Managed Hosting

Managed Hosting caters for any application that can be hosted in

a data centre; web or inward facing. BSG Hosting Services offers

managed hosting provision as a managed service for organisations

who want to outsource the hosting and running of their IP

networks, web facing systems and applications, in a secure, reliable

and proven environment.

Managed Hosting

DESIGN DEPLOY OPERATE IMPROVE

www.bsg.co.uk

Innovative Outsourcing

Business Systems Group / Part of the Advanced Computer Software PLC Group

The ServiceBSG Hosting Services can provide complete managed hosting (database, business and user layer) with the ownership of the application SLA transferring to us. In order for BSG to be able to do this, we utilise proactive monitoring tools that consist of off the shelf hardware, software and port monitors along with bespoke application scripts that may be provided by the client or written by the BSG application management team. Additionally managed VPN access is available to provide secure access to your applications for in-house management

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BSG Hosting network:

Clear and Transparent Pricing

Defining a monthly cost for the use of the managed service against an agreed Service Level Agreement ensures pricing is viewed as a clear and transparent operational cost for the client rather than an unknown capital expenditure.

By leveraging shared infrastructure and technical skills, our clients can pick highly complex, scalable architectures with no single point of failure at a fraction of the cost they would take to acquire and maintain themselves.

Service Level Agreement

The agreement of performance levels for IT within an organisation, acts as a focus both for the client and BSG, in terms of what is realistically needed and what can be expected from the technology in question. Standard SLAs for managed hosting are agreed for connectivity between client servers within and the Internet, for hardware break / fix and for server uptime management. Once detailed SLA’s have been agreed, BSG will report against these pre-defined levels on a regular basis to ensure that the customer’s needs are met and that this information can be put to good use in the future (see Knowledge Management)

Service Delivery Manager (SDM)

The SDM has the day to day operational responsibility for a client account. S/he will check on a daily basis if service levels are being met and if performance targets are being achieved for each customer for whom s/he is responsible. S/he will ensure that control processes are constantly adhered to, thus ensuring maximum efficiency and effectiveness of the service. It is his/her job to check aspects of the service such as bandwidth usage, CPU usage and available diskspace, not only to ensure service levels are met but also to proactively manage the service so that

the business needs of the client, which the service was originally developed to meet, are consistently being met both at the present time and in the future.

Account Manager

The account manager is focussed on ensuring that a client’s IT needs are met in their entirety and that BSG is providing a high level of customer satisfaction. Working in tandem with the SDM, the Account Manager will ensure not only that the business needs of the client are met but that the account is being managed proactively. They will ensure that the solution continues to be scalable, that new technologies are explored and, if necessary tested, and that high levels of customer service are sustained in order to ensure that future business needs are met equally efficiently.

Vendor management/escalation

Elements of hosting (such as the back up of operating systems) are often reliant upon a third party service provider. As part of the ongoing hosting service, BSG will manage that third party vendor removing the need for the client to add this level of management. BSG will raise issues and faults if applicable, ensure escalation to an appropriate level and generally ensure that customer satisfaction is not compromised in any way.

Increased Focus

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Managed Hostingwww.bsg.co.uk

Innovative Outsourcing

General Contact informationBSG House226-236 City Road London EC1V 2TT

T: +44 (0)20 7880 8888 F: +44 (0)20 7390 8634 W: www.bsg.co.uk

Time sharing of resources

When IT skills are not core to the every day business of the company, highly skilled IT resources are often found to be an expensive hire and one that is difficult to justify if not fully occupied 100% of the time. BSG allows its clients the ability to purchase resource on a flexible basis, thus giving access to a wider skills base whilst avoiding any permanent cost for the client. This includes providing resource, experienced in the design, deployment and operation of all major hosting platforms, on a 24*7 basis, avoiding the need for clients to employ staff working shift patterns and unsociable hours at additional expense to the customer.

Self-service components

Although BSG manage each and every part of a purchased service, clients often find it useful to have access to their application for testing and development and administration purposes. BSG is able to facilitate this through client access to the data centre or a managed VPN.

In addition clients may wish to have visibility of monitor alerts and the progress to resolve those incidents. BSG are able to generate real-time email and SMS to clients in the event of a monitor alert being triggered. BSG’s ServiceDesk enables the client to securely log on via a web browser to access the progress of their incidents in real-time, this transparency of problem management can be offered to all clients without compromising the degree of service offered. SecurityBSG is one of the few companies operating in its market place to hold a BS7799 certificate for data management and hosting services. Any service managed by us is designed and managed subject to the best practices used to gain this accreditation, ensuring that the security of a client’s applications is as important to BSG as it is to the client.

All BSG data centres have the highest levels of physical security that should be expected of a Tier 1 ISP data centre. This includes monitored access to the data centre itself, biometric palm scanner and PIN to access BSG’s suite, locked cabinets, with recorded surveillance at every step of the way.

The network, on which all servers are hosted with BSG, is fully fault-tolerant. Access to the BSG network from the Internet is controlled by multiple STM4 backbone-bandwidth providers, each provider having multiple connections to the building. There are redundant paths from each of these connections through multiple network routers, firewalls and switches to the actual servers. A secure VLAN switched network is used to isolate each customer’s servers from other machines that we host.

