Questions a Client May (Should) Ask

How will you support my systems?
This will depend upon the clients specific needs, the configuration of their systems and any other 'special requirements' identified. Our preferred method of support is via remote links into the clients systems, typically facilitated via secure VPN based technologies. However where this is not possible or undesirable or where an on-site presence is necessary we can offer a variety of on-site support capabilities for clients who specifically require them. Examples of tasks that would ordinarily require an on-site presence include advanced application/system troubleshooting, installations and upgrades etc.

What will I need to do to enable you to connect in and support my systems?
Connectivity to the Client's systems can be via a variety of mechanisms. There are different options mainly depending on what remote access solutions the client may already have in place and the level of robustness required. Where applicable, the connectivity solution chosen will be tailored to the customer's specific needs. Generally, it would only be after the 'technical discovery' phase of our client 'due diligence' exercise that we would we be able to specify the recommended mechanism for such connectivity.

Is my Data Secure?
Our normal method of connecting to remote client systems is through the use of secure tunnelling protocols. These protocols use a minimum of 128 bit strength encryption engines and are based on the same technologies as today's Internet based e-Banking and e-Commerce systems.

What happens if one of my services becomes unavailable?
Should one of your systems become unavailable, we would respond within the agreed SLA making every endeavour to resume service within the allotted SLA. However it should be noted that the approach taken to ensure resumption of service would depend on the location of the fault and any SLA's applicable to that location. An example would be where a 2 hour resumption of service SLA was applicable to the database service but a 4 hour resumption of service was applicable to the server the database resided on. In the event of a server hardware failure causing a subsequent loss of database services, the database SLA would be 'frozen' until the underlying platform was brought back on-line.
This problem of mismatched service level agreements across the platforms and products that constitute an application service delivery model is one of the areas sometimes overlooked by organisations and one we would identify as a problem if engaged by a client.

How much will support cost me?
This is very much dependent upon the type and level of support required. One of the activities undertaken as part of any engagement is the provision of a detailed questionnaire for the client to complete. This questionnaire is then used as the basis of the structure that would form the service provision model required. This ensures that both the client and CCM Solutions have a common view and understanding of the support model required and specified and protects both parties by ensuring as complete a picture as possible. This questionnaire would touch upon many of the factors influencing the systems and services we would be required to provision support for.
Examples of the general questions answered would include:

• How many support calls do you normally receive each week?
  
• What skills are involved?
  
• Are there any other parties involved in the support process?
  
• What response times are you looking for?
  
• What is the average time taken to resolve each support call?
  
• What is the length of contract?
  
• What hours do you require us to support (ie 09:00-17:00, 08:00-20:00, 24-hour support)?
  
• Do you require a person on-site?
  
• Will you require any consultancy work to be performed?

How will you monitor my systems?
Our aim is to leverage a wide variety of monitoring solutions to maximise system availability for our clients.
A popular method of monitoring (dependant on client requirements) is to install a remote 'Black Box Monitoring System' into the client’s own infrastructure. This system would monitor key functions and components of the clients systems and services and send automated alerts if predefined thresholds were exceeded.
For organisations that would not wish to host a server within their infrastructure we can also accommodate a wide variety of monitoring and alerting mechanisms and interfaces including custom written scripts, third party monitoring and alerting tools including OEM. BMC Patrol etc. Whatever the choice of tool, we would make every effort to streamline the monitoring and alerting process when an alarm condition was triggered.
Dependant on the type of pro-active monitoring required and undertaken, we may very well be notified and able to take action prior to a potential issue developing, thus preventing downtime of the clients systems.

How quickly can the support arrangement be set up?
This very much depends on the clients specific support requirements. In urgent requirement situations we can offer support virtually immediately, however we would strongly prefer to spend time understanding and documenting a clients requirements prior to any engagement. This documentation exercise would include an client questionnaire, carrying out a Health Check of the client's target systems, creation of an SLA model and if applicable the integration of a connectivity solution to the clients target systems.

How will I contact the support person?
There are a number of ways that calls can be logged and this will depend upon the type of SLA model in place for a system.
The preferred method of obtaining support is by direct contact with the assigned support staff. Once a call has been placed with your primary on-call DBA they will endeavour to resolve the issue as rapidly as possible. You will also be provided with numbers for escalating a call should the need arise. Methods that may be used for call notification/alerting mechanisms are e-mail, SMS, pager services etc.

What hours will you cover?
This is totally dependent upon what level of cover is required. We can offer a variety of support options, including 24/7 support arrangements, depending upon the criticality of a clients systems and their core business needs.

Is Oracle Product Support Included in the contract?
The client will be responsible for all Product and Product Support licensing (including Software Updates).

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