Advanced 365

Azure Consultancy (Azure Services)

Advanced provide Azure consultancy and expert advice to help migrate or implement new workloads into Microsoft Azure, with the aim of support a customer on their cloud journey.

Features

• Advice and guidance on technical requirements
• Workload assessment and sizing
• Monitoring services for Azure workloads and networks
• ITIL v3 service desk
• Networking advice, implementation and support
• Migration services
• Performance optimisation
• Capacity planning

Benefits

• Strength in depth technical resources
• Quality assured services
• Hybrid IT support across multiple platforms
• ISO 27001 assured operational security
• Consulting service to maximise return on investment
• ITIL aligned supporting services

£1,500 an instance

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 A365.Bid.Management@oneadvanced.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 13

Service ID

691108537366995

Contact

Bid Management
0330 343 4000
A365.Bid.Management@oneadvanced.com

Service scope

• Service constraints: Azure services regularly change. Whilst we endeavour to remain current there may be constraints regarding certain services. Constraints will be as per Microsoft's publicly published service descriptions.
• System requirements:
  • Customer provides suitably licenced application software
  • Customer may need to install applications

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Response times vary depending on the severity of the issue.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: Yes
• Online ticketing support accessibility: None or don’t know
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support: No
• Onsite support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support levels: Support service levels are defined within the service definition.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Advanced provide a broad range of optional services to assist customer make best use of their Azure services. Services include workload migration, application installation and testing. Training services in the use of Azure are available is required.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats: PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: Advanced is able to provide optional service to assist customers remove data from the Azure or alternatively facilitate a transfer of tenancy ownership.
• End-of-contract process: Removal of applications and data is the customers responsibility. Advanced can assist or perform these activities if required.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Using the web interface: Advanced will provision user accounts for approved users. Role based access control will be used to maintain administrative control. Changes will be restricted to authorise users only.
• Web interface accessibility standard: None or don’t know
• How the web interface is accessible: Web interface is governed by Microsoft controls and is accessible through supported web browsers.
• Web interface accessibility testing: None.
• API: No
• Command line interface: Yes
• Command line interface compatibility:
  • Linux or Unix
  • Windows
• Using the command line interface: Users can execute commands through a PowerShell or Unix command line. These commands are an alternative to actions which can be taken through the web interface.

Scaling

• Scaling available: Yes
• Scaling type:
  • Automatic
  • Manual
• Independence of resources: As per the Microsoft Azure service definition.
• Usage notifications: Yes
• Usage reporting:
  • Email
  • Other

Analytics

• Infrastructure or application metrics: Yes
• Metrics types:
  • CPU
  • Disk
  • HTTP request and response status
  • Memory
  • Network
  • Number of active instances
  • Other
• Other metrics:
  • Synthetic transactions
  • Application monitoring
  • Tenancy status
• Reporting types:
  • Real-time dashboards
  • Regular reports
  • Reports on request

Resellers

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

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• 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: No
• Datacentre security standards: Managed by a third party
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: Another external penetration testing organisation
• Protecting data at rest: Other
• Other data at rest protection approach: Services are built using Microsoft Azure and therefore the data at rest are as per Microsoft documented controls.
• Data sanitisation process: No
• 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: Yes
• What’s backed up:
  • File data
  • Databases
  • Virtual Machines
  • Applications
  • Mail data
  • Object Storage
• Backup controls: Customers can determine a backup schedule, settings for the backup (i.e. exclusions), execute backup jobs and view success or failure of said jobs.; ; Advanced can provide a managed backup service whereby all of the above is provided by Advanced under a service, governed by SLAs and charged per GB.
• Datacentre setup: Multiple datacentres
• Scheduling backups: Users schedule backups through a web interface
• Backup recovery:
  • Users can recover backups themselves, for example through a web interface
  • Users contact the support team

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: 99.9% is currently guaranteed by Microsoft. Service credits are available from Microsoft based on tiers.
• Approach to resilience: Advanced works with its customers to understand availability and recovery time requirements during the design phase. As part of this phase we will tailor Azure solutions to meet these defined needs.
• Outage reporting: Service outage is reported through a public dashboard. Advanced is able to provide additional services where outage notification can be delivered to email or by phone.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • 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: Advanced uses the principles of least privileges and role based access control. This is line with best practice as outlined in ISO 27001 and implemented within the Advanced Information Management System.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Dedicated link (for example VPN)
  • Username or password
• Devices users manage the service through: Any device but through a bastion host (a bastion host is a server that provides access to a private network from an external network such as the internet)

