Akhter Computers PLC

Microsoft Cloud Azure Hosting Services

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing service for testing, deploying and managing applications and services. This service provides Microsoft Azure hosting of customer workloads via Microsoft's Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offering, including the set-up and provision of a customer tenant and associated Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) arrangement for billing/invoicing.

Features

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) with Microsoft Azure
• Industry recognised security on Azure
• Industry leading resilience with Azure
• Backup and Recovery on Azure
• Web, mobile and command line based Azure Management

Benefits

• Market-leading expertise from a Microsoft Partner
• Monthly licensing subscription provides flexibility over usage and cost
• Secure, cloud-based service with robust access management controls
• Digitise and Transform services in the Azure cloud

£0.01 to £0.05 a virtual machine an hour

• 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 ccsales@akhter.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

682277701308818

Contact

Latifa Hamdan
01279 821200
ccsales@akhter.co.uk

Service scope

• Service constraints: No
• System requirements: Internet Explorer, Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or Apple Safari

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: As standard operating Monday – Friday (excluding UK public holidays), with the option of weekend support as an additional cost
• 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: Akhter Computers Ltd can provide a range of SLA's that meet specific customer needs.; As standard Akhter offer 3 levels of SLA services, Bronze, Silver and Gold.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: We tailor on-boarding services usually in line with client requirements but typically aligned to ITIL v3 transition guidelines.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: We agree exit terms and processes at the time of contracting.
• End-of-contract process: End of contract scenarios are agreed in advance and either tailored to client requirements

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Using the web interface: Given the right role based access control permissions, all service functionality can be achieved by the web interface.
• Web interface accessibility standard: WCAG 2.1 AAA
• Web interface accessibility testing: Further information available on request
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: The Cloud Platform is continuously evolving with the aim of 100% parity between control via the web interface and API.
• API automation tools:
  • Ansible
  • Chef
  • SaltStack
  • Terraform
  • Puppet
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
• Command line interface: Yes
• Command line interface compatibility: Linux or Unix
• Using the command line interface: The Cloud Platform is continuously evolving with the aim of 100% parity between control via the web interface and command line.

Scaling

• Scaling available: Yes
• Scaling type: Automatic
• Independence of resources: We leverage Microsoft Online Services which in turn utilises various Cloud Scale techniques and technologies, to ensure multi-tenant services are not affected in terms of peak usage.
• Usage notifications: No

Analytics

• Infrastructure or application metrics: Yes
• Metrics types:
  • CPU
  • Disk
  • HTTP request and response status
  • Memory
  • Network
  • Number of active instances
• Reporting types:
  • API access
  • Real-time dashboards
  • Regular reports
  • 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 Developed Vetting (DV)

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: Complies with a recognised standard (for example CSA CCM version 3.0)
• Penetration testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Penetration testing approach: Another external penetration testing organisation
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Physical access control, complying with CSA CCM v3.0
  • Physical access control, complying with SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
  • Encryption of all physical media
  • 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: Complying with a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v.30, CAS (Sanitisation) or ISO/IEC 27001

Backup and recovery

• Backup and recovery: No

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks:
  • Private network or public sector network
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • IPsec or TLS VPN gateway
• Data protection within supplier network:
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • IPsec or TLS VPN gateway

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: Monthly Service Level 1. The Service Level is 99.9%. 2. The Monthly Uptime Percentage is calculated for a given calendar month using the following formula: Monthly Uptime Percentage = Total number of minutes in a given calendar month minus Total number of minutes of Downtime in a given calendar month.
• Approach to resilience: Many technologies and techniques are used within and between Microsoft datacenters to ensure resilience including redundancy and replication, at many levels including hardware, network and software.
• Outage reporting: Outages can be communicated by multiple methods including Dashboards, accessible via APIs, email alerts and via phone.

Identity and authentication

• User 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
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Our solutions implement fully role based access control, determined by the customer
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Management access authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Username or password
• Devices users manage the service through: Directly from any device which may also be used for normal business (for example web browsing or viewing external email)

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: User-defined
• Access to supplier activity audit information: You control when users can access audit information
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: Less than 1 month
• How long system logs are stored for: At least 12 months

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: Bmtrada UKAS
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 3 September 2012
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: We are currently not aware of areas that are not covered
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: No
• 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: ISO27001, Mod IA

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Configuration and change management approach: Detailed information can be supplied upon request.
• Vulnerability management type: Undisclosed
• Vulnerability management approach: Detailed information can be supplied upon request.
• Protective monitoring type: Undisclosed
• Protective monitoring approach: Detailed information can be supplied upon request.
• Incident management type: Conforms to a recognised standard, for example, CSA CCM v3.0 or ISO/IEC 27035:2011 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Incident management approach: Detailed information can be supplied upon request.

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)

Separation between users

• Virtualisation technology used to keep applications and users sharing the same infrastructure apart: Yes
• Who implements virtualisation: Third-party
• Third-party virtualisation provider: Microsoft
• How shared infrastructure is kept separate: Detailed information can be supplied upon request.

Energy efficiency

• Energy-efficient datacentres: Yes
• Description of energy efficient datacentres: We are currently awaiting information for the datacenter hosting provider

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Fighting climate change

  Moving to Cloud enables the reduction in raw materials being used, energy being spent to run equipment and transportation pollution of hardware. This helps our aims to achieve further net GHG reductions through innovation and efficiencies; acknowledge the role of renewable and bio-based energy sources and materials while minimising carbon emissions; encourage the recovery, reuse and recycle of materials for reduced emissions and include transparent monitoring, reporting and verification systems.

  Tackling economic inequality

  Moving to Cloud provides opportunities for businesses to leverage lower costs from shared hardware and more agile and flexible working. This will allow them to provide opportunities that they would not otherwise be able to offer.; From creating new businesses and new employment opportunities, to improving local nursery care, as well as education resulting in recognised qualifications, digital skills and training, Akhter is committed to tackling economic inequality at its roots within our diverse local community in which we play a very active part

  Equal opportunity

  Moving to Cloud provides opportunities for businesses to leverage agile and flexible working. This will allow them to provide opportunities to those who would otherwise not be able to take advantage of opportunities they are offered.; We encourage equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce, eliminating unlawful discrimination, aim to be truly representative of our local community with each employee feeling respected and able to give their best

  Wellbeing

  Akhter take great pride in our workforce and actively support the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our staff. We all spend a long time in front of screens and amongst much else encourage staff to go outside and be active through a variety of schemes.; We do this both as being morally right and in accordance with; The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012, The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 and The Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. This policy is supported by our sustainability strategy and delivered in collaboration with our supply chain whilst continuously improving our standards, efficiency and effectiveness. We will communicate this policy to our employees, supply chain partners and relevant interested parties and we will review it on an annual basis.

Pricing

• Price: £0.01 to £0.05 a virtual machine an hour
• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: No

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 ccsales@akhter.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.