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All Features GDPR Security Set up Support Technical
Who are your data subprocessors?

As part of GDPR compliance, clients also need to know about any Data Sub-processors as part of the Actus Service Provision. Further details of these are provided within our Privacy Policy, an updated version of which can be downloaded from this site, and upon request to security@actus.co.uk.

Briefly, UK Servers, AWS (Ireland) & Memset Ltd are our data hosts, all of which are based in the UK/EEA. If you have any further questions about data security you can contact us on security@actus.co.uk.

How do you carry out Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA’s)?

Where Actus is acting as a Data Processor to provide a SaaS Service or a Data Controller our DPIA has been assessed as being low to medium risk and the controls outlined above are considered to be sufficient. Our DPIA process is as follows:

  • We describe the nature, scope, context and purposes of the processing.
  • We ask our data processors to help us understand and document their processing activities and identify any associated risks. We consider how best to consult individuals (or their representatives) and other relevant stakeholders. We ask for the advice of our data protection officer.
  • We check that the processing is necessary for and proportionate to our purposes, and describe how we will ensure data protection compliance.
  • We do an objective assessment of the likelihood and severity of any risks to individuals’ rights and interests. We identify measures we can put in place to eliminate or reduce high risks.
  • We record our decision-making in the outcome of the DPIA, including any difference of opinion with our DPO or individuals consulted. We implement the measures we identified and integrate them into our project plan. We will consult the ICO before processing if we cannot mitigate high risks. We keep our DPIAs under review and revisit them when necessary.

 

Our Data Security Officer is Chris Carney and can be contacted at security@actus.co.uk.

What is the scope and type of Data Processing when using Actus?

PROCESSING, PERSONAL DATA AND DATA SUBJECTS
1. PROCESSING BY THE PROVIDER
1.1 SCOPE
Personal data collected and processed via the software application of the Supplier in relation to some or all of the following HR or compliance-related activities including but not limited to employee performance management and appraisal; talent management; absence management; professional development and feedback; storage of personal data for HR reporting and remuneration; Monitoring of regulatory compliance and assurance.
1.2 NATURE
The Supplier’s software is being used to process data to allow the Customer to operate an online HR database and Employee Performance Management system for its staff.

1.3 PURPOSE OF PROCESSING
The purpose may include some or all of the following depending on the modules that the Customer has selected: Performance Management and Appraisal; Training & Development; Professional Revalidation; Feedback & Development; SMCR assurance and accreditation Other related HR recording and reporting.

1.4 DURATION OF THE PROCESSING
For the duration of the agreement.

2. TYPES OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE DATA
The following data may be held within the standard Actus system (this list may be subject to update)
• Employee ID
• First Name
• Last Name
• Job Title or Role
• Email address
• Gender
• Known as
• Hire Date
• Bespoke HRD fields as agreed with the client

Other Personal Data includes but may not be limited to:
• Objectives & Measures
• Feedback
• Appraisal data or ratings
• Personal development plan/career aspirations
• Department
• Location
• Other HRD fields if relevant

3. CATEGORIES OF DATA SUBJECT
Users of the Actus System

For further information contact security@actus.co.uk

Do you support Single Sign on or Active Directory Integration?

The quick answer is YES, however we do need to work on a case by case basis for this. We are able to provide SSO hosting and connection or pure SSO connection and one of the first questions that we will ask is whether you have already your own IdP server in place that we can connect with or whether you need us to set this up from scratch and host this for you. As you can imagine the former is quicker, simpler and cheaper but we have plenty of experienced in delivering both!

This question is best to get the techies talking on so just get in touch and we can set up that conversation.

What are your support T&C’s

You can obviously download our full support policy, however, our target response times for telephone or email is 2 to 4 hours depending on priority, usually much quicker!

Actus is so easy to use that most enquiries tend to be easily resolved by your internal HR Admin team. We provide them with the training to act as first-line support and they can contact us for additional help as needed. They can email or speak to our support team between 9.00 am and 5.30 pm GMT although we also offer emergency out of hours response if required.

We have many international clients who have found this approach works well for them, but we are able to provide managed service or out of hours support on a case by case basis if required.

What are you doing about GDPR?

As an ISO27001 accredited provider, thankfully many of our established processes already meet the needs of GDPR. From an Actus point of view – we are the data processor and you are the data controller for your users which means that in the eyes of the ICO it is down to you to ensure that your staff know why you are processing their data using Actus or any other internal system!

