Annual support & maintenance program

Editor's Notes

• #2: Hello and welcome to the Annual Support and Maintenance webinar hosted by Citixsys, My name is Steve Tuszynski, I work out of the Chicago office and I will be your host today
• #3: Our agenda is somewhat straightforward, we will first talk a little about CitiXsys and what we do and then review the great importance of keeping current with a support and maintenance contract. We will break down exactly what these terms mean, how they apply and discuss all of the work and engineering that goes into an Annual support and Maintenance plan, then lastly open the lines for Q&A-
• #4: CitiXsys is a global firm focused on the development, delivery and support of wholesale and retail solutions specifically for SAP products. Our years of experience together with a suite of stable mature solutions make CitiXsys your partner of choice to help you win in today's turbulent markets.CitiXsys is a Gold partner in the SAP channel – which is the highest level that a partner can attain.
• #5: Software is computer programs and other kinds of information read and written by computers, they can help make our life easy, help make us more efficient or help us be more profitable.Software maintenance is the modification of a software product after delivery to correct faults, to improve performance or other attributes, or to adapt the product to a particular environment or industry.So – Software is always evolving and changing to improve its effectiveness and efficiency to the end user. That’s why our developers and engineers come to work every day - to make the product better.
• #6: This diagram shows a typical software product Lifecycle, the current release of any software sits in one or more of these stages. The original research and development starts to fill a void in a particular process or industry need, the product is tested, and introduced to the market where it is used in its particular form and function. The user base relays requests for further engineering and development back to the publisher and a roadmap is born to identify future release dates and which features and functionality will be included by order of priority and/or complexity. And the cycle starts all over again….
• #7: This diagram shows some of the many different criteria a software publisher must take into consideration when researching and developing a product to make life easier, more efficient and more profitable. Feedback from the field helps create small releases or “Patches” when an issue is identified that can be easily corrected or is a critical fix. Changes in Operating Systems, hardware configuration, drivers, platforms and databases all need to be analyzed and adapted to.
• #11: Support on the other hand is a service provided to help the user know and understand the features and functions of the solution or to correct issues resulting from misuse or from a identified ‘Bug” in the system. Support consists of a combination of training documentation and videos for periodic reference, and live support delivered by a Help Desk. In the documentation and videos the product features and functions are thoroughly mapped and documented. Each field, check box and process needs to be documented and explained in depth so the end user can gain the maximum benefit from the solution.
• #12: The professionals that staff the Help Desk are keenly aware of the features and functions of the software and are adept in the business processes of their particular industry. These professionals can help when someone gets “stuck” or has identified a bug or flaw in the system. The Help Desk reports back to the development team and are the front line contact for our customers. Once an issue has been identified that cannot be addressed by conventional manner the issue is escalated to the development team for further scrutiny. The development team then either issues a “patch” or the fix may be written into the next release depending on complexity and urgency of the particular issue. Release notes, Forums and Newsletters keep the customers informed of all new developments and releases.
• #13: Lets put this all together now and look at how an Annual Support and Maintenance Contract or “AMC” is one of the best ongoing investments you can make for your business. The AMC will ensure you are closely tied to your provider, it will entitle you to all the latest releases, patches and features at no additional cost for the software. The contract also enables your voice to be heard regarding the roadmap and new features, functions that will be built into the future releases.
• #14: Protecting your software investment with an Annual Maintenance and Support Contract helps safeguard your business interests. It gives you access to updates, support professionals, development teams, documentation and training material. The AMC is renewable annually and keeps your business strong, agile, efficient and ahead of the competition.
• #18: Contact your local CitiXsys office for more information and find out how you can partner with a winner.Thank you for your time and attention and have a wonderful day.I believe we will open the lines for questions….take it away …..