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June 15, 1999 Enhanced Support Line and Associated Services Make It Easier to Buy Remote Software Support
OverviewIBM continues to evolve its remote software support in response to customer's needs by announcing a new enhanced IBM Support Line. IBM Operational Support Services — Support Line enables you to buy technical support in easy and flexible ways, tailored to meet your needs, through a variety of purchase options. In addition to support for IBM software, Support Line now offers support for selected multivendor platforms, and a wide range of middleware for various operating system environments. IBM is now your single source of software support for your enterprise, saving you valuable time and resources. Multivendor products now receive the same high quality support as provided for IBM products. Support Line has been redesigned to make its premier support even better in the following ways:
Need enhanced remote technical support? IBM also offers optional features of Support Line. For Business Partners who need software support for their own systems or worldwide product support, IBM announces IBM Operational Support Services — Support Line for Business Partners. Planned Availability DateDescriptionIBM Operational Support Services — Support LineIBM Operational Support Services — Support Line is a single integrated remote support offering that supports your business environment across all platforms and operating systems consistently, in a single contract. This service provides you with remote voice and electronic (where available) assistance from IBM for product-specific, task-oriented questions regarding the installation and operation of currently supported IBM and specified non-IBM operating systems and software products. IBM Operational Support Services — Support Line complements support provided by "Program Services", for IBM software products and for similarly entitled services for non-IBM software products. You can purchase support to:
Product group definitions are consistent worldwide across platforms and allow easy selection of related products, versions, and releases across more than 2,000 products. Some allowance has been made for regional or country differences. In addition to support for IBM software, Support Line now offers support for software from other vendors (for example, Windows NT®), and a wide range of middleware. This provides you with a single support source for your entire enterprise. Product groups include:
Key to the new IBM Operational Support Services — Support Line offering are the service delivery improvements. You can now secure the same high quality level of remote support for IBM or selected non-IBM software products, at any of your company's locations around the world. Support is contracted for and purchased in the same way, regardless of where support is needed. Basic support includes prime shift coverage, where prime shift is defined to be a country's normal business hours, Monday through Friday, excluding national holidays. The support delivery centers will respond to your problems within a maximum of two hours during prime shift. Support will be in the national language of the caller's primary support center. Off-shift support for your critical-voice submitted problems also carries a maximum two-hour response time. If you require support beyond that of prime shift, IBM offers extended/full shift coverage, 24 hours per day, seven days per week for an additional fee at the operating system level. Support Line questions or problems are submitted via named callers. Named callers are now associated with the Support Line contract, not with a product. Additional named callers can be purchased for a fee. For each operating system group covered, you receive two named callers, each with unlimited calls for all contracted services within Support Line for prime shift coverage and six named callers per operating system group for full shift coverage. Note: Purchase of S/390® support includes authorization for additional callers who may request support only for the System/390® products. You can buy Support Line as part of the solution that is best for you. It can be purchased as:
Support Line is available on an annual basis for a period of one to five years. The standalone Support Line contract term is one year. If Support Line is included within an integrated services package (ServiceSuite/ServiceElect/ESA), the Support Line term will be the integrated services package contract term. The new Support Line flexible design makes remote support available via one of the following choices. Standalone Support Line or Support Line within ServiceElect may include any of the options. Support Line within ServiceSuite may include only the Single System or Selected System option.
