Guidelines for SAS® Extended Technical Support
Program Description
SAS Extended Technical Support is an optional upgrade to the general technical support provided with Customers’ licenses of SAS Software. SAS Extended Technical Support is available for Software that has moved to Limited Support. Customers can purchase Extended Technical Support in the contract licensing the SAS Software or in a separate contract (“Contract”) for a period up to two years, which can be extended at the discretion of SAS. The Contract will identify the SAS Software that is supported by Extended Technical Support (“Software”). Extended Technical Support may be updated from time to time, and these guidelines may be modified accordingly.
Product Description and Service Levels
As detailed in the SAS Technical Support Policies, SAS Software in Limited Support does not qualify for Severity Level 1 or Severity Level 2 critical support requests as shown in Table 1 below. When Customers purchase SAS Extended Technical Support, SAS reinstates Severity Level 1 and Severity Level 2 critical support requests for Customer production environments for the licensed SAS Software that moved to Limited Support per SAS Technical Support policies. These Customers are authorized to submit Severity Level 1 and Severity Level 2 critical support cases to SAS, and SAS will respond in accordance with the support request response times detailed in the SAS Technical Support policies at https://support.sas.com/en/technical-support/services-policies/policies-for-sas-products.html#response.
Note: Click the links for definitions of Standard Support and Limited Support.
Table 1: Technical-Support Service Levels offered under SAS Extended Technical Support
| Severity Level | Condition | Initial Follow-up* | Frequency of Updates |
|---|---|---|---|
1 - Critical (Sev1) | Critical problem that causes downtime of production Software, or a production environment that is inoperable. Issue has a critical business impact, with severe loss and degradation of production services and no known workaround. Covers all activities related to going live and operating in production. When Customers identify the issue as Critical (Sev1), they confirm that the issue meets the criteria of Severity Level 1: the issue demands an immediate response, and Customers commit to continuous, daily engagement with the SAS team until resolution. In the absence of such daily engagement, SAS reserves the right to decrease the severity to High (Sev2) at its discretion. Critical (Sev1) qualifies for the SAS follow-the-sun policy. When requested, Customers commit to engage with SAS resources across multiple global regions, 24x7 until the issue priority is resolved, worked around, or lowered. Customers ensure that SAS has their accurate contact information, including a telephone number. Note: To ensure that SAS is aware and able to meet or exceed stated initial response times, qualifying Sev1 issues must be reported by telephone. | 2 hours | Every Day ** † |
2 - High (Sev2) | Critical problem that has significant impact to the Customer's business with loss and degradation of services, but, when available, workarounds enable reasonable, albeit temporary, business continuity. Applies to all production and path-to-production activities. When Customers identify an issue as High (Sev2), they confirm that the issue meets the criteria of Severity Level 2: the issue demands an urgent response, and they commit to daily engagement with the SAS team until resolution. In the absence of such daily engagement, SAS reserves the right to decrease the Severity to Moderate (Sev3) at its discretion. If Customers request follow-the-sun support, they commit to a continuous, 24x7 engagement with Support resources across multiple global regions until resolution; otherwise, SAS reserves the right to decrease the Severity to Moderate (Sev3) at its discretion. Customers also ensure that SAS has their accurate contact information. Note: To ensure that SAS is aware and able to meet or exceed stated initial response times, qualifying Sev2 issues must be reported by telephone. | 4 business hours | Every 2 business days** |
* For support requests opened via the SAS Customer Support Center, Initial Follow-up is defined as the time between when the request is initially received and when a Technical Support team member contacts the Customer. For Sev1 support requests opened by telephone that are not immediately resolved, Initial Follow-up is defined as the time between when SAS receives the Customer's call and when a Technical Support team member responds. | |||
Program Fees and Conditions
Fees for the initial Extended Technical Support period are set forth in the Contract. Fees for subsequent periods may vary. Payment of the Extended Technical Support fees (and any applicable travel costs and expenses) entitles Customers to the benefits described herein for the Software identified in the Contract.
Any capitalized terms used in these Guidelines and not otherwise defined will have the meanings set forth in the Contract.