FORGE TECHNOLOGIES LTD

Forge EUC Cloud Services

Forge EUC Cloud Services are designed specifically to meet the needs of organisations wishing to transform EUC hosted desktop and application platforms.
Forge provide a range of packaged assessments, architectural templates, and operational best practice methodologies using Citrix Microsoft and VMware technologies to meet needs of secure and sensitive organisations.

Features

• Skilled architects, engineers, consultants, analysts and ITIL professionals
• Security cleared and experienced at the highest classification levels
• Flexible and rapid access to additional skills when needed
• Option to incorporate Vendor services
• Advice based upon first-hand deployment and operational experience
• Optimisation focus built-in to all support services
• Innovative commercial models, tailored to suit each customer
• Knowledge transfer to your team built-in to all engagements
• Assigned resources are supported by the whole Forge team
• Allocated Service Delivery Manager for each service

Benefits

• Accelerate your transformation programme and realise benefits faster
• Optimise your cloud support and operational service design
• Reduce the cost of supporting EUC cloud operations
• Assess the options to transform or optimise your cloud
• Innovative designs, migration plans, project plans and operational models
• Solutions to complete the migration of challenging on-prem workloads
• Inject a culture of constant optimisation and improvement
• Improve cloud-ops, based upon recent, relevant, and real-world experience
• Solutions to complete the transition of stalled services
• Increase in-house capabilities, by working in collaboration with Forge

£250 to £1,200 a unit a day

• Education pricing available

Service documents

• Pricing document

  ODT

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  ODT

• Service definition document

  ODT

• Terms and conditions

  ODT

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 jason.osmond@forge-technologies.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

855454877815638

Contact

Jason Osmond
07931391290
jason.osmond@forge-technologies.com

Planning

• Planning service: Yes
• How the planning service works: Forge planning services are centred around Discovery, Assessment and Solution & Service design; however, we recognise that each customer engagement is unique, and we therefore tailor our services as required to meet individual needs.; ; 1)Discovery - ; ; Accelerate your discovery process with our industry leading tooling and experience. Our discovery services span capturing business requirements, through to understanding your current state and any blockers to transformation.; ; 2)Assessment -; ; Forge can help assess the right approach to transforming your cloud environments or optimising the way they are run. Regardless of whether it’s a new cloud requirement, a project in jeopardy, or improving your cloud operations; our advice is vendor neutral and based upon real-world practical experience.; ; 3)Service & Solution Design -; ; We help rapidly create innovative solution designs, migration options, project plans and operational service models, that meet the needs of the most secure and sensitive organisations. We stand behind the designs that we create and offer delivery and operational assurance guarantees
• Planning service works with specific services: No

Training

• Training service provided: Yes
• How the training service works: Our unique approach to cloud adoption leads you and your colleagues through technology change, embeds new ways of working and accelerates the results from anticipated benefits. Our team of consultants work within your organisation to develop a strategy that addresses your challenges and has the organisation’s outcomes in mind. Our strategies ensure people develop the understanding, skills and knowledge they need to be able to change their working habits – it’s a challenging process. We deliver these services by applying our Excite, Equip, Embed approach: ; ; EXCITE makes people aware of the technology change and helps them understand the benefits it will give them. It ensures people are enthusiastic about what’s on the horizon and creates the desire to change. ; ; EQUIP gives people the skills and knowledge to use the technology effectively through relevant, effective and contextual learning solutions. Learning can be online content, guides, face-to-face or virtual delivery. ; ; EMBED recognizes that habits are hard to break and it is easy to fall into familiar ways of working. It also recognises that working in your organisation might be a unique experience. We find ways to promote and reinforce use of the technology beyond the life of the project
• Training is tied to specific services: No