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: User-defined
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: At least 12 months
• 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: Bureau Veritas
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 16/02/2015
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: Nothing, Advanced ISO 27001:2013 certification addresses all Annex A controls.
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: Yes
• CSA STAR accreditation date: 30/3/2012
• CSA STAR certification level: Level 1: CSA STAR Self-Assessment
• What the CSA STAR doesn’t cover: Azure, Dynamics 365, and Office 365 are all covered by the certification.
• 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
  • Other
• Other security governance standards: ISO 9001:2015; ISO 14001:2008
• Information security policies and processes: Both Microsoft and Advanced are certified to ISO 27001:2013 and Advanced's Information Security Management System implements all mandatory controls and address all 114 Annex A controls of this international standard for information security.

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: Where Advanced is providing these services on the Azure platform Advanced uses ITIL v3 processes for asset management, change and configuration management. Changes are reviewed through the Advanced CAB, and discussed and agreed with the customer prior to implementation.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: The vulnerability assessment process provides visibility into the vulnerability of critical assets deployed in the IT Infrastructure. The process comprises of identifying critical systems, their corresponding owners, vulnerability scanning on regular basis, determining and assessing potential vulnerabilities, documenting and establishing a time line to remediate critical vulnerabilities.
• Protective monitoring type: Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Protective monitoring approach: Advanced complies with protective monitoring in line with GPG 13.
• 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: Incident management control objectives are defined within our ISO 27001:2013 certified Information Security Management System and the procedures for Incident management are aligned to ITIL v3 industry best practice.

Secure development

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

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: Service separation is defined by Microsoft within the relevant service description.

Energy efficiency

• Energy-efficient datacentres: Yes
• Description of energy efficient datacentres: Whilst Advanced are not responsible for Microsoft Azure datacentres, a report issued by Microsoft Corp in partnership with WSP shows significant energy and carbon emissions reduction potential from the Microsoft Cloud when compared with on-premises datacenters. These gains, as much as 93 percent more energy efficient and as high as 98 percent more carbon efficient, are due to Microsoft’s extensive investments in IT efficiency from chip-to-datacenter infrastructure, as well as renewable energy.

Social Value

• Fighting climate change:

  Fighting climate change

  We are committed to building a better tomorrow for our staff, customers and wider community through outstanding environmental sustainability performance. Our vision is underpinned by five core principles:; ; To protect the environment by reducing our carbon footprint; To reduce the environmental impact of our operational activities through effective management of our estate; To create and maintain a positive environmental sustainability culture; To maximise the positive impact of our sustainability actions through effective communication, collaboration and partnership; To fulfil all environmental compliance obligations and seek to exceed regulatory requirements; ; To achieve this vision, we have a multi-step sustainability strategy, containing details of the overarching objectives, performance targets, key performance indicators and implementation mechanisms. It is continuously reviewed to ensure it is as strong as it can be. Our success also relies on effective engagement with staff, utilising and developing their skills, knowledge and understanding.; ; We are proactive in the property management of our offices, maintaining pressure on landlords and staff to ensure energy efficiency. Home working is facilitated and encouraged, and unnecessary travel is minimised by the delivery of consultancy, training and implementation services remotely, where appropriate. Reducing the amount of paper we generate is a key focus, and we use recycled paper - which we then recycle ourselves. We have also taken steps to recycle other materials such as plastics and cardboard. We comply with WEEE regulations and recycle our electrical items.; We are focused on our transition to a Cloud service company ensuring our customers have solutions which are future proofed and don’t require costly or energy inefficient hardware.
• Covid-19 recovery:

