SLA Embrace

Last updated: 1 januari 2025
Service Level Agreement

Versiebeheer:

VersieAanpassingen
1 januari 2025
  • 1.  Datum SLA aangepast.
  • 2. Versiebeheer toegevoegd.
  • 3. Artikel 1.2: definitielijst geactualiseerd.
  • 4. Artikel 1.2: nr. 18 toegevoegd.
  • 5. Artikel 2.3 lid 2 en lid 3: kantooruren vervangen door Werkuren. Werkuren is een opgenomen definitie, kantooruren niet.
  • 6. Artikel 2.3 lid 2: verduidelijking opgenomen.
  • 7. Artikel 2.3 lid 3: verduidelijking wanneer de applicatie uitgeschakeld mag worden.
  • 8. Artikel 2.4 lid 1 sub a: visuele representatie geschrapt.
  • 9. Artikel 2.5 lid 1: IE (versie 11) geschrapt.
  • 10. Artikel 3.4.3 bespreken met accountmanager toegevoegd.
  • 11. Artikel 3.8: sanctie aangepast, opzeggen in plaats van terugbetaling.
  • 12. Artikel 4: Release Management vereenvoudigd, geen onderscheid tussen Legacy en SaaS.
  • 13. Artikel 6.4: details verwijderd en herstel mogelijkheid benoemd.
  • 14. Artikel 6.6.3: toevoeging kosten ondersteunende dienstverlening.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Purpose of the SLA

  1. This SLA forms the complete set of agreements for the management and maintenance of the current applications provided by Embrace to your organization (hereinafter referred to as: Client), as described in the offer (s). This SLA lays down the qualitative and quantitative agreements with regard to this management and maintenance.
  2. The description consists of a definition of indicators (the Service levels) that are important to the Client in view of (the quality of) its business operations. The relevant indicators are measurable and can be influenced by Embrace.
  3. Each indicator includes the associated standards that Embrace must meet to guarantee the agreed level of service to the Client.
  4. In order to keep Embrace's services up to date and appropriate, Embrace reserves the right to change this SLA every six months, every year as of 1 January and 1 July. For example, the latest version of this SLA is effective at the time of expiration of the aforementioned data. Embrace will announce any changes to this SLA that have a material adverse effect on our website at least 30 days in advance, with the Client having the right (within 30 days) to reject this change and terminate the agreement with Embrace. The Client can view the most current version of this SLA and related terms and conditions on this website at any time.

