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UBDS IT Consulting Ltd

Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure

UBDS Digital’s specialist team will guide you through implementing the stages of the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework. From defining strategy, planning and preparing your environment through migration, management, security and innovation. This builds strong foundations, based on best practice, ensuring your cloud environment meets your evolving needs from day one.

Features

  • Develop a cloud adoption strategy aligned to desired business outcomes
  • Plan the cloud environment to match customer requirements
  • Identify skills gaps and training requirements to operate the cloud
  • Design the cloud environment and landing zones to match requirements
  • Build management policies to enforce controls such as tagging resources
  • Implement consistent logging and monitoring of resources
  • Secure workloads through access controls, governance and security operations
  • Create a platform for secure innovation
  • Organise teams and roles aligned to cloud adoption

Benefits

  • Delivers business outcomes linked to cloud adoption
  • Builds a strong foundation for cloud services
  • Establishes a well-governed, secure cloud footprint
  • Reduces risk of cloud adoption
  • Evolves over time to meet business demands
  • Builds alignment between people, culture and technology
  • Provides cost transparency and oversight

Pricing

£595 to £1,350 a unit a day

  • Education pricing available

Service documents

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

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

9 0 9 1 6 7 9 5 4 9 6 5 2 9 7

Contact

UBDS IT Consulting Ltd UBDS Frameworks
Telephone: 03301110066
Email: frameworks@ubds.com

Planning

Planning service
Yes
How the planning service works
UBDS Digital is experienced in supporting organisations on their digital and cloud journeys. Key to our success is ensuring that we plan collaboratively with you. We will understand your organisational vision, requirements and the needs of your users, which will enable us to develop services and solutions that work for you. We include readiness assessments where appropriate, analysing your current position and capability for change so that we design our service appropriately and understand the skills that you have and where we can support you.
Drawing on our experience we will help you determine the future mode of working and a plan to get there through training, roadshows, tooling, process transformation and new ways of working. We will help you to understand the financial and people impacts of change and the benefits along the way and in the end.
Planning service works with specific services
No

Training

Training service provided
Yes
How the training service works
UBDS Digital will help you to gain the skills, experience and credentials you need. Our team will work with your resources and users to assess training needs and we can then advise on the training paths that are most suitable (via UBDS and/or third parties). UBDS provides training, coaching and mentoring in many cloud technologies, associated skills, methodologies and delivery techniques. We include knowledge transfer throughout our service, include shadowing and mentoring to ensure future self-sufficiency. We will also leave you with a knowledge bank including user / technical guides, training documents, specifications, designs etc.
Training is tied to specific services
No

Setup and migration

Setup or migration service available
Yes
How the setup or migration service works
There are significant benefits to organisations moving their applications to cloud. The cloud provider maintains the security, reliability and resiliency of the service; the service is elastic, i.e. can be scaled up and down based on demand and is significantly cheaper – both direct running costs and indirect support and maintenance costs. However, many organisations have ageing technology which is unsuitable for cloud. UBDS has developed a robust, proven cloud migration method, which works at scale. This includes processes, governance, technical solution (landing zone), operating models and site reliability engineering practices as appropriate. Working with you we then review the end-to-end delivery approach to enable the successful transition of services without impacting production services.
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
UBDS includes full quality assurance and testing throughout our engagement to ensure organisations achieve maximum benefit from the Cloud. This includes: • Strategic alignment – what is realistic for the organisation • Financial assessment – what are the current costs, what are the desired benefits and future total cost of ownership • Baseline testing – understanding the current as-is from a service performance and stability perspective • Using a proven approach for migrating to cloud • Testing at the infrastructure, platform, network and application layers • Technical and business verification testing • Functional and non-functional testing • User acceptance testing • Operational support pre-, post- and during migration • Detailed migration runbooks with checkpoints and regression go/no-go • Post migration benefits realisation tracking,

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
  • Other
Other security services
  • Cloud Security Assessment
  • GovAssure Support
  • Cloud Security Operations Design and Implementation
  • NIST Cyber Security Framework assessment, implementation and training
  • Data Encryption at Rest / Data Encryption in Transit
  • Cyber Threat and Risk Protection
  • Intrusion Protection
  • Identity and Access Management
  • Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
  • Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR)
Certified security testers
Yes
Security testing certifications
  • CHECK
  • CREST
  • Tigerscheme
  • Cyber Scheme

Ongoing support

Ongoing support service
Yes
Types of service supported
  • Buyer hosting or software
  • Hosting or software provided by your organisation
  • Hosting or software provided by a third-party organisation
How the support service works
UBDS operates a 24x7x365 Infrastructure Operations Centre (IOC) in our Manchester office. We offer full Service Management and a range of support options to clients from ticket / feature request, through incident management / backlog and work tracking to deployment. We have expertise in reducing resolution times from weeks and months to minutes. We cover the full technology stack including infrastructure, networking, compute, storage, applications and tooling and will design the perfect support package for you.

