Support for Technology Partners
A Complete Support Ecosystem
Only Novell brings such a comprehensive range of networking and open source support to its partners. Everything in the Novell world is designed to work with products you bring to market: solutions created on industry standards that work on many different platforms. And should technical issues arise, you will have peace of mind in knowing that you and your customers can look to proven experts for support.
Support Packages
As a Novell Technology Partner, you can choose from various levels of support. Support packages and the associated benefits are outlined below.
| PROGRAM BENEFITS | TPS 100 | TPS 250 | TPS 500 | TPS 1000 | |
| Support Access | |||||
| Service requests | 25 | 50 | unlimited through PSE | unlimited through DSE | |
| Assigned Support Engineer (ASE)1 | x | ||||
| Primary Support Engineer (PSE)2 | x | ||||
| Dedicated Support Engineer (DSE)3 | x | ||||
| 24x7 Access4 | x | x | x | x | |
| Account Management | |||||
| Service Account Manager | x | x | x | x | |
| Quarterly service reports | x | x | x | ||
| Business review | Annually | Semi-Annually | Quarterly | Quarterly | |
| Training, Events and Resources | |||||
| Partner on-site tailored training | 1 week | 2 weeks | 2 weeks | ||
| BrainShare passes | 1 | 3 | 6 | 6 | |
| Free/reduced fee seminars and internships | x | x | x | x | |
Key:
1 Support for 50 service requests directly with the ASE (or equivalent to 1:6 Engineer:Partner ratio)
2 Primary Support Engineer (PSE) if centralized, or Assigned Support Engineer (ASE) per region if decentralized
3 Dedicated Support Engineer (DSE) 1:1 Engineer to Partner ratio
4 For high-severity issues
Contact Information
For more information about support for Novell Technology Partners:
- Call your local Novell Channel representative
- Call the Novell Customer Response Center at 888-321-4272 (toll-free) or 1-801-801-861-4272 (toll) and select the Technology Partner line
- E-mail partnernet@novell.com
Benefit Descriptions
Service Requests
A Service Request (SR) is defined as assistance with one issue, problem or question relating to the use or installation of a Novell product or product component, regardless of the number of communications required. A single support SR is a problem that cannot be broken down into subordinate problems. If a problem consists of subordinate problems, each is considered a separate request.
Assigned Support Engineer
An Assigned Support Engineer (ASE) provides the first level of personalized support—a relationship that manages issues from recognition to resolution. ASEs are usually located in the Novell call center and are available by phone Monday through Friday during the Novell Technical Service core business hours.
Primary Support Engineer
A Primary Support Engineer (PSE) solves active problems and provides proactive maintenance on your network. With only three partner accounts, PSEs can give you more of their time and develop a personalized technical support relationship with your business. PSEs visit their partners onsite periodically during the year and are available 24x7 by phone for emergency situations.
Access
Access defines the business hours in which Novell is committed to address your networking problems. 24x7 access gives you Novell support at any time for critical issues. This round-the-clock access reflects the reality of the needs of today's businesses.
Service Account Manager
Personalized account management has proven to be one of the most valuable benefits to Novell Technology Partners. Your service account manager is your advocate within Novell and works with you closely to gain in-depth knowledge of your technical support needs. Account managers advocate and coordinate the efforts of support personnel on behalf of your business. They also ensure you receive and are able to use the support tools provided with your support contract.
Business Reviews
Novell will review your service usage and needs and will make recommendations on how you can strengthen your services organization.
Training Vouchers or Training Place
Depending on your support level and training location, you will receive either training vouchers or a place in an Advanced Technical Training (ATT) class.
On-Site Custom Training
Novell will provide training at your location, covering up to two technologies and two skill levels per week. This training may be instructor-led, hands-on, certification-focused, sales-focused or address other needs as requested by the Technology Partner. The Technology Partner may include up to 20 attendees for Level One sessions, up to 15 attendees for Level Two sessions and up to 10 attendees for Level Three (advanced) sessions.
Advanced Technical Training Sessions
Advanced Technical Training (ATT) is the most technical training offered by Novell and is generally held at major Novell sites. Sessions include in-depth instruction and insight into the features, problems and issues of current Novell product releases. Technology Partners often send a Certified Novell Instructor (CNI) to this training. The CNI then returns and trains other Technology Partner technicians on the same material. Technology Partners are invited to attend these sessions at either a reduced fee or free of charge (depending on location), as long as enough advance notice is given to reserve a seat in the class (see class schedules and registration information here). Technology Partners can also visit the Regional News Subscriptions page to subscribe to the ATT newsletter for information on upcoming classes and schedules.
BrainShare Passes
All Novell Technology Partners are entitled to at least one Novell BrainShare pass. Novell BrainShare is the ultimate technical solutions conference, providing the opportunity to receive hands-on training directly from product designers and experts. Whether you want additional training on a product you've already implemented or are considering a Novell solution to fit your business needs, BrainShare is the place to experience it first-hand.
Internships
The internship program is a week-long program at Novell Technical Services support centers around the world. The
Technology Partner intern works with backline Technical Services engineers, learning the Novell problem-resolution process by shadowing live troubleshooting phone calls, attending hands-on training and solving real-life problems in a lab environment. The goal of the internship is to increase and improve the engineer's ability to solve and troubleshoot Novell product issues. Advance registration is required and is based upon availability.
Novell Tech Select Service
Included with all PartnerNet for Technology Partner memberships, Novell Tech Select Service is the premier combination of Novell support tools, development resources and services. This annual subscription includes the Novell Professional Resource Suite (NPRS), additional Subscriber Portal access, exclusive training materials and Novell electronic service requests.