Maintenance, Support and System Management

Creating solutions is only useful if they can be successfully operated. A mixture of services is required to ensure that systems remain operational – these services cover the complete spectrum from maintenance through full systems management services.

Independence or outsourcing?
Each organisation has its own strategy for sourcing of ICT administration and management. Some organisations prefer to do everything themselves, other concentrate their attention on core activities and outsource as many other tasks as possible.

Differing requirements
Exapent recognises these differing requirements and has defined a layered set of services which allows the customer to pick and mix their own service package. This packet of services will complement their own capabilities.

The model has a number of layers:

  • Hardware & Software Maintenance

    A maintenance contract covers direct support by the supplier. In the case of component failure it may be necessary to contact the supplier who will provide support by telephone or e-mail and, if necessary, organise a replacement component within the agreed timescales.

    To make use of these services there are certain responsibilities for the customer. They must perform an analysis of the problem to allow a diagnosis and ensure the correct component is identified. Some contracts also provide for software updates and patches which often must be applied before problems may be reported. In all cases problem reports must contain sufficient detailed information to allow the supplier to identify the problem and define a solution.

  • Support

    • Exapent offers a support contract for customers who do not possess the knowledge or experience to provide these problem analyses. Under this contract, customers have access to the Exapent support desk where professional help is available. This desk offers a place for:
    • Dropping questions and problems
    • Handling failures and guarantee claims
    • Troubleshooting, monitoring, remote support
  • System Management

    A full-service contract consists of maintenance, support and systems management components. Exapent offers support for questions and problems, including those arising from general systems management activities. The management component of the service provides outsourcing of Systems Management activities including:

    • Preventative maintenance:
      Periodic checks of the state of components and processes within the ICT infrastructure including the application of essential software updates that are known to prevent problems and are necessary to keep the infrastructure in good working order;

    • Corrective maintenance:
      Correction of small issues in the infrastructure to ensure an uninterrupted service for end users including the application of necessary software updates;

    • Incidents:
      Response to incidents and failures in the infrastructure including performing the required corrective actions as under corrective maintenance;

    • Changes:
      The preparation, planning and execution of standard changes at the request of the customer. This also includes the proposing of larger (non regular) changes;

    • Reporting:
      The periodic reporting of:
      • General state of health of the infrastructure;
      • Recent incidents;
      • Recent changes;
      • Trend analysis and conclusions;
      • Change proposals.

Each service has service level parameters such as service windows and response times to allow the service to knit into the specific customer situation. Exapent will define a suitable package of services together with the customer to ensure continuity.