Supplying the technology that keeps the business systems of enterprises around the world running around the clock requires more than product excellence. The real measure of such systems is access to support and service delivery geared to guaranteeing maximum uptime. This can be ensured through the correct level of maintenance contract.
So says Chris van Niekerk, Sun Microsystems SA country manager for support services.
"In the enterprise space, even minutes of downtime can cost businesses considerable sums of money. This demands a support model that is capable of resolving any issues rapidly and with minimum interruption to business, no matter where the customer's premises are located."
He explains that technology-based solutions require support for several other reasons as well as to provide access to enhancements and new features; to ensure continued compatibility and performance with other products; quickly isolate, diagnose and resolve often complex technical issues; and to repair equipment rapidly in the case of failure.
Van Niekerk adds that the requirement for rock-solid IT availability means that service cannot be compromised.
"Sun has therefore devised a global support system that ensures access to rapid problem resolution for each Sun customer no matter where they are located geographically," he says.
The Sun Global Delivery Model combines the expertise of in-country staff with that of its channel partners, and a further line of recourse through access to a worldwide network of support groups. The availability and delivery of the support teams is enabled by a combination of locally-based engineers and those of specialist central groups that provide 24/7 coverage.
"The technical skills and resources required can be delivered locally where the technical resource is close at hand, or remotely when geography is an issue. The key objective is to get the best available skills working on the problem as soon as possible," Van Niekerk explains.
"This removes any local limitation to resources; resellers are engaged for problem diagnosis, joint account management and on-site hardware replacement, while Sun intervenes for complex problem diagnosis, proactive support, spares management and technical escalation," he explains.
Support for Sun technology starts from the moment of delivery and continues throughout the product lifecycle. "In addition to the standard support features that may be bundled with the product, Sun has developed a range of advanced installation and maintenance services to provide the appropriate level of technical support required," he adds.
"Every Sun contract customer, worldwide, has access to a consistent level of support that is geared to resolving any issues as rapidly and efficiently as possible. Sun is in the business of supplying the systems that keep the world's most important processes running. Supporting them is every bit as important," he concludes.
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