point of contact
• Delivery from our Leeds location or any UK customer premises
• Access to our experience of legacy integration in heterogeneous environments
• Consultancy and support through design, build, test, cutover and go-live
• Deep expertise with integration technologies like Javascript and Powershell
• Browser and Mobile enablement of existing systems
• Significant experience of Python and Node.js to enable systems integration

Benefits

• Retain proven legacy systems for back-end functions
• Avoid 'big bang' root and branch IT estate changes
• Exploit economies from scalable cloud-architectures
• Incremental integration de-risks change programmes
• Enables exploitation of Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform
• Enables exploitation of the Microsoft Azure platform
• Enables exploitation of Software as a Service (SaaS) based architectures
• Quality is assured through architecture, development and testing by experts
• Integration with related legacy brown-field site systems can be achieved
• Browser and Mobile access to legacy server-based systems

£435.00 to £835.00 a unit a day

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

Framework

G-Cloud 13

Service ID

303055620514746

Contact

Rich Smith
01138313131
projects@bluesmithis.com

Planning

• Planning service: Yes
• How the planning service works: Planning is undertaken by the dedicated Project Manager who is assigned to the project. They work in close consultation with the client and their key technical staff to develop the key elements of the plan. ; ; Initial consideration is given to the type of project being undertaken: Lift and Shift, Consumption of existing PaaS and SaaS services or Re-architecting for the Cloud. Based on these approaches, key outcomes and success criteria are identified against which the projects can be measured.; ; Most of the projects we undertake are run utilising agile development principles, typically over a series of two weekly sprints. During the initial Sprint 0, a backlog of tasks is generated in close consultation with the Product Owner. These tasks are then sized using a basic ‘T’ shirt sizing approach – small, medium and large and estimated timings applied to give an overall estimate of the project duration. ; ; Each sprint is preceded by a planning session in which tasks from the remaining backlog are identified as appropriate for inclusion in the next sprint. A MoSCoW approach to prioritising tasks is taken to identify which tasks are to be included. Progress / burn rate is monitored closely by the project manager.
• Planning service works with specific services: Yes
• Hosting or software services the planning service works with:
  • Azure
  • AWS

Training

• Training service provided: Yes
• How the training service works: Although we don’t view ourselves as a training company, being good at training our own staff is fundamental to the way we operate. People are our only assets, so we have taken a great deal of time to develop our training approach to yield the best possible results. ; ; Within our organisations we have two tried and tested training pathways. The first for Software Engineers and the second for Data Engineers. Each pathway is made up of a series of assisted self-learning modules that guide an individual from the basics to fundamentals of their chosen engineering discipline. Their training is supported by a dedicated mentor and training manager who supports them throughout the course. ; ; We don’t market these training modules independently but many of our clients have taken advantage of these training courses. Client’s staff have attended our offices to undertake selected training modules in support of the projects on which we are working with them.
• Training is tied to specific services: Yes
• Services the training service works with:
  • Azure
  • AWS

Setup and migration

• Setup or migration service available: Yes
• How the setup or migration service works: Setup and Migration work also take place alongside the planning activities in Sprint 0. In this sprint we aim to establish the key technical and governance elements required to undertake the project.; ; Technical Setup includes tasks such as: Setup of user ids, spin up of environments, establishing and proving connections between systems and via firewalls, agreement and development of the deployment approaches, setup of testing frameworks etc.; ; Governance Setup includes agreeing timings of Huddles, Sprint Planning Sessions, Retrospectives, Status Reporting and Project Review Meetings etc.; ; A key element of most projects during this stage is to establish the overall approach to security and information management. Consequently, we aim to engage with the client’s Information and Data Security teams at the earliest possibility to ensure all decisions are aligned with the client’s required practices.; ; Migration projects also require specific considerations around the timing and approach to migration. Here decisions need to be made around whether the approach will be staged or ‘big bang’, the length of parallel running - if this is possible, as well as the validation approach to ensure the migration has been successful.
• Setup or migration service is for specific cloud services: Yes
• List of supported services:
  • Azure
  • AWS

