IBM Presentation Template Full Version

Saving time and simplifying support 

. . . with IBM ® Electronic Support tools 

Internal Only 

Elaine Papanikolaou - papani@us.ibm.com 

© 2013 IBM Corporation 

© 2009 IBM Corporation

Agenda 

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Subscription & Support 

Electronic Support portfolio of tools 

IBM Support Portal – gateway to technical support 

PAOnline and SR tool – the difference 

Support at IBM 

Resources for Business Partners 

“And it was a very easy choice to choose IBM not just on price, but from a total 

cost of ownership perspective, because IBM was able to put in the investment, 

put in the time, and I knew that they had the support response required for our 

level of criticality.” 

Paul Lewis, Vice President of Technology, 

Architecture and Security 

Davis & Henderson Corp. 



When you need dependable product Subscription & Support with ROI 

. . . IBM delivers 

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IBM Subscription & Support protects 

your investment by minimizing 

installation/migration cycles, providing 

new product versions based on the 

latest technology, and offering tested 

upgrades to keep your environment 

running smoothly 

Investment 

Minimize downtime and maintain schedules with IBM's 

time-saving tools and comprehensive technical information . . . 

all created to help your teams find answers to questions, 

solutions to problems and training to build skills as well as 

helping to diagnose problems quickly 

IBM's worldwide support network 

keeps your business up and running, 

meeting deadlines, by providing 

support expertise when and how it 

is needed 



IBM Electronic Support tools for every task 

http://ibm.com/electronicsupport 

 

 

 

 

 

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Electronic Support web page 

Describes all the tools and 

their features and benefits 

Tool videos are accessible 

from Overview tab 

Support Portal link 

Social Media links – Twitter 

and blogs 



IBM Support Portal . . . 

the first stop in problem resolution 

IBM Support Portal 

http://ibm.com/support 

your one-stop shop for 

technical support 

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• Sign in with your IBM ID 

• Choose from one to 10 

products 

• Choose a tab from the 

top for focused content 

• View relevant technical 

support information and 

access tools 

Flashes and alerts 

Download fixes 

Troubleshoot with 

technotes, MustGathers 

Migration/installation 

Service Request tool 

Technical documents 

Communities 

Graphic was removed from top of window; 

Support shortcuts module was added 



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My notifications subscription . . . 

keeps you proactively informed 

 

 

 

 

Complimentary subscription includes 

software and hardware products 

Proactive – Information is sent to you 

to stay informed about products you 

use 

Customize – choose a product family, 

then select: 

Products 

Daily or weekly updates 

Delivery method: email, RSS 

Document types: i.e., APARs, 

fixes, technotes etc. 

Sample email to the right 

View video on ‘How to Subscribe’ 



Need to download a fix pack? Fix Central is the place to go 

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Use the “View” link to access Fix Central or 

another repository 

Fix Central lets you search by: 

APAR or SPR identifier 

Fix ID 

Arbitrary text 

Search for recommended groups 

Filter search results by category, product, 

release, and platform 

Include prerequisite and corequisite fixes 

Requires sign in. Some products are 

entitled and require users to be authorized 

to open PMRs to download fixes 

Upload an inventory file to display fixes 

Recommended fixes is an alternative 



Troubleshoot problems – IBM Support Assistant and Diagnostic Tools 

Support Resources expandable link 

Complimentary, downloadable, troubleshooting 

workbench for many software products 

IBM Support Assistant 5.0 Team Server Beta 2 

offers the following next-generation options 

 

 

 

 

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Now one person per site can download ISA 

V5 team server and others at the site just 

point their browsers to that instance to use it. 

Some of the automated data analysis 

options: 

Scans case files to find common 

problem symptoms 

Displays those symptoms with details 

 

for each one 

Shows known potential solutions for 

each symptom 

Includes ISA tutorial and sample diagnostic 

files 

Review the introductory video on YouTube 

See the complete list of diagnostic tools 



Checklist before opening a Service Request 

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Your IBM customer number 

Define the problem – be specific 

Define business impact this issue is causing 

Assign severity 

Gather background information – provide all relevant information 

What level of software was / is running? 

What operating system version? Have patches been installed? 

Has this happened before? Is it repeatable? 

What, if anything, recently changed in the environment? 

Consult MustGather Document, if available, to know which files to gather 

dumps, traces, or use IBM Support Assistant automated collector tools to 

save time 



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Open a Service Request using Service Request tool 

Access Service Request tab in Support 

Portal or go directly to SR tool 

http://ibm.com/support/servicerequest 

Online problem management tool to open, 

edit and monitor Service Requests or PMRs 

Once registered, users are entitled 

Governed by Site Technical Contact, up to 9 

Administrators, unlimited number of users 

Customized user profile auto-populates new 

Service Requests 

Open, update and monitor Service 

Requests 

Attach troubleshooting files to service 

requests (2 GB limit per file) 

