Managed Services

This page clarifies our scope of support for all our Managed Services AWS clients. For issues within scope, our service level agreement (SLA) guarantees the response and resolution times you can expect from us.

The items in scope are subject to fair and reasonable usage. We reserve the right to review and adjust our services if usage significantly exceeds typical client patterns.

In Scope

Managed Services (8×5)

1. ITIL-Compliant Service Desk

Our service desk is the primary point of contact between you and our team of cloud experts. This IT service management function is ITIL-compliant and helps to align our IT services with your business needs; assuring a standard and repeatable process for managing incidents, problems and changes.

2. Security Monitoring and Management

We continuously monitor your AWS environment for common security threats and vulnerabilities that may arise. In accordance with our ISO 27001 certification, we implement necessary security controls, manage incidents, and ensure compliance with the relevant security policy.

AWS products we can manage as part of this service: AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), AWS CloudTrail, AWS GuardDuty, AWS Config and AWS Security Hub.

3. System Administration

We manage the operating systems of servers that form part of your AWS environment. This includes regular tasks such as patching, security updates, and performance tuning. This ensures the optimal performance and reliability of your system.

AWS products we can manage as part of this service: Amazon EC2, Amazon RDS, Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS), Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) and AWS Systems Manager.

4. Network Operations

We take care of the core networking infrastructure that forms your AWS environment’s basis. In addition to managing the planning, security, and configuration of the networking aspects, we monitor performance and troubleshoot connectivity problems.

AWS products we can manage as part of this service: Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) – including subnets, route tables, and gateways, Elastic Load Balancing (ELB), Amazon CloudFront, AWS Global Accelerator, AWS WAF (Web Application Firewall) and Amazon Route 53.

5. Optimisation (Cost, Performance, Sustainability)

We focus on improving the efficiency of your AWS environment by analysing and adjusting resource allocation for the suite of services you use. Whilst one of the goals is to reduce cost, we ensure that performance is not compromised along the way. In addition, we implement sustainable practices to minimise the environmental impact of your environment.

AWS products we can manage as part of this service: AWS Cost Explorer, AWS Budgets, AWS Compute Optimiser, AWS Auto Scaling, AWS Cost and Usage Report and AWS Savings Plans & Reservations.

6. Capacity Management

We can manage your AWS resources to ensure that your changing business needs are met. This can include applying the appropriate levels of compute, storage and network capacity. We also help you avoid over-provisioning and unnecessary costs.

AWS products we can manage as part of this service: AWS Compute Optimiser, AWS Auto Scaling, Amazon CloudWatch, AWS Trusted Advisor, AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) and Amazon RDS.

7. Cloud Service Orchestration

We automate the arrangement, coordination and management of your AWS environment. By working with you and your development team, we seek to streamline workflows and ensure consistent deployment and DevOps operations.

AWS products we can manage as part of this service: AWS CloudFormation and Terraform.

8. Platform Governance

We establish and enforce cloud policies, procedures, and controls to manage your AWS environment effectively. This service encompasses defining usage policies, ensuring security and compliance, managing costs, optimising resource use, monitoring performance, automating tasks, and handling incidents. This governance ensures that cloud operations are secure, compliant, cost-efficient, and aligned with business objectives.

AWS products we can manage as part of this service: AWS Control Tower, AWS Organisations, AWS Config, AWS CloudTrail, AWS Systems Manager, AWS Trusted Advisor and AWS Security Hub.

9. Identity and Access Management

We set up and manage a framework that ensures only authorised individuals and entities have appropriate access to your AWS resources. This involves verifying identities and granting permissions to access specific resources, thereby protecting sensitive data and systems from unauthorised access.

AWS products we can manage as part of this service: AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), Amazon Cognito, AWS IAM Identity Center, AWS Secrets Manager.

10. Storage Management

We manage a suite of AWS storage services that includes capacity planning, data lifecycle management and performance optimisation. We can also assure data availability and durability across different storage tiers.

AWS products we can manage as part of this service: Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service), Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store), Amazon EFS (Elastic File System), Amazon FSx, AWS Backup and AWS Transfer Family.

11. Backup and DR

We implement and manage backup and disaster recovery of your AWS environment in line with your budget and agreed RTOs and RPOs. We will help you create and test your backup strategy and the established recovery procedures.

