Database Managed Services

Optimising & Transforming your Database EstateExceptional ServiceGuaranteed Cost Savings

www.version1 .com

ISO 20000

TM

CERTIFICATIONEUROPE

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Version 1 manages business critical databases for enterprise organisations that ‘can’t ever go down’. We transform our customers’ database estates, achieving this through excellence in service delivery, innovation and service improvement. We

support thousands of critical databases for many enterprise organisations across a broad range of sectors including financial services, utilities, life sciences, critical government services, media and manufacturing.

From electrical utilities and newspaper publishing groups to government services and 24-hour manufacturing plants, our customers are enterprises whose databases are mission critical to their business. They partner with Version 1 because we deliver predictable, reliable performance, with the

added commitment that we will help them continually innovate and improve their database estates.

We accept extensive operational responsibility at a fixed cost, and guarantee value to our customers who are happy to talk to you about what our service means to them.

Database Managed Services

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Customers trust Version 1

Our team has the skills and the passion to accept substantial operational responsibility for database management. We deliver comprehensive service levels that reduce the threat of service degradation and costly outages. We secure our customers’ business operations, and their reputations.

Our skilled experts optimise the capability and maturity of our customers’ database estates and consistently improve their operational capability. Continuous improvement is a speciality – just ask our customers.

When we take on a database estate, we guarantee value and cost savings, every time. We deliver exceptional services and improve operational efficiency, all at a fixed cost.

We commit

We transform

We guarantee

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Version 1 Database Managed Services offer an IT partnership that benefits your organisation across:

Business• standardise and control operating costs

• protect performance and continuity of critical business functions

• improve business agility by focusing IT resources on strategic projects

• simplify HR challenges with access to a motivated team of DBA specialists

• access to a dedicated Service Delivery Manager

Operations• the reassurance of ISO 20000 certified

processes for database management

• 24-hour proactive incident resolution

• consistent, persistent technical service levels

• access to skills, reducing your reliance on in-house resources

• flexible options include staff augmentation, third level support or full outsourcing

• contractual commitment to Continual Service Improvement

Real benefits for your business

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Finance • improved operational stability at a fixed cost

• proven cost savings compared to in-house DBAs

• access to expertise as you need it and only when you need it

• flexible commercial approach

Technology• increase the stability and predictability

of your databases

• proven transition methodology delivers database management as a service

• continuous access to the most highly skilled DBAs in the UK and Ireland

• technical skills across the IT stack, including OS and application layers

• innovation and access to new technology

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24x7 monitoring from our best database engineers Our Operations Centre is manned continuously, 365 days a year, by highly skilled database engineers working around the clock. Our proactive processes allow us to detect and act on potential service-impacting issues with the database before they become a problem for your business continuity. We call you before you call us.

• We conduct continuous health checks to verify database performance and availability.

• Automated alert and event correlation technologies let us investigate and resolve potential issues in real time.

• We consistently achieve lower mean time to repair (MTTR) through improved data integrity.

Our customers say they value our ability to detect and resolve root causes which affect the database but lie outside database systems, including issues arising in hardware, OS or application level. Our knowledge, spanning the full technology stack, ensures that our 24x7 manned service desk is ready to help you with any database-impacting issue, wherever the problem may arise.

Services at a glance

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Committed to database innovation The single-minded objective of our 24-hour team is to ensure uptime for your critical database systems. That’s why we don’t just take steps to ensure your database is healthy; we also define an ideal future state for your architecture, and work to migrate you toward this reference architecture.

This ensures that your business continuity doesn’t just rest on our fast reflexes when things go wrong, but on the solid foundation of a well-built, business-aware, future-proofed database estate.

We eat, sleep and breathe database innovation, 24x7. We do everything we can, whenever we can, to ensure your database systems are ready for anything: growth, new service capabilities, new processes...whatever your business needs.

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PROACTIVE MONITORING

Real time threshold based proactive automated monitoring for:

• agreed security violations• performance indicators• CPU• memory• performance statistics• database resource monitoring• log file monitoring• backups and capacity

ROUTINE MAINTENANCE • proactive checks of production databases• monitoring, reviewing and proactively

managing alert logs• verifying backup procedures executing

as intended• archive log and Flash Recovery

Area (FRA) housekeeping• maintaining database free space for scalability• performance monitoring• error checking review and resolution• testing of bugs identified in the database

PERIODIC AND PREVENTATIVE SUPPORT

• weekly manual check of production databases

• quarterly health checks• premium maintenance tasks• database refresh• emergency support• refreshes and restores• service packs• additional requested backups

of all production databases

SECURITY REVIEWS Database security checks including:

- password policies- roles & segregation of duties- system privileges &

privileged accounts- database auditing- profiles and accounts- potential risk identification

and remediation

Version 1DatabaseServiceCatalogue

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SECURITY REVIEWS Database security checks including:

- password policies- roles & segregation of duties- system privileges &

privileged accounts- database auditing- profiles and accounts- potential risk identification

and remediation

DATA GUARD/STANDBY AND BUSINESS CONTINUITY

• recovery time and recovery point capabilities• high availability and failover solutions• tailored DR and business continuity solutions

DISASTER RECOVER (DR) TESTING • periodic DR process invocation and recovery• tailored scenarios for DR testing• DR process documentation

PERFORMANCE REVIEWS AND CONTINUOUS SERVICE IMPROVEMENT

• system improvement recommendations• batch job and bottleneck targeting and removal• extended asset life analysis and implementation• load sharing

LICENCE REVIEWS • licence audit advice• licence utilisation and optimisation• system consolidation to reduce

licence requirements

24X7 SERVICE DESK • log issues at all severities• 2nd & 3rd line support• knowledge base of:

- issue solutions - incident and

event management- escalation - problem management

TRANSITION/TAKE-ON Pre-contract site visit including:

- site audit - initial review - completion of take-on documentation

SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT AND

SERVICE REPORTING

COMMERICAL MODELSPer Incident Pricing Bespoke Service Consultancy Framework

A 24x7 service giving customers the ability to log individual service incidents by phone, email or portal. Incidents may require a fix, documentation or advice from Version 1.

A full service fixed price solution giving customers the ability to log a number of bespoke individual service incidents by phone, email or portal. Incidents may require a fix, documentation or advice from Version 1.

A standalone booking of database consultancy to be delivered over the course of a defined contract period.

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Committed to database innovation Because we use sophisticated, high-quality processes, we are able to achieve better technical service levels for all our database managed services customers.

Our customers take a great deal of comfort in our proven transition methodology. We design, develop and implement database management as a service, following the methodology that’s been tried and tested across a range of customers, industries and IT architectures.

ISO certified excellenceIT professionals know that ISO 20000 certification, demonstrating excellence in IT service management, is the highest achievement any managed services partner can attain for its service offering. We have adopted ITIL practices for IT Service Management. Version 1 is one of a small number of organisations to achieve ISO 20000 for every one of our managed services, across all our customers.

The certification not only provides an independent assessment of our service quality and reliability, it also ensures we maintain that standard through regular audits.

World class processes

ISO 20000

TM

CERTIFICATIONEUROPE

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Continual improvement at the heart of our serviceMaintaining the certification also demands hard evidence that Version 1 complies with every part of the standard, including systems to continually improve the service we provide to customers. In fact, our commitment to Continual Service Improvement (CSI) is central to all our managed services.

We add most value for clients through the CSI process we build into every one of our customer engagements. That could take the form of technology improvements, upgrading of legacy systems or processes, or improvements in performance or the user experience.

It was clear to the audit team that Version 1 were intent on making their ISO 20000-1 implementation a “way of business life” and therefore took the right amount of time to document their procedures and make the changes required in order to highlight compliance and be totally ready for the Certification Assessment. Version 1 achieved the certification across its complete set of services and all of its customers.Catherine Howard – ISO 20000-1 Certification Specialist

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We’re passionate about CSI because we’ve seen the tangible benefits our customers derive from our CSI processes, including:

• reduced incident volumes

• faster resolution times

• improved usability and functionality of applications

• lower cost of service provision

• better understanding of business processes and requirements

Commitment and respect for the standard and its requirements was always shown throughout the implementation and successful certification of ISO 20000-1, while always putting their customers first.Catherine Howard – ISO 20000-1 Certification Specialist

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Skilled experts delivering excellent service

It’s exceptionally difficult for most organisations to train and retain in-house staff to the level that lets them derive maximum strategic benefit from database technologies. And where the database is mission-critical, over-dependence on selected in-house staff can expose an organisation to unacceptable risk when those people leave or become unavailable.

Partnering with Version 1 helps you solve the skills issue, permanently. We offer you access to a team of more than 80 certified database consultants trained to the highest levels in Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, NoSQL, INGRES, Hadoop and Progress. We’re proud to have both an Oracle Certified Master and an Oracle Certified ACE on our team, dedicated exclusively to our customers.

We don’t just hire the most technically skilled database management consultants in the industry, we continue to build their skills and offer them a satisfying career path, managing a range of technologies for customers across industries.