Monitor SR activity with downloadable 

customized reports 

Register as ‘Basic’ user and request 

promotion to ‘Full’ user 

Updated interface with its own set of SR tabs 

to be consistent with Support Portal UI 



Service Request quick tips 

Access rights 

Basic users create and edit only their own Service 

Requests created through the SR tool 

Full users open and edit all Service Requests for an IBM 

Customer Number (ICN) and run reports 

 

 

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Site Technical Contact (STC) – ultimate gatekeeper for 

the tool and can name nine additional Administrators 

Administrators add, approve and delete users from the 

SR tool list 

Clients 

Find the STC for an ICN by choosing Support 

Registration on the left and clicking the ICN to open the 

record 

 

 

 

 

Find products for an ICN by choosing Support 

Registration on the left and clicking the ICN to open the 

record 

Receive email notifications for Service Request updates 

by checking the checkbox in their profile 

Add products to the Preferred Product list by checking the 

checkbox when opening a Service Request 

The Preferred Product list is stored in client’s profile and 

saves time when opening a Service Request 

 

 

 

Can add a title to the Service Request to make it easy to 

track - that field is for their convenience 

Run reports on open, closed and even archived Service 

Requests by submitting a search request 

Print Report or Export Report by clicking the buttons right 

above the search results table 

Site Technical Contacts (STCs) and Administrators 

 

 

Automatically approve users whose IBM ID contains the 

company email address through User Administration on 

the left and the Auto Approval tab 

Automatically set new users’ status to Basic or Full 

through User Administration on the left and the Auto 

Approval tab 

These references can help clients new to SR: 

SR Quick Start Guide (IBM ID and SR access for 

Basic user) 

SR tool link 

SR online help 

SR Help Desk: srhelp@us.ibm.com 

How to Open a Service Request video 

Charts describing the SR tool 



Service Request tool access for Business Partners 

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If this is the first access to IBM Service Request, select the "Register now" button. 

If you are already registered as a customer with SR and now want to register as a 

business partner, select "Support registrations" from the left "Manage support 

registrations" box 

Scroll to the bottom of the "Support registrations" page where a section labeled 

"Business partner“ displays. 

Select the link "Click here to check business partner status". This verifies your status 

with IBM PartnerWorld to grant you access to IBM Service Request tool. 



Passport Advantage – one agreement, two resources 

Passport 

Advantage 

Online 

Track licenses. 

Download full 

versions of 

software. 

Primary contact 

approves users. 

Product 

entitlement 

problems 

resolved here. 

Help desk 

paonline@us.ibm.com 

Passport Advantage Agreement 

Product Entitlement 

Both require IBM ID 

and approval to use 

Service Request 

tool 

Create, edit and 

track Service 

Requests. 

Site Technical 

Contact approves 

users. 

Basic user sees 

their own SRs. 

Full user sees 

all SRs. 

Help desk 

srhelp@us.ibm.com 


13 © 2010 IBM Corporation13

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4 

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Setting Severity Levels 

Business Impact 

Critical business impact – 

this condition requires an immediate 

solution 

Significant business impact – 

program is usable but severely 

limited 

Some business impact – 

program is usable but less 

significant features impacted 

Minimal business impact – 

problem causes little impact or a 

reasonable workaround is in place 

zSeries (S/390) 

Response Goal 

Other Platforms 

Response Goal 

Within 2 hours Within 2 hours 

Within 4 business 

hours 

By the end of the next 

business day 

By the end of the next 

business day 

Within 2 business hours 



Business hours are from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM local time for the geographic area assigned in the support 

contract. Severity 1 Issues will be worked 7 days a week / 24 hours a day jointly with clients. 



IBM Support Process 

Call Center: 

-Create Sev1 SR 

-Route SR to product 

experts 

-No product skill 

Open a Service Request (PMR) by using the online Service Request tool 

Call 1-800-IBM-SERV for Sev1 

Call Center 

opens Sev1 

Service 

Requests 

Level 1 

Rediscovery: 

-Find known answers 

-Help collect MustGather 

-Educate clients on selfhelp 

-Broad usage based skills 

-Reps are product certified 

Open, update 

and monitor the 

Service 

Request with 

SR Tool 

Level 2: 

Problem Determination 

Source identification: 

-Work-arounds & solutions 

-Problem recreation 

-Create APARs 

-Interface to Level 3 

-Reps are product certified 

Many support teams combine Level 1 and Level 2 

Level 3 

creates and 

delivers fixes 

Level 3: 

Change team: 

-Code based team 

-Create fixes and fix packs 

-Create debug modules 

-Skilled in their 

components, not experts 

on entire product 


15 © 2010 IBM Corporation15

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Escalation options 

1. Check the severity level of the Service Request and raise if needed. Update the 

business impact if it has changed, and of course, indicate system down if that is the 

case 

2. Call the local contact telephone number and ask for the duty manager 

In the US: Call 1-800-IBM-SERV 

Worldwide contacts: http://ibm.com/planetwide/ 

3. Contact the IBM account team to request a complaint or request a higher level 

“Critical Situation” if: 

Multiple Service Requests or multiple products are involved 

There appears to be a lack of coordination from product support teams 

You can actively participate in the increased meetings, email and telephone calls 



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Software Support Lifecycle 

 

 

 

 

 

End of Support dates are important 

and when announced, are posted to 

this page 

Policy type also displays for each 

product 

IBM ensures a minimum of 12 months 

notice for product support withdrawal 

through announcement letters. 

Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/j4P7jJ 

April and September are the only two 

months of the year for products to be 

withdrawn from support 

All components in a product or 

solution bundle are supported until the 

bundle is withdrawn from support 



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Understanding Software Support at IBM 

 

 

 

 

 

IBM Support Handbook is 

your complete support 

reference guide 

Includes detailed support 

information for software 

and hardware 

Displays in easy-to-view 

format 

Describes all aspects of 

support and electronic 

support 

Includes support contact 

information 



Building skills 

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PartnerWorld training and certification provides product training, 

PartnerWorld University no-charge, online self-study courses and more 

IBM Education Assistant offers online task-based modules for many 

products. IEA helps you get up the learning curve quicker or serves as 

a refresher after attending IBM Education courses. 

Support Technical Exchange webcasts are offered weekly, or multiple 

times in a week for many products. Join a webcast or take advantage 

of replays. 

developerWorks ® is a great source of technical information for 

developers, administrators and managers – whoever wants to stay 

informed about the latest technological trends 

User Groups offer webcasts, collaboration, meetings with 

presentations 

Build skills 



IBM PartnerWorld 

http://ibm.com/partnerworld 

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Dash- 

SR 

tool End of 

board 

support 

Electronic 

support 

Social 

media 

Partner 

World 

All the technical resources you need: 

Business Partner dashboard 

Electronic Support collateral 

End of support 

Social media 



PartnerWorld Dashboard 

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North American Business Partners can currently access the dashboard 

Learn more about the dashboard here: https://www- 

304.ibm.com/partnerworld/wps/servlet/ContentHandler/news/93LQU8EB 

Authorized users at your company can access critical revenue, claims and 

skills data in one place on PartnerWorld 

View your Business Partner Technical Vitality (BPTV) scores and manage 

skills certifications 



IBM Electronic Support Collateral 

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Use these Electronic Support links to learn more about all the tools and resources. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Electronic Support brief overview presentation with audio 

This is an abbreviated set of overview charts for the Electronic Support portfolio of tools and resources. 

Electronic Support tool trifold 

This trifold is a double-sided page in .pdf format with hyperlinks that briefly describes each tool and its 

benefits. Clients can review the IBM Electronic Support portfolio of tools and resources and access the 

tools that are of interest. 

Electronic Support web page provides an introduction to IBM Electronic Support 

Six tool categories are separated by tabs where the features and benefits of the Electronic Support 

tools display. 

Getting Started with IBM Support 

Getting Started with IBM Support is a one-page editable document that provides a sequential view of 

IBM Support. 

Electronic Support one-page marketing piece .pdf format 

This single-sided .pdf file can be shared with clients to introduce them to IBM Electronic Support. 

Descriptive information about the benefits of the tools is presented at a high level. 

Electronic Support overview presentation 

Use these charts to introduce your clients to the IBM Support Portal and all the tools and resources 

available to them in the IBM Electronic Support portfolio. 

Service Request Quick Start Guide 

Service Request Quick Start Guide (external) guides clients through the registration process, allowing 

them as Basic users, to create and edit just their own 

Electronic Support tool videos 

These short videos include a number of Electronic Support tools and provide the training needed to 

enable a client to experience the benefits of using the tool. 



Stay ahead of end of support on IBM software 

 

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You have several options to stay informed about end of support dates: 

Subscribe to My Notifications to receive published information about end of support 

Review the Lifecycle page for products in use to monitor publication of dates 

Subscribe to the IBM Marketing Announcement letters for our products 

Compatibility Reports are another source of EOS dates as well as compatible software 

combinations 



Social Media Resources 

Social media links 

 

 

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developerWorks IBM Electronic Support blog – follow this blog to learn about the latest 

enhancements to Electronic Support tools 

IBM Electronic Support Facebook 

IBM Electronic Support Twitter 



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© Copyright IBM Corporation 2013 

IBM Software Group 

Route 100 

Somers, NY 10589 U.S.A. 

Published in the United States of America 

01-2013 

All Rights Reserved 

IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com, developerWorks, IBMLink, Domino, Information Management, FileNet, Lotus, Notes, 

Rational, Tivoli, WebSphere and z/OS are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines 

Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. These and other IBM trademarked terms are marked on their 

first occurrence in this information with the appropriate symbol (® or ), indicating US registered or common law 

trademarks owned by IBM at the time this information was published. Such trademarks may also be registered or 

common law trademarks in other countries. A current list of IBM trademarks is available on the web at 

http://www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml. 

Other product, company or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others. 

Java and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States, other 

countries, or both. 

References in this publication to IBM products or services do not imply IBM intends to make them available in all 

countries.

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