IBM United Kingdom Ltd

IBM Storage Insights Pro

Storage Insights Pro is a tool that delivers a common monitoring platform to organisations that have IBM block storage devices. These devices can include IBM FlashSystem, IBM Storwize, and IBM System Storage DS8000 models as well IBM SAN Volume Controller and IBM XIV Storage System, including current and legacy devices.

Features

• View the health, performance, and capacity from a single place
• Act on predictive insights before anomalies impact service levels
• Use actionable data to resolve more issues on your own
• Capacity optimization with reclamation planning
• Data placement optimization with tier planning
• Filter storage device events and focus on urgent actions
• Customisable alerting

Benefits

• Monitor capacity and performance from the storage Client's perspective
• Support capacity forecasting precision using historical growth metrics
• Reclaim unused storage to delay future purchases and improve utilization
• Optimise data placement based on historical usage patterns
• Monitor infrastructure & resolve issues by analysing historical data
• Identify and categorise storage assets

£61.68 a terabyte a year

• Free trial available

Service documents

• Pricing document

  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 ukcat@uk.ibm.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

666433481593447

Contact

Anne-Marie Wheeler
0207 202 3000
ukcat@uk.ibm.com

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model: Private cloud
• Service constraints: Maintenance events are deployed on a quarterly release schedule. As improvements are made patches are deployed on an as needed basis. Patches are designed to be deployed with no impact to service availability.
• System requirements:
  • Provide at least 1GB RAM and 3GB of disk space
  • Download and install minimum one instance of the data collector
  • Advised to run different OS per data collector for resilience
  • Allow outbound communication on port 443 using TCP
  • For redundancy/ best practice 2 data collectors are recommended

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: IBM Cloud Service Support response goals:; ; Severity 1: 1 hour (24x7); Severity 2: 2 business hours; Severity 3: 4 business hours; Severity 4: 1 business day; ; Logs are automatically collected and communicated to IBM Support eliminating the waiting and back-and-forth that could slow down time-to-resolution. And Storage Insights Pro gives users direct access to opening, closing, and tracking support tickets and trends.; ; Review the Severity Descriptions guidelines for business impact associated to each severity level. Response Goals are intended to describe IBM's goals only, and do not represent a guarantee of performance.
• 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: 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 AA or EN 301 549
• Web chat accessibility testing: Testers run tools to validate that all issues discoverable by automated testing have been resolved. They then complete a manual inspection and keyboard check of the product, before confirming everything is usable with a screen reader. As explained in the Launch Readiness phase, testers gather the testing results and prepare to record and report the results in industry standard formats.
• Onsite support: No
• Support levels: IBM Storage Insights Pro offers 24/7 remote support via a support ticketing interface that allows reported issues to be internally escalated to the required support level. This offering does not include the services of a dedicated technical account manager or a cloud support engineer.
• Support available to third parties: No

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Documentation and operation guides are provided upon purchase of Storage Insights Pro instance. Buyer will also have access to the IBM Knowledge Center for technical documentation, support forums and FAQs, along with a help portal within the Storage Insights Pro GUI.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats: PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: At the end of the contract period the user will have the option to extract their data via an export utility that will allow the export of performance and capacity information.
• End-of-contract process: Once export of relevant data has been completed by the customer the data is deleted and the instance is de-provisioned.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: No
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• Description of service interface: You can easily monitor the health, performance, and capacity of these IBM devices from a single place in the IBM secure ISO 27K certified cloud. With the collection of over 100 metrics from IBM devices, you can see the performance of the storage resources for your critical applications and storage systems, which helps you to investigate, detect, and resolve performance issues.
• Accessibility standards: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• Accessibility testing: Testers run tools to validate that all issues discoverable by automated testing have been resolved. They then complete a manual inspection and keyboard check of the product, before confirming everything is usable with a screen reader. As explained in the Launch Readiness phase, testers gather the testing results and prepare to record and report the results in industry standard formats.
• API: No
• Customisation available: No

Scaling

• Independence of resources: While overall, the service is multi-tenant, the service is composed of isolated units we call iblocks, where each iblock has dedicated networking, compute, database and storage. If a performance problem were to occur in one iblock, it is isolated from the other and can be remediated quickly. ; ; Networking and databases use dedicated baremetal servers, provided more isolation from potential external work.; ; A micro-service architecture is used, additional Kubernetes pods can be spun up if necessary to meet the demand in an iblock.; ; Each tenant has their own tenant-id to isolate all data in transit and at rest in the database.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: With the collection of over 100 metrics from IBM devices, you can see the performance of the storage resources for your critical applications and storage systems, which helps you to investigate, detect, and resolve performance issues.; ; These include capacity values such as capacity, unassigned space, used space, and the compression ratio. Performance metrics such as read and write data rates, I/O rates, and response times.
• Reporting types:
  • Regular reports
  • Reports on request

