Visionist

Continuous Network Assessment - IoT Performance Monitor

Online user experience monitoring. It uses IoT sensors to emulate user
activity and report on performance and availability of online services, including WiFi, Cloud Apps, DNS, etc. Additionally, it discovers the network elements in the path, giving you end-to-end visibility of your IT service chain.

Features

• 24/7 availability and performance monitoring of business-critical applications
• Fast integration with no change required to existing infrastructure
• Private Cloud, Public Cloud and Hybrid delivery models
• Retention of results for historical reference and trend analysis
• Dashboard customisation to provide the best fit for your services

Benefits

• Holistic view of IT infrastructure and business-critical applications
• Provide performance of your IT services from user perspective
• Identify deficiencies before they become incidents
• Ease identification of IT faults, shorten RTO
• Maximise IT investment with continuous assessment of the purchased services

£22.50 a device

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

Framework

G-Cloud 13

Service ID

657858893871840

Contact

Elaine Glock
+44 (0)1202 112168
info@visionist.com

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model:
  • Public cloud
  • Private cloud
  • Community cloud
  • Hybrid cloud
• Service constraints: No constrains - the service aims to report online user experience, which requires sensors to be positioned at the user locations and consume the connectivity used by the users.
• System requirements:
  • CloudUnit Virtual-Machines(Private or Public), unless consumed as cloud-service
  • Sensors require connection WiFi or LAN, and power socket
  • Sensors need to communicate with the Cloud Unit
  • Details of IT services to be monitor

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Within an hour
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: Yes
• Online ticketing support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AAA
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support: Web chat
• Web chat support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support accessibility standard: WCAG 2.1 AAA
• Web chat accessibility testing: Our chat software has been tested with various web browsers which support various assistive technologies, including Dragon and Jaws.
• Onsite support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support levels: Monday - Friday 0800-1800; Saturday - Sunday 1000-1600; ; Technical Account Manager is assigned to the client for initial on boarding and on a regular basis to ensure service satisfaction
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: The onboarding process is provided with online training and demo. Documentation and reference manual are also provided. Service is delivered to cater for your needs, pre-configured dashboards will be used for the initial set-up and will be further customised to fit the service monitored.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats: PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: Data is collected on backend systems. Its extraction will via a support request.
• End-of-contract process: The customer access to the service will be terminate. The customer can return the sensors no longer active for free of charge disposal.

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 portal is accessible on mobile devices and graphic will scale to the reduced screen size. This is offered with limited support.
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AAA
• Description of service interface: CNA portal visualises the data collected from the sensors. Graphs are arranged in dashboards that can be customised to best fit the service monitored. The graphs represent the performance of your IT services. A threshold can be configured on a graph to alert you when a certain value is exceeded. Alerts can be configured to trigger notifications.
• Accessibility standards: WCAG 2.1 AAA
• Accessibility testing: Self-evaluation: the content was evaluated by the developer of the portal. Manual testing is being performed regularly for all major browser and operating systems, plus the following screen readers: VoiceOver on MacOS with Safari, Chrome, and Edge NVDA on Windows with Chrome and Firefox Orca on Linux Automated evaluation
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: The portal backend exposes an HTTP API, which is the same API that is used by the frontend to do everything from saving dashboards, creating users, and updating data sources.
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats: HTML
• API sandbox or test environment: No
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: Uses can be setup as read-only or editor. Editor will be able to create and modify dashboard, thresholds, alert, etc.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Sizing of the Cloud Unit is based on the number of sensors deployed and probing configured. Resources consumption is reviewed every quarter.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: The service provide insight into availability and performance of IT services consumed by your organisation. Metrics are relative to the service monitored (e.g. response time, successful resolution, signal strength, etc.) Optional: a dashboard can be created to show portal utilisation.
• Reporting types: Real-time dashboards

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• 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
• User control over data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Datacentre security standards: Managed by a third party
• 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
  • Physical access control, complying with SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
  • Physical access control, complying with another standard
  • Encryption of all physical media
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type: Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: No user data collected. Dashboards and graphs can be saved as snapshots. Export is in JSON format.
• Data export formats: Other
• Other data export formats:
  • Json
  • Snapshot (on portal)
• Data import formats: Other
• Other data import formats: JSON

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks:
  • Private network or public sector network
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • Other
• Other protection between networks: IP source white-listing. Optional (at extra cost): Firewall, static/dynamic VPN, micro- segmentation
• Data protection within supplier network:
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • IPsec or TLS VPN gateway
  • Other
• Other protection within supplier network: Firewall, IP source White-listing, micro- segmentation

