Aridhia Informatics Ltd

Aridhia Digital Research Environment (DRE) Workspaces

Aridhia’s Digital Research Environment is a cloud-based subscription service giving project teams access to collaborative analytic workspaces tailored to their requirements. Multidisciplinary teams can integrate and interrogate data in a web-accessible workspace pre-configured with analytic technologies,rapid prototyping tools, database storage and compute resources,collaboration features, audit capabilities and information governance functionality.

Features

• Flexible subscription model
• Role-based access control, comprehensive audit reporting and activity tracking
• Embedded communication features including sharing, tagging, alerts, notes, comments
• Built-in PostgreSQL, MADlib, R, R Shiny, RStudio, Jupyter Notebooks
• R console with open source, statistical and machine-learning analysis
• Easy data import and ingest options
• Scalable storage, compute and VM's
• PostgreSQL Database
• Automated LaTeX publishing to approved journal formats

Benefits

• Cloud-based for anytime, anywhere collaborative analytics
• Provisioned on-demand, scalable, and pre-configured to individual project requirements
• Secure environment supporting information governance, Caldicott and ISO27001 standards
• Secure accredited hosting on Microsoft Azure cloud platform
• Extensible with ‘bring your own tools’ Virtual Desktop Service
• Customisable with Workspace+ data services and data science support
• Templated environments (Precision Medicine, Population Health & Integrated Care)
• Multidisciplinary skillset support – from point-and-click to data scientists
• Advanced data visualisation capabilities
• Powerful support for reproducible research

£3,000 a unit a month

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

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

906429364874031

Contact

Andrew Fox
0131 560 1470
andrew.fox@aridhia.com

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model: Public cloud
• Service constraints: Monthly planned maintenance period, 1 hours, evening/weekend
• System requirements:
  • Tested on latest versions of Chrome and Edge
  • Workspaces run on other browsers but we test on Chrome/Edge

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Within 1 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: Standard Service Support is included in the subscription price.; All customers have access to a Service Delivery Manager.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Online training and user documentation is available.; Aridhia service desk will provision Workspaces and user accounts.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: Users can extract data directly and also work with the Aridhia service desk.
• End-of-contract process: Once a subscription expires users can extract data, scripts, files, ect before Aridhia closes down the Workspace. There are no termination charges.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Chrome
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: No
• 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: The Workspaces API supports file upload as documented here https://knowledgebase.aridhia.io/workspaces/data-and-files/uploading-data/uploading-files-via-an-api
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats: Open API (also known as Swagger)
• API sandbox or test environment: Yes
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: Each Workspace can contain a Custom Home Page that is described in an HTML file. This allows for each Workspace to be customised with project logos, links to content specific to the project amongst other use cases. ; ; Options for federated authentication.; ; Users can add their own Shiny apps and Containerised apps to Workspaces.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Customer resources are within their own dedicated subscription. The data within each Workspace is stored in a dedicated database which is not accessible by other Workspaces. Each Workspace sits within a dedicated resource group in Azure, which is segregated from all other resource groups.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Metrics can be provided to describe the amount of disk storage is being used by a Workspace to store its data and files. The number of members within a Workspace can be provided along with records of each member's access to the Workspace.
• Reporting types:
  • API access
  • Regular reports
  • Reports on request

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

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
• User control over data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Datacentre security standards: Complies with a recognised standard (for example CSA CCM version 3.0)
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: ‘IT Health Check’ performed by a CHECK service provider
• Protecting data at rest: Physical access control, complying with CSA CCM v3.0
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type: 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: Users of the Workspace service can easily export their data and files by downloading them to the computer from where they are accessing the application. All downloads must go through a process whereby an Administrator of the Workspace authorises any download request. The authorisation process is audited to ensure a record is kept of who requested the download, who authorised it, and which data and/or files were downloaded.
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats:
  • PNG
  • PDF
  • R, SQL, etc.
• Data import formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data import formats:
  • PNG
  • PDF
  • R, SQL, etc.