1.2 Definitions

  1. Where the following terms are used in this SLA, they should be assigned the meaning set out herein
ApparatuurAlle hardware die nodig is om de Applicatie operationeel te houden;
ApplicatieDe Programmatuur zoals aangepast en ingericht ten behoeve van Opdrachtgever;
BereikbaarheidsurenDe uren op maandag tot en met vrijdag tussen 08:00 en 18:00, uitgezonderd officiële feestdagen; zoals opgenomen in artikel 3 Algemene termijnenwet.
BugEen bug is een fout in een Applicatie of Koppeling aan de kant van Embrace, waardoor het zijn functie niet (geheel) volgens specificaties vervult;
DienstenDe in deze overeenkomst omschreven werkzaamheden die door Embrace in het kader van deze overeenkomst zullen worden uitgevoerd met inbegrip van te leveren prestaties;
DocumentatieDe door Embrace ten behoeve van Opdrachtgever te leveren en / of te onderhouden documentatie behorende bij de te leveren werkzaamheden;
Fair Use Policy (FuP)Fair use is een term die zich laat zich vertalen als “redelijk gebruik van de diensten door Opdrachtgever”, en de fair use policy is het beleid dat gevoerd wordt om daarop toe te zien;
HotfixEen spoedwijziging die niet kan wachten op een volgende release, maar waarvoor een spoedwijziging uitgevoerd moet worden;
IncidentEen gebeurtenis, die de overeengekomen werking van de Applicatie verstoort;
KoppelingenDe verbindingen tussen diverse Applicaties van zowel Embrace als derden zoals bedoel in paragraaf 2.4;
KoppelvlakkenDe webservices of API’s die beschikbaar zijn binnen Embrace of binnen de Applicatie van een Toeleverancier;
OnderhoudWerkzaamheden zoals bedoeld in paragraaf 2.3 die Embrace verricht of laat verrichten aan de hosting, Programmatuur, de Applicatie, de Koppelingen en het maatwerk, waarvan voor de Applicatie gebruik wordt gemaakt;
OplostijdHet tijdsverloop waarbinnen Embrace het Incident oplost, gemeten vanaf het moment dat Embrace het Incident heeft aangenomen (Reactietijd). Dit betreft de netto-oplostijd: de tijd dat het ticket in afwachting staat van een reactie van de klant of geparkeerd staat wordt niet meegeteld;
OTAPDe afkorting OTAP staat voor ontwikkeling, test, acceptatie en productie. Het is een methode voor het ontwikkelen van Applicatie. In een ontwikkelomgeving, de OTAP-ontwikkelstraat, worden de vier genoemde fases doorlopen;
Personeel van EmbraceDoor Embrace voor de uitvoering van deze overeenkomst in te schakelen personeel, dat ter uitvoering van deze overeenkomst onder zijn verantwoordelijkheid zal werken;
ProbleemEen onbekende oorzaak van één of meerdere Incidenten;
ProgrammatuurDe standaard programmatuur waaruit de Applicatie en de website is geconfigureerd inclusief daarbij behorende Documentatie;
ReactietijdHet tijdsverloop, dat start op het moment dat het Incident is gemeld aan Embrace, en stopt op het moment dat Embrace meldt wat de oplossingsrichting en Oplostijd is;
Service windowTijdvak waarin er Onderhoud plaats vindt. Dit is dagelijks van 23:00 uur tot 1:00 uur.
TicketsysteemHelpdesksoftware waarin alle Problemen, Wijzigingsverzoeken en Incidenten gemeld dienen te worden. Bereikbaar via: https://support.embracecloud.nl/;
ToeleveranciersToeleveranciers zijn partijen die Applicaties leveren aan Opdrachtgever, waarmee door Embrace gekoppeld wordt;
VerbeterplanDe gehele analyse en maatregelen, zoals bedoeld in paragraaf 3.8, opgesteld door Embrace om afwijkingen van de Service Levels, tekortkomingen in de beveiliging en andere tekortkomingen in de dienstverlening op te lossen;
VoortgangsrapportageDe rapportage die Embrace opstelt voor Opdrachtgever over de SLA, zie artikel 5.1;
VraagEen informatieverzoek van Opdrachtgever over de werking van de Applicatie of de mogelijkheden voor aanpassing daarvan;
WerkurenDe uren op maandag tot en met vrijdag tussen 9:00 en 17:00, uitgezonderd officiële feestdagen;
Wijzigingsverzoek (RFC, Wens)Een door de opdrachtgever ingediend verzoek voor een potentiële verbetering/verandering van de applicatie. Zie voor procedure: artikel 3.3.

2. SERVICE

2.1 Scope of service

  1. This chapter details the services that fall under the SLA. Embrace provides capacity for managing and maintaining the Applications.
  2. Embrace will make every effort to keep the software it uses up to date. However, Embrace depends on its supplier (s) here. Embrace is entitled not to install certain updates or patches if, in its opinion, this does not benefit the correct delivery of the Application or if, in its opinion, failure to install does not impair the delivery of the Application.

2.2 Management of services to be provided

  1. To carry out the management, as mentioned under 2.1, the following services to be provided by Embrace are defined:
Services to be provideddescription
Helpdesk• Handling Incidents, Problems and Questions;
Incident Management
  • Registering, managing and dealing with Incidents. Notifications are recorded and managed using a ticket system;
  • Analyzing Incidents;
  • Performing proactive management.
Problem Management
  • Identifying, registering, managing Problems;
  • Analyzing and resolving Problems.
Service Level Management
  • Controlling and controlling the quality and quantity of the service provided based on the agreed standards/KPIs.

