________________________________________________________________________ | | | Report prepared by: Faulkner Information Services | | 114 Cooper Center | | 7905 Browning Road | | Pennsauken, NJ 08109 USA | | Telephone: 609-662-2070 | | Fax: 609-662-6634 | | | | Report submitted on: August 2, 1993 | |______________________________________________________________________| Chapter 3: IBM's Support and Services Section 3.1: Overview Section 3.1.1: Statement of Purpose IBM's range of services almost rivals its extensive product portfolio. The industry leader is a strong player in every major vertical market, offering such services as systems operation, systems integration, application development and maintenance, consulting, network services and operations, business recovery services and data services. In 1991, IBM formed two systems management organization, Integrated Systems Solutions Corp., and Information Systems Management Corp., a joint venture of IBM Canada, Westbridge Computer and STM Systems. Section 3.1.2: Organization IBM service is delivered through 61 trading areas in the U.S., each organized to operate as its own decentralized service company and reporting into one of IBM's seven areas. Each trading area possesses marketing and services functions working together to deliver profitable customer solutions, as well as a services "core unit" that will develop consulting and services practices around market segments such as retail banking, design automation, image, and multimedia. Services are integrated with systems software, hardware, and application solution offerings. This allows individual trading areas to act as IBM sales and services delivery conduits to vertical markets/industry sectors and companies within their geographic domain. Central management at the trading area level coordinates these functions, assuming accountability for service delivery and trading area profitability. Trading areas may include four types of branches: industry branches, cross industry branches, new business branches, and service/maintenance branches. Managers of each branch report to the Trading Area Manager. Trading Area Managers report to one of seven IBM Area vice presidents and general managers. Service Centers reside at the trading area level to provide professional services skills; staff includes consultants, project managers, professional services and systems integration engineers, Systems Engineers and technical experts, and communications and networking experts. The trading area concept has decentralized IBM's U.S. service organization to the extent that the closing of their Franklin Lakes, New Jersey location, once headquarters to the former National Services Division, has been announced. Although decentralized, IBM strives to present the image of a seamless service and support delivery process to customers. IBM wants customers to see highly responsive local sales and service presence capable of delivering the solutions they need; happenings behind this front-line are to be kept transparent to customers. Section 3.2: Warranty and Installation Section 3.2.1: Warranty Offerings IBM hardware is sold with warranties of varying lengths and levels of service; most prevalent is 30 days or one year in length, IBM on-site service. International warranties may be obtained that allow customers to receive warranty service in multiple countries and not only the country in which the product was purchased. Section 3.2.2: Installation Installation planning reps (IPRs) are branch office personnel responsible to provide IBM customers with physical installation planning assistance. They provide technical information and guidance concerning equipment location, electrical power and grounding requirements, signal and interface cabling requirements, cooling requirements and other related environmental specifications for IBM products. These specialists reduce downtime and enhance serviceability by providing technical support to the CE when environmental conditions are suspected that may impact the operation of IBM equipment. IPRs utilize specialized test equipment capable of monitoring and recording the environment for unusual conditions. Section 3.3: Maintenance Section 3.3.1: Maintenance Service Offerings Hardware Maintenance includes the following: o Phone Support -- IBM maintenance customers requiring service call a single toll-free number, 1-800-IBM-SERV. If the problem cannot be resolved with a specialist's assistance over the telephone, this central office dispatches the assigned Customer Engineer (CE), who resides at the local IBM branch office, to the customer site. Calls may be placed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. o IBM WorldPass Service -- a registration process that allows customers access to service in multiple countries. When traveling internationally with registered WorldPass Service equipment, an identification card must be presented to obtain service from IBM. Equipment used solely, or predominantly, in a single country is put under service agreement with IBM in that country and service is delivered under local procedures. Software Support includes: o IBM customers use central support groups for first line support. Called IBM Support Centers, these facilities are located throughout the U.S., each with a product-specific focus. Support Centers provide Level 1 (defect support and problem source identification) and Level 2 (diagnostics, including remote screen viewing capabilities and access to IBM's service database) support. Support Center Specialists reportedly have, on average, 14 years' experience. Calls are logged and numbered on receipt, then routed to the appropriate level. A status desk handles general questions/inquiries on open problem calls. The control