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Novell Premium Service

Feature Descriptions

Access
Access defines the business hours in which Novell is committed to address your technical problems. Choosing 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. Standard (available for MLA SLES purchases) provides 12x5 access for support during the heaviest standard business hours:

  • Americas Support Center:  6 a.m. to 6 p.m. MT
  • EMEA Support Center:  8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CET
  • Asia Pacific Support Center:  7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Local time

Note: For products that have bundled support options, the hours of coverage are determined by the product.

Maximum Response Times
The maximum response times outlined for each level of Premium Service are the targets Novell has set. In most cases, response times are far better.

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 SR.

Support Center Service Requests
Each Premium Service level gives you an unlimited number of service requests via Priority (/Standard) Support, which can be placed with the Novell support center located in your geography (customers may also have access to a fixed number of additional Service Request benefits if qualifying for a higher level of Premium Service). For information on how to log an incident, click here

Advantage Service Requests
Some Premium Service Levels provide a specific number of service requests that can be opened directly with one of Novell's Senior Advantage Engineers. This is a great benefit you can leverage as desired, but is especially useful for difficult or critical issues.

Service Account Management
Personalized account management has proven to be one of the most valued features of Premium Service. Your Service Account Manager (SAM) is your advocate within Novell, developing a close working relationship with your business to gain an in-depth knowledge of your technical support needs. Account managers advocate and coordinate the efforts of support personnel on behalf of your business. They ensure you receive and are able to use the support tools provided with your Premium Service contract. They make sure your needs are addressed, including:

  • Ensuring that service requests are logged, prioritized and progressing appropriately
  • Working with support engineers and management to facilitate the shortest-possible resolution time for your critical issues
  • Hosting regularly scheduled meetings to discuss your support and satisfaction issues
  • Coordinating and recommending optional services such as on-site support, scheduled standby, health checks, regional training opportunities and more

Optional onsite visits allows the service account manager to work in person with your IT staff in your office to become even more familiar with your system configuration, your business needs and your technology environment.

Premium Service Engineers
With Premium Service Engineers you have access to on-call or on-staff engineering resources who consider your business their top priority. Experience has proven that customers who purchase support packages that include Premium Service Engineers have the highest level of satisfaction with their service. Having one or more Premium Service Engineers on-hand offers very personalized service—an ongoing relationship with a specific person who mentors your staff and can act as an advisor as well as a troubleshooting expert. These professionals have in-depth knowledge of Novell technologies and solutions and are assigned to customers based on technology expertise. Premium Service Engineers offer the highest level of service for the most customized configurations. Already familiar with your environment, your Premium Service Engineer(s) are able to resolve issues faster because they know exactly what they're dealing with—they are a continuing Novell presence in your workplace. As time permits, they can even make recommendations on critical issues like staff skills and training, can review your project planning, and do periodic health checks.

Download the brochure here

Technical Subscriptions
With the right tools, your in-house staff can quickly resolve minor problems, saving time and money and allowing you to reserve your service requests for the most critical issues. The Novell Professional Resource Suite combines the resources in the Novell Software Evaluation & Development Library and Novell Support Resource Library™. With this all-inclusive subscription, you'll have everything you need to make the most of your system.

Subscriber Portal
The Subscriber Portal account allows you to assign the subscriptions to your colleagues; it also allows you to access all your subscription resources, including some that are only available online. Through the Subscriber Portal, you can:

  • Manage your subscriptions
  • Obtain expanded licenses and software
  • Access Linux software updates
  • Get early access to software
  • Access a wealth of training such as Self-study Manuals and First Look training courses

Be sure to activate your account via the activation link we send you; then go to http://support.novell.com/subscriptions/portal/spc each time you want to access the portal.

First Look Training
With training, your staff is better able to utilize its Novell assets—ensuring smoother, more efficient systems. As an MLA customer, and with proper Maintenance coverage, you get access to specially designed, on-demand training that introduces you to your products and teaches you how to install and configure them right out of the box. Learn all about your products’ installation, basic configuration, features and functions at your own pace and at your own convenience—anytime, anywhere and as often as you like.

BrainShare
BrainShare is Novell's premier technical conference, providing you with a wealth of tools and knowledge on anything from the Datacenter to the Desktop, Security and Identity, Workgroup and Resource Management. BrainShare is the ideal place to network with your peers, share knowledge and learn about the latest from Novell to help you build the Open Enterprise. Learn more.

Scheduled Standby
Schedule a support expert when you know you may need one-like when you're making any system change or doing routine maintenance you'd like a little help with: Anything that could pose a risk to your operations. The standby support engineer is available to you two hours in advance, so you can discuss exactly what you're planning to do and your support engineer can advise you on the best course of action. By devising and properly planning a strategy with a Novell expert, you can accomplish your tasks quickly, avoid surprises, and have your Novell engineering expert on hand should trouble arise--someone who is prepared with an understanding of your project and who has the skills to troubleshoot for you should any serious issues arise.

Download the brochure here

On Site Support
If your chosen level of Premium Service does not include onsite support, you may purchase that service option separately. Or, if you already have onsite support included in your Premium Service contract, you can easily purchase additional days of onsite support as you need it. Use the Onsite support option to augment your staff, to give you a Novell presence during specific projects, or for emergency onsite problem resolution.

Download the brochure here

Health Checks
Health checks are performed by either your PSE, your DSE, or if purchased separately by a Senior Engineer. The engineer will analyze your Novell environment in great detail with the aim to evaluate and optimize your entire system. If you have concerns about certain areas, those will be assessed in particular depth. After the healthcheck, the engineer will prepare a report for you that offers recommended technical solutions for you to implement. These solutions are specific to your environment and business issues, and are designed to help you improve your network manageability—leading to enhanced performance. The report will also include recommendations for enhancements, upgrades and new directions


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