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: Up to Developed Vetting (DV)

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations: Other locations
• User control over data storage and processing locations: No
• Datacentre security standards: Supplier-defined controls
• Penetration testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Penetration testing approach: In-house
• Protecting data at rest: Other
• Other data at rest protection approach: Data at rest is AES 256-bit encrypted.
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type: Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
• Equipment disposal approach: In-house destruction process

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Storage Insights Pro offers the customer the option to export data in the CSV format, this exported data can be filtered to export specific metrics (eg performance).
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats:
  • PDF
  • HTML
• Data import formats: Other
• Other data import formats: Data upload performed solely via data collectors

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)
  • Other
• Other protection within supplier network: Protection within your network, the data in encrypted in flight and at-rest.; Public and private key-pairs are provided to ensure secure communication.

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: Availability less than 99.9%, credit 2% of monthly subscription fee* Availability Less than 99.0%, credit 5% of monthly subscription fee* Availability Less than 95.0%, credit 10% of monthly subscription fee* ; * The subscription fee is the contracted price for the month which is subject to the claim.
• Approach to resilience: The internet gateway is provided by Cloudflare; ; Each iblock consists of an IBM Cloud Kubernetes cluster with nodes in 3 distinct Dallas datacenters and of a Cassandra database cluster with nodes in 3 distinct Dallas datacenters. The micro-service architecture in Kubernetes means that additional Pods can be spun up, and problematic Pods can be restarted or reloaded; ; Cassandra provide native data redundancy so data can be reconstructed in the event of Cassandra node failures without needing to restore from backup; ; The offering has both an organizational Business Continuity Plan and an offering specific Business Continuity Plan and Business Continuity Testing is performed annually to verify database backups can be restored successfully; ; Storage Insights is built using IBM Cloud for its Infrastructure and IBM Cloud IaaS and PaaS is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant
• Outage reporting: You must log a Service Down case within 24 hours of first becoming aware that there is a critical business impact and the Cloud Service is not available. GUI notifications and email alerts to the instance owner are provided for instances of update and maintenance.; ; IBM Support will attempt to send a notification through the application in the event of an outage or disruption.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Customer can grant access at their own discretion. ; ; Storage Insights and Support Tools use the IBMid for access and authentication. IBMid is managed then by the client.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • 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: Between 1 month and 6 months

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: Bureau Veritas Certification Holding SAS
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 19/12/2018
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: N/A
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: Yes
• CSA STAR accreditation date: 30/07/2018
• CSA STAR certification level: Level 1: CSA STAR Self-Assessment
• What the CSA STAR doesn’t cover: None
• PCI certification: Yes
• Who accredited the PCI DSS certification: Tbc at Call-off level
• PCI DSS accreditation date: Tbc at Call-off level
• What the PCI DSS doesn’t cover: Tbc at Call-off level
• 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: Storage Insights follows IBM’s Information Technology Security Standard (IBM Confidential) and IBM Secure Release Process which consists of IBM’s Security and Privacy by Design process.; ; Storage Insights adheres to:; IBM Data Security and Privacy Principles:; https://www.ibm.com/support/customer/csol/terms?id=Z126-7745&lc=en#detail-document; ; General Terms for Cloud Offerings; https://www.ibm.com/support/customer/csol/terms?id=i126-5948&lc=en#detail-document; ; IBM Privacy Statement: https://www.ibm.com/privacy; Storage Insights participates in an annual ISO 27001 program via IBM Industry Compliance team. ; ; Storage Insights is compliant with ISO27001, ISO27002, ISO27017, ISO27018, ISO27701. The offering itself is not SOC-2, but its IBM Cloud infrastructure and platform is SOC-2; ; The Bureau Veritas certificate is available at https://www.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?htmlfid=KUJ12445USEN

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: The following change management processes are adhered to for managing changes to the production environment:; ; • Changes to the production environment must be recorded and must be approved by the change advisory board; ; • All support activities must be tracked in the IBM Support Portal for cloud services; ; • All operational and maintenance activities must be tracked by the internal ticketing system
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: Urgent patches can be deployed quickly. Storage Insights follows IBM Security's vulnerability remediation timelines.; ; Vulnerabilities become know via various sources:; Internal Security Scans and Healthchecks; AppScan Scans: Static/Source, Open Source, Web/Dynamic; Nessus network scans; CIS Healthchecks (CentOS, Windows, Applications, Kubernetes Nodes); Vulnerability Advisor scans of Images in the IBM Container Registry; BigFix Patching lists; External; Penetration Testing; IBM Kubernetes Server - Node release notes; IBM Cloud Security (IKS, network scans, HackerOne bug bounty hunters); Central Security (monitoring of QRadar logs); IBM CISO Vulnerability Advisories; PSIRT
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Cloudflare provides realtime networking protections and DDoS. EDR and runtime antivirus is in place for network, servers, storage. All access and other security events are logged into QRadar SIEM. SIEM is monitored 24x7 by IBM security. Internally all components are monitored using prometheus and grafana 24x7.
• Incident management type: Undisclosed
• Incident management approach: Storage Insights adheres to IBM Security's Incident Management process.

