Creative Networks

Microsoft Power Bi Design and Implementation

Design and implement Microsoft Power BI solutions to enable organisations to analyse data, create reports, and interactive dashboards. It empowers decision-makers with insights for informed choices, enhancing business outcomes through data-driven decision-making.

Features

• Visualise data interactively for effective analysis.
• Connect to diverse data sources for comprehensive analysis.
• Utilise advanced analytics for deeper insights.
• Access real-time data for swift decision-making.
• View reports on-the-go with mobile access.
• Ensure data security with encryption and role-based access.
• Query data with natural language for instant insights.
• Collaborate on insights in real-time.
• Integrate seamlessly with Microsoft and third-party services.
• Scale solutions to meet growing business needs.

Benefits

• Visualize data for actionable insights.
• Decide faster with real-time data access.
• Collaborate seamlessly for better decisions.
• Enhance decisions with advanced analytics.
• Access insights anytime, anywhere.
• Boost efficiency with self-service analytics.
• Ensure data security and compliance.
• Instant answers with natural language queries.
• Scale analytics solutions as you grow.
• Stay ahead with continuous innovation.

£360.00 to £2,550.00 a unit

• 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 aj@creative-n.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

544345170055874

Contact

Azeem Javed
03303337337
aj@creative-n.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: Microsoft Power BI seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Azure, Excel, SharePoint, and Dynamics 365. It also connects with Salesforce, Google Analytics, SAP, Oracle, Tableau, and various third-party applications, enabling comprehensive data analysis and reporting across multiple platforms and services.
• Cloud deployment model: Public cloud
• Service constraints: Buyers considering Microsoft Power BI should note constraints like dataset size and refresh rate limits based on license types. Additionally, occasional service downtime for maintenance or unforeseen issues may occur, while some advanced features require higher-tier licenses or additional fees. Users should review their specific requirements and licensing options to ensure alignment with their needs and budget.
• System requirements: No specific software licenses or anti-virus needed for virtual machines.