2. Embrace has the right to temporarily decommission its Application or parts thereof for the purpose of maintaining, modifying or improving it, and/or maintaining, adapting or improving the associated software or other facilities. Embrace makes every effort to allow such decommissioning to take place outside office hours as much as possible and to inform the Client in good time of the planned decommissioning.

3. In the event that Embrace believes that decommissioning the Application - whether or not during office hours - is necessary for the proper functioning of the Application, it is entitled to discontinue the Application immediately without prior notice to the Client. However, Embrace is never obliged to pay any compensation for damage in connection with such decommissioning.

2.3 Maintenance services to be provided

  1. In order to carry out the maintenance, as mentioned under 2.1, the following services to be provided by Embrace are defined
Te leveren dienstenOmschrijving
Release management
  • Compiling the release calendar;
  • Recording and scheduling Change Requests;
  • Monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the requests;
  • Installing releases of the standard Application, as described in article 4;
Versiebeheer & - distributie
  • Managing versions in production, development, testing and acceptance environments;
Impact analyse
  • Supporting in estimating the impact of a release for the Client's work process;
Realisatie
  • Executing a change order according to the design by Maatwerk;
  • Modifying the Documentation;
Acceptatietest ondersteuning
  • Supporting the functional acceptance test;
  • Repairing test findings;

2. Embrace has the right to temporarily decommission its Application or parts thereof for the purpose of maintaining, modifying or improving it, and/or maintaining, adapting or improving the associated Software or other facilities. This Maintenance will take place in the Service window as much as possible, some run-out may occur.

3. In the event that Embrace believes that decommissioning the Application - whether or not during Working Hours - is necessary in the event of an Incident where immediate action is necessary to limit damage, it is entitled to decommission the Application immediately without prior notice to the Client. However, Embrace is never obliged to pay any compensation for damage in connection with such decommissioning.

2.4 Manage links

  1. In order for the Links between Embrace Applications and Third-Party Applications to work (and keep them working) optimally, the following agreements and efforts have been defined:
  • The necessary Links between Embrace and Suppliers' Applications will be further specified in working agreements if necessary;
  • Embrace is responsible for the quality and functioning of the Interfaces from the products supplied by and through it. This means that each link made available must be able to be tested and validated by means of validation schemes (WSDL/XML) Embrace expects the same guarantee and commitment from all suppliers involved with regard to the quality and functioning of the Links;
  • Embrace reports Incidents with links with an urgent or high priority to the Client if it appears that (part of) the cause lies with Suppliers. In doing so, Embrace provides the Client/Suppliers with all available options about a possible solution to the Incident. Joint agreements may have been made and can be found in the communication and work agreements between Supplier and Embrace;
  • Embrace reports to Suppliers per ticket, unless otherwise agreed in the communication matrix;
  • Embrace monitors the progress of reported Incidents with Suppliers. The Supplier remains responsible for the solution and speed of resolution.
  • When reporting to a Supplier, Embrace creates a ticket within the Ticket System, giving the Client insight into the ticket;
  • The Client is responsible for mandating Embrace towards Suppliers. If the Client wants Embrace to act as a delegated client towards Suppliers, it must take the necessary steps towards Suppliers herself;
  • Involved Suppliers and Embrace provide each other with the necessary and correct information in a timely manner in the event of changes to Koppelvlakken.
  • 2. Ultimately, the Client remains responsible for the speed of resolution, deployment and quality of interfaces and applications from the suppliers involved. To do this, the Client must make the necessary agreements himself. The agreements in this SLA only apply to Embrace's Applications and Interfaces. Embrace is not responsible for the test environments of Suppliers' applications.

