Somerford Associates Limited

Splunk Observability Cloud

Splunk's Observability Suite addresses your need to analyse customer experiences and detect, troubleshoot and find root causes to incidents across a cloud-native or hybrid environment.

Consisting of Splunk IT Service Intelligence (ITSI), Infrastructure Monitoring (SIM), Application Performance Monitoring (APM), Real User Monitoring (RUM), Splunk Synthetic Monitoring and Splunk On-Call.

Features

• Collects and indexes log and machine data from any source
• Powerful search, analysis and visualisation capabilities
• Real-time analysis for operational intelligence and business reporting
• Quickly determine the origin of an incident and its root-cause
• Big Data Analytics, using Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
• Provides business and service context to prioritise incident investigation
• AIOps provides service insights, event analytics and automated remediation
• Physical and virtual infrastructure monitoring
• Cloud monitoring and microservices with Application Performance Monitoring APM
• Synthetic Monitoring of Real User Journeys, Visualising your Users Experience

Benefits

• Ensure Service Performance with Full Visibility, AIOps and incident intelligence
• Real-time network intelligence, avoid costly network escalations/downtime
• Automate alerts, remediation and incident workflows- faster resolution time
• Delivers a central, unified view of critical IT services
• Uses machine learning to detect patterns and dynamically adapt thresholds
• Consolidate capabilities, reduce platform and application specific tools
• Make on-call less frustrating and improve business outcomes
• Improve hybrid cloud performance with instant visibility and real-time alerts
• Find and Fix customer-facing issues across web and mobile
• Insight into cloud-native, microservice and monolithic applications with code-level visibility

£248.00 a licence a year

• Free trial 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 penny.harrison@somerfordassociates.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

884927620733363

Contact

Penny Harrison
07897075103
penny.harrison@somerfordassociates.com

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model: Public cloud
• Service constraints: None
• System requirements:
  • Web Browser with an internet connection
  • Recommended: Splunk OTEL Collector (for sending data)

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm excl bank holidays customers receive an initial response within one business hour
• 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: We provide support from priority 1 to priority 4 cases on any existing configuration or part of the platform that is in total or partial failure as well as not working as expected. We also provide configuration guidance and recommendations for use cases. Each customer receives their own Account Manager who works closely with Support and ensures that cases can be followed up. Somerfords Support desk is available as a value added service in addition to the maintenance and support purchased alongside the license.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Splunk can provide free evaluation licences. We will provide Professional Services to help plan and execute your deployment and offer a full catalogue of training services to support the deployment.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: The Splunk tool provides analysis and visualisation of data from various sources. The data rests at its original location and does not solely reside in Splunk. Therefore there is no need for data extraction at end of contract
• End-of-contract process: If a licence is terminated we can provide Professional Services at extra cost to help the Buyer to migrate their analytic needs to another supplier.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: Mobile web browser functionality is the same. Splunk Mobile App provides visualisations, alerting and interactivity to execute actions from a finger press. With the Splunk Augmented Reality app, you can create your own virtual workspace in augmented reality via your phone.; ; Native Splunk On-Call mobile for iOS and Android provides full incident response functionality without opening your desktop. Work from where you want with on-the-go-acking
• Service interface: No
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: Observability Cloud APIs let you:; • Send metrics and metrics metadata to Observability Cloud; ; • Update existing metrics; ; • Send custom events to Observability Cloud; ; • Create, retrieve, update, and delete charts, dashboards, and dashboard groups; ; • Create, retrieve, update, and delete detectors that notify you of anomalies in metrics; ; • Analyze metrics using SignalFlow; ; • Integrate third-party web services, authentication services, and notification services with your organization; ; • Manage your organization
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • ODF
  • PDF
• API sandbox or test environment: Yes
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: The user is able to configure dashboards, alerts, reports and underlying target data sources. Configuration can be through Splunk Web, Splunk's Command Line Interface (CLI), Splunk's REST API or directly within configuration.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Splunk Observability Cloud uses limits, metrics and gates on the processing layer to stop one customer's usage affecting that of another. This is monitored by the Splunk Operations team.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Gauge metrics, counter metrics & cumulative counter metrics. See https://docs.splunk.com/observability/en/metrics-and-metadata/metric-types.html
• Reporting types:
  • API access
  • Real-time dashboards
  • Regular reports

