Meritec Limited

Umbraco Website Content Management System (CMS)

Our service provides a smart, modern responsive website underpinned by a powerful and flexible Umbraco content management system (CMS). This intuitive platform enables rapid content generation with easy to change presentation templates and interface objects. We develop our websites to focus on the User Experience (UX) and WCAG2.1 compliance.

Features

  • Modern, open-source content management system: Umbraco
  • Integrates seamlessly with low-code digital platform
  • Achieves high scores on accessibility and customer experience ranking engines
  • Developed from ground up with mobile rendering in mind
  • Optionally can support range of digital forms and workflow processes
  • Flexible approach to navigational aids and 3-level design approach
  • Compliant with W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) standards & WCAG2.1.
  • Wide experience of designing around the user experience and journey
  • Popular WYSIWYG editor and easy to navigate, intuitive menu structure
  • Templates and pages can be previewed on different viewports

Benefits

  • Smart, modern, agile website and content store enhances organisational image
  • Enhanced usability and customer experience
  • Can be integrated with key business systems
  • Mobile responsive design for accessibility across all devices
  • Reduces face to face and telephone contact time
  • Fast access to information saves time and money
  • Level AA Conformance to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0
  • Follows Government Digital Service design principles and WCAG2.1 compliance
  • Content can be easily uploaded and updated
  • Supports self-service and integrates with our other digital solutions

Pricing

£12,600 an instance a year

  • 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 adam.wilkinson@meritec.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 13

Service ID

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

Contact

Meritec Limited Adam Wilkinson
Telephone: 01756 699204
Email: adam.wilkinson@meritec.co.uk

Service scope

Software add-on or extension
No
Cloud deployment model
Private cloud
Service constraints
Meritec will perform non-essential updates on a defined schedule, normally outside of standard working hours. Customers will be given at least 2 weeks’ notice where possible of scheduled maintenance tasks. Essential updates, e.g. security patches, would be installed at the first available opportunity, to be agreed with the customer.
System requirements
No specific requirements

User support

Email or online ticketing support
Email or online ticketing
Support response times
Support response times:
Priority level/ Response Time - 1) 30 minutes 2) 1 hour 3) 4 hours 4) 1 day. By agreement for weekends and bank holidays.
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 support level per SLA included in service cost
• Alternative levels of support by agreement
• A service manager is part of our standard service
Support available to third parties
Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

Getting started
A set-up facility and full user documentation is provided. Training (including) online training is available
Service documentation
Yes
Documentation formats
PDF
End-of-contract data extraction
A wide variety of formats and platforms are supported for secure export. Meritec can provide a "data out" policy if required.
End-of-contract process
• All client data returned to client
• All client access deactivated
• Relevant secure processes fully applied
• Above at standard cost

Using the service

Web browser interface
Yes
Supported browsers
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Opera
Application to install
No
Designed for use on mobile devices
Yes
Differences between the mobile and desktop service
None
Service interface
Yes
User support accessibility
WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
Description of service interface
Our service interface exposes SOAP & XML web services. The Integration Hub interfaces with any common API platform.
Accessibility standards
WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
Accessibility testing
We have performed interface testing with client users adopting a combination of CMS features, expert template design and external tools including the inbuilt accessibility checker within TinyMCE.
API
No
Customisation available
Yes
Description of customisation
• Scope for localisation of software
• Customers can use configuration tools
• Users can customise

Scaling

Independence of resources
Meritec Cloud Software service is supplied on the basis of guaranteed resources. This translates into a solution that is guaranteed to scale when you need it to, rather than when there's resource available to.

Analytics

Service usage metrics
Yes
Metrics types
• System availability
• Response times
• Unscheduled outages
• Incident response times
• Incident resolution times
Reporting types
Regular reports

Resellers

Supplier type
Not a reseller

Staff security

Staff security clearance
Other security clearance
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
No
Datacentre security standards
Supplier-defined controls
Penetration testing frequency
At least once a year
Penetration testing approach
‘IT Health Check’ performed by a CHECK service provider
Protecting data at rest
Encryption of all physical media
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
A wide variety of formats and platforms are supported for secure data export
Data export formats
  • CSV
  • Other
Other data export formats
PDF
Data import formats
  • CSV
  • Other
Other data import formats
XML

Data-in-transit protection

Data protection between buyer and supplier networks
Private network or public sector network
Data protection within supplier network
IPsec or TLS VPN gateway

Availability and resilience

Guaranteed availability
• Service Availability 99.9% (uptime) per month
• Service Availability Window 7*24 hours (all days) – 24 hours a day excluding 12am - 4am Sunday maintenance period.
• Response time for accessing screens - Should be within 3 seconds (at a minimum) 99% of the time
• Response time for searches Response time for basic system searches for information and return of results system should be within 5 seconds 97% of the time

Meritec will work with each of our customers on an individual basis to determine if a recompense model is required to meet the needs of the specific council or public department/ organisation.