  Covid-19 recovery

  Advanced has a documented Health and Safety policy regarding Covid-19 Arrangements, which focuses on handwashing, hygiene, self-isolation and social distancing. ; ; We encouraged working from home, opening our offices only when government guidance was updated and promptly carried out a Covid-19 risk assessment. Our HR system was updated for employees to confirm their vulnerability status, allowing us to tailor support.; ; Social distancing measures were introduced in our offices, e.g., staggered arrival and departure times, a one-way walking route around the office and workstations at a 2-metre distance. We continue to operate a desk booking policy to ensure an audit trail and line manager clearance.; ; Working from home is undoubtedly challenging and may have a negative impact on the wellbeing of our employees. We hosted a wide range of virtual communal events throughout, to allow our staff to stay connected to each other e.g., quizzes, coffee mornings and time allocated for informal catch ups.; ; We have also made changes to our approach to visiting customers on-site. Where appropriate, training and consultancy can be provided virtually.
• Tackling economic inequality:

  Tackling economic inequality

  Advanced is committed to tackling economic inequality. We are renowned for our recruitment processes which seek to eradicate biases that can perpetuate economic inequality. We hire for potential rather than based on experience.; ; Our commitment to tackling economic inequality is also exemplified in our pay reporting transparency. In addition to the legal requirements to produce a Gender Pay Gap Report, we have also released our Diversity Pay Gap Report to ensure accountability and so that we can take steps to address economic inequality.
• Equal opportunity:

  Equal opportunity

  Cultivating a diverse workforce and inclusive culture is a priority for Advanced. Diversity of experience, age, race, ethnicity, culture, gender and sexual orientation provides a wide range of talent from entry level through to our leadership teams creating richer perspectives and a powerful frame of reference.; ; Not only is it right to recognise and celebrate differences, and ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive, but creating a culture that is genuinely committed to a meritocratic workplace is important to our success. Ensuring all our employees understand and engage with our values, and have the opportunity to realise their full potential, is fundamental to our business.; ; Last year, we released our first Diversity Pay Gap that extends beyond the legal requirement for gender to ethnicity, sexuality, education, disability and socio-economic status. This data provides transparency and will aid us significantly on our journey to creating a fair and equitable workplace for all.; ; Advanced is delighted to have been announced as one of the top 100 Diversity Leaders of 2020 across UK businesses following an independent survey carried out on behalf of the Financial Times. The award assesses diversity across gender, age, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation, and ranks organisations in Europe on the extent to which they offer diverse and inclusive workplaces. The survey focused on two broad areas, looking at the scale in which employers promoted diversity within the workforce, and identifying companies that stood out when it came to encouraging diversity and equal opportunities. ; ; Advanced is renowned for its innovative recruitment process, which seeks to eradicate bias – unconscious or otherwise – when hiring. In our recruitment, we use tools that give us additional insight into intellect and attitude, and remove CVs from the interview process, so managers go in without preconceptions.
• Wellbeing:

  Wellbeing

  We take wellbeing very seriously at Advanced, all employees have access to the following initiatives to promote wellbeing:; ; Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a 24/7 phone line where our employees can speak to a trained professional regarding any matters. Whether that is related to their current workload, or whether it is related to their finances for example. This service is 100% confidential.; ; Advanced continually run mental health webinars/sessions to show our employees what stress looks like and how to manage it, and we have recently announced the Friendly Faces scheme which is a network of colleagues who are open to listening and signposting. We will be running training for employees who wish to take part and make space for wellbeing conversations. ; ; The Wellbeing hub on our internal website is central point for resources, such as the Thrive app to which our employees have an access code. In addition, the Hub is a link to our partnership with Perks at Work who offer discounts and classes for wellbeing, fitness, and meditation.; ; Our offices have been made more friendly and accessible than ever before as part of our office changes brought on by the new, flexible ways of working. All our offices now contain a ‘wellbeing room’, sharp boxes for needles and free sanitary products in all bathrooms (available to guests as well as our staff). ; ; We understand that working from home and being separated from one another is undoubtedly challenging and in some cases may have a negative impact on the wellbeing of our employees.; Throughout the pandemic, we hosted a wide range of communal events virtually, to allow our stuff to stay connected to each other, even though they weren’t in the office together. Some of the events were quizzes, coffee mornings and time allocated for informal catch ups.

Pricing

• Price: £1,500 an instance
• Discount for educational organisations: No
• 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 A365.Bid.Management@oneadvanced.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.