DotSquares Limited

Web and app development with cloud hosting and support service

At Dotsquares, we provide a wide array of cloud IT infrastructure services, such as infrastructure assessment, seamless migration to the cloud, proficient server support, security assessments, DevOps, architecture design, Disaster recovery, cost optimization, and 24x7 with support management service Additionally, we specialize in web and app development services.

Features

• Assessment and Consultancy Services
• Architecture Design and implementation
• Comprehensive Security Assessment
• Seamless Deployment and Migration
• DevOps Automation: Streamlined workflows
• Database Management service
• Cost Optimization
• 24/7 Support, Management, and Performance Monitoring
• Backup and Disaster Recovery Management
• Cloud Governance, Monitoring, and Alerting

Benefits

• Enhanced Workflow Efficiency
• Reliable Performance: Continuous server support
• Robust Data Protection
• Streamlined Development
• Customized Solutions
• Seamless Data Handling
• Cost-Efficient Strategies
• Continuous Assistance: 24/7 support
• Business Continuity: Backup and recovery solutions
• Governance and Compliance

£2 a unit an hour

• Education pricing available
• 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 paul@dotsquares.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

870681523203267

Contact

Paul Thomas
+44 208 0901819
paul@dotsquares.com

Service scope

• Service constraints: Please see https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ec2/?icmpid=docs_homepage_featuredsvcs
• System requirements: N/A

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Yes, We do provide 24*7 support and we respond within one hour.
• 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: Our web chat is accessible through leading platforms such as Skype, Slack, and Microsoft Teams.
• Web chat accessibility testing: N/A
• Onsite support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support levels: We provide two support options: standard (available 24/7) and dedicated. Standard support offers round-the-clock assistance and access to resources. Dedicated support offers personalized assistance tailored to specific needs, ensuring priority attention and proactive monitoring.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: We do not provide onsite training, online training. We do provide User documentation and we have provided a document under the name Acceptable User Policy.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
  • Other
• Other documentation formats: Spreadsheets
• End-of-contract data extraction: We provide all associated credentials of the server infrastructure that we had hosted for the client.
• End-of-contract process: We provide all the associated credentials to the client of the server infrastructure we hosted.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Using the web interface: We offer a dynamic project management interface where clients can seamlessly interact with our services. Should any changes be needed, updates can be made at DSP with no limitations.
• Web interface accessibility standard: None or don’t know
• How the web interface is accessible: The web interface is accessible through credentials provided to registered or authenticated users.
• Web interface accessibility testing: CRM
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: Users can use our API to set up the service, make changes, and access data. They can create accounts, configure settings, and manage resources programmatically. However, certain sensitive actions may be restricted, and rate limits may apply. Complex configurations may require manual intervention, and changes made through the API are subject to validation checks.
• API automation tools:
  • Ansible
  • Chef
  • OpenStack
  • SaltStack
  • Terraform
  • Puppet
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats:
  • Open API (also known as Swagger)
  • HTML
  • PDF
• Command line interface: Yes
• Command line interface compatibility:
  • Linux or Unix
  • Windows
  • MacOS
  • Other
• Using the command line interface: Users can set up and make changes to the service through the command line interface by installing necessary tools, authenticating with the service provider's API, and executing commands or scripts to provision, configure, and modify resources. Limitations may include complexity of commands, limited functionality for advanced features, potential for errors, and security considerations regarding authentication and authorization.

Scaling

• Scaling available: Yes
• Scaling type:
  • Automatic
  • Manual
• Independence of resources: Leveraging auto-scaling capabilities, Dotsquares ensures optimal application performance and scalability across multiple cloud service providers. Our approach includes horizontal and vertical server resource scaling, adjusting seamlessly during peak traffic and resizing automatically when demand decreases. Regular server resource monitoring ensures scalability readiness, maintaining isolated and operational server environments. With our expertise, clients confidently navigate scaling challenges. Trust Dotsquares for efficient and reliable scaling solutions tailored to your needs.
• Usage notifications: Yes
• Usage reporting: Email

Analytics

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

Resellers

• Supplier type: Reseller providing extra support
• Organisation whose services are being resold: AWS, Azure, GCP, Akamai

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Conforms to BS7858:2019
• 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
  • European Economic Area (EEA)
  • Other locations
• User control over data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Datacentre security standards: Supplier-defined controls
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: In-house
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Physical access control, complying with CSA CCM v3.0
  • Physical access control, complying with SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
  • Physical access control, complying with another standard
  • 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: A third-party destruction service

Backup and recovery

• Backup and recovery: Yes
• What’s backed up:
  • Databases
  • Virtual Machines
  • Object Storage
  • Snapshots
  • Files and Folders
  • Disaster Recovery
  • E-mails Backup
• Backup controls: Users can control backups through our managed backup console, offering various frequencies like hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly, tailored to business needs. This includes the flexibility to back up different items on different schedules.
• Datacentre setup:
  • Multiple datacentres with disaster recovery
  • Multiple datacentres
• Scheduling backups: Users schedule backups through a web interface
• Backup recovery: Users can recover backups themselves, for example through a web interface

