Technical Support

Obviously, we support all the equipment, systems, and services we use to implement our projects. Additionally, we support existing installations if they fall within our knowledge and operation scope. Indicatively, we mention:

• Hardware, operating systems, and security of servers. IaaS platforms and virtualization, virtual machines, and hypervisor/controller clusters.
• User certification and management systems (Windows Active Directory, Azure AD, LDAP) and additional security systems like SSO and MFA.
• Storage systems SAN, NAS, DAS, and file services.
• Internal wireless and wired networks, wide area networks, connections, and VPN users, wireless links, etc.
• Data center infrastructure and UPS of all sizes.
• Hardware, operating systems, and security of electronic computers and user technical support. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).
• Printers, MFP multifunction devices, and scanners, both within and outside MPS contracts.
• Phone centers (network-based only) and other systems (devices, gateways), and call center users.
• All cloud applications mentioned here.
• System and network security, firewalling, IPS, DNS filtering, Email protection, DLP, backup procedures, and disaster recovery.

Generally, we serve the entire country and, in some cases, customers in neighboring countries.

Specifically, in the case of 3rd line support (to other IT Departments), there is no geographical limitation on the provision of technical support and management services. In cases of 1st line support (direct support to the end-user), we usually serve regions where we have a presence (currently Central and Western Macedonia).

There is no limitation on the size or nature of our clients. We have active contracts with businesses ranging from law firms with a single-digit number of employees to industries and public organizations employing 1,000+ people. The only limitation we have is that we do not serve individuals.

Yes, of course, we can serve you whenever there is a need (break-fix model).

However, there are many reasons to choose a more stable collaboration with us:

• Our contracts are not just technical support contracts but primarily management contracts. This means that, unlike the break-fix model, with a contract, the goal is to anticipate problems, not just solve them when they arise.
• Our contracts do not have a limit on working hours, and you will have every interest in using our services as much as possible. This way, we also learn about potential problems early before they escalate and cost valuable working hours.
• Our contracts provide guarantees (service level agreement, SLA) regarding the response time depending on the criticality of each request.

No commitment whatsoever! Almost all of our contracts are open-ended, pay-as-you-go, with monthly billing. Those that are not are per the customer’s request. There is no particular time or other commitment beyond the end of the current month. The contract can be terminated at any time with a simple written notice.

The monthly charge for technical support and management services is primarily determined by the following four factors:

• Infrastructure Size: Depends on the number and type of machines, the services running, and the number of users of these services.
• Operating Hours: Depends on the hours and days you wish to have support services provided.
• Support Line: Mainly depends on the existence or absence of an internal IT department at the client’s end.
• SLA Agreement: Depends on the minimum acceptable response time to an incident.

The line of support is an internationally recognized (ITIL, ISO 20000) classification of the path and method of servicing a technical support incident:

• 1st Line: Includes initial communication with the user, incident recording, gathering information, and initial attempt at remote resolution.
• 2nd Line: Mainly involves on-site technical visits. According to our department’s statistics, it is necessary in less than 3% of incidents.

If the client has an internal IT department, 1st and 2nd line tasks can be performed internally with significant discounts on the contract value.

• 3rd Line: Involves escalation of incidents that have not been resolved within a reasonable time by the 1st and 2nd line support. The resolution is undertaken by senior engineers with extensive experience in their field.
• 4th Line: Involves escalation of incidents to external partners. In our case, this means involving the support departments of the equipment manufacturers.

SLA (Service Level Agreement) is a measurable parameter that defines the minimum acceptable level of good performance of a service contract. For example, the parameter that defines the SLA in cloud services is availability (uptime).

In the event of an SLA breach, contracts include some compensation for the customer by the service provider. This compensation is proportional to the monthly fee of the service and in no case exceeds 100% of it.

For example, the SLA of Microsoft 365’s Exchange Online (as of November 2023) is as follows:

• Uptime less than 99.9%, compensation 25% of the monthly cost
• Uptime less than 99%, compensation 50% of the monthly cost
• Uptime less than 95%, compensation 100% of the monthly cost

The main purpose of compensation is to validate the agreement and not to restore the total damage that the customer may have suffered from the unavailability of the service. It is not an insurance product.

