Frequently Asked Questions - Multi Vendor Support Programs
1. What is a manufacture support contract?
2. Do I need to have a Support Contract?
3. Are there choices to make when purchasing a support contract?
4. How can I get my contracts to have a common end date, (co-termed)?
5. Once my contracts are co-termed, how do I keep them that way?
6. What is a Support Reinstatement Fee and how much is it?
7. Can reinstatement fees be waived?
8. Is there a standard grace period for customers who have let their coverage lapse?
9. How are Support Contracts activated?
10. What do those Cisco support part numbers mean?
1) What is a manufacture support contract?
A manufacturer support contract is an agreement between the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) such as HP, Dell, Cisco, etc. and the owner of that equipment (end user) that commonly provides three key benefits to an end user. Access to the manufacturers technical assistance center (TAC) to open cases and resolves technical or installation issues with a product. New software releases that include bug fixes and new feature releases including operating systems updates, and repair/replacement of failed equipment.
2) Do I need to have a Support Contract?
No. End users are not required to purchase a support contract. However, those who choose not to purchase support or who let their support contracts expire will most often be required to pay the reinstatement fee if they choose to purchase a support contract.
3) Are there choices to make when purchasing a support contract?
Yes. The baseline support contract is access to TAC Monday-Friday during normal business hours with parts replacement the next business day (8x5xNBD). For more critical installations there is 24x7x4 access to support, on-site technicians who bring replacement hardware, proactive installation management and more. The combinations are extensive and with each greater service commitment from the baseline, an up charge in the contract price is included. We can work with you to determine the best strategy in choosing a support level based on highly available network topologies, your tolerance for outage time, availability of technical resource on-site and of course budget.
4) How can I get my contracts to have a common end date, (co-termed)?
This is one of the most common things we do at Support Track. We offer co-termed contracts across manufactures that align with your budget cycle.
5) Once my contracts are co-termed, how do I keep them that way?
There are two ways we do this for our customers: First, we true-up dates on contracts on an annual or quarterly basis at renewal times. In this case customers have purchasing restraints through budgets (operational vs. capital) or find it more convenient to make new purchases with first year support included. At normal renewal times, we will purchase partial year renewals at the annual review of support contracts to sync expiration dates to the common date. Alternatively, two purchases can be made at the time of adding new hardware or software. One purchase from the supplier of the new equipment and one purchase from Support Track that syncs the expiration date to the contract end date.
6) What is a Support Reinstatement Fee and how much is it?
The support reinstatement fee is a charge that is assessed to any customer who re-activates a lapsed Support contract or activates a support contract after the standard warranty period or previous support contract for their product has expired. The fee is added to the cost of the support contract. Customers that re-activate their support contracts after allowing them to expire enjoy the same benefits of the most up-to-date technology as those customers who consistently maintain their coverage. The reinstatement fee ensures that all customers share equally in the cost of continual improvements to their manufacturer solutions. The fees vary from manufacturer to manufacturer but are generally a percentage of the total cost of the support contract. In some cases, it may be more cost effective for customers to back-date the new support contract to cover the time that has elapsed since the expiration of the original contract. This option is usually preferable for systems that have been without active support coverage for less than 90 days. We at Support Track can help you determine which choice makes sense for you.
7) Can reinstatement fees be waived?
The answer is maybe. We can help you strategize on how to best do this when possible. Most commonly waiving of the reinstatement fees involves backdating and/or agreeing to purchase multiple years of support.
8) Is there a standard grace period for customers who have let their coverage lapse?
Again, this varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, but as a rule of thumb customers have 30 days after the expiration
of their support contract or standard product warranty period to purchase a support contract without incurring the reinstatement
fee. The contract start date will be the day after the lapsed contract expired.
9) How do I activate (or re-activate) my support contract?
To In most cases, Support Track will active the contract on your behalf with the manufacturer and notify you by email when it is complete.
10) What do those Cisco support part numbers mean?
SNT
SMARTnet Support 8x5xNBD
SNTE
SMARTnet Support 8x5x4
SNTP
SMARTnet Support 24x7x4
S2P
SMARTnet Support 24x7x2
CS
Onsite SMARTnet Support 8x5xNBD
C4S
Onsite SMARTnet Support 8x5x4
C4P
Onsite SMARTnet Support 24x7x4
C2P
Onsite SMARTnet Support 24x7x2
SAU
Software app support + upgrade
SAS
Software app support
SUSW
IPS Signatures and Software
SU1
IPS Service 8x5xNBD
SU2
IPS Service 8x5x4
SU3
IPS Service 24x7x4
SU4
IPS Service 24x7x2
SUO1
IPS Onsite 8x5xNBD
SUO2
IPS Onsite 8x5x4
SUO3
IPS Onsite 24x7x4
SUO4
IPS Onsite 24x7x2
Maintain your equipment
Find out how we can help you with establishing and maintaining your support contracts.Learn more about our services