IBM Support options for SaaS & On-premises Software

IBM Support options for SaaS & On-premises Software

The IBM SaaS & On-premises Software portfolio is comprehensive, designed to solve your most challenging business needs – large and small, across all industries, worldwide. Our software support offerings mirror those needs, to help you spend less time talking to us, and more time concentrating on your business.

Base Support

Base Support options Client need Features Initial Case Severity Response Goal † Fee
  • Strong business protection, for production workloads
  • Problem resolution via access to our deeply skilled, industry leading technical support professionals
  • Preventive care from product fixes, security patches, and updates
  • Access to 24x7 Severity 1 response
  • Digital Self Service Community, Chatbot, Cognitive search and chat, Expert community forums
  • Access to online docs & best practices
  • Severity 1: 2 hours (24x7)
  • Severity 2: 2 business hours
  • Severity 3: 2 business hours
  • Severity 4: 2 business hours
  • 1st year included with software license

 

Advanced Support

Advanced Support provides a higher tier, priority care support to respond to critical support requests and drive faster case resolution.  Advanced Support allows IBM clients to tailor their Support needs to their business and environment.

 
Advanced Support options Client need Features Initial Case Severity Response Goal † Fee
  • Provides increased responsiveness and higher support case prioritization
  • Priority Access to Senior Technical Support Professionals
  • Provides holistic approach of advising clients based on case patterns
  • Higher Support Case Prioritization
  • Priority access to Senior Technical Support Professionals
  • Mutually agreed Critical Support Sev 2 cases will be worked 7*24 if Customer agrees to work 7*24 as well
  • Support Case reporting and trends, clarity of status of priority cases on a mutually agreed basis to ensure proper case prioritization with business alignment
  • Advanced Support Focal (ASF)
  • Severity 1: 30 minutes (24x7) Initial Response
  • Severity 2-4: 1 Business Hour Initial Response
    • Mutually agreed Critical Severity 2 issues will be worked 24x7 if customer agrees to work 24x7 as well
  • Custom Pricing

† Review the Severity Descriptions guidelines for business impact associated to each severity level. Response Goals are intended to describe IBM's goals only, and do not represent a guarantee of performance.

 

Availability Service Level Agreement (SLA) Considerations

You must submit a support case claim for failure to meet an availability SLA within 3 business days after the end of the contracted month. The support case must be related to a production system that is not available (a Severity 1 / Service Down case). The availability SLA for the Cloud Service can be found in your Transaction Document. Service Down is the time measured from the time you report the Severity 1 case until the time the Cloud Service is restored and does not include time related to a scheduled or announced maintenance outage; causes beyond IBM's control; problems with your content or third party content or technology, designs or instructions; unsupported system configurations and platforms or other Client errors; or Client-caused security incident or Client security testing.

Additional Support:

  • For IBM programs that are not covered by the software support offerings listed above, as defined in the IBM Support Product lifecycle page for the IBM programs, refer to the Software support page provided by IBM Technology Lifecycle Services.

Additional references:

  • For On Premise Software IBM Extended Support can provide an additional four years of extended support for end-of-support versions or releases to enable a client to execute a migration or upgrade.
  • For On Premise Software IBM Sustained Support provides a support option to clients that are using IBM programs that have been withdrawn from market and their end-of-support date reached.
  • If you are a client in the United States looking for tighter security with your support interactions, review our US Secure Support page.
  • If you require a support solution across multiple vendors, review our Multi-vendor Support page.
  • If you are a developer looking for help to code your applications, see IBM Support for Developers for available options.
  • International Passport Advantage Agreement (IPAA) and the International Passport Advantage Express Agreement (IPAEA) Overview.
  • Renew your Subscription and Support with Passport Advantage Online.
  • Here are other value-added Services offerings for On-premise Software

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