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)
  • IPsec or TLS VPN gateway

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: 99.5% availability excluding planned maintenance.
• Approach to resilience: Aridhia Digital Research Environment works on resilient cloud infrastructure, utilising Microsoft Azure services. Data can be backed locally and to adjacent Microsoft regions.
• Outage reporting: Email Alerts

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Aridhia operate a Role Based Access Control policy where only certain colleague roles are granted access to restricted areas. For example Systems Administrators have access to secure passwords but their manager does not, as that role is different.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Management access authentication: 2-factor authentication

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: At least 12 months
• 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: BSI
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 19/4/2024
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: N/A
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Other security certifications: Yes
• Any other security certifications:
  • HITRUST
  • NHS Digital Data Security and Protection toolkit
  • ISO 27701

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: HITRUST,; ISO 27701,; Cyber Essentials Plus
• Information security policies and processes: Aridhia has an Information Security Policy which is reviewed annually or ad hoc where significant changes are required. This is held in the Information Governance page of the company’s Sharepoint intranet. There are other policies, frameworks and schedules including for example a Data Protection Policy, a Clean Desk Policy, Business Continuity and DR Framework, Induction Training plus job descriptions and a security section within the Employee handbook. ; ; While colleagues are encouraged not to print unnecessarily, where they do a third party company (Shred-it) is engaged to securely dispose of printed papers. ; ; Both Information Security and Business Continuity are the responsibility of the Information Security Manager, reporting in to the COO.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: Configuration items such as software licences, laptops, servers are all purchased by the Platform Services Manager via Purchase Order. Assets are recorded in an asset register as are software licences. Any licence keys or certificate keys are stored in password manager software which is limited to only a few people. Changes to production services are made after a change record is raised and approved. The change record is held in our Service Management software which is managed by the Service Desk.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: Software is patched and maintained by our in house Operations team. We deploy security patches as soon as possible. Rather than wait for a planned release window we use our Emergency CAB process to agree a slot. We get our information either from our suppliers, external consultants, or from membership of user groups (e.g. we pay for membership of the VMUG = VM User Group).
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: We run a variety of monitoring software for both services and infrastructure, for example CISCO's Meraki. This monitors client devices, access points, the wireless environment, and security threats. Other software monitors storage devices such as hard disks, alerting in advance when services are degraded. Infrastructure is designed to be resilient without single points of failure (SPOFs). However where critical infrastructure is affected we will arrange an emergency CAB and make customers aware before applying any changes.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Aridhia operate within an ITIL framework. Relevant colleagues have ITIL certification up to ITIL v3 Expert and Service Desk staff are trained to Foundation level. Users can report incidents by email, phone or via Aridhia’s Portal. Emails to the Service Desk mailbox are picked up and managed by our Service Desk tool. For Major Incidents a Post Incident Review will take pace which is minuted and shared with Senior Management and relevant customers.

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

  • Covid-19 recovery
  • Wellbeing

  Covid-19 recovery

  Aridhia has worked on several Covid-19 projects, starting with the set-up of the NHS Nightingale Hospital. This project required the rapid deployment of a secure and stable digital infrastructure. The technical and project management teams at Aridhia dealt with everything from licensing requirements to Microsoft Azure capacity issues, so that digital solutions could be put in place. Said solutions were used to provide a wide variety of logistical services to NHS Nightingale. Aridhia continued to support the underlying digital environment in terms of alerts, reporting and ensuring the ongoing information security of the environment for Nightingale.; ; The ICODA Workbench was developed by Aridhia to support Covid-19 exemplar studies and research projects, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For example, the ICODA Grand Challenges project allows research groups across the globe to focus on learning more about the nature of SARS-COV-2, and not on the underlying data management and governance infrastructure. This allowed teams to provide insight into improved treatments, targeted mitigation measures to stem transmission, and more. See https://icoda-research.org/

  Wellbeing

  We are proud to have sponsored last year’s Data Science for Social Good UK (DSSGx) Datafest 2023 and look forward to our involvement in 2024. DSSGx is an affiliate program of the Data Science for Social Good (DSSG) program which is run from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. DSSG aims to help not-for-profit organisations and government bodies to achieve more with their data so that they can fulfil their mission of bettering the world and people’s lives. To achieve this, DSSG gives these organisations access to top-tier data scientists who help them to maximise the effectiveness of their data.; ; Datafest 2023, the DSSGx UK summer programme, is led by the University of Warwick. Fellows were selected from a long list of over 400 applicants and organised into four teams, each of which had 12 weeks to solve a specific data challenge for a government department or not-for-profit organisation. Each team was aided by DSSG mentors in data science and project management.; ; For the challenge, Aridhia provisioned each team with a DRE workspace so that they could collaborate with each other from their remote locations. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the challenge has been run remotely, so a secure online collaboration environment was a critical tool for the success of the programme. We were happy that we were able to provide these Workspaces at short notice, onboard all users smoothly, and provide ongoing support for the teams who required it.

Pricing

• Price: £3,000 a unit a month
• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: Monthly trial.
• Link to free trial: Www.aridhia.com

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 andrew.fox@aridhia.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.