Answers and Solutions ltd

Collaborative Working and Remote Working

A cloud based application enabling remote working by teams on shared documents and team goals when it is essential that duplicate versions of key documentation is avoided. Ensuring that teams can work as effectively with part-time home working or other remote working practices compared to requiring all work at HeadOffice

Features

• Remote Working is now an essential part of doing business

Benefits

• Remote Working is now an essential part of doing business

£200 a person a quarter

• 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 Christopher.Wainwright@letsdiscuss.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

337351225836363

Contact

Christopher Wainwright
02920733722
Christopher.Wainwright@letsdiscuss.co.uk

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: Yes
• What software services is the service an extension to: Cloud hosting services. You will need to purchase our hosting service to use this solution.
• Cloud deployment model:
  • Private cloud
  • Community cloud
• Service constraints: The software is highly configurable. For all practical purposes, you are unlikely to be constrained by it.
• System requirements: We offer this ready for use in our hosted environment

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support response times: Usually within a few hours, but our SLA will be 48hrs
• 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 shall produce a base system setup. Onsite training may be required.; ; Please see the Service Leaflet.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Onsite training and consultancy. Our aim is to get you users realizing all the value for your organization that this system can deliver. Work is available;le at SFIA rate card rates
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: The data is stored in an open source database and as discrete files. The software is available in the market place and the buyer could continue to use it after contract exit. The customer will obviously be taking over full GDPR responsibilities when we migrate the data.
• End-of-contract process: We will work with you and your new supplier to migrate the data. If you wanted, we could migrate it to a service managed / using equipment run via Crown Commercial Services. There is no locking whatsoever.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
• Application to install: Yes
• Compatible operating systems: Windows
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: The software is responsive to which type of device is being used.
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 A
• Description of service interface: Fully Accessible via the Internet Browser in use.
• Accessibility standards: WCAG 2.1 A
• Accessibility testing: Informally meets WCAG 2.1A - Most people seem to access the system form a phone so many aspects of the standard don't apply.; ; On a PC this Works well with keyboard and mouse input.
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: It is unlikely that you will need to obtain any bespoke software programming. However, it is available at SFIA rates. The work needs to be scoped and assessed first.
• API documentation: No
• API sandbox or test environment: Yes
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: Where customization means configuration alterations, although many features are alterable, we shall deliver it with optimal settings already made. Further setup can be undertaken at SFIA rate card rates.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: The software will be hosted on servers that we own and operate. These can scale out significantly, and additional servers will be added when the need arises.; ; Our company policy is to over-provision, not under provision.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: The metrics would be the underlying metrics from the hosting platform.
• Reporting types: Reports on request

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Conforms to BS7858:2019
• Government security clearance: Up to Security Clearance (SC)

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations:
  • United Kingdom
  • European Economic Area (EEA)
• User control over data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Datacentre security standards: Complies with a recognised standard (for example CSA CCM version 3.0)
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: In-house
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Physical access control, complying with CSA CCM v3.0
  • Scale, obfuscating techniques, or data storage sharding
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type:
  • Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
  • Deleted data can’t be directly accessed
• Equipment disposal approach: In-house destruction process

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: The data is held in a MySQL format. There are numerous 3rd party tools available for extracting / manipulating MySQL data.
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • ODF
  • Other
• Other data export formats: Excel
• Data import formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data import formats: Data import from ebay is possible

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: We aim for 99.9% availability. In the event of an unplanned outage of one or more hours being notified we will provide a week of free operation.; ; Pre-notified outages do not qualify for refunds since we will liaise with the customer and choose a time mutually acceptable. Planned works are rare, and will be scheduled for out of hours.
• Approach to resilience: This is available on request
• Outage reporting: A public dashboard

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • Username or password
  • Other
• Other user authentication: A single Sign on service is available which provides a very secure authentication service.; ; By default, we use a username and password system, the other methods are on review. The single sign on service carries a small cost (£22/Yr/user). This service can be extended to prevent logon from unknown devices or unknown buildings and locations, or even at unusual times.
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Management interfaces are provided in our cloud hosting document
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Management access authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Username or password
  • Other
• Description of management access authentication: A single Sign on service is available which provides a very secure authentication service. By default, we use a username and password system, the other methods are on review. The single sign on service carries a small cost (£22/Yr/user). This service can be extended to prevent logon from unknown devices or unknown buildings and locations, or even at unusual times.