Data-in-transit protection

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

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: At Dotsquares, we provide Amazon Web Services (AWS) tailored to our clients' business application needs. Our service level agreement (SLA) ensures a minimum uptime of 99.99%, varying based on the specific AWS service and server infrastructure. In the event of an outage or failure in any AWS region or availability zone, applicable credits or refunds are provided based on the duration of the disruption, in accordance with the terms determined by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) like Amazon Web Services. We are committed to delivering reliable AWS solutions with transparent SLAs, ensuring our clients' peace of mind and satisfaction with our services. Here is given SLA for AWS services. https://aws.amazon.com/legal/service-level-agreements/?aws-sla-cards.sort-by=item.additionalFields.serviceNameLower&aws-sla-cards.sort-order=asc&awsf.tech-category-filter=*all
• Approach to resilience: AWS has made significant investments in building and running the world’s most resilient cloud infrastructure available publicly . AWS has designed a unique and highly available global infrastructure, built safeguards into our service design and deployment mechanisms, and instilled resilience into our operational culture. AWS also makes it easier for you to build and run resilient applications in the cloud, with a comprehensive set of purpose-built resilience services, solutions, architectural best practices, and guidance.
• Outage reporting: We provide monthly assessment report for the AWS server resources to clients that includes incidents, server resource matrices , recommendation and severity of cases we have dealt

Identity and authentication

• User authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Limited access network (for example PSN)
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: To ensure secure access, we implement robust measures such as enabling Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on AWS IAM users. Additionally, we carefully assign permissions tailored to specific roles, limiting access to only what's necessary for each user. This approach enhances security by providing an extra layer of authentication while ensuring that users have precisely the access they need to carry out their tasks effectively.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Management access authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Limited access network (for example PSN)
  • Username or password
• Devices users manage the service through: Dedicated device over multiple services or networks

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users receive audit information on a regular basis
• How long user audit data is stored for: Between 1 month and 6 months
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users receive audit information on a regular basis
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: Between 1 month and 6 months
• 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: DBS
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 17/08/2023
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: Compliance with industry-specific regulations or standards beyond information security. Third-party systems or services not directly controlled or managed by our organization. Physical security measures outside the scope of information security. Legal or regulatory compliance beyond information security requirements.
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: No
• Cyber essentials plus: No
• Other security certifications: Yes
• Any other security certifications: ISO 9001:2015

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: AWS involves a comprehensive approach to address various aspects of security, including data protection, access control, network security, compliance, and incident response. Here are some key areas to consider when developing information security policies and processes for AWS: > Data Classification and Handling: > Identity and Access Management: > Network Security: > Encryption: > Compliance and Governance: (Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS) by implementing AWS services and features that support compliance requirements and conducting regular audits and assessments) > Backup and Disaster Recovery > Security Training and Awareness It's essential to regularly review and update security policies and processes to adapt to evolving threats, technology changes, and compliance requirements in AWS environments. Additionally, leveraging AWS's Well-Architected Framework and Security Best Practices can help guide the development and implementation of robust security controls.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: At Dotsquares, we uphold stringent configuration and change management practices to safeguard system integrity across AWS, Azure, GCP, and on-premises environments. Our approach includes meticulous tracking of assets through comprehensive inventory management and CMDB utilization. We employ tagging and labeling in cloud environments for efficient resource organization. Changes undergo a structured process, including risk assessment and thorough testing, ensuring minimal security impact. Integration of security controls and continuous monitoring further fortifies our systems against threats, ensuring adherence to stringent security policies and standards.
• Vulnerability management type: Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Vulnerability management approach: Amazon Inspector is an automated vulnerability management service that continuously scans AWS workloads for software vulnerabilities and unintended network exposure.
• Protective monitoring type: Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Protective monitoring approach: Amazon CloudWatch helps analyze logs and monitor the metrics of AWS resources and hosted applications in real-time. Additionally, we can utilize the ServiceLens feature to monitor the health of applications or leverage the Synthetics feature to create canaries that monitor endpoints and APIs.
• 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 uses a set of documented processes that clearly outline what needs to be done to minimize the negative impact and duration of IT disruption. Apart from the technical management of what went wrong, it also includes the management of customer, user, and stakeholder expectations during an incident. For customers, service level agreements (SLAs) clearly define expected uptime guarantees, resolution times, and communication channels for incidents. It requires comprehensive incident management on the part of the service provider to meet their SLA terms and conditions.

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: Supplier
• Virtualisation technologies used: Hyper-V
• How shared infrastructure is kept separate: We virtualize the environment by keeping it isolated from other hosted applications and provide dedicated resources with security and delegate access based on the need like through SSH, terminal, RDP access. Our Cloud Services environments segregate customer content and ensure proper communication and device attachment, guaranteeing data integrity and security.

Energy efficiency

• Energy-efficient datacentres: Yes
• Description of energy efficient datacentres: We offer hosting solutions on AWS and Azure, which have data centers that comply with the EU Code of Conduct for Energy Efficient Data Centers.

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  Fighting climate change

  Fighting climate change

  Dotsquares and ESG Dotsquares is moving forward with the powerful aspiration to improve the world. Being a pioneer, we are supporting the advancement of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and pledging to achieve net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases. The company uses ESG as a roadmap for formulating strategies to reduce its carbon footprint. Our commitment stands out as we intend to take effective steps for the transition to a net-zero business model. Dotsquares' sustainability strategy determines the organisational framework, clearly defined initiatives, and detailed implementation goals.

Pricing

• Price: £2 a unit an hour
• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: AWS, Azure, POC, and trial plans are available from one week to up to four weeks.

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 paul@dotsquares.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.