We invest significantly in training and development, including our own on-site academy, and we’re thrilled to have been voted one of Europe’s 50 best workplaces, as determined by Great Place To Work®. As measured against the Gallup Q12 global standard, our staff engagement levels are better than world class.

What does that mean for customers like you? It means our staff demonstrate consistently high levels of engagement and job satisfaction – which translates directly into a personal commitment to ensuring excellent service, every time.

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We’re proud to have both an Oracle Certified Master and an Oracle

Certified ACE on our team, dedicated exclusively to our customers.

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Ongoing support and innovative consulting

How much support from our team is right for you? Our continuum of services includes staff augmentation; third level support; and complete outsourcing. You may choose to begin your path towards database managed services with a flexible labour arrangement that takes advantage of our skilled resources. Where you go next is up to you and your business requirements, but you can be assured that you’ll only pay for what you need.

Many customers we work with have in-house DBA skills and rely on our skilled teams for challenging and innovative consulting requirements: including new service design and rollout, disaster recovery enhancement, or major upgrades.

Our flexible consultancy days are also there for you to draw down if unexpected catastrophes arise in other parts of your IT estate. We work well with our peers and welcome the chance to collaborate with your hardware or other support partners when challenging, cross-system problems arise.

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Commercial agility and cost savingsOur services hit a lower cost point than organisations can achieve in-house. That’s thanks to our economies of scale and the fact that we have truly industrialised the delivery of world-class managed database services, using our highly efficient and sophisticated processes and technologies.

We guarantee cost savings, for example:

• Global beverage brand reduced its costs for supporting Oracle platform by 32%.

• Leading media and publishing house saved 74% by moving the support of the Oracle platform from an in-house team of three DBAs to our remote service.

• Major insurance company achieved cost savings of close to 50% by moving from in-house DBA teams to a Version 1 remote model.

Pay for the expertise you need, when you need itWe are serious about customising the way we engage with you. No two support engagements are the same: we work with you to establish your specific business needs and align our service offering and our charging model to suit you.

Unlike other consultancies who constrain their managed services clients to a one-size-fits-all charging structure, we are genuinely flexible. You benefit from our ability and willingness to adapt to a range of operational commercial models. Ultimately it translates into your organisation paying only for the expertise you need, when you need it.

Plus, we are happy to commit contractually to meet your service level requirements.

Database managed services: reliable as the daily paper

Version 1 has been a trusted partner to Independent News & Media Group for over a decade now. We have

entrusted our critical databases to their Managed Services team on a 24-7 basis and performance is superb. We have security of mind that the technical competence of the team looking after our systems is first class. These systems need to be as reliable as the daily paper, and they are; that’s down to the expertise and dedication we can rely on from the team at Version 1.

Gerry Wilde, IT Director, Independent News & Media PLC

Hands-on Oracle managed services for the company that replaces 8,000 wind-screens every day

We work with a lot of service companies, but Version 1 doesn’t just talk the talk when it comes to service

improvement, they walk the walk. They approach the engagement with us in a way that recognises that Belron is the customer and they are the supplier, not the other way around. Their engagement with us is at the right level, and they’re providing us with a very high level of service that keeps our users happy. They give me confidence that they’re the right people to work with, and that we could potentially expand their work into other areas.

Vincent Andersen, Service Delivery Lead for Group IT at Belron International18 www.version1.com

No one tells our story better than our customers can. They stay with Version 1 because we perform for them – we are personally committed to delivering database reliability, at a predictable cost, 24 hours a day, over years and even decades with our longest-standing clients.

Plus, our sector experience is genuine comfort to those customers who need references within their industry. Our broad customer experiences – in government, energy, pharmaceuticals, finance, manufacturing, FMCG, media,

transportation and more – are your assurance that we don’t just know technology, we know the business challenges that are most likely arising in your sector. And what we don’t already know, we’re keen to learn.

Relevant customer experience

Here’s what our customers say about Version 1

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Helping Uniphar guarantee on-time delivery of essential drugs and supplies to hospitals and pharmacies

Meeting the stringent demands of a 24x7 highly competitive environment means that any disruption to

service directly impacts our bottom line. Version 1 has been an excellent custodian of our critical database systems ensuring 100% uptime, with their commitment of service delivery and expertise extending beyond this layer to both infrastructure and applications. We consider Version 1 to be a strategic partner in enabling us to deliver on our business goals.

