IBM acquires Encentuate

On October 1, 2008, Encentuate customers transitioned to IBM Software Support. All Encentuate online support services and capabilities have been successfully migrated to the IBM Support online infrastructure. Customers of Encentuate products should contact IBM Customer Support for assistance regarding any new or existing support query. For additional information please read the updated Frequently Asked Questions.

Support options

Online support access:

Customers using (Tivoli Access Manager for Enterprise Single Sign-on) should log-in and submit support calls via the Electronic Submission Request (ESR) System. Calls will be routed to the appropriate team for review. (Note: If you need assistance with ESR, please contact the ESR Help Desk.)

If you prefer to contact Support via telephone, please refer to our IBM Customer Support Handbook.

For more information please refer to the Encentuate support FAQ.

If you experience any issues with obtaining support, please call us at

Frequently Asked Questions

What information do I need to report a product issue to IBM?
To report product issues to IBM, all customers need the following:

• Valid Support Agreement in place for product requiring support assistance
• Valid IBM Customer Number (ICN): Items 1 & 2 are the only required pieces of information to contact IBM by phone
• For Web Product problem submission the following is required: Must be registered on IBM.com & Each ESR user must be approved by their company IBM Primary Site Technical Contact (PSTC) If you know who the PSTC is, please request that they add you to the list of named callers If the STC is not known, customers can access ESR using the ibm.com & ICN. If the user is not included on the approved caller list, a 'Caller Self Form' will appear

This indicates that ESR / SR did not find your ID as an Authorized Caller/User for ESR / SR. If you wish to be added as an Authorized Caller/User, complete submit the form. An e-mail will be sent to your PSTC who can then approve or deny your request.
Note: If you are the PSTC and are taken to the Caller Self-Nomination form, do not fill out the form. Access ESR / SR the first time by using the URL in the ESR / SR Welcome e-mail, sent from esrhelp@us.ibm.com. If you do not have the ESR/SR Welcome email, you can request another email be sent by contacting the ESR Helpdesk.

• Once you have accessed IBM Support, whether by phone or electronic problem submission, be prepared to provide the following information
• What levels of software were running when the problem occurred. Please include all relevant products, ie: operating system as well as related products
• Has the problem happened before, or is this an isolated problem?
• What steps led to the failure?
• Can the problem be recreated? If so, what steps are required?
• Have any changes been made to the system? (hardware, NetWare or software)
• Were any messages or other diagnostic information produced? If yes, what were they? It is often helpful to have a printout of the message number(s) of any messages received when you place the call for support
• Define your technical question in specific
• Gather relevant diagnostic information (if possible)
• Determine the severity level (the impact of the issue on your business)
• Items 1 & 2 all that is required to contact IBM Support

I don't have an IBM Customer Number, what should I do?
Please contact your Primary Site Technical Contact, or refer to the Welcome to IBM email sent to all support entitled Encentuate customers. If you did not receive a Welcome to IBM email and do not know who your PSTC is, please send an email to tsci@us.ibm.com

I don't know who my Primary Site Technical Contact is, what should I do?
To identify your PSTC, contact PAOnline, please have your IBM Customer Number available. If you do not know your IBM Customer Number, please send an email to tsci@us.ibm.com. Please ensure your email address contains the Company Name associated with the IBM Customer Number in order to receive the information requested.

Will the terms of my Encentuate support change with the move to IBM support?
IBM will continue to provide support for existing Encentuate customers, but the delivery vehicles will now align with the IBM support structure.

What will happen to any open tickets I have with my Encentuate products?
All active Encentuate tickets have been moved into IBM's problem management system, these tickets are referred to as (PMRs). Encentuate customers will be contacted by a Support engineer and provided with the appropriate IBM PMR number, replacing the Encentuate ticket number.
The issue will be worked until resolved just like any other IBM Support PMR.

What can I expect when I contact IBM support?
The vast majority of Encentuate Support team members—experts in the Encentuate product portfolio—are already integrated into the IBM Software Support organization. Their expertise, backed by IBM’s support resources, will enable Encentuate customers to enjoy the service excellence that differentiates IBM in the marketplace, providing:
- Rapid response to your calls
- Ongoing communication regarding your problem status through problem resolution
- Ownership of your call
- A defined escalation process when management assistance is needed
- A commitment to continuous improvement of our support service processes

If I have an escalation, who can I contact for support related issues?
If you have support related issues, please feel free to escalate the issue to our Duty Manager, who is available to you 24x7. For more information, go to http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/sas/f/handbook/home.html —Under Getting IBM support, Escalation Procedure

What is the IBM Software Support organization?
IBM Support is a global network of support centers with expertise across our broad product portfolio. The organization has teams of individuals working together to provide the best possible platform and cross-platform software support. For complex or code-related problems, we have specialized; skilled product teams with access to the experts in our Development Laboratories, no matter where they are located.

Will the Encentuate Support phone number still accept support calls?
Yes, the Encentuate phone number will remain active until Nov 30, 2008. At that time, the number will be deactivated and customers must use the appropriate IBM phone number to report support issues. However, IBM recommends that you begin contacting IBM Support to verify that are no issues.

Will the Encentuate Electronic submission tool continue to be available?
Yes, the https://customercare.encentuate.com site will be available until Oct 15, after that customers may only submit electronic support issues via ESR/SR.

I already have an IBM customer number (ICN). Now I've been assigned a different one. Why?
You may have been assigned a new customer number as part of the transfer of Encentuate product records into the IBM systems. The number on the accompanying letter is your official customer number to use whenever referring to Encentuate software. Any other IBM customer number assigned to your organization remains unchanged as relates to those IBM relationships.

Why is the IBM Customer Number so important?
The IBM Customer Number is used to identify your company and your ability to receive technical support. Once you receive your ICN, we recommend that you communicate this identifier to any individual within your organization that needs to contact IBM Support via telephone.

Will Encentuate product names be changed?
Yes, the Encentuate product names have been changed to IBM Tivoli Access Manager for Enterprise Single Sign-on.
For product information:
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/tivoli/products/access-mgr-esso/
For Support specific information:
http:/www-01.ibm.com/software/sysmgmt/products/support/
Use this site to access product documentation, Knowledge base, known issues etc

Will I still be able to use the Encentute Support Portal and all of its features (online ticket submission and status updates, knowledge database, product documentation, product fixes and announcements, etc.)?
After October 1, 2008, all Encentuate customers were migrated into the IBM Support online infrastructure. Therefore, all support requests should be logged through IBM. At some future date, the Encentuate support Portal will be removed.

If I cannot get through to IBM Support with an urgent problem, what options do I have?
For the time being, the Encentuate Support numbers remain available.
Asia-Pacific +65-6473-5110
Europe +44-20-7993-6351
US +1-866-362-3688

Where can I learn more about IBM Support?

• Software Support
• Tivoli Software Support
• Support Handbook
• Support Toolbar