Resellers

• Supplier type: Reseller providing extra features and support
• Organisation whose services are being resold: Splunk

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:
  • European Economic Area (EEA)
  • Other locations
• User control over data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Datacentre security standards: Managed by a third party
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: In-house
• Protecting data at rest: Other
• Other data at rest protection approach: Splunk's own cloud service uses logical data separation, authenticated user accounts, and industry standard hardening. Data in transit is encrypted with industry standard SSL and data at rest is encrypted with AES 256-bit encryption. This service is acccredited to ISO270001. We can help the buyer to enable a similar configuration suitable for their data at rest protection.
• 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

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: There are many ways that a user can export data. Splunk provides a REST API to export data. Data can also be exported from the web user interface.
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats: JSON
• Data import formats: Other
• Other data import formats: JSON

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks: TLS (version 1.2 or above)
• Data protection within supplier network: TLS (version 1.2 or above)

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: The Splunk Observability Cloud services will be available 99.9% of the time, as measured by Splunk over each calendar month of the Subscription Term, and subject to the exclusions set forth below (the “Service Level Commitment”).; ; A Splunk Observability Cloud service is considered available if Customers are able to login to the service interface and access monitoring data.
• Approach to resilience: Splunk handles resilience by replication of data across a cluster of Splunk Indexers across data centres. Splunk maintains a seven-day backup of data and configuration files and backups run continuously.
• Outage reporting: Splunk provides a cloud monitoring console to monitor the health of your Splunk environment. Email alerts are also available.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Splunk Observability Clouds lets you restrict access to certain features to specific groups of users using role-based access control (RBAC). You assign roles to users. A role contains a set of capabilities. These capabilities define what actions are available to roles. For example, capabilities determine whether someone with a particular role has the capabilities to create detectors or dashboards.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • 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: No audit information available
• How long system logs are stored for: User-defined

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: Schellman & Company, LLC
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 01/12/2023
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: Deployment in customers own environment
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: Yes
• CSA STAR accreditation date: N/A
• CSA STAR certification level: Level 1: CSA STAR Self-Assessment
• What the CSA STAR doesn’t cover: Deployment in customers own environment
• PCI certification: Yes
• Who accredited the PCI DSS certification: Schellman & Company, LLC
• PCI DSS accreditation date: 14/02/2023
• What the PCI DSS doesn’t cover: Deployment in customers own environment
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Other security certifications: Yes
• Any other security certifications:
  • HIPAA
  • SOC 2 Type II
  • IRAP Protected
  • Shared Assessment

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: Our Cloud based service uses trusted third-party validation. Auditing of our processes and policies efforts to safeguard customer data to industry standards worldwide.; ; Splunk Observability Cloud has an annual SOC 2 Type II audit report issued. The SOC 2 audit assesses an organisation’s security, availability, process integrity, and confidentiality processes to provide assurance about the systems that a company uses to protect customers’ data.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: For Splunk initiated changes, maintenance is performed at most once per month and Customers will receive notice of Routine Maintenance by email at least 48 hours in advance. For Customer initiated changes, the maintenance can be performed regularly. You can request an alternate time within the Routine Maintenance window if required. Customers will receive email notice when such maintenance is starting and when complete.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: We have a robust process for threats to the Splunk platform. We maintain a policy of evaluating all potential security vulnerabilities that are discovered internally or externally within two business days of discovery. We use the industry standard CVSSv2 to rate vulnerabilities. In the case of critical risk, high impact vulnerabilities, Splunk will make all reasonable efforts to supply patches.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Splunk monitors application and platform components of the service for potential issues. Cloud Operations staff monitor alerts and logs for issues, and log a ticket for issues that require remediation. In the event of application or data compromise affecting customer data, the customer is notified immediately and remains in contact with the remediation team until resolution.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Splunk maintains an incident response policy and program, with defined processes, roles and responsibilities. Customers may submit security issues through the normal support channels or any additional channels as provided in the EULA.