Obviously, we want to help our clients as much as possible in complying with GDPR and we have introduced a couple of new features that may be helpful. The first one is around obtaining consent on log-in. If you choose (and are not using SSO) then we can arrange for one-off or every time pop up a consent form for your users when they log into Actus. We have also put in place the option to control how long staff data is retained for within Actus which is also key to GDPR.

All of the other security that we place huge importance on anyway is relevant in terms of keeping your users’ data safe and outlined elsewhere in the FAQ’s

Actus the business

Our contract and sign off process provide us with formal consent to remain in contact with our clients and prospective clients and we operate an opt-in policy only for marketing.

As a business, we continue to monitor the guidance issued from the ICO and will update this statement and our processes as appropriate.

 

 

How much does it cost?

Actus is costed on a licence basis and will vary subject to your volume of users. Following a free system demo, we issue you with a full proposal that we know is highly competitive – try us and you’ll see!

If the software’s so easy to use, why do I need training?

To be honest, if you were motivated to do so, you could probably find your way around the software without training as it is very intuitive. However 90% of our clients are dissatisfied with the quality of their existing appraisal process – perhaps it is viewed as a tick-box exercise or the conversations lack quality. Essentially they want to use this move as an opportunity for culture change – to drive high performance and engagement and that’s why we recommend training. Our consultants are experts in culture change – yes you learn how to use the software, but more importantly we motivate your managers and staff to first want to use it, and secondly to use it well. So the training includes ‘Hearts and Minds’ and skills like writing a good quality objective or giving great feedback (we also offer lots of other training too if you are interested – check out the Learning resources section of the website to download our brochure).

We think it was Deming who said that: “80% of software initiatives fail due to people issues” – our training and change management support means that you can be one of the 20%!

How long does it take to set up and roll out?

Well to be honest this depends on you!

To give you an example of how quickly we can move, we have set up, implemented and trained the system out in less than a week – this is because the client wanted to move quickly and worked with us providing their data upon request. We’ve then had companies who wanted to roll it out over a longer time period (9 months to be exact) and again, we worked with them, at their pace to ensure implementation aligned with their project timelines!

Essentially, because the system is configurable, all we need to get started is to understand what aspects you want to turn on and off (configuration), agree terminology and look and feel, and get your data uploaded which is really quick and easy if your data is accurate and up-to-date, we just need a few fields on a spreadsheet.

In reality, what takes the time is paperwork and logistics (getting ‘bums on seats’ for training) so 6-8 weeks is a reasonable lead time. Talk to us and it is likely we can meet your requirements.

Where is Actus hosted & how secure is the data?

Actus Software is securely hosted centrally in the UK. Why is this important? Well, first of all, because the software is cloud-based it means it is available 24/7 via the internet. It also means that you always have the most up-to-date version and you don’t have to install anything to use it.  We work with a number of hosting providers that have all the credentials that are needed to keep your data safe.

However, the fact that we host in the UK cloud is really relevant too (lots of the other software companies are US-based which can be a bit complicated). The UK has some of the most stringent laws around data protection and because we host in the UK your data is bound by this. Some of our clients don’t like hosting their data outside of the UK/EEA because (in theory) the foreign governments can demand access to any data. It is not that they are likely to be that interested in your appraisal – but it is the principle.

We are also registered on the UK’s digital marketplace which means we have had to jump through lots of hoops to show we are accredited to sell to the government. Any more security or technical concerns, just get in touch!

What makes Actus different from other software?

It’s a busy marketplace and it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference between different solution providers, here are some of the reasons clients have said we stand out:

 

  • Highly Configurable – we can map to practically any appraisal process – our HR background comes in handy here too as we (usually!) understand what you are trying to achieve it and how it translates into the software too
  • Comprehensive functionality – more features than most providers, included as standard: objectives; milestones; one to ones; appraisal; feedback and recognition; calibration
  • Designed to embed ongoing conversations – One to ones; Milestones; check-ins and aligned messaging
  • Expert consultancy & training – We understand HR (because we have felt your pain!) and we started out as a training organisation which means we can help you upskill your managers and accelerate culture change with one end to end solution
  • Best in class service – You are more than a number at Actus, we actually talk to our customers and don’t hide behind an automated email response if you contact support. Our support team are always getting amazing client reviews for their responsiveness
  • Highly security conscious – We actually have ISO 27001; 14001 & 9001 accreditation in our own right, not just through our hosting provider. This means that you can be confident that our security credentials are legitimate, it’s worth checking this detail with some of the others!

Honestly, we could go on but why not have a chat with us to find out more?

 

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