Service Definition

Application hosting on an Internet backbone meeting the highest availability and security requirements. System and web applications are protected from hostile attacks, are monitored 24/7, and are updated and administered according to manufacturer recommendations and the latest security information and findings. Data is regularly backed up, including preservation of history, and can be restored as of a selected moment in time.

What the Service Includes

Server and Application Management

Server and application management is a regular administrative activity that ensures service parameters are met. Server and application management primarily includes the following:

• System and application administration and update for maximum performance, availability and security according to manufacturer recommendations and the latest administrative and security information.
• Daily checks of system and application states and operation, including system, security and application logs.
• Detection of attacks against servers and applications, and configuration changes to eliminate specific and yet unknown attacks.
• Regular HW and SW updates and maintenance.

Sprinx Systems is a certified partner of the application, system, backup and security product manufacturers, and its administrators possess internationally recognized certificates that vouch for their top-notch professional knowledge.

Hot Backup of Systems and Applications

• Backup policy is set to require minimum service restoration time.
• Daily on-site system and application backups including history according to a defined and verified backup policy.
• Weekly off-site system and application backups, including history.
• Hourly backup of application data that changes often (typically database contents, etc.), with the ability to restore data of a defined moment with one-second precision.
• Restoration of application data upon request following inadvertent change or erasure by the customer. Only an authorized client employee may request restoration upon proving his/her identity.
• The capacity of backup media is on the order of tens of TB, with progressive increases as needed.

Monitoring, Notification, and Self-Correcting Processes

All systems, applications and their critical parameters are monitored 24/7. Monitoring systems support over 60 various testing methods, and tests are launched every several minutes according to the specific monitoring program.

In particular the following are monitored, including their trends:

• The availability and quality of on-site and Internet services.
• Immediate and average load over a defined period on system resources including processors, physical and virtual memory, swap, disk space, disk queues and network cards.
• The state of system resources including RAID array disks, processor temperatures, fan functionality and computer case intrusion.
• Information in system, security and applications logs that means or warns of possible fault states.
• The state and average values of monitored indices over a certain time for applications including Microsoft SQL Server, Internet Information Server and NT services.
• Detection of changes to selected files or website content.
• State and performance parameters of switches and other infrastructure elements.
• State and performance parameters of firewalls and the state of security.

Upon detection of a fault state or set value overrun, notifications are sent within one minute to administrators and self-corrective processes are launched that try to restore system and applications states and operation. If they do not succeed, administrators ensure restoration. Notifications are once again automatically sent out following restoration. Administrators are sent four types of notifications (SMS messages via our own paid gateway connected directly to the operator for quick delivery, an email that is delivered to mobile phones as well, and visual and audio notification in the monitoring centre), with at least two independent delivery routes always used. Critical monitors and our own on-site monitoring system are checked by another external independent monitoring system. The on-site and external monitoring systems generate logs and reports for verification and trend analysis.

Web Application Access Statistics

Web application access statistics are generated daily with a year's archive and are available online to clients following identity verification.

• Number of visits.
• Number of unique visitors, their domains and countries.
• Number of pages displayed.
• Most frequently displayed pages.
• Entry and exit pages during visits.
• Visits from search results, with information on search engines, search phrases or keywords.
• Length of visitents.
• Number of hits.
• Amount of downloaded data.
• Most often displayed or downloaded file types.
• Internet browsers and operating systems of visitors, including their versions.
• Hits by robots and search engines.
• Error and nonexistent pages that visitors attempted to access.

Selected statistics are further subdivided according to months, days, days of the week and hours.

Security

Systems and applications are protected in several ways on several levels. Due to the sensitive nature of this kind of information, we are not listing any specific information.The following systems and technologies are used:

• High-performance firewalls, respected in professional circles, with control over Layers 2 to 7 of the ISO model.
• Penetration attempt detection and elimination.
• Penetrating testing, analysis of results and implementation of corrective measures.
• Antivirus checks.
• Physical server security.
• Configuration changes and application of hot fixes, service packs and patches per manufacturer recommendations and the latest expert findings following testing in a test environment for the elimination of negative functional, performance and security effects on systems and web applications. Only the customer's web applications are installed on servers, plus those needed for their operation, monitoring, backup and security.

Physical server security and fire and power outage protection:

• The hosting centre is guarded by a security service and monitored with security cameras.
• Building entrances are secured with chip card entry systems.
• Server racks are equipped with security keys.
• The fire protection system protects all installed equipment and guarantees constant operation even in case of fire.
• The hosting centre is protected from power outages both with a UPS and diesel generators .
• The hosting centre has received building security accreditation per procedures of the National Security Authority (NBU). Security measures in the area of technical and building security conform to NBU Regulation No. 339/1999 Coll., and NBU building security standards. The accredited level of data centre building security means that it can be used to house equipment subject to increased security levels per National Security Authority standards.

Sprinx Systems possesses security clearance from the National Security Authority, and all its employees have signed confidentiality agreements.

Availability and Reaction Time Guarantee

Hosted applications have guaranteed availability according specific customer needs. We have various typical system configurations prepared for various customer requirements for availability and application performance, from simple website hosting to cluster systems for mission-critical applications with a high level of availability and performance.

• Where applications run on the provider's systems, restoration of availability following a HW or SW crash is guaranteed once the service outage has been reported.
• Where web applications run on customer-supplied or third-party systems, restoration of availability following a HW or SW crash is guaranteed following the delivery of HW or SW by the customer or a third party.
• All scheduled maintenance and security installations that require a short-term service outage are always performed at night during periods of low access to web applications (from 22:00 to 4:00) so that the outage has the least possible impact on actual application availability.

Helpdesk and Level 2 Support

An electronic helpdesk and Level 2 phone support is available to customers for problem reports and other requests and their quick resolution. We offer professional support with a friendly approach to customer requests.

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