Service scope

Service constraints
No constraints

User support

Email or online ticketing support
Email or online ticketing
Support response times
Within 2 hours between the hours of 07:00 - 00:00, 7 days a week.

24/7/365 service available at additional cost.
User can manage status and priority of support tickets
Yes
Online ticketing support accessibility
WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
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
WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
Web chat accessibility testing
Assistive user testing completed by web chat SAAS service provider.
Support levels
At no extra cost
Hours of operation: 07:00 - 00:00 - two hour response

24/7/365 support at an extra cost (on request)

Technical Account Manager provided at no extra cost

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
Yes
Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001
Citation ISO Certification
ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date
20/06/2023
What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover
No exceptions
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
  • ISO22301
  • ISO20000
  • ISO9001
  • FIPS 140-2 Level 1

Social Value

Social Value

Social Value

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

Fighting climate change

UBDS is ISO14001 accredited, has published a Carbon Reduction Plan on our website and commits to reducing emissions in all of our contracts. We will integrate sustainability principles into our GCloud 14 contracts to educate all parties on the importance of positive environmental action and encourage collaboration on joint initiatives. We will use our Earth51 Driving Sustainability Leadership certified sustainability leaders to spearhead these activities in each contract, alongside driving knowledge sharing across the teams. Initiatives will include:
-Virtual meetings. UBDS is happy to attend in-person meetings however, where this is not essential then we propose virtual meetings, keeping transport emissions to a minimum.
-Our green transport policy. We encourage use of human-powered and public transport at all times. We do not provide company cars, with the exception of electric pool vehicles, and deploy resources who are based close to customer sites. Should travel be necessary for a contract then we will use trains to minimise emissions.
-The use of renewables. UBDS’ offices are environmentally sustainable, use renewable energy, all lights are LED and we have movement-detection light sensors throughout the building to ensure against unnecessary use.
-Our sustainable supply chain to maximise effective use of resources. We use local suppliers wherever possible and require our supply chain to demonstrate their commitment to becoming carbon neutral, including annual updates. This data is important in our own carbon reduction analysis.
-We are committed to the circular economy and operate waste management principles based upon the UK Government’s waste hierarchy:  Prevention; Reuse; Recycle ; Recover; Dispose . Our offices have reusable cutlery and crockery, with in-house baristas encouraging avoidance of disposable cups, and recycling bins for all materials and food waste.
-Advising Buyers on sustainability, including gaining organisational certifications (eg ISO14001) or accreditations for employees (eg Earth51 sustainability training.)

Covid-19 recovery

UBDS recognises the impact of Covid-19 on communities UK-wide and that we have opportunities to help manage the impact and recover from it. Practically we take several key actions designed to support affected communities:
-Where practical and commercially viable, UBDS will recruit and deploy locally sourced skills and services. This supports local economies affected by Covid-19, as well as the environmental benefits of minimising peoples’ daily commute. 
-We support local businesses, including SMEs and VCSEs by encouraging and implementing local sourcing. We understand and appreciate the importance of this alignment with local organisations: it drives investment; stimulates the local economy; creates employment and increases job security; and contributes to living standards and wellbeing. Our approach boosts innovation, brings new perspectives and unlocks potential savings through the agility and value for money SMEs offer, as well as helping local economies to rebuild post-Covid-19.
-We have a Digital Academy in London and Manchester, through which we offer apprenticeships to enable young people from communities affected by Covid-19 to gain practical experience, training and career prospects. Our apprentices are paid the Real Living Wage and 100% have been offered full-time roles.
-We encourage our staff to participate in, and contribute to, charity events and community schemes in their local area, including projects to support those affected by Covid-19, e.g. charities addressing the digital divide or foodbanks. We have invested in the OnHand app, to enable staff to easily discover and support local projects.
-We support foodbanks as an organisation (in London, Manchester and Glasgow), helping communities to recover.
-We support digital enablement programmes and make donations of equipment to groups/charities (such as wiped equipment that we are replacing).
-We work with schools and colleges near our contracts to provide careers advice, curriculum and literacy support and to develop mentoring and work placement programmes.