desk receives calls with services complaints, concerns, and questions. Other services include: o IBMLink -- provides access to a database holding information on products, offerings, services, and technical support. o RETAIN database -- a worldwide database tracking IBM product defects. Access is available to IBM hardware service and software support specialists, branch office personnel and product engineers, and IBM Support Centers. The database resides in Boulder, Colorado with a backup facility in Lexington, Kentucky. To improve problem resolution time, RETAIN stores problem and solution information, thus removing the need to recreate already created solutions. RETAIN tracks service call information, customer information, and historical problem symptoms and product fixes. o IBM's Electronic Quick Answer Library (EQUAL) is an on-line tool that enables specialists to direct technical product questions to IBM technical specialists. Questions are routed to appropriate product representatives and responses are generally posted on EQUAL within 24 hours. o Corporate Service Option (CSO) -- allows IBM customers with large network/mainframe systems to place network service calls electronically on IBM's Electronic Customer Communication Option (ECCO). This electronic link takes place between the customer help desk and the CE. As the CE progresses toward problem resolution, updates are made into the brick and the customer-accessible electronic information on ECCO is updated as well, allowing customers to monitor the status of open service calls. Section 3.3.2: Maintenance Service Costs Maintenance pricing is determined based upon the environment and all machines of a type within that environment must be included in the maintenance agreement (MA). Estimated billing may be elected under which a single invoice is developed for most maintenance and service charges and a payment schedule selected. Without estimated billing, an invoice for each operating environment is developed; invoices identify the model/type, product description, invoice amount, and applicable taxes. Customers elect monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual billing. Customers receive proposed service renewals 45 days prior to service contract expiration. Contracts for professional services are often negotiated on a case- by-case basis. Section 3.3.3: System Performance Analysis The AIX Performance Consulting Services group provides several levels of performance analysis: o For basic analysis, the group provides an export via telephone and/or electronic mail. o For more in-depth assistance, the group establishes a remote connection to the system for interactive analysis. o For very complex environments, on-site support is provided where the group can meet with appropriate personnel to gather the information necessary for a complete analysis. Resources to be monitored include, but may not be limited to: o CPU Utilization o Physical Volume Activity o Local File Activity o Remote File Activity o Paging Space I/O Activity o Memory Utilization o Page Space Utilization The Performance Consulting Services team will then provide a representative who will make appropriate recommendations pertaining to resource usage or the acquisition of additional resources. The Performance Consulting Services team is also available to provide on-site performance tuning education. Section 3.4: Consulting IBM's worldwide consulting business currently consists of 12 practice areas in four major consulting categories and each of these 12 practice areas will operate under the IBM Consulting Group brand identification. Each of the consulting practices is headed by a worldwide practice leader. The worldwide practice is charged with supporting the local practice and coordinating global engagements. Consulting Services provides more traditional front-end, IT consulting. The unit spans a range of services: o Worldwide Information Technology Strategy Consulting o Worldwide Business Process Re-Engineering and Quality Consulting o Strategy and Research o Enterprise Alliance o Executive Programs o Practice Development o Linkage Analysis Planning o Professional Development Section 3.5: Systems Integration IBM is pushing hard to become a full-services provider. The industry leader offers integration services on many different levels, driven by geography, market and project size. Basically, three organizations deliver systems integration solutions: o Trading areas o ISSC o Federal Sector Division Operations for Systems Integration are located in: o Integrated Systems Solutions Corp., Milford, CT o Federal Sector Division, Bethesda, MD o Consulting Services, White Plains, NY Section 3.6: Education and Other Services Section 3.6.1: Education IBM offers an extensive list of individually priced educational and training courses throughout the world. In addition, IBM also provides on-line education for both basic and advanced levels. Tutorial System Support covers systems concepts. The IBM Discover/Education series is online and offers tutorials on specialized areas.Customer Executive Seminars, Industry Seminars, and promotional sessions are offered at no charge by IBM invitation. Section 3.6.2: Technical Services IBM's range of technical services include: o Consulting o Database Design/Implementation o Facilities Management o Maintenance o Network Integration o Network Management o Project Management o Remote Processing o Software Development o Systems Integration o Training o Data Center Design/Construction ________________________________________________________________________ | | | Report prepared by: Faulkner Information Services | | | | Report submitted on: August 2, 1993 | |______________________________________________________________________|