We strive to exceed, wherever possible, our SLA targets for service levels. In the unlikely event of failure to meet our SLA targets we would invoke the agreed process which would award an appropriate level of service credits by way of compensation.
Approach to resilience
Available on request
Outage reporting
Email alerts

Identity and authentication

User authentication needed
Yes
User authentication
Username or password
Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels
Access is restricted via rights and roles permission settings within the relevant area and channel. Often times these are linked to a Directory services such as MS AD.
Access restriction testing frequency
At least once a year
Management access authentication
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Limited access network (for example PSN)
  • Dedicated link (for example VPN)
  • Username or password
  • Other
Description of management access authentication
Our service is role based. Administrator access can only be assigned by another administrator. Access is via username and strong/secure password.

Audit information for users

Access to user activity audit information
Users contact the support team to get 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
QMS International Limited
ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date
4/11/2019
What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover
There are no exclusions in Meritec ISMS Statement of Applicability (Annex A) ISO 27001:2013 covers all aspects of Information Technology Security.
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
  • Cyber Essentials
  • Cyber Essentials Plus

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
• Meritec rigorously applies its comprehensive Information Security Management System (ISMS) – copy available on request.
• Reporting structure is ISMS Manager to Technical Services Director to Director of Service Delivery.
• Policies are applied by staff with continuous monitoring

Operational security

Configuration and change management standard
Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
Configuration and change management approach
Meritec Change Management process adheres to ITIL guidelines. Any Change in Meritec IT environment is processed through Change Control system. A change is logged on the system with following information:
Change Description including the asset number of affected equipment; When Changed; Change Duration; Risk analysis; Regression plan; Security Implications; Change Technician. Details of change are emailed to all Stakeholders. Change is approved or rejected by CAB or its nominee. Technician updates the change stating if change was successful or not. All Meritec IT equipment is recorded on the Asset Register and any change is reflected in the Asset Register.
Vulnerability management type
Undisclosed
Vulnerability management approach
Meritec:
• monitors information systems to detect attacks and/or signs of potential attacks, including unauthorised network local or remote connections.
• deploys monitoring devices strategically within information technology environment to collect information security events and associated information.
• protects information obtained from intrusion-monitoring tools from unauthorised access, modification, and deletion.
• monitors inbound and outbound communications traffic to/ from the information system for unusual or unauthorised activities or conditions.
• heightens the level of information system monitoring activity whenever there is an indication of increased risk to Meritec operations, individuals and assets.
Protective monitoring type
Undisclosed
Protective monitoring approach
Our Protective Monitoring processes comprise a set of control alerts and reports that provide feedback to those with responsibility for monitoring and addressing compromises. This includes such information security control activities as inspecting firewall logs, investigating operating system security alerts and monitoring Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS). Our Protective Monitoring also includes putting in place mechanisms for collecting ICT log information and configuring ICT logs in order to provide an audit trail of security relevant events of interest. Compromises and incidents are immediately logged, analysed and rectified.
Incident management type
Undisclosed
Incident management approach
The Meritec ITIL compliant support desk called ServicePoint is responsible for receiving requests and notifications regarding user help and support. Incidents are allocated unique identification and calls are monitored and if necessary escalated as appropriate. The output report(s) provided by ServicePoint provide part of the preparations that the Service manager will use at the next Service Management meeting. Given due authorisation levels it is possible for client staff/management to access the calls database and enquire directly regarding status, progress, etc.

Secure development

Approach to secure software development best practice
Supplier-defined process

Public sector networks

Connection to public sector networks
No

Social Value

Fighting climate change

Fighting climate change

Meritec have recently relocated all of their SaaS services (including this G-Cloud service) from a co-location data centre facility to a state-of-the-art Virtual Private Cloud in one of the newest & greenest Data Centre facilities in the UK. The host Data Centre facility is ISO 50001 (Energy Management) certified and ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) certified.
Furthermore, Meritec has recently switched its HQ energy supplier to be provided by 100% fully renewable energy. Meritec has adopted a fully hybrid-working model which has enabled us to close our office for an additional 2 days per week and massively reduce the amount of carbon emissions used from employee’s commuting to the office much less frequently.
All of the above actions are part of our wider plan to enable us to meet our own, and assist our public sector customers in meeting their, net-zero carbon emission target of 2030.
Wellbeing

Wellbeing

Meritec take the wellbeing of our valued employees, partners, and customers extremely seriously. We pride ourselves on being a caring employer and enjoy very low staff turnover. We regularly arrange social events including activities to raise money for charities and other worthy causes. We have developed our very own Mental Wellbeing E-Awareness course in conjunction with David Beeney (Breaking the Silence) that all our staff are required to take at least annually and can access throughout the year. We have a number of staff incentives aimed at wellbeing including PerkBox and regular social events.
We are currently working on a diversity and inclusion e-awareness course and are very fortunate to have a diverse workforce that enjoy working in a caring environment. In March 2022 the whole company committed to the “March for Mental Health” initiative whereby all employees were encouraged to get out and walk as much as possible and log their steps & images of their walks on social media – this was a great initiative that had great engagement across the company whilst also raising £1,170 for the ‘Darby Rimmer Foundation’ and ‘State of Mind.’
Meritec would be delighted to offer a discount on our Mental Wellbeing E-awareness Course for any customers taking this G-Cloud service.

Pricing

Price
£12,600 an instance a year
Discount for educational organisations
Yes
Free trial available
No

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 adam.wilkinson@meritec.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.