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)

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

  As an organisation that works closely with the public sector, Somerford is keen to demonstrate our commitment to supporting the achievement of the Net Zero target of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.; ; Management and staff at Somerford have been conscious of our impact upon the environment even before the Climate Change Act was introduced, and we’ve adopted environmentally friendly practices as the business has grown. Consequently, Somerford ‘s business already has a reasonably low carbon footprint, and will continue to strive for further reductions wherever possible because this is beneficial for our business, our stakeholders and the environment.; ; We will use our influence as a value added reseller of leading edge software products and supporting professional services to select supplier-partners whose own carbon reduction philosophy and plans are aligned with ours, and who can show commitment to the Net Zero target. In practical terms, this means we participate in a carbon-net-zero supply chain in the delivery of the solutions from our supplier-partners to our customers.; ; For further details, please see our Carbon Reduction Plan online at https://www.somerfordassociates.com/carbon-reduction-policy-and-plan/ As an organisation that works closely with the public sector.

  Covid-19 recovery

  During the Covid-19 pandemic, our robust business continuity measures, prudent fiscal policy, and the benefits of a highly flexible team, meant we were well prepared for the difficulties ahead. ; ; Staff wellbeing has been at the forefront of our Covid-19 recovery plans, taking care of their physical and mental health, including;; ; * home working to avoid unnecessary exposure to the virus; * providing safe office space where staff personal circumstances dictated; * regular contact, albeit remotely, to prevent isolation; * organised e-based social events to maintain interaction; ; ; As a result we have been able to:; ; * give uninterrupted service to our customers; * move our staff to home working; * avoid compulsory redundancies and minimised furlough; * in 2020, gain an 11% increase in revenues; * continue to grow the workforce by over 10% in the same year; * take on new partners to enhance our solutions portfolio; * invest in staff education to meet future customer needs. ; ; Changes in business practices due to Covid-19 have shown that flexible work patterns can be very effective, and we’re unlikely to fully return to our previous style of working. ; ; Our solutions have also helped customers to cope with their changing work patterns too - supporting their Covid recovery by providing the infrastructure, tooling and monitoring to support their own remote, flexible and sustainable ways of working.

  Tackling economic inequality

  Somerford is a healthily growing business, and actively strives to create employment opportunities that are inclusive of all socio-economic groups. For example:; ; * 47% of our staff joined us as junior.; * 17 of our team have joined us as apprentices or graduated from our in house technical academy; * We actively participate in the Armed Forces Covenant Scheme and help to redeploy and re-skill leavers from the Armed Forces. So far, 18 staff have joined us in this way;; ; Strong technical skills are key to the delivery of services to our customers, so we’ve invested heavily in staff training, as is demonstrated by 47% of our staff starting with us as juniors.

  Equal opportunity

  Somerford is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, gender reassignment, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief or age.; ; We do not discriminate on the grounds of disability. We take particular care to respect the rights of those with disabilities, throughout all stages of recruitment and employment. We make reasonable adjustments to ensure those with disabilities are not disadvantaged in the workplace, eg. adjusting working hours or providing special equipment to help to do their job.

  Wellbeing

  Somerford is committed to promoting and supporting the wellbeing of all of its staff. We aim to create a culture which focuses on prevention of issues in the workplace that can adversely affect staff health and wellbeing, and where issues are identified, they are managed promptly before they can have a detrimental impact.; ; This includes:; * providing staff with clarity and purpose regarding their job role;; * ensuring staff have the capability, training, support and encouragement to conduct their role confidently and effectively;; * providing a physical working environment that is suitable for the work to be carried out effectively;; * encouraging staff to maintain a sensible work-life balance;; * minimising the stressful impacts of work;; * ensuring bullying and harassment have no place in the working environment;; * managing sickness and absence effectively;; * considering requests for career breaks and sabbaticals;; * providing medical assistance to staff;; * encouraging employee fitness;; * promoting dignity at work.

Pricing

• Price: £248.00 a licence a year
• Discount for educational organisations: No
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: Explore the benefits of Splunk APM, Splunk RUM, Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring and Splunk Log Observer Connect.; ; You can choose to experience Splunk Observability Cloud in two ways within the trial:; ; - Using your own data by instrumenting your applications with OpenTelemetry ; ; - Using sample data in a pre-instrumented environment.
• Link to free trial: https://www.splunk.com/en_us/download/o11y-cloud-free-trial.html

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 penny.harrison@somerfordassociates.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.