Our Offering

 

Additional Information about our caBIG® Software as a Service Managed Hosting Solutions and answers to frequently asked questions.

 

What are you buying?

You are buying a subscription service that entitles you to use the caBIG® application that you select operating on our servers. 

How does that happen?

We create an instance of your selected application on a virtual server that is dedicated to your use and to the use of any additional users that you register1.  You pay us a monthly2 subscription fee and we make sure that you can access your application.  We also make sure that your data is secure and that your selected application performs as designed and delivered by the caBIG® program development team.        

What happens when you subscribe?

After you complete the subscription and payment forms, we will build your virtual server and install your application.  Next, we will provision network access and create a web address at which you can access your application.  Then, we will create an administrator's account.  You will first receive an email from us (at the email address that you supply as part of your subscription) that confirms your subscription details and lets you know we have started working on your system.  When we finish, you'll receive a second email containing your administrator's user ID and temporary password along with the web address at which you can log in, change your temporary password, and begin registering users.  We will also send you web links to the user's guide and administrator's guide for your application - as provided by the caBIG® program.  Last, we will provide you with web links to the appropriate caBIG® online resources.

What exactly do we build for you?

We use VMWare's VM/ESX  technology.  That allows us to create one or more virtual servers to support your application or application bundle.  The actual configuration of each server typically includes 2 GB memory and 100GB of disk for the operating system, database server, web server and other components including application data. Check your specific service for exact configurations.

We provision sufficient network capacity for your team to transfer 100GB-300GB of data per month for a base service.  The network access is provided through a shared Cisco firewall which is configured to provide DoS atack detection and prevention. Additional bandwidth can be purchased from us at market rates.

What if you want to publish your data on the the Grid?

Most of the applications that we support are grid-ready meaning that they have a pre-integrated copy of the caGrid service interface included.  You do not have to use that feature from the start.  You don't even have to access its administrative console to get started but it will be ready for you when you are ready to publish your data on the grid.  When you are ready, you send an email to GetOnTheGrid@healthcit.com.  We will perform the necessary configuration and setup tasks.  Depending on the application you are using, we may send you instructions for some administrative tasks that you must perform.  And we'll send you links to the administrator's and user's guides too.  Last, we'll send you links to the caGrid portal.  It will give you a good idea of all that's happening on the grid and why it will be to your benefit to join the community.          

What do we do for you during the subscription period?

We will apply routine maintenance to the application on a published schedule.  We will also keep track of any important security or performance updates that are recommended for the other components supporting your application (database, operating system, web server, application server, etc.).  We will generally do our own testing of those updates and apply them as appropriate.  We do the same for routine maintenance; however, we will apply that maintenance on a monthly or quarterly basis to minimize disruptions and to allow time to be sure that such maintenance does not cause more trouble than it fixes (which unfortunately happens sometimes).  We publish the schedule for such updates so you'll always know what is happening. 

We will also make daily incremental backup copies of your data and weekly full backups.  The copies are held on-site during the week and sent weekly to an offsite storage facility.  Backups include copies of audit trails.  We don't expect to ever need those copies but it is nice to know they are there just in case. 

Our data center is a secure facility with video monitoring and cypher lock doors.   We perform virus scanning and monitor for intrusion attempts. 

Our hosting infrastructure is operational 24 hours per day 7 days a week. Our team supports systems, networking and database technical and administrative needs during a 12 hour time period between 8:00 AMand 8:00 PM EST for these packages. During that time we are managing of the technology that provides access to your application and makes it operate the firewall, routers, switches, network attached storage, UPS, and cooling systems.  Periodically, we perform vulnerability testing on our security infrastructure to ensure that the systems that support your application remain secure in the face of new threats.

While you are using the application, we will be watching your server.  We check its log files for signs of problems, we check processor and memory usage, we monitor the network bandwidth, and we keep track of the disk usage and even the rates at which data is transferred to and from disk.  In general, we hope our customers make full use of their systems.  But sometimes they need more capacity than anticipated. If any of those systems checks show that you are going to run out of capacity, we'll get in touch with you to let you know along with some options for what to do about it.  Typically this will involve an increase in the size and capacity of your server which will increase your subscription charges.

What happens if you decide to stop your subscription?

We hope that you'll use the service forever but we do understand and anticipate that projects can come to an end or your business priorities may change.  We are ready to help you with that too.  As part of your subscription, we will export your data in a transportable format and send it to you.  The default format is a CSV file.  Depending on the database supporting your system, other formats may be available at no cost.  If you decide to bring your caBIG® application in-house, just tell us when you are ready to receive your data.  We will generate a database export file and send that to you.  You will be able to import this file and continue working from your in-house system.  If you need to migrate to a new system and need our help beyond generating and sending you an export file, we are available from 8AM to 8PM EST/EDT at a rate of $115/hour with a 4 hour minimum.  Please contact us at Support-caBIG@healthcit.com if you will need help in the evenings or weekends.  We'll be happy to provide availabilty, rates, and terms.    

Notes:

  1. We have designed these offering for the use of individuals, project teams, or individual departments.  We can accomodate cross-enterprise usage.  If that is what you need, please contact us at caBIGapps@healthcit.com.  We will work with you to design and configuration that will meet your needs.

  2. Other payment terms are available.  Please contact us at caBIGapps@healthcit.com