The network is monitored and managed via Hosting Services Network Operations Centre (NOC) located at BSG House in Central London and connected to the data centre via secure WAN. Physical access to BSG House is manned 24 x 7 with tiered electronic key card access. CCTV monitors at exit and entry with additional security levels protect access to the NOC.

Service Desk

BSG operates an ITIL compliant ServiceDesk for all of its clients. Operating best practice processes and procedures, the ServiceDesk offers the client a dedicated line of escalation for all IT problems. The real-time monitoring BSG provides for managed hosting generates electronic support requests to the ServiceDesk. Should an alert be triggered it will be logged, resolved or escalated as required and then reported upon systematically to ensure customer satisfaction at all times.

Innovation and roadmapping

The pace of change in today’s technology-driven environment is often dramatic and ensuring that IT systems cope with this change is an increasingly challenging undertaking. Continuous improvement and proactive management of the client’s hosting environment is therefore imperative if the maximum value is to be derived from those assets on an ongoing basis. As part of its managed service offering, BSG will consult with the client on a bi-annual basis (or more frequently if desired) to ensure that the current IT solution evolves innovatively and flexibly to ensure that it meets future business needs and takes advantage of new technologies or methodologies which have been brought to market.

Knowledge management

Whilst reporting is necessary both to ensure that the IT infrastructure is performing in line with business needs and that, as a provider, BSG is meeting all its obligations, the information collated for this purpose is a powerful and useful tool to ensure consistent improvement across the range of IT services. BSG is adept at analysing such information and reporting upon it, to ensure that best use can be made of it for the future operational needs of the organisation.An example of how this manifests itself is through the disk and CPU utilisation monitoring carried out on behalf of clients. Monitors are set to agreed thresholds, enabling BSG to inform the client or take action as defined and agreed in the control processes should those threshold levels be reached, preventing problems before they occur.

Next StepsIf you are considering a Managed Service for your organisation call BSG and see how we can help you make it happen:

Telephone: 020 7390 8653

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.bsg.co.uk

Wider Skill Base

www.bsg.co.uk

Innovative Outsourcing Managed Hosting

Business Systems Group / Part of the Advanced Computer Software Plc Group

Transition Management

Using best practice project management methodologies which are underpinned by the Group’s ISO 9001 certification, BSG’s transition management function ensures that the transition to a BSG managed service is delivered on time and in budget, that change is controlled throughout the project lifecycle and that the ongoing support for any system rests on a solid operational platform. BSG recognises that, when dealing with any aspect of IT, the success of the transition period is imperative, and as such, its dedicated team of professionals will concentrate all its efforts to ensure that the transition is smooth and efficient for all concerned. For a hosting client, BSG will not only design and architect the relevant infrastructure but they will also produce a detailed project plan for delivery of the infrastructure into the data centre, as well as ensuring that relevant roll-back mechanisms are in place in the event that an element of the plan should fail.

No transition plan can be successfully implemented overnight. A phased approach, agreed with the customer, is essential to ensure not only that the right service is ultimately provided but also that any existing service is maintained and any downtime kept to a minimum.

Change ControlA comprehensive change control process imposes a necessary degree of discipline on the way technology is allowed to grow and develop within an organisation. Uncontrolled changes to a firm’s IT infrastructure could lead to potential security issues, over-reliance on individuals and eventual inefficiency of the system - issues which can be avoided if each change is considered thoroughly in terms of risk and impact and executed via a clear and methodical process.An example of this is the way security patches are dealt with by BSG for our hosting customers. Cognisant of the fact that whilst

these patches are essential, at the same time, they could cause operational issues for certain applications, BSG notifies its customers of the available patch, will assist the customer in identifying any potential problems and testing for such, will then implement the change in a controlled manner, not only having recorded the risks and mitigants involved in applying the patch, but also ensuring that a permanent record of the change is maintained for the client for future reference and traceability.

Administration

BSG can effectively remove the need for a client to administer its own IT function. For managed hosting, BSG can for example administer the assigning of IP addresses, DNS configuration, firewall configuration and changes, and the setting up of monitors and alerts requirement.

ReportingBSG is able to offer regular reporting in respect of both standard and bespoke elements of any service.

Typically, BSG provides a monthly availability report using a range of monitors - reporting on server availability, bandwidth usage and threat alert report, and summarising the software security patches made available.

In addition, bespoke real-time application performance monitoring and reporting ensures that our clients’ applications are optimised for availability, response, security, scalability and reliability. The reports will take into account not only the performance of the technology used, fault calls and resolutions but also other service elements such as those relating to the service provided by areas such as the ServiceDesk. This level of reporting ensures that our clients are generally better informed, than if they had hosted and managed their applications in-house

ITIL compliance

ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) is a widely accepted, government approved approach to IT Service Management. ITIL provides a cohesive set of best practice guidelines and is supported by a comprehensive qualification scheme, implementation and assessment tools. BSG’s processes are ITIL compliant. Where necessary its employees are ITIL accredited, ensuring that our clients are guaranteed compliance with industry best practice without any need to train staff, employ new systems or adopt new processes.

Improved Process

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DESIGN DEPLOY OPERATE IMPROVE

Managed Hosting

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