Frequently Asked Questions - Cognos Global Support Guide

The following are some FAQs about the new support guides and the policy and plan changes reflected in them.

 

General | Support Contacts
Extended Coverage Service | Global Support

 

General

1. Why are there two support guides?

Why are there two support guides?

Cognos Support Plans is a detailed description of our support plans, policies and procedures which is your support contract with Cognos. It is also useful when you're renewing or considering an upgrade to your support plan.

The Cognos Support User Guide has everything you need to know about Cognos Support and how to use the innovative resources and tools available on the Support Web site.

 

Support Contacts

1. Why are only a limited number of Cognos users allowed to contact Cognos Support?
2. How many Support Contacts am I entitled to?
3. How do I know what Cognos support center a Support Contact can access?
4. I purchase my support centrally, but I have multiple departments within my company that have independent deployment of Cognos software? How do we distribute Support contacts among these different departments?

Why are only a limited number of Cognos users allowed to contact Cognos Support?

The Cognos support model encourages an organization to choose a specified number of Support Contacts, usually senior, technical personnel, that can funnel and manage support issues with Cognos. Limiting support access to technically trained and qualified personnel reduces issue duplication and speeds case resolution by ensuring that you have someone with the right skills and authority available to work with us to resolve your case. Limiting the number of Support Contacts also allows us to better plan support capacity to ensure we have the right resources available when you need them.

 

How many Support Contacts am I entitled to?

All standard support license models are based on a set number of users. As your supported user base increases, so does your need for additional Support Contacts. The number of Support Contacts you are entitled to, based on your number of supported end users is summarized on page 18 of the Cognos Support Plans guide.

 

How do I know what Cognos support center a Support Contact can access?

If you HAVE NOT purchased Global Support, you are entitled to support only within the region where support was purchased (i.e. The Americas, Europe, Asia). All Support Contacts must register with a support center in that region. If you HAVE purchased Global Support, you are entitled to support in any region. With Global Support, each Support Contact can register with and access assistance from any support center in the region (the Americas, Eupope, Asia-Pacific) where they are located.

 

I purchase my support centrally, but I have multiple departments within my company that have independent deployment of Cognos software? How do we distribute Support contacts among these different departments?

Support Contact entitlement is based on your total supported end-users, regardless of how the licenses are deployed. You are free to distribute your Support Contacts among internal departments as you see fit, up to your Support Contact entitlement limit. If you require access to support outside the region in which support was purchased, you will need to purchase Global Support. Please refer to the page 21 in the Cognos Support Plans guide for full details on Global Support.

 

Extended Coverage Service

1. What is Extended Coverage Service?
2. Why did your ECS policy change?
3. What is an ECS case pack?
4. If I don't buy an ECS case pack, can I still gain access to Cognos Support for an after hours emergency?
5. How do I know if I should purchase an ECS case pack?

What is Extended Coverage Service?

Generally, Cognos support centers provide support to customers from 08:30 to 17:30 (local time), Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. If you have business critical applications that may require support outside of these hours, you will require Extended Coverage Service (ECS). After hours support is no longer available on a hourly billing basis. If you require ECS, you should purchase an ECS case packs of 12 cases (valid for one year) or an unlimited case plan. Each ECS case entitles you to log and receive support for an issue with major business impact, arising outside of the hours detailed above.

Note: Local time is determined by the country code or area code registered with Cognos for the Support Contact logging the case.

 

Why did your ECS policy change?

The hourly fee system for Extended Coverage Service led to unpredictable, unexpected and unbudgeted expenses for our customers and made it difficult for us to plan support capacity requirements. The revised ECS policy of pre-purchased case packs eliminates both of these issues.

 

What is an ECS case pack?

An ECS case pack consists of 12 cases and each case entitles you to receive support for one 'after hours' Priority 1 or 2 issue, regardless of the time it takes to resolve each case. Alliance support plan customers receive one ECS case pack with their plan. Both Support and Alliance customers can purchase additional ECS packs or an unlimited case plan. For more information see page 21 of the Cognos Support Plans guide.

 

If I don't buy an ECS case pack, can I still gain access to Cognos Support for an after hours emergency?

The technical answer is no. However, during a transition period, Cognos may allow access to ECS based on a commitment to retroactively purchase the service. Cognos reserves the right to refuse after hours cases for customers who have not pre-purchased ECS.

 

How do I know if I should purchase an ECS case pack?

If it is critical that your Cognos applications are available 24 x 7 and there would be a major or serious impact on your business if you were unable to access them outside of business hours, then you should purchase an ECS case pack.

 

Global Support

1. What is the purpose of Global Support?
2. How do Support Contacts work with Global Support?
3. To span my global operation, what if I need more Support Contacts then what I'm entitled to?
4. Where can I get more information on all support policies?

What is the purpose of Global Support?

Global Support is specifically designed for companies that purchase software and support centrally but deploy the software around the world. Cognos provides support in the region where software and support was purchased. Global Support allows you to have Support Contacts dispersed around the world, who can access support from a center in their local region during normal business hours. For more information see page 21 of the Cognos Support Plans guide.

 

How do Support Contacts work with Global Support?

Support Contact entitlement is based on your total supported users, which can be distributed up to your Support Contact entitlement limit. With Global Support, a Support Contact can access support from any support center in the region (The Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific) where they are located. Although they are limited to a single region, they can register with as many support centers in the region as they wish.

 

To span my global operation, what if I need more Support Contacts then what I'm entitled to?

The Support Contact entitlement policy is structured to grow with your increased supported user base. If you find that you require more Support Contacts than your entitlement, additional contacts can be purchased.

 

Where can I get more information on all support policies?

Please refer to the Cognos Support Plans guide for full details.