Even if the Exchange Online service does not operate at all for a month, a customer with 100 Exchange Online Plan 1 licenses is entitled, at current prices, to a return of €370 from Microsoft.

Certainly! The SLA we offer ensures the response time of the Support Department. That is, the time it takes from the reporting of a fault or other task until a representative of the department starts working on the incident.

A standard SLA is 1/4/8/24 working hours from the reporting of an Immediate, High, Medium, and Low priority incident, respectively.

You can monitor the status of the SLA from the ticketing platform, and in case of violation, we provide compensation of up to twice the monthly fee of the contract.

The urgency of each incident is determined by the Head of the Support Department in consultation with the Customer’s Communication Manager, according to the following commonly accepted definitions by ITIL/ISO20000:

• Immediate Priority: Failure of a system that results in the complete inability to perform the business activities and tasks of the client. For example, a failure in the core of the network that stops all communication within and outside the business or a failure in the ERP system.
• High Priority: Failure of a system that results in the inability to perform part of the business activities or critical tasks of the client. For example, a failure in the email server that interrupts part of the business communication.
• Medium Priority: Failure of a system that results in the inability to perform the tasks of individual users without other impacts on the client’s business activities. For example, a failure in a printer of a team or in an electronic computer of a user.
• Low Priority: Regular maintenance and management events that are not faults and do not affect the client’s business activities and the work of its employees in any way.

In any case, our company commits that the reaction time of our representatives will always be the shortest possible: the average resolution time is less than 40 minutes, and the customer satisfaction index CSAT is at 4.91! (2022 data)

No, a technical support contract does not correspond to an extension of warranty. The warranties of your equipment remain a responsibility of the respective manufacturer.

Also, it does not constitute insurance of your data and the security of your systems. However, we will gladly and responsibly undertake the configuration, management, and monitoring of your backup systems and other security systems you have to fully exploit their capabilities.

What you are looking for is insurance coverage, and such a provision is beyond the scope of any technical support contract.

We commit that in an emergency situation, we will be immediately at your side and do everything technically possible and within our power to restore any problem.

If there is indeed an interest in insurance coverage for the operation of your IT systems, then we can discuss it within the framework of All-Risks Coverage with one of our affiliated insurance companies. Please contact the Corporate Sales Department for more details.

Remote access is conducted through an encrypted connection of at least 256-bit AES, and the data (timestamp, user, computer, network address) are recorded, retained for 60 days, and are available to the customer.

Additionally, the access information to the systems of the end customers is stored on a special platform that uses dual-key encryption technology. Each member of the Support Department has a separate account with distinct rights.

Legally, every member of our staff has signed a strict confidentiality agreement (NDA) that binds them against any disclosure or leakage of customer information.

Finally, we take special care to ensure that the information we process and especially store is telemetry information such as temperatures, measurements, etc., that lack any sensitive content.

Due to the nature of our work, it is likely that we will have access to corporate data and other sensitive information.

The measures we take to secure this information are both technical and legal. The staff of the NOC (Network Operations Center) is bound to the company by a very strict non-disclosure agreement (NDA), and the contract includes a clause equivalent to an NDA. Of course, if the client’s specific field requires a special NDA, it is signed on a case-by-case basis.

The ticketing system (or service desk) is a portal through which a customer can report a fault or request a change, monitor the progress of tasks and the adherence to SLAs, and generally communicate with the representatives of the Support Department. Since all incidents (faults, changes, maintenance, etc.) are recorded in detail, it also functions as ongoing documentation.

Generally, when an IT systems support and supervision department is internal to an organization, it is referred to as a Network Operations Center (NOC). When a similar department is located outside the organization, it is usually referred to as a Technical Assistance Center (TAC).

For us, the NOC describes how we support our customers: The entirety of the staff, procedures, and telemetry systems upon which we base the operation of the Technical Support Department.

No, we will not and we take any measure to prove it from the beginning! When we sign a contract for the first time, a series of tasks are performed. Among these tasks is the creation of accounts in the name of IP Partners so that there is a record of our own work and a separation from the work (and passwords) of other administrators.

Even if you decide to terminate our cooperation, we commit to continue to provide you with access to all NOC systems for at least 2 months. In addition, unless you request otherwise, you will have access to the information of all ticketing system events indefinitely*.

*Five-year minimum event retention. The retention policy may change without prior notice.