SAP Enterprise Support now for Business Objects Customers

The following is an extract from GBN (the Global Business Objects Network) which is the Business Objects User Group set up for North American customers with the help and support of ASUG (The Americas Sap User Group).

SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise Support FAQs

 Note: This information was provided to us from SAP. GBN created this document to inform members of this new program in a clear, concise manner.

 Why is SAP changing the support model for SAP BusinessObjects customers?

To facilitate a consistent customer experience, globally.

 When is this change taking place and how is it being communicated?

The new Enterprise Support offering was launched July 1, 2008.

Prior to its launch, e-mails were sent to all contact e-mail addresses residing in the legacy Business Objects support CRM, throughout June 2008. All e-mail and announcement content was posted on the legacy Business Objects support site in July 2008, and remained available through January 2009.

 For new customers, Enterprise Support is introduced during the license sales cycle and an Enterprise Support package is provided after contract signing.

 Effective January 1, 2009, all existing customers will be moved to SAP Enterprise Support at their next renewal date. Enterprise Support information will be provided to customers by your Maintenance Renewal Account Manager prior to the renewal date.

You can find more information about this program on SAP’s Service Marketplace.

 What does the Enterprise Support model offer that my legacy Business Objects one did not?

The new program offers: On-line incident logging for all severity of issues Integrated knowledge-base content and incident management for knowledge-centered support Contractual response SLA’s Unlimited support contacts at no additional charge Self-serve administration of support contacts

What additional costs will I incur as a result of this model?

SAP is standardizing support costs for SAP BusinessObjects customers. The Enterprise Support maintenance fee is currently 22 percent of the net license value. In 2008, prior to the introduction of Enterprise Support, BusinessObjects customers had a number of support options all commercially priced at 22 percent of net license or higher.

Additional for-fee services are expected to become available on an a la carte basis. Some of these services are anticipated to include short-term engagements such as implementation readiness, technical checks and assessments, and QA process review, just to name a few.

What is the expected life span of the Enterprise Support model?

Enterprise Support is expected to be the core support offering for the foreseeable future.

Does this mean that my organization will have to implement SAP’s Solution Manager?

No. BusinessObjects customers are not currently required to implement Solution Manager. However, over the coming months, SAP is scheduled to release connectors to specific products in the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio that SAP anticipates will make Solution Manager very applicable and beneficial to BusinessObjects customers. SAP anticipates that the IDD product line will be the first one with connectors into Solution Manager.

 Solution Manager is a platform that enables SAP support engineers to facilitate root cause analysis on customer environments. Although it is required for most SAP customers, it is not currently required for SAP BusinessObjects customers