Customers can now choose the lower-priced Standard Support or SAP Enterprise Support, in addition to the MaxAttention offering aimed at the largest clients. Standard Support costs 18% of net licensing fees, and increases will be tied to the rate of inflation. The enhanced SAP Enterprise Support offering, which includes 24/7 SLAs, will eventually cost 22% of net licensing fees by 2016, increasing on a graduated pricing schedule.
But even with a choice, selecting a maintenance and support option isn't easy. Inflation and fees for extended support on older releases may make the two options cost close to the same in a few years. That said, it could be a good choice for those with applications in maintenance mode.
In this special report, learn more about your options. Find out what led SAP to make the changes and get advice on negotiating maintenance and support contracts. In turn, learn more about third-party support and whether it's a good choice for your organization.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Choosing Standard Support or Enterprise Support
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Choosing third-party support Negotiating maintenance and support contracts The SAP support and maintenance controversy| Advice on choosing Standard Support or Enterprise Support |
- SAP Standard support decision hinges on inflation, fees
SAP customers have a choice when it comes to SAP maintenance and support contracts, but there's more to be weighed in the choice than simply cost. Learn about the pros and cons of the two SAP maintenance and support options and whether third-party support is a good choice. - Choosing Standard or Enterprise support more difficult for SAP customers with no KPIs
While a lower cost maintenance and support option was good news for customers, deciding what to do could be harder without the KPI program. Read about the consequences of SAP's scrapped KPIs, and why ASUG and leading industry analysts want it back. - SAP relents on lower-cost maintenance, scraps KPI program
After two years of trying to push through a single maintenance and support structure, SAP offered customers a choice between Standard Support at 18% and Enterprise Support at 22% of license fees.
| Advice on choosing third-party support |
- SAP customer happy with third-party maintenance and support
Rimini Street made its SAP third-party maintenance and support generally available, extending its offering to some new SAP products. - Rimini Street launches third-party SAP support for SAP ERP, BW releases
Third-party support provider Rimini Street launched a competing support program for SAP ERP users, including offerings for SAP R/3 releases, ECC 5.0, ECC 6.0 and BW 3.5. - Blog: SAP: We're not restricting customers from seeking third-party support
SAP did not put clauses into contracts that would restrict customers from seeking third-party maintenance despite claims to the contrary. Find out if customers faced pressure from SAP to avoid third-party maintenance, and why third-party options might be limited. - With no tomorrow for TomorrowNow, third-party support still in demand
Demand for third-party support thrived in the wake of TomorrowNow's closure, despite Oracle's lawsuit against the company. Third-party support providers such as Rimini Street and netCustomer saw an increase in customers, including some from SAP.
| Advice on negotiating maintenance and support contracts |
- SAP Enterprise Support KPIs open door to negotiating SAP maintenance
SAP Enterprise Support KPIs were used to help justify the SAP maintenance increase, but also can give customers leverage in negotiating SAP maintenance contracts. - Podcast: Five negotiation tips for cutting SAP maintenance contract costs
Customers who purchased software after early 2008 and paid the higher Enterprise Support maintenance and support fees can move to Standard Support when their current maintenance and support contracts end. In this podcast, Ray Wang, a partner with Altimeter Group, shares five tips for negotiating better maintenance contracts, and discusses the types of deals SAP customers are getting and why some are opting for third-party maintenance. - SAP customers should push for added value from Enterprise Support, report says
Customers were opposed to the increased SAP maintenance fees that came with SAP Enterprise Support, but the offering came with its share of advantages. Find out why customers were advised to push for added value in SAP Enterprise Support.
| A look at the SAP support and maintenance controversy |
- Blog: What's next for SUGEN?
The SAP User Group Executive Network (SUGEN) was dedicated to the Enterprise Support affair. SUGEN scored a major victory when it was able to get SAP to abandon its uniform maintenance and support hike. So what's next for SUGEN? How can the group wield its influence down the road? - Blog: The lingering effects of SAP's bungled Enterprise Support rollout
In reinstating a tiered maintenance and support model, SAP gave customers exactly what they wanted -- a choice. But in getting this choice, customers also learned another thing -- they have a strong voice. And it won't take long for more questions of value to arise. - SAP Enterprise Support KPI program works, but too much work for users
Read about why SUGEN and SAP said the SAP KPI program was working, but was more work than participating customers anticipated. - SAP postpones maintenance fee hike
SAP postponed the scheduled increase in its maintenance and support fee structure as it worked with user groups to demonstrate the value of the service. - SAP Solution Manager will play major role in SAP Enterprise Support KPIs
At Sapphire, SAP provided more detail on its SAP Enterprise Support KPI program, and how it would rely heavily on Solution Manager. - 'Groundbreaking' agreement on SAP maintenance a win for SAP customers
SAP's agreement to delay a maintenance fee increase until KPIs were met was a victory for customers, and for SAP itself. - SAP delays SAP maintenance fee increase until KPIs are met
SAP agreed to delay further SAP maintenance fee increases until KPIs were met. - Can more SAP users win concessions on SAP Enterprise Support?
SAP's decision to allow customers in Germany and Austria to maintain their existing support contracts raised a wide range of questions for other users. - Many German and Austrian SAP users delay Enterprise Support contracts
Because national laws required SAP to re-sign contracts with German and Austrian users, Enterprise Support price increases didn't apply to them. As such, German and Austrian SAP users didn't adopt Enterprise Support. - Podcast: Finding value in SAP Enterprise Support
In this podcast, Bill Wohl, the SAP's vice president of field and product communications, explains why SAP made the decision in 2008 to introduce the new support option and why customers, even those running on SAP R/3 releases, would find value in the offering, even if not right away. - SAP maintenance fee increase prompts user groups worldwide to organize response
Heads of user groups worldwide met with SAP executives to voice their members' dissatisfaction with the SAP maintenance fee increase. SAP customers challenged the vendor on its maintenance fee increases, and didn't see the value in the Enterprise Support option. - Blog: Enterprise Support reveals a continental divide among SAP user groups
SAP executives promised that using the tools and strategies would help a customer lower their total cost of ownership. But most customers weren't using their current maintenance and support that often, and some were curious as to what release they needed to be on to get the most value from Enterprise Support. - SAP to increase maintenance fees
SAP offered more support, but increased costs for customers paying 17% of net licensing fees. All SAP customers were moved to Enterprise Support, which features SAP Solution Manager software. - SAP support dilemma highlighted at Sapphire
SAP added nearly 200 new customers to its new Enterprise Support offering, just as Rimini Street said it would add SAP products to its third-party support alternative. - SAP eliminates low-cost maintenance option
SAP no longer offered Basic Support at 17% of license fees. Instead, it rolled out Enterprise Support -- for 22% of license fees.
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