2.5 Browsers

  1. The Application works within supported web browsers and other platforms, such as Edge, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. The (complete) functionality cannot be guaranteed with another web browser or platform.
  2. The Client must always have the most recent available version of the web browser and/or platform installed.
  3. Supported web browsers and platforms may change with future releases. This change will be announced in the release notes.

3. SERVICE LEVEL MANAGEMENT

3.1 Helpdesk

    1. All service reports (Incidents, Change Requests, and Questions) are submitted via the ticket system (https://support.embracecloud.nl/).
Helpdesk accessibility
AccessibilityOn weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Ticket Systemto be submitted 24/7/365

3.2 Incident and Problem Management

The Client will inform Embrace about this via the helpdesk immediately after the discovery of an Incident.

  1. Classification of Incidents is done by the Client, but can be adjusted in consultation. The costs of resolving Incidents within Embrace Software fall under the user license purchased by the Client. Embrace is responsible for bundling Incidents into a Problem in a structured way and proactively preventing a problem within the Software.
  2. Corrective maintenance is the restorative and reactive maintenance of the Application outside of Incidents that is carried out after the Client has detected a Problem in the standard software.
  3. Embrace provides information about the status of reported Incidents via its Ticket System (Zendesk).

3.3 Change management

Client is responsible for submitting a clear description of the Change Request (an RFC). This change request can be submitted via the user group or Zendesk. Embrace will assess the RFC, which is why it has a change process that is used. The following is being tested:

  • whether the RFC is in line with Embrace's vision;
  • whether the RFC is technically feasible;
  • whether the RFC benefits customers;
  • whether the RFC affects security, privacy and other relevant aspects.

After the RFC has been treated, feedback will follow.

3.4 Service Level Management

  1. The SLA is maintained under the responsibility of the manager of Embrace's service organization.
  2. On request, Embrace reports in accordance with article 5.
  3. Partijen bespreken de Voortgangsrapportage op verzoek met hun accountmanager;
  4. The Progress Report may lead to an Improvement Plan, as referred to in article 3.7.
  5. The status of ongoing reports is visible within Embrace's ticket system.

3.5 Priority determination

  1. Classification of Incidents is done by the Client, using the table below, but can be adjusted by Embrace. If a classification is updated, Embrace will inform the Client about this in good time. Embrace is committed to bundling Incidents into a Problem in a structured way and to proactively prevent Problems within the Software.
Impact
ProcessThe entire process is at a standstill, there is no workaroundProcess can continue, but with significantly delaying workaroundProcess can go on, there is a good workaroundProcess can continue, no workaround necessary
ProductionUrgentHighnormalLayer
AcceptanceHighnormalLayerLayer
TestnormalLayerLayerLayer

2. The response and resolution time per priority are:

PriorityResponse timeNet resolution time
Urgent2 working hours4 working hours
High4 working hours12 working hours
normal8 working hours5 business days
Layer16 working hours1 month

3. Support availability hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding national holidays. They can handle a high percentage of tickets. It is possible that help is needed from the delivery or product team. The guaranteed working hours of these teams are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

4. Embrace gets the opportunity from the Client to log into the available customer environments with the necessary rights, so that Embrace can carry out work during an Incident. Any delays associated with gaining access to the Embrace environments fall outside the resolution times specified by Embrace within this SLA.

3.6 Staff

  1. Parties are responsible for deploying employees who have such knowledge, skills and tools that they can carry out work at the required quality level.
  2. For the Client, this means that the persons who operate the delivered Applications have knowledge of how the Applications work, so that Embrace's service department does not have to answer substantive questions about the functional functioning of the Application.
  3. For Embrace, it means that the persons who develop, implement or manage the delivered Applications have sufficient experience and expertise to ensure the quality, continuity and security of the Application.