AWS products we can manage as part of this service: AWS Backup, Amazon S3, Amazon RDS & EBS Snapshots and Amazon EFS Backup.

12. “Up to App” Troubleshooting

This unique service provides troubleshooting and support for issues that arise within your AWS environment right up to the application layer. We diagnose and help to resolve problems related to AWS services and server configuration.

Note: We do not debug code, but instead we work with your developers to find the best resolution.

Managed Services (24×7)

13. Security Incidents and Events

This service identifies, analyses and responds to common security threats and incidents as they arise. We collect and analyse data from various sources to detect unusual activities and potential security breaches. AWS provides real-time monitoring, alerting, and reporting to help us quickly address and mitigate threats, ensuring the protection of sensitive data and maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements.

AWS products we can manage as part of this service: AWS Security Hub, Amazon GuardDuty, AWS CloudTrail, AWS Config, AWS Systems Manager and Amazon Detective.

14. Monitoring and Alerting

We continuously track the performance and health of your AWS environment and set up alerts to monitor specific conditions. This process ensures that issues are detected early, allowing for swift response to maintain system reliability and performance. This service includes us setting up customised metrics, logs and alarms to detect issues promptly, boosting overall system uptime and stability.

AWS products we can manage as part of this service: Amazon CloudWatch (including CloudWatch Alarms, Logs and Dashboards), Amazon CloudWatch Synthetics, AWS Config, AWS CloudTrail and Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS).

15. Network and Security Operations Centre

We monitor, manage and secure your AWS network and IT infrastructure ensuring both network performance and cybersecurity are optimised. Our systems continuously monitor network traffic, detect and respond to security incidents, perform routine maintenance, and ensure compliance with security policies.

AWS products we can manage as part of this service: Amazon VPC (Virtual Private Cloud), AWS CloudFront, AWS Global Accelerator, AWS Security Hub, AWS CloudTrail, AWS GuardDuty and AWS WAF (Web Application Firewall).

16. System Administration (Emergencies)

This 24×7 extension of our standard System Administration service is designed for emergencies and unexpected outages only.

Complimentary

Ad hoc provision of the following services may be complimentary unless otherwise agreed. In these cases, we deliver the service on a fair usage and best-efforts basis. Should your request require in-depth analysis, project work or background research, we will generally create a paid-for project to cover the work.

1. Cloud Service Advice

We provide expert guidance on AWS service selection, architecture design, and best practices. We help assess your business needs and recommend optimal AWS solutions to solve your challenges. We can also assist with cloud strategy to drive efficiencies and cost-effectiveness.

2. Cloud Service Automations

We create and implement automated processes within AWS using services like AWS Lambda and Step Functions. The purpose is to ensure better optimisation and uptime of your AWS environment, reducing manual interventions and improving operational efficiency.

3. Troubleshooting with 3rd Parties

We collaborate with third parties for troubleshooting issues. This may involve coordinating with your external vendors or service providers to resolve problems.

Out of Scope

The following services are out of scope and require a separate project to be initiated, scoped and a service order signed before work can commence.

1. Database Administration

We can assist with various database tasks including performance tuning, database design, maintenance, user management, and troubleshooting. We have expertise in RDS, DynamoDB, and Redshift.

2. DevOps

We can assist with the automation of builds, testing and deployment processes, fostering better collaboration between development and operations teams. We can assist with consulting around how best to integrate CodePipeline and CodeDeploy, amongst other AWS services.

3. Penetration and Vulnerability Testing

We can conduct authorised simulated attacks on your AWS environment to help identify and close out security weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

4. System Upgrades

We can assist with the upgrade (and migration) of AWS services, including EC2 instances, databases and storage between AWS organisations, accounts or service tiers. This will generally involve the planning, testing and implementation of upgrades to ensure the system remains current and secure.

5. Platform Re-architecture

We can assist in redesigning existing AWS infrastructure to improve performance, scalability, or cost-efficiency. Depending on the use case, this could include migrating to newer AWS services and optimising resource allocation.

6. Complex Networking and Security

We can design, implement and manage advanced AWS networking and security solutions using services such as AWS Transit Gateway, AWS Network Firewall and AWS WAF. This helps to create sophisticated and secure network architectures to meet complex business requirements and compliance standards.