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: Between 6 months and 12 months
• Access to supplier activity audit information: You control when users can access audit information
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: Between 6 months and 12 months
• How long system logs are stored for: Between 6 months and 12 months

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: No
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: Yes
• Who accredited the PCI DSS certification: WorldPay
• PCI DSS accreditation date: 31/10/2019
• What the PCI DSS doesn’t cover: TBC
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: No
• Other security certifications: No

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: Yes
• Security governance standards: CSA CCM version 3.0
• Information security policies and processes: In house IT processes are used

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: We use the ITiL Configuration and Change management appraoch
• Vulnerability management type: Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Vulnerability management approach: Vulnerabilities are assessed using services from companies specializing in this field. These are highly effective, and high cost, subscription services and tools that we use. We also carry out Pen-Testing using this approach which helps with Vulnerability identification.; ; We deploy patches on release by the various parties who maintain the software we use for our systems.
• Protective monitoring type: Undisclosed
• Protective monitoring approach: These details are not released on publicly available locations for security reasons. They can of course be discussed during a consultation.
• Incident management type: Undisclosed
• Incident management approach: These details are not released on publicly available locations for security reasons. They can of course be discussed during a consultation.

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:
  • We can arrange to connect to some Public Sector networks.
  • This entails work at SFIA rates. This has not been
  • Delivered previously and so would be a specific arrangement.

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

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

  Fighting climate change

  Our services help climate change by reducing and where appropriate, reducing or even eliminating the volume of home-office commuting necessary. Our data-centres are powered by suppliers who use renewable energy.

  Covid-19 recovery

  Large in-person meetings by people traveling long distances carries a high risk of spreading Covid-19. Through digital communications, our services are helping towards the recovery through reducing mixing between widely spaced geographical locations.

  Tackling economic inequality

  We encourage our staff to do pro-bono work for UK-based charities because it allows them to assume high levels of responsibility and thus gain experience not easily obtained in a high-consequence workplace. Staff who are undertaking such activities are still paid a salary; this has multiple benefits. It benefits the people who use the services of the charity being supported. It also benefits the individual who can strengthen their skills in a safe environment.; ; We also employ people in the regions of the UK still affected by the post-industrial economies. We are able to redistribute economic activity and thus enhance the economic well-being of people in these economically disadvantaged areas.; ; We actively look for SME sized organisations when seeking suppliers and sub-contractors because they offer better value for money, and are usually staffed by highly motivated individuals. Contracts awarded to Answers and Solutions will help the UK Government in its drive towards its leveling up agenda.

  Equal opportunity

  Answers and Solutions are committed to equal opportunities and do not discriminate in any way. We provide opportunities for people whose family commitments make it easier for them to fit their work duties around family duties through not prescribing fixed working hours; we work to goals achieved and not the number of hours spent watching the clock. We allow staff to take extended time off during school holidays or when other caring duties require that.

  Wellbeing

  Self-fulfilled individuals will always make good employees, good employees make for conscientious staff, and that is always good for a Buyer.; ; We encourage al of our staff to develop their skills and stretch their abilities. We encourage our staff to do pro-bono work for UK based charities because it allows them to assume high levels of responsibility and thus gain experience not easily obtained in a high-consequence workplace. We pay our staff while they do such work.

Pricing

• Price: £200 a person a quarter
• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: We offer a free demonstration system. We reset this from time to time.; ; The demonstration is more than adequate for testing and evaluation. We don't include staff training during the evaluation stage. You should not load live data into the system since we will not be able to migrate it.
• Link to free trial: Provided On Request

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 Christopher.Wainwright@letsdiscuss.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.