3.7 Improvement Plan

  1. Embrace draws up an Improvement Plan if the evaluation shows that Embrace does not provide the agreed service. The Improvement Plan is assessed by the Client and approved or substantiated. In case of rejection, Embrace will adjust the Improvement Plan until the Client approves the Improvement Plan. The Improvement Plan does not affect the (other) rights that the Client has in connection with the failure to provide the agreed service. The Improvement Plan must be drawn up SMART.
  2. Embrace then implements the Improvement Plan in accordance with agreements. This Improvement Plan, which includes a problem analysis as an integral part, can relate to the execution of technical management processes as well as Embrace's Application Maintenance and development activities. The period within which the measures of an Improvement Plan must be implemented is three months, unless otherwise agreed.
  3. Embrace keeps the Client informed on a monthly basis about the progress of the Improvement Plan. During consultation, the Client and Embrace may also propose additional measures.

3.8 Sanction

  1. If no structural improvements are visible after implementation of the Improvement Plan, the Client may terminate the agreement with Embrace with 12 months of notice.

4. RELEASES

  1. Release Management

4.1 Release preparation and testing

  1. Each new release is pre-tested and provided with release notes. These tests consist of automated regression, load, performance and manual tests. Once Embrace has determined that the release is suitable for production, it will be released.

4.2 Release Rollout

  1. As soon as a release is available, Embrace will roll it out. The rollout takes place in accordance with the release cycle established by Embrace. Contrary to this, Embrace is not liable for any damage that the Client may cause as a result.

5. REPORTING STRUCTURE

5.1 Measurable Service Indicators

  1. The measurable service indicators included in this SLA will be reported. The measurement takes place continuously, the report is available every six months:
    • Based on the past period in months;
    • Cumulatively based on periods in the current year.
  2. Measurable service indicators are:
    • Number of tickets grouped by Incident, Question, RFC by priority;
    • Response time;
    • Resolution time.
  3. The Client must himself check the calculations or processing of customer data made by the Application. Embrace does not guarantee that all calculations and/or processing are error-free at all times.

5.2 Reporting structure

TierFrequencyTopic
Assignment managementQuarterlyProgress reporting of agreed Service Levels
Helpdesk via ticket systemContinuouslyOutstanding and handled Incidents are visible within the ticket system (pending incidents status, classifications and additional information)

6. HOSTING

6.1 Availability

  1. Embrace has a 99.9% availability guarantee per calendar year. Embrace's responsibility for availability, as set out in this SLA, does not apply in the event of a failure if:
  • planned work is being carried out;
  • the failure occurs in the Client's telecommunications infrastructure;
  • a failure is caused by a requested change from the Client;
  • a failure is caused by unauthorized changes by Client staff to Embrace's equipment;
  • force majeure (see terms and conditions).

  • 2. For services, at one location or multiple locations, availability (A) is calculated as follows: A = 100% * [1 — (t: T)]. t = the number of minutes that the service was unavailable during the year (service failure). T = total number of minutes per year.
  • 3. Embrace can set a limit on the amount of data traffic, storage and server capacity that the Client may or can actually use via the Service. If the Parties have not made any agreements about this, a fair use limit applies.
  • 4. In any case, there is no longer fair use if the Client uses more than a maximum of twice as much data traffic and storage as other customers of the Contractor would do in a similar situation.

6.2 Workspace and Customers: Backup by Embrace

  1. Embrace is responsible for keeping the Workspace and Customers Application and the OS of the hosting environment up to date; control of this is ensured within Embrace's management process. A full backup is made once a day.
  2. The hard drives are backed up to a physically different server.
  3. The backup will be stored for the following period: 30 calendar days.
  4. Client can request Embrace to make data from the backup available. If appropriate, the Client and Embrace will jointly make further agreements about the recovery procedure to be used. If appropriate, billing for the recovery procedure by Embrace will be made on the basis of subsequent calculation. This will be indicated in advance by Embrace.
  5. In addition to this backup, our environments are usually replicated every 5 minutes, which can take over the production environment in the event of a failure, thereby further securing availability.

