TekscapeManage SLA Scope
This section defines the services that Tekscape shall offer to the customer for each covered platform. Tekscape will provide a base level of service to all platforms, and additional services for specific technology areas.
General
The following coverage applies to all devices covered under Tekscape’s Managed Services Agreement. Please note, there is an exception clause at the bottom of each section.
24x7x365 up/down monitoring and alerting – Tekscape uses industry-leading monitoring and management platforms to detect platform issues. The monitoring solution will detect if a device goes offline, or encounters other types of hardware, software, or configuration issues. The details and thresholds of this monitoring and alerting can be customized as needed.
Customized portal – The customer will have access to a portal which can allow:
– Open, view, update, and close support tickets
– View Microsoft 365 inventory
– View invoices
– View inventory (coming soon)
– View ticket performance dashboards (coming soon)
Unlimited 24x7x365 remote support – Tekscape will perform unlimited support for covered devices and platforms. The following high-level tasks are covered, and additional efforts are described in the below technology-specific sections:
– Moves/adds/changes/deletes (MACD)
– Configuration changes
– Minor version upgrades
– Security patching
Reduced hourly rate – Any labor done on non-covered systems or platforms will be billed at a 20% reduced rate.
Runbook creation – Tekscape’s documentation management platform can export all captured or detected environment information. Examples are: topology diagrams, network and system information, passwords, and many other critical IT details.
Quarterly reviews – Overall trends for system health, ticket details, and support performance will be assessed and presented quarterly. This review will help identify trends to increase performance, uptime, and customer satisfaction. Platform lifecycle, upgrades, and other improvements will be presented as needed.
Exceptions – Onsite support/dispatch is not included under standard MSA support. This is an additional service which should be discussed with the Account Manager.
Network/Infrastructure
Network equipment is defined as switches, routers, firewalls, wireless access points, wireless LAN controllers, fabric interconnects, load balancers and UPS devices. In addition to the General MSA items, Tekscape shall provide:
Detailed network monitoring and alerting – Device SNMP metrics will be monitored and alerted on. Thresholds can be tuned as needed.
Configuration auditing and backups – Config changes will be tracked and alerted on, and a history of configurations will be securely stored.
ISP/circuit monitoring – Tekscape will monitor for ISP events and outages and will open a ticket with the carrier directly.
Systems
Systems equipment is defined as servers, workstations, printers, and storage. In addition to the General MSA items, Tekscape shall provide:
Detailed system monitoring and alerting – SNMP and OS event logs will be monitored and alerted on. Thresholds can be tuned as needed.
Exceptions – Data backup/restore services, and advanced application support are not covered under standard MSA support. These are additional services which should be discussed with the Account Manager.
Collaboration
Collaboration equipment is defined as voice and videoconferencing platforms. In addition to the General MSA items, Tekscape shall provide:
Quality of service troubleshooting – Conditions may arise which cause disruptions in service or poor voice/video quality. Tekscape will work with the appropriate parties to troubleshoot these events.
PSTN carrier troubleshooting – Tekscape will open tickets and perform troubleshooting on any PSTN-related issues.
Limitations
Tekscape will provide basic application support for Microsoft365 applications. Any other application support will be through active vendor support contracts. Tekscape will assist as needed to create and manage the support case.
Ticket Categorization
Severity 1 – A large-scale and business-halting event; example: phone system outage affecting >75% of users
– A notification is required to set catastrophic/business-critical severity level
– Selected IT staff notified via desired communication methods
– Response time: <1 hour
– Hours of response: 24 x 7 x 365
Severity 2 – Issue causes significant impact to business operations; example: wireless network outage affecting a branch office
– Selected IT staff notified via desired communication methods
– Response time: <4 hours*
– Hours of response: 24 x 7 x 365
Severity 3 – Business-impacting issue for which workarounds are available; example: outbound emails are delayed
– Selected IT staff notified via desired communication methods
– Response time: <1 business day*
– Hours of response: 8am – 6pm EST Monday through Friday, holidays excluded
Severity 4 – Standard MACD or break-fix; examples: reset a password, onboard a new employee
– Response time: <1 business day*
– Hours of response: 8am – 6pm EST Monday through Friday, holidays excluded
After-hours and holiday work
– Severity 1 and Severity 2 issues will be actively worked on until resolution or severity downgrade is approved
– Planned maintenance windows for disruptive troubleshooting or upgrades
– Unplanned outages which occur outside of business hours will be categorized and worked on as required
* The client may notify the assigned engineer, dispatch manager, IT Director, or account manager at any time if a ticket escalation is required (e.g. VIP user affected).
Ticketing Processes
Reporting an Issue
Tekscape has several ways that tickets can be opened or changed. In all cases, please provide relevant details for fastest resolution.
Who is affected? What person or group is experiencing the issue?
When did the issue occur? Is it reproducible?
What are the details of the issue and the steps to reproduce it?
To open a case, please do one of the following:
Portal (preferred method) – Visit https://portal.tekscape.com, log in, and follow the provided instructions to open a ticket. Enter all relevant details for fastest resolution.
Email – Send an email to support@tekscape.com with all relevant details.
Call – Place a call to 855-TEKSCAPE and follow the menu prompts. Report all details to the support technician.
Once a case is opened, you will receive a confirmation email with the ticket number and contact details. The ticket will be dispatched to the appropriate team and an engineer will contact you within the appropriate response time. Within the email will be a link to escalate the ticket if needed, or you may call to escalate.
Ticket Updates
The engineer assigned to your case will provide updates at a frequency relative to the severity of the issue:
Severity 1 – A war room conference will be created, and hourly updates will be provided.
Severity 2 – A minimum of two updates per day will be sent.
Severity 3 – A minimum of one update per day will be sent.
Severity 4 – Tickets will be updated on an as-needed basis only.
Ticket Closure & Re-opening
A ticket may be closed if the engineer feels the issue has been fully addressed. A ticket may be re-opened at any time via all above methods.
Cybersecurity Events
Tekscape will provide up to five (5) hours of investigation and remediation work per cybersecurity incident. This will allow Tekscape to gather the appropriate information and develop a plan to address the issue more comprehensively.
Full cybersecurity incident containment, remediation, and root cause analysis will not be part of the standard Service Level Agreement. These events will be addressed by using a separate Block of Hours agreement, as a scoped remediation project, or with Time & Materials pricing. The best approach will be discussed between client stakeholders, Tekscape engineering leadership, and the account management team.
SLA Customer Obligations
To achieve the highest levels of service, Tekscape requires the customer to adhere to specific guidelines.
Issue Reporting – Problems should be reported as quickly as possible, with as many details as are available. Any delays or inaccurate details will lead to delays in troubleshooting and issue resolution.
Availability & Access – Tekscape engineers may need to engage directly with the affected users and troubleshoot during a live session. Tekscape will seek to find time to work directly with affected users. Any delays in user availability will lead to longer issue resolutions.
Communication – Tekscape will often require additional information to address issues, or may request confirmation that an issue has been resolved. Tekscape will email and call affected users at the prescribed update frequency. Any delays in these communications will lead to prolonged ticket closure. Upon three unanswered emails to the customer, Tekscape will assume the issue is resolved and may close the ticket.