Quality assurance and performance testing

• Quality assurance and performance testing service: Yes
• How the quality assurance and performance testing works: Ensuring high quality is at the heart of everything we do. To achieve this, we have a comprehensive set of standards for nearly everything, and everyone in the company is trained to operate to those standards.; ; Quality Assurance is achieved though comprehensive peer review processes aligned to an approach to utilise automated testing wherever practical. We make significant use of tools with built-in test frameworks to ensure regression testing becomes a continuous process and we look to build reusable pipelines that not only speed up development times but minimise the volume of code that needs testing. ; ; Performance Testing is major discipline in its own right. Projects would typically establish a set of Non-functional requirements for performance at the beginning of the project. At key points in the deployment of the project, testing would take place to see how well the system performed against those requirements. Tests undertaken usually involve Load, Stress, Spike, Soak and Volume, with mitigations then being devised for any tests that did not come up to scratch.; ; It is usually also necessary within the context of Performance Testing to undertake additional tests that measure the endurance of the system i.e. tests covering: Recovery, Failure and Resilience.

Security testing

• Security services: No

Ongoing support

• Ongoing support service: Yes
• Types of service supported:
  • Buyer hosting or software
  • Hosting or software provided by a third-party organisation
• How the support service works: Ongoing support is usually provided as part of initial warranty service just after go-live often while we are still engaged in on-going development phases or as a separated negotiated call off support service after we have completed an assignment. ; ; Support levels up to 24 by 7 can be agreed per order in line with customer needs, with initial response times as low as one hour, during support availability periods. Full incident escalation processes are available. Support is available via the following channels – online, service desk, on-site, phone and email.; ; In many cases this support includes incremental enhancement to include new features, and integration with new and replacement systems. Support is delivered primarily remotely from our Leeds location supplemented by a part-time on-site presence at any UK customer premises as dictated by the agreed service level.

Service scope

• Service constraints: None

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Support levels up to 24 by 7 can be agreed per order in line with customer needs, with initial response times as low as one hour, during support availability periods. Full incident escalation processes are available. Support is available via the following channels – online, service desk, on-site, phone and email.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: No
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), 7 days a week
• Web chat support: No
• Support levels: Support levels up to 24 by 7 can be agreed per order in line with customer needs, with initial response times as low as one hour, during support availability periods. Full incident escalation processes are available. Support is available via the following channels – online, service desk, on-site, phone and email.

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

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

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: No

Social Value

• Fighting climate change:

  Fighting climate change

  We continue to vigorously pursue our carbon reduction policies, with a published Carbon Reduction plan on our website. Our move towards hybrid working in recent times and promotion of car sharing and public transport plans reduces staff vehicle emissions when we do commute to our offices.
• Covid-19 recovery:

  Covid-19 recovery

  We have been able to retain full employment and activity throughout the pandemic. We have supported employees with their working from home arrangements with extra equipment and additional work-related support, with a focus on preventing loneliness and looking out for those whose mental health might be suffering. We have conversely also supported colleagues who needed to get back to a good working environment at the office, when the office wasn’t necessarily fully open, once government restrictions allowed us to do so.
• Tackling economic inequality:

  Tackling economic inequality

  We continue to grow our business, acquiring further premises and hiring more staff. As an employee owned business, every employee is able to be rewarded in the success and profits of the company rather than just a few director/owners as most SMEs would operate.
• Equal opportunity:

  Equal opportunity

  We are strong advocates of equal opportunities. A good example of this is our flat hierarchy approach to career management and project delivery. Everyone at Bluesmith is a technical specialist, with a level of experience and skillset that makes them suitable for a variety of roles on a variety of projects. This means we can offer equal opportunities to staff when resourcing projects and roles without being hindered by a rigid HR/team hierarchy where tiering, banding, job titles and scales get in the way. We have also recently invited an external speaker to deliver a company-wide session on diversity, inclusion and equality, exploring in workshop form, topics such as unconscious bias and different types of diversity.
• Wellbeing:

  Wellbeing

  The quality of the working environment and the wellbeing of staff is at the heart of the Bluesmith culture. We have a dedicated Mental Health and Wellbeing Facilitator who curates and shares ideas and tasks to help maintain and improve mental health and wellbeing at Bluesmith. We recently had a few employees undertake mental health first aider training, and the learnings were then shared at a company-wide lunch and learn session around mental health. The facilitator is currently investigating Employee Assistance Programs which can be used to promote good mental health and wellbeing in a work environment and can offer additional support above the fantastic support network we already have in place.

Pricing

• Price: £435.00 to £835.00 a unit a day
• Discount for educational organisations: Yes

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