6.3 Workspace and Customers: Hosting by Embrace

  1. The Workspace and Customers environments are managed by Exception IT in the QTS data center at the Zernike Complex in Groningen with one of the highest measured availability rates in the Netherlands (99.9999% since 2001). Critical components have been executed at least N+1. This way, at least one backup component is always available if a critical component does not work. In addition, we use dedicated hosting on a virtual platform with sufficient overcapacity. This ensures the continuity of the virtual environments in the event of a possible hardware failure.
  2. Upon request, additional backups or replications can be located at an external location in the NorthC data center at the Westpoort business park in Groningen.
  3. Access to servers is limited to Exception IT and Embrace employees. Control over this is ensured within Embrace's management process.

6.4 Workspace and Customers: Hosting by Microsoft Azure

Some components within the Workspace and Customers applications are hosted by Microsoft Azure (Netherlands), if applicable.

  1. By default, Microsoft Azure stores multiple copies of your data to protect it against both planned and unplanned events, such as temporary hardware issues, network or power outages, and even large-scale natural disasters. This built-in redundancy contributes to both the sustainability (preventing permanent data loss) and the availability (accessibility of the service) of your data.
  2. In the primary region of Western Europe (Netherlands), your data is always replicated at least three times. In addition, each availability zone is a physically separate location with its own power supply, cooling and network facilities. This setup results in an exceptionally high durability of your data (99.9999999999%).
  3. If applicable, soft delete is enabled by default. With this feature, deleted storage items are stored for a predefined period of time (180 days), instead of being permanently deleted immediately. This allows removed parts to be easily restored if desired.
  4. Embrace has no influence on Microsoft's SLA, see https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/docs/view/Service-Level-Agreements-SLA-for-Online-Services?lang=1.

6.5 Housing: Hosting by Embrace

  1. The Embrace Housing environments are managed by True at the EUNetworks data center in Amsterdam (primary location) and Amsterdam Data Tower (backup location). All Embrace Housing servers are equipped with RAID systems for internal redundancy. Housing's servers are also accessible to the Amsterdam Exchange via redundant Gigabit routers. All Housing servers are permanently operating at 50% average capacity. This means that an average of 50% overcapacity is available to absorb peaks at any given time.
  2. Embrace strives to show a web page to the end user within three seconds at a minimum connection speed of 10 Mbit. The exception is pages where Embrace depends on the speed of third-party services or systems.

6.6 Security testing

  1. The Client has the right to have audits carried out by an independent third party who is bound by confidentiality. The Client will ensure that the independent third party signs Embrace's indemnification statement before carrying out the audit.
  2. By default, vulnerability scans run over the environments hosted by Embrace, which check for known vulnerabilities using, among other things, the OWASP top 10.
  3. If, in addition to carrying out a security test, additional efforts from Embrace are required, Embrace may charge costs for this.

7. PRODUCT USER GROUP

7.1 User meetings

  1. User meetings take place regularly per product. These can take place physically or online. In the event of a physical meeting, it will be organized centrally in the country, so that the travel time for everyone involved is limited.
  2. On User Day, the roadmap for the coming period will be presented and we will briefly look back on the developments of the past period. In addition, there is plenty of room for interaction and knowledge sharing with other users of the products, workshops are organized on various current themes, and there is also room for technical and functional sessions.

7.2 User Group

  1. In order to keep in touch with each other, an online user group has been created. In the user group, all organizations that work with the Application are represented. In addition, Embrace employees also contribute.
  2. The purpose of this platform is:
  • Interact with other customers who work with the Application;
  • Asking questions;
  • Expressing and discussing user wishes;
  • Stay up to date with the latest developments regarding the Application.

7.3 User wishes

  1. In order to give our customers a voice in the further development of the products, development hours are made available per release. Wishes for further development can be continuously passed on and customer wishes are then included in each sprint.
  2. The release notes indicate which user wishes have been implemented.