Gravity 9

Software Services for Azure Cognitive Services

Our services integrate Azure Cognitive Services to enhance business operations, offering tailored AI solutions for data insights, automation, and customer engagement. Our expert team ensures seamless integration, focusing on scalability, security, and innovation, driving your business towards greater efficiency and intelligence.

Features

• Advanced Search Capabilities Incorporates AI for intelligent and context-aware searches
• Natural Language Processing Understands and interprets human language within searches
• Customizable Ranking Models Tailors searches based on specific business requirements
• Faceted Navigation filtering and sorting of searches for data discovery
• Content Indexing indexes a wide range of content types
• Scalable Infrastructure Scales to meet growing data and usage demands
• Integrated AI Algorithms Leverages pre-built/custom AI models enhancing searches
• Real-Time Analytics/Monitoring Tracks user interactions for continuous improving searches
• Security and Compliance Ensures data is secure and standards compliant
• Multi-Language Support searches in multiple languages, enhancing global accessibility

Benefits

• Enhanced Search Experience improves searches increasing user satisfaction
• Increased Efficiency Automates indexing/search processes, saving time and resources
• Improved Data Discovery accelerates information gathering/research
• Customized Solutions Tailors search functionality to fit unique business needs
• Scalable Solutions Easily adapts to business growth and increased data
• Data-Driven Insights Gathers valuable business information from user interactions
• Enhanced Security Protects sensitive information while maintaining high search performance
• Global Reach Supports multiple languages, catering to a diverse userbase
• Cost-Effective: Reduces resource needs for data management and search optimization
• Professional Expertise of seamless integration/ongoing support, ensuring optimal performance

£2,000 a unit

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 allan.hudson@gravity9.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

739167976265495

Contact

Allan Hudson
07882691167
allan.hudson@gravity9.com

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: Yes
• What software services is the service an extension to: Gravity9 offers bespoke software services, in-house products, and accelerators, all designed to synergize with Azure Cognitive Services. These solutions are tailored to meet specific business needs, enhancing operations through AI-driven insights and automation. Our approach ensures a seamless integration of advanced AI capabilities into your business ecosystem.
• Cloud deployment model:
  • Public cloud
  • Private cloud
  • Hybrid cloud
• Service constraints: The software services offered are for the Azure Cloud. Customers will have to establish an Azure subscription.
• System requirements:
  • Reliant on access to Azure Cognitive Servies in Azure Cloud
  • Access to the cloud is required in a secure manner
  • We can support string security by following all best practices
  • Private endpoint links, hybrid connectors, firewall, network security, data security

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support response times: As part of the customer agreement, we establish an SLA response for the provided services. ; The response time will vary depending on the agreement chosen, severity of the issue and business impact.
• 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: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support: No
• Onsite support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support levels: As part of the customer agreement, we establish an SLA response for the provided services. ; The response time will vary depending on the agreement chosen, severity of the issue and business impact.
• Support available to third parties: No

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: To help users start using the "Microsoft using cognitive services" service, we offer an onboarding process. This includes initial consultations to assess needs and define objectives, detailed training sessions for teams on system functionality and best practices, and step-by-step guidance on setting up and deploying the service. We provide documentation and support resources online, and our dedicated team is available to assist with any technical issues or queries. The service implementation plan and specific training strategies are outlined in the Service Level Agreement to ensure a smooth transition and successful deployment.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats: PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: At the end of the contract, users can extract their data using tools and procedures outlined in our Service Level Agreement. Assistance from our technical team is available to guide users through the data extraction process, ensuring all data is retrieved safely and completely, adhering to compliance and data privacy standards.
• End-of-contract process: At the end of the contract, clients have the option to start a support agreement. For those seeking continuous support and maintenance of the developed Data and AI systems, we offer a separate contract. This ensures ongoing optimisation, updates, and technical support tailored to the client’s evolving needs.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: No
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: No
• Service interface: No
• User support accessibility: None or don’t know
• API: No
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: Gravity9 will customise your service as agreed in an SLA

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Gravity9 employs a scalable cloud infrastructure and load balancing techniques that dynamically allocate resources based on demand. We also design systems based on microservice architectures that maximise scalability and reliability. Each client's data and services are isolated, ensuring consistent performance regardless of external loads. We also monitor system performance continuously and adjust resources proactively to handle increases in demand.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: All details will be agreed in the SLA ; ; The service could provide comprehensive metrics to help users monitor and evaluate the performance/efficiency of their AI and data systems. These metrics include system uptime, response times, data throughput, error rates and AI model accuracy. We could also offer usage statistics, eg number of active users, API calls, and data transactions. Customisable dashboards can allow clients to view real-time data and historical trends, enabling them to make informed decisions based on specific needs. All metrics are detailed in the SLA, ensuring transparency and alignment with client expectations for continuous improvement and accountability.
• Reporting types: Reports on request