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Supplier-defined process

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

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

  Fighting climate change

  IBM are committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions globally by 2030. On this path, IBM are on track to have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 65% (against 2010 base) in 2025, and 75% of our global electricity consumption will be from renewables by 2025. The IBM UK Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) is published annually in which we report progress in achieving Net Zero; most recent in September 2023. ; ; In fulfilling our responsibilities under our contracts, our staff operate in line with our IBM Environmental Policy and implemented through our worldwide Environmental Management System (EMS), which covers objectives including achieving our net zero greenhouse gas commitment, reduction in water use, reduction in waste going to landfill, creating green space, enhancing the natural environment and improving air quality. Local initiatives are in place around IBM and client’s locations, promoting e.g. shared or zero-carbon travel, various cycle-to-work and car-share initiatives/incentives as well as environmentally focused volunteering. ; ; To influence staff, suppliers, customers and communities through the delivery of the contract to support environmental protection/improvement, we include Social Responsibility and Environmental Management requirements in subcontracts and encourage staff to work with the wider teams on improvements. In some locations, an ‘Environmental Business Resource Group’ promotes Green sustainability, also through community-based activities. ; ; In 2020 IBM launched the ‘responsible.computing’ initiative, which addresses modern computing challenges and integrates aspects of sustainability, climate, ethics, openness, privacy, and security. We assess proposed technical solutions against efficient energy usage. ; ; IBM began detailed tracking and monitoring of our environmental footprint in 1990 - being forthright and transparent in our impact long before it was fashionable or required. We have made significant improvements over the last 30 years and will continue to report transparently on impacts and progress, using ‘Sustainable by Design’ framework and tools such as CO2 Emissions-Estimator and/or Envizi.

  Covid-19 recovery

  We have continued promoting initiatives created to support COVID-19 recovery aimed at both communities and our/partners’ workforce. To help local communities manage and recover from the impacts of COVID-19 IBM have created employment and re-training opportunities. IBM provided a free, fully online offering called SkillsBuild Reignite, tailored for job seekers, and those needing to grow their digital skills. Once an initial 30-hours of online learning was completed, Reignite offered free one-on-one coaching, seminars and facilitated discussions from IBM volunteers. ; ; IBM encourage our staff, suppliers, and customers to support our local communities through IBM Community Engagement Portal. The IBM.org Volunteer’s Portal manages over 1.3 million hours of volunteering by IBM employees. IBMers are allowed to make a charitable contribution of £7 for every hour of volunteering to their chosen charity. ; ; We support our extensive ecosystem of external SME's managing/recovering from the impacts of COVID-19. IBM has invested to help reduce barriers to entry that may preclude participation in delivery by SMEs. This could relate to financial standing, ability to accept risk, invest in bids, or ability to supply sufficient volumes of resources. ; ; We have had several initiatives to support staff with the impact of the COVID-19 and extended those initiatives to clients/partners. Mental health support has been available at all times to all of our staff and their families, and we have trained volunteering staff as mental health first aiders, with programmes in place to tailor a gradual return to work e.g. following illness. ; ; IBM reimagined many of our workplaces and policies to support COVID-19 recovery. We have implemented our Work from Home Pledge & Hybrid Working Pledge for all staff, which ensures we establish and respect new boundaries and support each other in this new way of working and living. IBM continue promoting an ongoing Hybrid working approach.