IBM Operational Support Services — Support Line HourlyDesigned for the customer with less frequent support needs, IBM Operational Support Services — Support Line Hourly provides the same type of support as the annuity offering, but is priced on an hourly basis. Support is cross-platform and is defined by the Support Line product list. IBM reserves the right to add or remove products supported under the Support Line offering at any time. For a complete list of products supported under this offering, visit our Web site at: Hourly services are charged for the actual time IBM is working on the problem, including voice and/or electronic time interacting with you, and any research time, regardless if the problem is related to product usage, code-related problems, or isolation of the problem cause. For prime shift calls, there will be a charge for each hour at the current rate. For off-shift calls, there will be a 35% premium added to the current rate. Response time for IBM Operational Support Services — Support Line Hourly is the same as defined for the annuity offering. Effective October 13, 1999, you will be charged for voice access for defect support through Support Line Hourly, with the exception of S/390 voice defect support. Support Line Optional FeaturesSupport Line optional features require a base Support Line redesign contract. IBM Operational Support Services — Account Advocate: IBM Operational Support Services — Account Advocate provides you with remote access (via telephone or electronic access) to an account advocate team which will facilitate problem resolution and assist you with coordination of support activities for products you have covered by Support Line. Account Advocate support can be selected for any or all of your Support Line product groups and operating system groups. Account Advocate is available during prime shift only. Full Shift Coverage: This option allows you to select 24 hours a day, seven days a week coverage. Additional Named Callers: This option allows you to purchase additional named callers if you require more than the allotted two per operating system group or cross-systems product group for prime shift coverage and six per operating system group or cross-systems product group selected for full shift coverage. Support Line Supported Product ListFor a complete list of products supported under the Support Line Offering, refer to our Internet Web site at: IBM reserves the right to add or remove products supported under the Support Line offering at any time. Other Remote Software Support OfferingsIBM Operational Support Services — Support Line for Business PartnersThis service is designed to meet the software support needs of Business Partners for their own systems or for worldwide product support. Support Line for Business Partners complements IBM Operational Support Services — Support Line that you sell to your customers as part of the total solution. IBM Operational Support Services — Support Line for Business Partners answers installation and operational questions as well as migration, capacity planning, systems management and multivendor communications questions. It provides Business Partners with consistent, comprehensive technical support for their own production systems. Support Line for Business Partners is provided with voice support and electronic support (where available) with basic support including prime shift coverage, where prime shift is defined as the country's normal business hours, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Basic support is offered with response within two hours. Calls and all electronic requests received during off-shift hours are handled based on the availability of technical personnel. Effective October 15, 1999, you will be charged for voice access defect support through Support Line for Business Partners for all products with the exception of S/390 voice defect support. Concurrent with this announcement, Business Partner Hourly Support Line and Business Partner Hourly Blocks offerings have been withdrawn from marketing. No new contracts will be accepted. For a complete listing of products supported within your country, visit our Internet Web site at: IBM Operational Support Services — RS/6000™ Technical LibraryIBM Operational Support Services — RS/6000 Technical Library will replace the AIX Technical Library service being withdrawn from marketing in a future announcement. The new RS/6000 Technical Library service offers an easy way to locate technical information pertaining to AIX and RS/6000 products. This service helps you reduce the costs of maintaining your own technical publications by providing you 24 hours a day, seven days a week access to AIX or RS/6000 information. With this service, we offer you regularly updated CD-ROMs containing a collection of technical information, program temporary fixes (PTFs) and authorized program analysis reports (APARs). You can elect to receive the technical information CD-ROM, the PTF/APAR CD-ROM, or both. All RS/6000 products covered under IBM Operational Support Services — Support Line are eligible for RS/6000 Technical Library. IBM Operational Support Services — Consult LineIBM Operational Support Services — Consult Line provides you with cross-platform, remote technical consulting skills on a scheduled basis for most IBM and selected non-IBM software. This offering will replace the existing cross-platform Consult Line services. Consult Line is designed and tailored to fulfill your support needs beyond the scope of Support Line. Knowledgeable specialists can consult with you in the following areas:
Consult Line is offered at an hourly fee based on the number of IBM specialists and the hours expended in consultation support. Consultation calls provided by this service are available during prime shift (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), in your time zone. IBM Operational Support Services — Advanced Support Effective July 13, 1999, IBM Business Critical Operational Support, previously announced in Services Announcement 696-021 , dated August 13, 1996, has been renamed IBM Operational Support Services — Advanced Support. This support level may enhance your productivity by providing you with comprehensive support for your software and hardware needs. Advanced Support provides you with the highest level of remote support 24 hours per day, seven days per week. With this service, a designated Advanced Support team will assume management of all your critical problems/questions. Advanced Support is available only via special bid. Additional InformationFor additional information about IBM Global Services remote support offerings, contact any of the following:
Withdrawal from MarketingIBM intends to withdraw from marketing all legacy Support Line and Consult Line offerings, and other remote software support offerings in a future announcement. SoftwareXcel Pricing Methodology ChangeTo make the pricing methodology consistent with Support Line as well as consistent with recent S/390 product announcements, the pricing methodology for SWXCEL has been changed from a Model Group basis to a million service units (MSU) basis. SWXCEL Voice uplift has also been repriced to this methodology. Transition Plans for Existing Legacy CustomersFor details on transitioning from any of the legacy offerings mentioned in this announcement, contact your IBM representative or IBM Business Partner. Year 2000These services do not address the capability of your systems to handle date data within and between the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Refer to IBM Product Specifications or IBM's Internet venue at: Customer FinancingIBM Global Financing offers attractive financing to credit-qualified commercial and government customers and Business Partners in more than 40 countries around the world. IBM Global Financing is provided by the IBM Credit Corporation in the United States. Offerings, rates, terms and availability may vary by country. Contact your local IBM Global Financing organization. Country organizations are listed on the Web at: ChargesFor pricing information regarding any of the services listed in this announcement, contact your IBM representative, your IBM Business Partner, or call 800-IBM-4YOU (426-4968), or IBM Global Services Inside Sales at 888-426-4343.
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