Tackling economic inequality

We operate a multi-faceted approach to address inequality, across practices, policies and benefits, with a focus improving growth and prospects within our communities. We are acutely aware of socioeconomic inequalities, specifically within technology, and UBDS makes a conscious effort to address these. We do this through activities that drive investment, stimulate the local economy, create employment, and increase job security:
- We develop skills that will provide long-lasting prospects and can kickstart careers. For each contract, where practical and commercially viable, UBDS commits to recruiting and deploying staff from areas close to Buyer sites, alongside locally sourced skills and services to support local economies. We will actively seek to recruit staff from areas of socioeconomic deprivation and from under-represented groups within the industry. all staff recruited will be offered ongoing training and certifications, for example in Cloud technologies, enhancing their future opportunities.  
- We will advertise and promote our apprenticeship scheme, which offers opportunities to young people and/or those facing barriers to employment. We have an Academy based in Manchester and London, hiring local apprentices and graduates, including from deprived areas; we would seek to promote our scheme through the work we do with DWP. The Academy incorporates skills development and learning, with a wide range of certifications and qualifications available and we will recruit apprentices specifically to support GCloud contracts as part of our growth plans. 
- We will identify events within areas with lower socioeconomic demographics, supporting those wanting to move into roles in the Cloud Technology sector by providing advice and practical support, such as mentoring, careers advice and work experience.
- We are a Disability Confident employer, Certified Living Wage employer, and operate a range of family-friendly, flexible working policies that are designed to encourage and retain candidates from all backgrounds, alongside generous pay and benefits.

Equal opportunity

We are a BAME-owned business and committed to ensuring equality and accessibility, giving opportunities spanning society. Our values are built around delivering value and excellence to our customers, but critically also making an impact within our community and investing in our diverse workforce. This commitment is demonstrated through our ways of working and policies, including Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, in which all staff receive mandatory training annually.
We recognise that the technology sector has specific gender and ethnic minority imbalances, as well as the underrepresentation of those with disabilities. To address this, we have designed and invested in a multi-faceted approach across recruitment, practices and policies that supports equality and inclusion. We spend time understanding areas of inequality and providing opportunities to address specific issues, for example through targeted recruitment campaigns., as well as creating an environment that supports inclusion.
UBDS’ recruitment processes embrace diversity.  Our interviews cover technical and cultural aspects, with Test Gorilla used to ensure against unconscious bias. We are committed to all aspects of the Good Work Plan, do not operate zero hours contracts and a certified Real Living Wage employer, with the majority of staff paid well in excess. 
We are a Disability Confident employer and operate family-friendly, flexible working policies that are designed to encourage and retain candidates from all backgrounds. We regularly review our recruitment practices, including with candidates and staff, to ensure equality and fairness.
We offer all staff continuous learning, including unlimited technical training and recognised qualifications and certifications, for example in Cloud technologies, supported by our performance framework, bi-annual reviews and clear pathways for development and promotion.
We undertake ongoing anonymous monitoring of candidates and staff, analysing statistics to ensure we meet diversity targets, inform our recruitment and retention strategy and demonstrate that our activities to address imbalances are working.

Wellbeing

UBDS puts our people at the centre of everything. It is important to set our people up to succeed and provide a safe, nurturing, and professional work environment that is informed by our values. We recognise that there is a fine balance between driving fast-paced, complex projects and staff health and wellbeing.
We spend time understanding mental and physical health and wellbeing within the workplace, through our People Team’s research. We have signed up to the Mental Health at Work Commitment and its six standards have informed our multi-faceted programme of training, policies and practices designed to support employees, including:
Commitment to all aspects of the Good Work Plan, never operating zero-hours contracts and being a certified Real Living Wage employer, with most staff paid well in excess.
Investing in the health and wellbeing of our staff, through our modern employee value proposition, including generous pay and benefits packages, and specific initiatives such as cost of living bonuses. 
Our high-trust working environment focuses on quality outcomes rather than timekeeping and supports hybrid and flexible working that talks to staff needs.
Recognising the importance of destressing with colleagues. We provide social events to connect outside of work and encourage cross-UBDS charity events (eg the Three Peaks Challenge.)
Ongoing learning and development opportunities, with unlimited training and certifications available for all staff. 
Our comprehensive well-being offering to staff. We offer private medical cover for all staff, free counselling through Help@Hand and access to certified Mental Health First Aiders in each office.
Listening to our people and taking ideas on board through eNPS surveys, Pulse Surveys, 360 feedback, including via psychological safe spaces where issues/concerns can be freely discussed, and our Shadow Board. Initiatives implemented as a direct result of employee engagement include notification-free “quiet time”, Cycle to Work Scheme and sporting activities.

Pricing

Price
£595 to £1,350 a unit a day
Discount for educational organisations
Yes

Service documents

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