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Support response times - 08:30 - 18:00 Weekdays, excluding Bank Holidays. Out of hours support available where necessary. 30 minutes to 8 hour response dependent on priority call, P1 - 30 mins, P2 - 1 hour, P3 - 4 hours, and P4 - 8 hours.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: Yes
• Online ticketing support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 A
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support: Web chat
• Web chat support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support accessibility standard: WCAG 2.1 A
• Web chat accessibility testing: We have not conducted any testing of web chat accessibility with users employing assistive technology.
• Onsite support: Onsite support
• Support levels: End-user training can be provided at an ad hoc cost. We provide a UK based Service Desk for support. Out of hours support is available. Our helpdesk is made up of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Line technical expertise. A Technical Account Manager will be assigned as standard as a part of our standard and premium IT Support, see our pricing schedule and SFIA Rate Card for details.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: We assist users in adopting the service through a variety of resources tailored to their needs. Our user documentation offers step-by-step guides, FAQs, and troubleshooting tips for independent learning. Additionally, we provide interactive online training sessions and webinars led by experienced instructors to guide users through setup and configuration processes effectively. For those preferring personalised assistance, optional onsite training sessions can be arranged to address specific organisational requirements. Our dedicated technical support team is readily available to assist users with any inquiries or challenges they may encounter, offering prompt resolution via email, phone, or online chat. With these resources and support channels in place, we aim to ensure a smooth onboarding experience and empower users to harness the full capabilities of the service for their communication needs.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats: PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: Exported upon request. Contact the Support Helpdesk or Technical Account Manager.
• End-of-contract process: At the end of the contract services will continue on a rolling 30 day agreement until either party serves notice. If it is decided the client will exit, Creative Networks will assist in transitioning and migration of services ensuring continuity and a smooth handover. We will, where applicable deliver an Exit Plan which sets out the proposed methodology for achieving an orderly transition of Services on the expiry or termination of the contract. The Exit Plan will contain at minimum: Separate mechanisms for dealing with Ordinary Exit and Emergency Exit. The management structure to be employed during both transfer and cessation of the services and a detailed description of both the transfer and cessation processes, including a timetable. Document how the Services will transfer including details of the processes, documentation, data transfer, systems migration, security and the segregation of technology components. Specify the scope of the Termination Services that may be required and any charges that would be payable for the provision of such Termination Services and detail how such services would be provided. Provide a timetable and identify critical issues and set out the management structure to be put in place and employed during the Termination Assistance Period.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Opera
• Application to install: Yes
• Compatible operating systems:
  • Android
  • IOS
  • MacOS
  • Windows
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: The desktop version of Microsoft Power BI emphasises report creation and editing, offering extensive features for data modelling and visualization. In contrast, the mobile version prioritises viewing and interacting with reports and dashboards on-the-go, with a simplified interface and limited editing capabilities. While both versions support interactivity and data exploration, the mobile version may have constraints on connectivity and manipulation. Additionally, mobile users can download reports for offline access, a feature not available in the desktop version. Overall, each version is optimised for its respective platform, providing users with flexibility in accessing and analysing data.
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: None or don’t know
• Description of service interface: Microsoft Power BI provides a service interface through its web-based application. This interface allows users to access and interact with reports, dashboards, datasets, and other features of Power BI. Users can create, edit, and share content, as well as perform administrative tasks such as managing user access and permissions. Additionally, the service interface includes features for data modelling, query editing, and data preparation. Overall, the service interface serves as the primary means for users to leverage the capabilities of Power BI in a web browser.
• Accessibility standards: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• Accessibility testing: Creative Networks have not conducted any interface testing with users of assistive technology.
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: The Microsoft Power BI API empowers users to automate setup tasks such as creating workspaces, importing datasets, and publishing reports. Changes to the Power BI environment, including managing workspaces, datasets, reports, and dashboards, can be made programmatically. However, users must authenticate their requests using Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) authentication and adhere to rate limits imposed by the API to prevent abuse. While the API offers extensive capabilities, not all features of the Power BI service are accessible, and certain administrative tasks may still require manual intervention through the web interface. Additionally, users should possess a certain level of technical proficiency in programming and RESTful API concepts to effectively utilise the API. Despite its power, users should be mindful of its complexities and limitations, ensuring their implementations align with the API's capabilities and constraints.
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats: PDF
• API sandbox or test environment: Yes
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: Buyers can customise Microsoft Power BI extensively by creating tailored reports, data models, and integrating external systems. They can develop custom visualizations, embed content into applications, and apply white-labelling for branding, ensuring alignment with unique business needs and maximising data analytics capabilities.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Microsoft ensures user experience in Power BI by employing scalable infrastructure, resource isolation, continuous performance monitoring, and adherence to service level agreements. These measures prevent user experience degradation during peak demand periods, ensuring consistent reliability and performance.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Microsoft Power BI provides service usage metrics to help users monitor and analyse the usage of their Power BI environment. These metrics include information such as the number of users accessing reports and dashboards, the frequency of data refreshes, resource consumption, and performance metrics. Additionally, Power BI offers usage analytics and insights through its administrative portal, allowing organisations to track adoption, identify usage patterns, and optimise their Power BI deployments for maximum effectiveness.
• Reporting types: Reports on request

Resellers

• Supplier type: Reseller providing extra features and support
• Organisation whose services are being resold: Microsoft

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Conforms to BS7858:2019
• Government security clearance: Up to Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

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: Less than once a year
• Penetration testing approach: Another external penetration testing organisation
• Protecting data at rest: Physical access control, complying with another standard
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type:
  • Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
  • Deleted data can’t be directly accessed
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Users export data from Microsoft Power BI by exporting to Excel or CSV, publishing to PowerPoint or the web, and printing reports. These options enable sharing and distributing insights derived from Power BI analyses to stakeholders.
• 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: Microsoft Power BI guarantees a high level of availability through its service level agreements (SLAs). Power BI offers a 99.9% uptime SLA for Power BI Premium and Power BI Pro users.
• Approach to resilience: Microsoft Power BI is designed for resilience, leveraging redundant infrastructure, data replication, automatic failover, continuous monitoring, and disaster recovery mechanisms. Built on Microsoft Azure, it ensures high availability and reliability, with proactive monitoring and failover to minimise downtime and maintain service continuity, even during unforeseen events.
• Outage reporting: Email alerts

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication: Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Supplier defined controls.
• Access restriction testing frequency: Less than once a year
• Management access authentication: Username or password