Setup and migration

• Setup or migration service available: Yes
• How the setup or migration service works: Forge set up and migration services are centred around Detailed Design, Configuration & Testing, and Migration services; however, we recognise that each customer engagement is unique, and we therefore tailor our services as required to meet individual needs. ; ; 1)Detailed Design ; Access a team of technical and project/programme professionals, backed with proven processes, tools and templates. . Reduce the time to develop technical/ service designs and project/migration plans that are assured of success. Everything we do is ‘secure by design’ to meet the needs of secure & sensitive organisations; ; 2)Configuration & Testing; ; We can augment and support your team or own the complete delivery and testing of your solution. Our expertise not only include the cloud platforms themselves, but also the associated connectivity, security, and device configurations. Services ranging from Infrastructure as code (IaC) development, through to pre-migration testing. ; ; 3)Migration; The key to successful migrations in not just great design, planning, configuration & testing. It’s also about the business engagement, the communication and training plans and operating in an agile fashion plan to overcome challenges. Our migration services provide delivery right through to early life support
• Setup or migration service is for specific cloud services: No

Quality assurance and performance testing

• Quality assurance and performance testing service: Yes
• How the quality assurance and performance testing works: An SDM will be assigned to all customer engagements, regardless of whether they are fixed scope/outcome or resource augmentation. In any scenario, they will be responsible for day-to-day communications and gathering the performance metrics to include in service reports. They will also be responsible for ensuring the assigned resources remain an integrated part of Forge, continuing their professional development and working collaboratively with other Forge team members to share best practice, gain feedback/suggestions and obtain additional support. ; ; In addition to the SDM, a member of Forge’s senior leadership team will also play an active role in each customer engagement. This approach ensures that there are no delays in the team receiving any wider support they may need to ensure a successful and high-quality engagement.

Security testing

• Security services: Yes
• Security services type:
  • Security strategy
  • Security risk management
  • Security design
  • Cyber security consultancy
  • Security testing
  • Security incident management
  • Security audit services
• Certified security testers: Yes
• Security testing certifications:
  • CREST
  • Tigerscheme
  • Cyber Scheme

Ongoing support

• Ongoing support service: Yes
• Types of service supported:
  • Buyer hosting or software
  • Hosting or software provided by a third-party organisation
• How the support service works: Forge Cloud Support & Optimisation are broadly based around three models: fully-managed, co-managed and self-managed. Service models are tailored to take into account the existing and future customer skills/capacity, investments in licences/tooling an information security requirements. Where required, the Forge service design can be profiled to evolve during the term to reflect known changes, for example a planned increase in customer skill/capacity during the first year of service. Our expertise span on-premise, hybrid, secure and hyperscale cloud solutions, as well as the networking that interconnects them and the security features that protect them.

Service scope

• Service constraints: Scope must be agreed prior to service commencement unless it is agreed in advance that the services will be delivered on a T&M basis. ; Forge are able to take a flexible and pragmatic commercial approach to the scoping phase of an engagement. Where possible we do not charge to scope an engagement; however, where further discovery or workshops are required, we can structure the commercials in a way that best suits each engagement. Options include, working at risk, discounted rates, pre-pay/draw-down, or rebate models.

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: All email and online support requests will receive an immediate automated response. The SLA associated with the specific contract will determine the actual response and resolution timescales. This will typically range from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
• 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: Web chat
• Web chat support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support accessibility standard: None or don’t know
• How the web chat support is accessible: Forge offer Web chat services via the Forge self serve portal providing access to all service desk faciltiies. Forge also offer open federation to customers using Microsoft Teams.
• Web chat accessibility testing: N/A
• Support levels: Forge Cloud Support & Optimisation are broadly based around three models: ; 1-Fully-managed ; 2-Co-managed ; 3-Self-managed. ; ; Service models are tailored to take into account the existing and future customer skills/capacity, investments in licences/tooling an information security requirements. Where required, the Forge service design can be profiled to evolve during the term to reflect known changes, for example a planned increase in customer skill/capacity during the first year of service. Pricing is based upon individual requirements and scope.; ; 1-Fully-managed - Pricing from £57,000 per annum ; 2-Co-managed - Pricing from £27,500 per annum ; 3-Self-managed - Pricing from £13,600 per annum ; ; Forge can provide technical account mangment and cloud support engineers depending on scope requirements. These services can also include service and solution architects, technical analysts, engineers and consultants, business analysts, change & communication mangers, trainers and experienced IT project/programme and transition managers.