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: Supplier-defined controls
• Penetration testing frequency: Less than once a year
• Penetration testing approach: In-house
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Scale, obfuscating techniques, or data storage sharding
  • Other
• Other data at rest protection approach: The service utilises the advanced security features provided by leading cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, and GCP. These include data encryption at rest, network firewalls, multi-factor authentication, and access controls to safeguard sensitive information. We also implement strict data isolation policies and regular security audits to ensure data integrity and privacy. By leveraging the unique security and privacy services offered by each cloud provider, we tailor our protections to best fit the specific requirements and risks associated with different data types and user environments, as detailed in our Service Level Agreement.
• Data sanitisation process: No
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: All details regarding the data export capabilities, procedures, and security measures will be clearly outlined and agreed upon in the Service Level Agreement.
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats:
  • Database backup files
  • Json
  • XML
• Data import formats: Other
• Other data import formats:
  • Parquet
  • Json
  • XML
  • SQL

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
  • Other
• Other protection between networks: To protect data transmitted between the buyer's network and Data and AI Platform, we implement several robust security measures. Data is encrypted in transit using industry-standard protocols such as TLS (Transport Layer Security). We also employ VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) and dedicated lines for sensitive or high-volume data transfers to further secure connections. Additionally, we use authentication and authorization mechanisms to ensure that only authorized users can access or transmit data These security practices are detailed in the Service Level Agreement to ensure clear understanding and compliance.
• Data protection within supplier network:
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • Other
• Other protection within supplier network: The service utilises the advanced security features the leading Azure cloud provider. These include data encryption at rest, network firewalls, multi-factor authentication, and access controls to safeguard sensitive information. We also implement strict data isolation policies and regular security audits to ensure data integrity and privacy. By leveraging the unique security and privacy services offered by each cloud provider, we tailor our protections to best fit the specific requirements and risks associated with different data types and user environments, as detailed in our Service Level Agreement.

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: We guarantee a high level of availability. This commitment is detailed in the Service Level Agreement (SLA), which outlines the operational standards and uptime targets. To achieve and maintain this level of service, we utilise reliable cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, and GCP, which provide robust infrastructure and redundancy capabilities.
• Approach to resilience: We implement failover and disaster recovery strategies to ensure continuous service availability. Regular maintenance and updates are scheduled during off-peak hours to minimize disruption, ensuring our clients experience consistent and dependable access to the services.
• Outage reporting: Email alerts are sent to registered users to notify them of any outages, service disruptions, planned maintenance, or recovery status. This ensure that our clients are promptly informed and can plan accordingly, minimising any impact on their operations.

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)
  • Limited access network (for example PSN)
  • Dedicated link (for example VPN)
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Access to management interfaces and support channels is restricted through strong authentication measures, including multi-factor authentication and role-based access control. Only authorized personnel with specific credentials can access sensitive areas, ensuring that access is controlled and monitored to prevent unauthorized entry and maintain data security.
• Access restriction testing frequency: Never
• Management access authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Limited access network (for example PSN)
  • Dedicated link (for example VPN)
  • Username or password

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users have access to real-time audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: User-defined
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users have access to real-time audit information
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: User-defined
• 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: We are currently adapting our security governance to meet ISO 27001 standards with a view to achieving crtification before G-Cloud 14 goes live.
• Information security policies and processes: Our service adheres to stringent information security policies and processes that comply with the Data Protection Act 2018, the UK's implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These policies include regular security audits, data encryption in transit and at rest, and strict access controls to ensure data confidentiality and integrity. We conduct ongoing staff training on data protection best practices and incident response procedures. Additionally, we have established robust data handling and breach notification processes to swiftly address and mitigate any data security issues, ensuring compliance with legal obligations and maintaining trust with our clients.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: Each component's configuration and modifications are recorded in a centralised system for traceability and auditability. Changes are rigorously assessed through a formal review process, which evaluates potential security impacts before implementation. This process includes vulnerability assessments and testing to identify any risks. By doing so, we maintain the integrity and security of our services, ensuring that any adjustments enhance functionality without compromising security.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: N/A
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Our protective monitoring processes involve continuously checking the health of AI models and data pipelines using advanced monitoring mechanisms. We identify potential compromises through real-time alerts and anomaly detection.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: When an incident is detected, our team responds quickly, typically in accordance with the Service Level Agreement. Clients have access to the monitoring system, ensuring transparency and enabling them to be aware of any potential issues promptly. This proactive approach ensures rapid response and resolution, minimising the impact and maintaining service integrity.