Brian Hogan, Supply Chain Optimisation Manager for Uniphar

Delivering excellence for a global leader in packaging, spanning 25 countries and 21,500 employees

Working with Version 1 has opened up a professional managed services view of the world for us. The clarity

of service levels, the breadth of services they offer and their extensive, experienced team means Version 1 have become a key partner for us, supporting many of our most critical applications. .

Martin Jones, Group Head of IT Applications Services, DS Smith

Delivering payroll reliability for one of the world’s largest energy companies

Providing 24/7 support on our core Oracle E-Business Suite systems, we have found the commercial and

operational flexibility offered through our partnership with Version 1 to be the perfect fit for our business needs. We needed someone who would align their service offering with our specific objectives and that’s what we get. We deal with lots of third party suppliers – global IT services brands - and we certainly don’t get that same level of customer focus from them.

Gary Fox, HR & Payroll Systems Manager for Scottish Power

Powering the database behind the ferry booking system

Our mission at ICG is to deliver a reliable, timely and high quality customer experience. Our IT organisation

is more than ever at the heart of enabling this mission as we strive for constant innovation and operational excellence. This contract enhances and extends our trust in Version 1 into the management and transformation of the infrastructure that underpins our core revenue generating and operational systems.

Seamus McCarville, Chief Information Officer, Irish Intercontinental Group

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Five reasons why Version 1 is different

WORLD-CLASS PROCESSES

It’s the number one reason we deliver the best technical service levels to our clients: our high-quality, sophisticated processes that guarantee consistent, persistent database performance.

1 SKILLED EXPERTS

We hire, train and retain the best DBAs in the business, with the highest technical skill levels. And their customer service ethos is outstanding: our customers will tell you that our people go the extra mile for them, every time.

2 SERVICE BREADTH AND DEPTH

We don’t just manage databases: our broad and deep set of managed services extends to infrastructure and application management, too. That means better integration and performance right across your IT estate.

3

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COMMERCIAL AGILITY

Our services hit a lower cost point than organisations can achieve in-house, thanks to our proven processes and economies of scale. Plus, our expertise is openly accessible: pay only for what you need, as you need it.

4 RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

We deliver reliable database managed services for customers in every major sector: government, energy, pharmaceuticals, finance and more. Customers consistently give us the highest ratings in our monthly customer satisfaction surveys.

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Microsoft SharePointMicrosoft CRMMicrosoft .NETMicrosoft MVCMicrosoft VBA /

Classic ASPJava / J2EE

PHPProgress

Oracle E-BusinessOracle Forms

HTML5Scripting

jQuery MobileObjective-C

PhoneGapApex

Jdeveloper

WebLogicOracle Application

ServerSOA Suite

Oracle PortalBeehive

Oracle HTTP ServerOracle Application

ExpressJBOSS

WebSphereApache

Business ObjectsOracle Business Intelligence Suite

Oracle Data IntegratorWarehouse Builder

SSASSSIS

Amazon Web ServicesMicrosoft AzureOffice 365Oracle cloud

BUSINESSINTELLIGENCE

CLOUDSOLUTIONS(SAAS / IAAS)

CLOUDAPPLICATONSOLUTIONS

APPLICATONS

SSRSOracle Reports

DiscovererCrystal Reports

OracleSQL Server

MySQLIngres OpenROAD

ProgressNoSQLHadoop

REPORTING

MIDDLEWARE

DATABASESOLUTIONS

DATABASE

TECHNOLOGY

CATALOGUE

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Windows 2003 ServerWindows 2008 ServerLinux - Red Hat EnterpriseLinux - CentOSLinux - SUSE EnterpriseLinux - UbuntuUNIX - Solaris

OPERATINGSYSTEMS

Version 1 What we do Firewalls

RoutersSwitchesLoad Balancers

MS System Centre SuiteOps View Firewalls

Intrustion Prevention (IPS)Intrusion Detection (IDS)

NAS SolutionsSAN SolutionsDAS Solutions

SECURITYMONITORING

NETWORKING

Microsoft DPMCommvaultCA ArcserveQuest VrangerVEEAM BackupSRM

DR / BCP /BACKUP /

DATAPROTECTION

STORAGE

Windows 7Windows 8LinuxMicrosoft Deployment ToolkitSystem Centre Configuration Manager (SCCM)

DESKTOP SERVICESVMWare

Hyper V

INFRASTRUCTURE

VIRTUALISATION

EMAIL / EMAILARCHIVING

Exchange 2003Exchange 2007Exchange 2010Google ArchivingCommvaultExchange 2010 Archiving

Get in touch

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To f ind out how Version 1

can transform your

business, contact us:

email : info@version1 .com