  Tackling economic inequality

  IBM invest to understand of the causes and effects of inequality. We run multiple initiatives to attempt to level opportunity, focused on our stated social-responsibility goal to support education and skills development in Science and Technology, with a specific focus on those who may not otherwise be attracted, or have the opportunity, to develop those skills. ; ; The ‘IBM Ignite’ scheme, a national Movement to Work programme, offers vocational traineeships and work experience to disadvantaged youth unemployed. Together with City Gateway, our London charity partner, IBM offer 2-week, onsite, workplace programmes to break the cycle of ‘no work experience, no job’. ; ; IBM are proud to have created skillsbuild.org. This is a global programme, and for the UK offering IBM have partnered with ACH.org.uk, a social enterprise working to resettle refugees through labour market and social integration, City Gateway, a London charity working with disadvantaged young people, women and families in deprived areas to build skills and ambition, and SaluteMyJob, a charity creating opportunities for ex-Servicemen and women under the armed forces covenant. The SkillsBuild programmes offer training, in-person support, credentials and opportunities to put the learning into practice. In addition to the direct training through charity partners, SkillsBuild is now also available free to all online. The SkillsBuild training gives recognised qualifications to those searching for employment in a digital economy. In addition, the programme gives job-search skills, teaches agile methods and design thinking, and has specific training in growing IT fields, such as cybersecurity, big data, artificial intelligence. ; ; IBM UK employ around 100 school-leaver apprentices every year. Our award-winning programme offers apprenticeships ranging from Level 3 to Level 6, with all apprentices employed as permanent employees from Day 1. We also launched Early Professional Affiliates Hiring programme enabling us to further acquire talent from underrepresented groups.

  Equal opportunity

  In 1942, IBM hired blind psychologist Michael Supa to create a programme for hiring and training people with disabilities. Supa then worked in IBM institutionalising disability representation and equality for 37 years, and 80 years after he was hired IBM continue to lead in Accessibility, Inclusive hiring, and Representation to reduce the disability employment gap. The Accessible Workplace Connection portal makes it easy for managers to accommodate IBMers who consider themselves to have disabilities, and all recruitment activities are accessible and open. IBM support all employees in training and developing new skills relevant to them, with at least 40 hours of structured training required every year; called THINK40. The training can link to recognised, external qualifications, building skills relevant to the contract. IBM is accommodating of those with additional needs, ensuring all training is inclusive. ; ; IBM believes that a diverse and inclusive work environment drives higher quality delivery. We have created employment/training opportunities for those with protected characteristics in the UK since 1912. Our 300+ employee-led communities support ethnic minorities, neurodiversity, LGBTQ+, females, veterans and more through regular events within their communities. Every IBMer completes regular mandatory Diversity & Inclusion training, including on unconscious bias. Based on 2022 survey nearly 9 in 10 IBMers felt comfortable being themselves at work with ~5,000 more recommending IBM as a great place to work. IBM run a “BeEqual” campaign and programmes, with tens of thousands of employees making a BeEqual pledge of allyship to colleagues from minority groups and 6000 IBMers globally are certified as LGBT+ Allies, with 90+ events across UK and Ireland in 2023 focusing on inclusion, with approximately 3.5K attendees. IBM have a culture of promotion and recruitment aiming to addresses workforce inequality for all to have the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

  Wellbeing

  IBM has an advanced Health and Wellbeing Programme, recognising the criticality and benefits of a healthy and supported workforce. A wide-ranging Employee Assistance Program is provided confidentially to all employees 24/7, at no cost to them, backed up by medical insurance with annual health assessments available. IBM operate a Mental Health First Aid Programme, with over 200 qualified mental health first-aiders volunteering in the UK. These colleagues make themselves approachable as a first step. IBM UK have Disability Confident Level 2 status, winning in 2023 UK-IT-Industry Award – DEI and in 2021 the Best Employer for Diversity and Inclusion award from WM UK, due to the broad focus on D&I throughout the pandemic, including hidden disabilities and neurodiversity. IBM has a global neurodiversity hiring program (ND@IBM). ; ; In the new model of home/hybrid working, various initiatives have been created to maintain and improve both mental and physical health when working remotely. The IBM Working from Home Pledge includes commitments to take time out for yourself, and to check-in regularly on colleagues. It was recognised that working alone can be challenging for some, and regular sessions, support programmes and training in place to keep people connected. Managers have undertaken training to recognise those struggling and have tools of early support. A “2020 health challenge” was taken up by 20% of the permanent employee population, with 69% of participants reported being less stressed, 74% exceeded 10,000 steps a day. We continue organising ‘Exercise challenges’ on miles walked/weight loss linked to e.g. World Heart Day. Ergonomic equipment to create a better working-from-home environment is available to all. ; ; Within projects/programmes, and as part of contract delivery, IBM seek to make these various initiatives available to joint team of staff/suppliers/customers and communities. Project and colleague-based support and health initiatives are expanded where possible to all.

Pricing

• Price: £61.68 a terabyte a year
• Discount for educational organisations: No
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: If you're looking for a robust, cloud-based storage management platform, or are already an IBM Storage Insights user and want even more storage management capabilities, you can easily purchase a license for IBM® Storage Insights Pro or activate a 60-day trial.
• Link to free trial: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/storage-insights?topic=pro-want-try-buy-storage-insights

Service documents

• Pricing document

  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 ukcat@uk.ibm.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.