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

• Social Value:

  Social Value

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

  Fighting climate change

  gravity9 has an environmental policy designed to limit and reduce the environmental impacts of our internal activities. We are in the process of creating a new Carbon Reduction Plan which will allow us to calculate and later publish our carbon emissions, along with the creation of initiatives and targets for carbon reductions and a target date for achieving net zero.; As a company we do not own our won offices using shared, serviced units instead. These units are owned by companies with strong environmental policies and initiatives in place to reduce carbon. Our staff work fully remotely, using offices only where necessary and use only modern IT equipment conforming to standards of low carbon emissions generation. Travel is minimised in favour of remote teleworking/conferencing and technology is used wherever possible to create efficiencies. Initial calculations suggest that our carbon footprint is very low compared to industry standards.; Our work is focused on modernisation of IT systems for our clients, producing results that minimise energy use through increased productivity and development of communications solutions as part of these systems. We embed technologies like Slack in systems wherever possible to encourage teleworking. Gravity9 also supports clients in developing AI-driven applications that can analyse and predict energy usage patterns, leading to more sustainable practices. By facilitating smarter decision-making and resource management, this service helps to reduce carbon footprints and promote environmental sustainability. The overarching aim is to assist public sector bodies in achieving their green targets by integrating advanced, eco-friendly technologies into their operations, thereby making a significant positive impact on the environment.

  Covid-19 recovery

  Through Data and AI Platform Design service, public sector entities can leverage artificial intelligence and data analytics to optimise resource allocation, streamline services, and improve decision-making. This includes managing public health data, tracking resource needs, and forecasting future outbreaks or impacts. By improving operational efficiency and ensuring continuity of essential services, this service plays a crucial role in helping the public sector navigate and recover from the challenges posed by COVID-19.

  Tackling economic inequality

  gravity9 was founded in Birmingham, retaining a key presence there. As a company in a high growth sector (IT) with known skills shortages (Forbes’ IT Skills Gap Report 2023 contains a figure of 93% of business surveyed believing that they lacked IT skills), we upskill client teams, run skills workshops and we recruit in deprived areas.; Overall deprivation in the West Midlands is high (34.5% of local areas in the most deprived in the country). 41% of Birmingham’s neighbourhoods are in the UK’s 10% most-deprived. ; As a modernisation company, gravity9 build new systems for organisations which enable teams to operate more efficiently and achieve more. ; This often leads to job safeguarding and creation: ; We created a new “Customer Hub” application for British Telecom (BT) to help them provide unified customer service across their brand offerings. This allowed BT to hire new developers to maintain the application long-term, creating skilled employment opportunities. For American Homes for Rent (AMH) we created a “Let Yourself In” product automating locks, which enabled AMH to employ a new lock maintenance team. We created a system for Venetian Casinos that automated sales promotions which allowed Venetian to expand their sales teams.; Our regular skills workshops tackle technological challenges with skills building and talent identification in mind. Our AI workshops, for example, are educational in nature with a flavour of the skillsets needed to enhance employability. This gives young IT professionals an opportunity to network with peers, gain insight into commercial approaches/methods and contribute wisdom to the debate. These regular skills workshops are educational and employability-focused, allowing participants to network with peers, gain insight into commercial approaches/methods and contribute wisdom. Gravity9 can aid the public sector in tackling economic inequality by providing advanced data analytics and AI tools that enable targeted social programs and efficient resource distribution.

  Equal opportunity

  At gravity9 we research why people struggle with a challenge then offer accessible solutions. Starting with design we add WCAG standards and use accessibility libraries. Our Accessibility practice promotes adoption and responsibility in all product aspects. We make accessibility easy to understand and translate into easy guides for all company members or non-English speakers. We are exploring new areas of neurodiversity in product design standards of “Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust”. We have created an accessibility review to put this into practice.; Our QA specialists, besides the regular accessibility testing, offer to provide organisations with an advanced accessibility audit, which will check how their product meets the accessibility standards. ; We deliver high-quality software with fewer defects and faster time-to-market to enable private sector organisations to gain a competitive edge and reduce delays in public sector organisations. Quality Assurance plays a crucial role in achieving this by ensuring that the software meets quality standards and is delivered on time. Our team of experts work closely with our client’s organisations to provide accessibility that is tailored to their specific needs.; Our AI practice can also enhance equal opportunity within the public sector by leveraging data analytics and AI to identify and address disparities in service delivery and employment; facilitate the development of recruitment and training programs aimed at diversifying the public sector workforce and automate and optimise recruitment and service delivery processes.

  Wellbeing

  Gravity9 supports societal wellbeing by enabling the public sector to deploy AI and data analytics for improved health, safety, and social services. By analysing health data, our services can help predict and manage public health issues, facilitating proactive interventions. It also assists in optimising emergency response services and public safety measures through efficient resource allocation and response planning. Additionally, by enhancing accessibility to public services through digital transformation, it ensures that more individuals can receive timely and effective support, contributing significantly to overall societal wellbeing.

Pricing

• Price: £2,000 a unit
• 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 allan.hudson@gravity9.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.