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: Cloud Unit Target Availability/Month (during service hours): 99.50% Sensors availability is Best Endeavour
• Approach to resilience: CNA service is delivered by a fleet of sensors, orchestrated by the Cloud Unit (CU). Resilience for sensors is achieved by duplication (more sensors to monitor the service) The CU is formed by a back-end collecting the sensor inputs, a management station, and a front-end for the portal. CU can run on public and private clouds. Resilience is achieved using cloud- native constructs (availability zones, autoscaling, etc.)
• Outage reporting: Alert notifications (email, IM, etc.) and dashboard.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Username or password
  • Other
• Other user authentication: OAuth, LDAP, SAML(additional cost)
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: IP Source whitelisting, security-group. Additional cost for NGFW, ZTNA, microsegmentation
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Management access authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Dedicated link (for example VPN)
  • Username or password

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: No audit information available
• Access to supplier activity audit information: No audit information available
• How long system logs are stored for: User-defined

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: No
• Other security certifications: No

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: No
• Security governance approach: Security industry standards NCSC guidance Risk assessment Frameworks to design IT and security infrastructure up-to-date cyber security skill
• Information security policies and processes: NCSC guidance Cyber Essentials

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: Changes are introduced with a strict 6 steps process: 1. planned with details on the specific part modified and risk associated 2. tested in the development environment 3. documented with findings and any deviation from the plan 4. scheduled with each deployed environment separately 5. implemented according to agreed schedule using blue/green approach 6. observed and accepted or reverted
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: Potential threats are assessed from design through implementation and operational support for each element of the solution. The deployment is built with minimal exposure resulting in strong security posture - for example, sensors have no inbound connectivity. SLA Sensors/CU Patching Routine: Monthly outside Service Hours Critical Security Patches: Next working day
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Sensors are managed and monitored 24/7. Central Unit Cloud service is hosted in AWS Virtual Private Cloud (unless privately cloud is required) where instances and traffic are monitored for performance, availability, and threat detection. The response is activated by the alerting mechanism and customer informed.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Incident escalation is via the support team. Incidents are managed by classification: Application or Infrastructure. Application: service not available, data issue, application bug, Report not coming up. Infrastructure: system-down (CU server issue), Sensor not responding. Report will be provided on request.

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Conforms to a recognised standard, but self-assessed

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Social Value

• Fighting climate change:

  Fighting climate change

  Fundamental to our customer proposition is our commitment to help our clients reduce their carbon footprint and reliance on natural resources. The core of our business lies in identifying, recording, and reporting on energy and water usage to deepen our customers’ understanding of their utilities. This understanding leads to changed behaviours within businesses that reduces their impact on the environment as they strive for more sustainable solutions. We can provide every industry with a higher level of insight that will ultimately lead to a greener future, one in which we believe sustainability will be key.
• Covid-19 recovery:

  Covid-19 recovery

  The COVID-19 pandemic pushed employee health and well-being to the front of the Smarter Technologies business agenda. We looked to play a vital role in protecting our employees from the risk of infection by implementing stringent public health measures and supporting the need to work from home, pivoting our office structure to put employee health and well-being first. Throughout this time, we have taken additional measures in response to COVID-19, such as providing support directly to individual employees’ needs and concerns, ensuring that individuals have a safe space to raise any mental or physical health issues, and by catering to home office requirements. As we continue through the pandemic and its many phases, we remain malleable to the changes that come from putting our employees first.
• Tackling economic inequality:

  Tackling economic inequality

  Our solutions are designed to help everyone, and by doing so, we are empowering the idea that anyone can make a difference. Smarter Technologies, by its very nature, promotes a future of better opportunity and smarter choices. From the small business owner to the large corporate, from the local government department to the publicly-owned company, from the restaurant owner in England to the farmer in South Africa or South America. Smarter Technologies seeks to serve as much of the business community as we can. We believe that by working together globally, we have the best chance of creating a positive influence on the lives of everyone.
• Equal opportunity:

  Equal opportunity

  Smarter Technologies are committed to ensuring an inclusive workplace that embraces and promotes diversity. We understand the importance of empowering individuals and enabling everyone to reach their full potential. Successfully managing a diverse workforce means recognising every individual’s contribution. We respect and value the diversity of our people and know that it is a key factor in our ability to make a positive difference to those we work with, each and every day. We aim to provide differently abled employees with the opportunity to develop their career while preventing any negative impact on their health, career sustainability or self-sufficiency. At Smarter Technologies, we respect and accept, and we embrace ambiguity and diversity. We focus on supporting our people by taking action to remove unconscious bias and encouraging honesty in all areas of our business.
• Wellbeing:

  Wellbeing

  Smarter Technologies believes in the provision of good and safe work for all. We take a proactive approach to providing a workplace environment that enables healthier choices for employees, regardless of position and status. This is carried out by an extensive support system across our business, where employees truly respect and admire each other. Our employees know that a channel of safe communication is available should they have health issues, either now or in the future. This is delivered across the company's HR system in accordance with evidence-based guidance for best practice and achieves the best outcomes for our employees’ health improvement.

Pricing

• Price: £22.50 a device
• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: Demo equipment is available (FCFS) for trial at no cost. This include a pair of sensors and access to demo portal.

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