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: Less than 1 month
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: Less than 1 month
• How long system logs are stored for: Less than 1 month

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: UKAS
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 24/10/2022
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: Areas not covered by ISO/IEC 27001 certification include specific business processes unrelated to information security, certain third-party services or suppliers, or compliance with other industry-specific regulations.
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Other security certifications: No

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: Organisations adhering to ISO 27001 establish robust information security practices. They develop policies aligned with ISO 27001 requirements, covering areas like access control, data protection, and incident response. Through risk assessments, they identify and prioritise security risks, implementing controls to mitigate them. Employees receive training on security policies and procedures to enhance awareness and compliance. Monitoring and review processes ensure the effectiveness of security controls, with regular audits and assessments conducted. A designated individual or team oversees the implementation and maintenance of the Information Security Management System (ISMS), reporting to senior management or the board. To ensure policy adherence, organisations employ various mechanisms such as audits, reviews, and ongoing monitoring. Non-compliance issues prompt corrective actions and improvements to the ISMS. By following these practices, organisations demonstrate their commitment to information security and continuously strive to enhance their security posture in line with ISO 27001 standards.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: Creative Network's have in place a Change Management Process that follows the ISO 20000 Standard. A change is proposed with the Change Manager and then added to the Changes-overview. The change is scheduled to be executed and a roll back plan is created (if necessary). Rollback is actioned immediately upon confirmation as per following the rollback matrix, resources are freed and announcements are published. Periodically, the overview of archived changes is checked.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: Creative Network's have a Vulnerability Management process that implements the following: Receives information about zero day threats from the National Cyber Security Center; Subscribe to newsletters from vendors and used products, in contact with special interest groups; Technical vulnerabilities are handled either using the Incident management process or the Change management process; Patches are tested following the Installation of software on operational systems.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: All devices have a monitoring agent on them which can identify potential issues and report back to our service desk. If an issue is identified we have an internal 4 hour SLA to ensure remedial actions are carried asap, the seriousness of an incident will be assessed on discovery so that any priority issues can be responded to quickly. We have multiple alert systems in place and monitor them constantly. We exclusively use Linux for phone system hosting. We automatically patch daily as and when required.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Fully developed Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery management process developed in line with ISO 22301. Creative Network's have a pre-defined Incident Management Process in place where by an incident is reported with the Incident Manager and then added to the Incidents-overview. After which, relevant log files (from all systems affected) and evidence is gathered. The incident is corrected by implementing a patch, temporary fix or workaround. It is determine whether future occurrences of the incident can be prevented, e.g. by modifying/strengthening one or more controls. Periodically, the overview of archived incidents is checked for apparent trends and effectivity of corrections.

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)

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Covid-19 recovery
  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Covid-19 recovery

  Power BI helps organisations adapt to remote work and changing business environments by providing powerful data analytics and visualization tools. It enables businesses to quickly analyse Covid-19-related data, track key metrics, and make informed decisions to navigate through recovery phases effectively.

  Tackling economic inequality

  Power BI democratises data analytics by offering affordable, scalable solutions accessible to organisations of all sizes. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and non-profits can leverage Power BI to analyse their data, gain insights, and drive business growth, levelling the playing field in the competitive business landscape.

  Equal opportunity

  Power BI's user-friendly interface and extensive documentation make it accessible to users with varying levels of technical expertise. By providing training resources and support, Power BI empowers individuals from diverse backgrounds to develop data analytics skills and pursue opportunities in the rapidly growing field of data science and business intelligence.

  Wellbeing

  Power BI helps organisations monitor and improve employee wellbeing by enabling data-driven decision-making in areas such as workforce management, employee engagement, and health and safety initiatives. By analysing data on factors like workload, job satisfaction, and workplace conditions, organisations can identify areas for improvement and implement strategies to enhance employee wellbeing and satisfaction.

Pricing

• Price: £360.00 to £2,550.00 a unit
• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: Microsoft Power BI Desktop is a free standalone application for Windows. It includes data visualization and modelling tools but lacks cloud-based sharing, scheduled refresh, and advanced analytics. There's no time limit for usage, but users may access additional features with a 60-day Power BI Pro 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 aj@creative-n.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.