Hosted Solution: Software As A Service
Our hosted service approach allows us to support a deployment option sought after by both the government and private sector customers: Software as a Service (SaaS).
Briefly stated, SaaS means that we're able to deliver our search service from a central location, and deploy both improvements and new features without the hassle of a typical search implementation. When we upgrade or optimize our algorithms, or invent new features, we can deploy them automatically, without interrupting your existing IT.com search implementation or requiring a lengthy development, integration, and audit process.
IT.com's hosted solution includes the following features and benefits:
Capacity Planning and Procurement
That we deliver our solution as a hosted product means that you're purchasing a performance level, not just software. To that end, IT.com handles all of the capacity planning for your system, taking into account current and anticipated usage, and allowing for significant temporary spikes in usage. This is all included in our deployment, and you don't have to go through the hassle of a lengthy, ongoing planning and procurement process for delivering search.
Data Backup and Recovery
IT.com performs daily incremental and weekly backups of all data associated with the search service, including document indexes, caches, all databases associated with the application, compiled software, version controlled source code, all application configurations, DNS zone files, log files, and any other resources specific to hosting the service.
We store weekly backups in physically secure facilities separate from the facility in which the application's servers are housed. These backups are available to IT.com technical staff 24-hours a day, every day of the year.
System Monitoring
We monitor all aspects of system performance around the clock. Any system abnormalities trigger alerts for IT.com's system administrators, who are notified via email and pager. We've established a set of procedures for grading and responding to different types of system performance issues, and we adhere to an established set of response thresholds and communication guidelines for various levels of system malfunction.
In addition to low-level system monitoring, IT.com employs a geographically distributed set of external performance monitors that test the search portal from multiple locations and networks and alert IT.com administrators to performance issues that might be experienced by end users of the search portal.
World-Class Facilities and Network Connectivity
IT.com utilizes only Tier 1 hosting facilities, with the maximum available redundancy, security, and backup systems. A partial list of requirements for IT.com hosting facilities includes:
- Universal N+1 redundancy in all critical systems, including electrical, UPS, network peering, HVAC, and fire suppression.
- A fire suppression system that constantly monitors the physical environment for smoke, chemicals and other hazardous materials that might spark a fire, and employs a pre-action, comprehensive suppression system to extinguish fire outbreaks.
- Redundant municipal power feeds
- N+1 diesel generative electrical capacity on-site, with on-site fuel and sufficient support contracts for indefinite on-site power generation for all critical systems in the facility, including customer installations, security systems, critical lighting, and HVAC.
- Redundant HVAC systems
- 2-Factor physical security authentication, equipment installation and removal registration, CCTV camera monitoring of all spaces, and 24-hour, on-site security personnel
- Redundant fiber optic network connections, with automatic failover and optimized routing to minimize network latency and eliminate network downtime