IBM Infrastructure Support and Services
IBM Technology Lifecycle Services provides world-class IT services and support across the product lifecycle. IBM support and services reply on deep expertise in IBM Infrastructure and advanced technologies like AI to proactively manage the health of systems and their interoperability. They can improve resiliency while driving reduced downtime and provide sustainable strategies, all while freeing up IT staff to focus on what matters most.
IBM Expert Care
IBM Expert Care integrates and prepackages hardware and software support services into a tiered support model for IBM Infrastructure products in IBM Power, IBM LinuxONE, and IBM Storage, helping organizations to choose the right fit of services - including the number of years of support, response times from initial contact to fix, and potential to include premium services. It is designed to standardize support for IBM Infrastructure, delivering a simplified proposal, at the time of purchase. IBM Expert Care can help ensure more predictable maintenance costs and reduce deployment and operating risks.
The services provided in IBM Expert Care are available in stand-alone offerings for previous IBM product versions and products like IBM Z that do not have IBM Expert Care attached. Offerings include Hardware and Software Maintenance, Proactive Support, and Hardware and Software Service Extensions. For specifics on the products for which IBM Expert Care is attached, please see IBM Power / IBM Z and LinuxONE / IBM Storage.
- IBM Hardware Maintenance: 9x5, next-business-day, onsite repair1
- IBM Software Maintenance or SupportLine for Storage
- Predictive analytics for Power and LinuxONE
- IBM Hardware Maintenance with enhanced service levels : 24x7, same-day response, onsite repair1
- IBM Software Maintenance or SupportLine for Storage
- Predictive analytics for Power, LinuxONE, and Storage
- IBM Hardware Maintenance with enhanced service level objectives : 24x7, same-day response, onsite repair1
- Enhanced 30-minute response time for Severity 1 and 2 issues
- IBM Software Maintenance or SupportLine for Storage
- Predictive analytics for Power, LinuxONE, and Storage
- Dedicated support from a Technical Account Manager (TAM)
- Remote code loads (once or twice yearly)
1 Onsite response target objective starts after problem determination.
When Expert Care is not available
IBM Hardware Maintenance
IBM Hardware Maintenance (HWMA) provides single-source support to help you optimize your IT infrastructure while helping reduce the cost of downtime. IBM offers the flexibility to purchase services during your warranty period, as a warranty service upgrade, and even after the warranty period lapses. Using proprietary tools, IBM technicians can predict and proactively address risks and exposures that may impact the availability of your hybrid cloud IT infrastructure and provide timely resolution in an incident occurs.
IBM Software Maintenance
IBM Software Maintenance services, also known as subscription and support, provides subscriptions, fixes and new code defect support for IBM Power operating systems, IBM Storage systems software and associated IBM software products. With access to IBM Entitled Systems Support of IBM Fix Central proprietary tools, IBM Software Maintenance is designed to provide comprehensive coverage for software license acquisition, product upgrades and remotely delivered technical support. Subscriptions give entitlement to product upgrades, fixes and fix packages. Support includes access to new code defect support from IBM labs and development teams. IBM provides remote software support, usage advice, guidance and defect support that's available 24x7 for Severity 1 mission-critical problems.
Proactive Support
IBM's proactive support expands the level of support provided by base maintenance to go beyond break-and-fix support and engage our support experts, who collaborate with you to help you accomplish your IT support management goals. Proactive support includes enhanced response times as well as dedicated support from a Technical Account Manager. Additional options for IBM Power and Storage include Microcode Analysis, and Performance Management for IBM Power. For more information see below or contact your IBM representative:
Additional options
Clients can choose from additional support services based on their individual needs.
| Additional support services | Expert Care Basic | Expert Care Advanced | Expert Care Premium | Hardware Maintenance | Software Maintenance | Hardware Service Extension | Software Service Extension |
| Committed Maintenance Service Levels* | yes | yes | yes | ||||
| Machine Set-up Services | yes | yes | yes | yes | |||
| On-site and Remote Code Load | yes | yes | yes | yes | |||
| Media Retention | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||
| Parts Locker | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||
| Country Based Support (US only) | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | |
| Media Destruction (US and CA only) | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | ||
| Software On-site Response (Asia Pacific countries only) | yes |
*applicable for certain products and locations only
Machine Set up Services - On-site expert support for installation, configuration, and updates
Media Retention - retain possession of defective media when being replaced via a service activity to ensure proper controls associated with protection of personal information
Media Destruction (US/CA only) - IBM Media Destruction Services includes degaussing, shredding, decommissioning and disposition.
SW onsite Response (APAC only)
Global Total Microcode Support - choose one or two services – analysis examines all systems included in your contract, the interaction between those systems, and dependencies among hardware, microcode levels, device drivers and operating systems. When update service is included IBM will implement recommended updated. Clients may be able to choose between remote and onsite code load.
Committed Maintenance Service Levels – choose from 4 to 72 hour fix time to enhance service levels and speed problem resolution.
At the end of Standard Support
IBM Hardware Service Extension
After IBM has announced end of standard support for specified systems, IBM may offer limited support with an IBM Hardware Service Extension, to include remote assistance, from IBM’s support center or via electronic access, and on-site assistance. On-site repair is subject to the availability of repair parts and resources and does not include repairs that require software, engineering, or development support. Response time and availability of parts may vary by country or location.
IBM Software Service Extension
IBM Software Service Extension provides clients with ongoing support for IBM software that has reached end of standard support including continued access to IBM support for “how to” questions, usage issues, and new and known defect support.
Infrastructure Services
Leverage IBM Technology Lifecycle Services as your strategic partner for infrastructure services beyond break / fix and proactive support. IBM TLS offers infrastructure services for IBM and multi-vendor technologies, providing additional resources that clients can depend on to deliver special projects, advise on infrastructure strategy, build out solutions, operate the data center on a day-to-day basis and optimize infrastructure solutions through to end of life.
IBM Client Services Management - IBM Client Services Management (CSM) offers a broad range of project management activities to provide clients with proactive and preventive support. Clients gain flexible access to additional skilled resources when and where needed while having a single point of contact. By taking advantage of IBM CSM services, clients can prevent incidents before they occur and can achieve clear accountability for problems and change management across their heterogeneous IT environments.
IBM Project Services for Infrastructure - IBM Project Services for Infrastructure provides hardware-agnostic and software task-based services that are not included in standard maintenance support or remote technical support contracts, ensuring that your hardware and software stays up to date and performs optimally. IBM Project Services for Infrastructure is available for special events such as relocation, physical inventory inspection and even data center operations.
IBM IT Sustainability Optimization Assessment - IBM IT Sustainability Optimization Assessment is a remote service designed to provide actionable recommendations to realize performance efficiencies and reduce IT energy consumption, helping clients to drive cost take out actions and reduce IT energy costs within their virtualized on-prem infrastructure, all while maintaining workloads.
IBM Data Erasure Services - IBM’s Data Erasure Services offering provides an alternative to managing end-of-life devices and data in the client’s data center, removing data in a security-rich environment across all types of drives and vendor technologies.
IBM Asset Recovery and Disposition - IBM’s Asset Recovery and Disposition offering provides an alternative end-to-end solution that enables a circular economy for de-installed assets, helping you to prepare your assets, remove equipment, assess actual value, and then resell your assets in compliance with both GDPR and ISO 14001.
For more information about IBM Technology Lifecycle Services infrastructure support offerings, please reach out to your IBM representative.