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Conforms to BS7858:2019
• Government security clearance: Up to Developed Vetting (DV)

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: Yes
• Other security certifications: No

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Fighting climate change

  As a digital transformation partner, Forge Technologies prioritizes environmental sustainability in every aspect of our operations. With technology embedded in our name, we recognise the significant role environmentalism plays in our work. Our policy revolves around conducting operations with environmental sensitivity to minimise any adverse impacts.; ; Each member of the Forge Technologies team is dedicated to upholding our legal obligations and adhering to subscribed requirements. We aim to conserve natural resources, prevent pollution, and eliminate environmental hazards associated with our activities.; ; Operating as a fully remote team, Forge Technologies benefits from a virtual workspace. This approach not only offers flexibility and efficiency but also contributes positively to the environment. Without a central office, we avoid the energy consumption and carbon emissions associated with powering and heating traditional office spaces, as well as the acquisition of physical equipment and furniture.; ; Furthermore, our remote setup fosters a paperless, digital-first environment. Documents are stored and shared electronically, reducing the need for printing and minimising paper waste. This commitment to sustainability aligns with our broader mission of leveraging technology to drive positive change while minimizing our ecological footprint

  Equal opportunity

  Forge Technologies is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and diverse work environment, guided by our Equal Opportunities Policy. This policy is underpinned by several key principles:; ; Firstly, we uphold a steadfast Commitment to Equality, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, belief, or ability, have equitable opportunities within our organisation and its partnerships.; ; Secondly, we prioritise creating a Positive Work Environment, where every member of our team feels valued, respected, and supported. We are committed to fostering a climate free from intimidation and harassment, allowing everyone to thrive and achieve their full potential.; ; Thirdly, we advocate for Inclusive Rights, recognising that every individual should have equal access to the benefits and services offered by Forge Technologies. We are dedicated to breaking down barriers and ensuring that no one is excluded based on any characteristic.; ; Moreover, we emphasise Respect for Differences, understanding that diversity enriches our organization. While we strive to treat everyone equally, we also acknowledge and respect the diverse life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds that each individual brings to the table.; ; Finally, we actively promote Positive Attitudes and Relationships within our workplace. Our policies, procedures, and activities are intentionally designed to foster a culture of inclusivity, mutual respect, and collaboration. We believe that by embracing diversity and promoting positive interactions, we can cultivate a sense of cohesion, belonging, and shared purpose among all members of our team.

  Wellbeing

  Forge prioritises the well-being of its employees through comprehensive policies and initiatives aimed at promoting physical, mental, and emotional health. Our well-being framework encompasses the following key areas:; ; Work-Life Balance: ; We recognise the importance of maintaining a healthy equilibrium between work responsibilities and personal life. Through flexible scheduling options and supportive management practices, we empower our employees to prioritise their well-being outside of work commitments.; Mental Health Support: ; A crucial aspect of overall well-being. Forge provides extensive resources and support for mental health, including access to counseling services, mindfulness programs, and educational workshops. We strive to foster a culture where mental health concerns are destigmatised and individuals feel comfortable seeking assistance when needed.; Physical Health Initiatives: ; Essential for overall wellness. We proactively promote physical well-being through initiatives such as subsidised gym memberships, wellness challenges, on-site fitness classes, and regular health screenings. We aim to encourage healthy habits and prevent illness, contributing to the long-term health of our employees.; Flexible Working Arrangements: ; Recognising that every employee has unique needs and commitments outside of work, we offer flexible working arrangements, including remote work options and flexible hours. This flexibility enables our team members to better manage their personal and professional responsibilities, ultimately enhancing their overall well-being and job satisfaction.; Employee Assistance Programs (EAP):; We understand that personal challenges can impact an individual's ability to perform effectively at work. To support our employees during difficult times, we provide access to confidential Employee Assistance Programs. These services offer professional assistance and guidance to help employees navigate personal problems, mental health concerns, financial challenges, and other issues that may affect their well-being and performance.; ; Prioritising employee well-being, Forge creates a supportive environment for personal and professional growth. We continually adapt our initiatives to our diverse workforce through feedback

Pricing

• Price: £250 to £1,200 a unit a day
• Discount for educational organisations: Yes

Service documents

• Pricing document

  ODT

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  ODT

• Service definition document

  ODT

• Terms and conditions

  ODT

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 jason.osmond@forge-technologies.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.