Specops Support

Service Level Agreement

Support and maintenance services for Specops software and service(s) (“Support Services”) are included with subscription licensing for software and service(s) on any accepted Quotation(s), as defined in the Agreement. Support Services are not included in trial versions of any software or service provided for evaluation purposes.

Support Services

Subject to the timely payment of any fees related to the Outpost24 Master Agreement, which is accessible at outpost24.com/legal, as updated from time to time (“Agreement”), Specops will provide Support Services related to the software and service(s) during the term of the Agreement or any accepted Quotation(s) as applicable.

The Support Services cover questions related to the installation, configuration and operation of the software and service(s). Specops reserves the right to limit each request to a single issue to be prioritized by the urgency of the issue to be resolved. Business hours (“Business Hours”) are defined as 2AM-8PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) or 8AM to 2AM Central European Time (CET), Monday to Friday, public holidays excluded.

Specops has no obligation to provide Support Services if it reasonably determines (in its sole but reasonable discretion) that a request for support under the Agreement falls in one of the following categories:

1. Failures in the underlying IT infrastructure of the Customer, which directly or indirectly affects the performance of the software and service(s).
2. Problems related to third-party software not supplied by Specops.
3. Requests related to business practices, consulting services or training.
4. Product functionality not included with the software and service(s).
5. Acts of omission by the Customer or any user authorized by the Customer to use the software and service(s).
6. Failure by any third party.
7. Events outside of Specops’ reasonable control.

Assistance related to the above topics may still be provided on a consultancy basis in exchange for further fees outside the scope of any previously accepted Quotation(s).

Language

All Support Services are offered in the English language unless otherwise agreed by the parties.

Customer representative

The Customer shall appoint at least one individual to be the representative of the Customer responsible for all communication with Specops regarding the Support Services covered by the Agreement. The appointed representative(s) shall submit all support requests to Specops through one of the provided support channels.

Support channels

Specops maintains and monitors the following support channels, which are the valid points of contact when submitting requests for Support Services under the Agreement:

Support priorities

Incoming support requests are prioritized according to the severity of the request:

Severity level will be determined by Specops based on support request.

Service level measurements

The service level standards to be measured are “Initial Contact”, and “Escalation Time”.

Start Time = time stamp of when Specops receives the support request from Customer.

Initial Contact = Shall mean the time with which a Specops team member first notifies Customer (Start Time) of an issue or, if Customer initiates first contact, the time within which a Specops team member responds to Customer.

Escalation time = Defines the time from Initial Contact to escalation for resolution. Specops will inform Customer of progress within this time period with an estimate of resolution time.

Specops reserves the right to close any submitted case if the Customer fails to perform suggested corrective actions or to keep Specops informed of the progress on their end. Cases may be reopened at any time at the request of the Customer.

Measurements for the purpose of determining meeting the service level will be performed on a monthly basis upon Customer’s request. If Specops, by notice from Customer and reviewed by Specops for accuracy, fails to meet the service level once or multiple times within any one (1) calendar month period, Customer shall receive a ten (10) percent credit to the next monthly subscription fee or support and maintenance fee, pro-rated if fees are paid annually. Such credit shall constitute the full and exclusive remedy for any failures by Specops to reach service levels regarding the Support Services.

Software Update to Latest Version

Specops reserves the right to request that the Customer installs an updated version of the licensed software if it determines (in its sole and reasonable discretion) that it is the best way to resolve a reported problem.

Software updates are provided to the Customer free of charge in accordance with the Software Maintenance section below, however, additional fees for installation services provided by Specops if requested by the Customer may apply.

If the Customer fails to comply with a request from Specops to install an updated version of the licensed software, any further entitlement to Support Services related to the reported problem are forfeited.

Software Maintenance

Subject to the timely payment of any fees related to this Agreement, Specops will provide maintenance services related to the Software licensed by the Customer during the term of this Agreement.

The maintenance services include all upgrades, updates and revisions to the licensed Software which Specops makes available during the term of the Agreement, which the Customer is entitled to install and use without any additional fees.

Any new version of the software which the Customer installs and uses subsequently counts as the Customer’s licensed version of the software.

The latest released version of the licensed Software is available for download at: https://specopssoft.com.

Software Upgrades

From time to time Specops will release upgraded versions of the software. These upgrades are denoted by an increment in the major version number of the software, such as changing the version number from 1.9 to 2.0.

Software upgrades typically include new features and functionality or other changes to the architecture of the software. Some software upgrades require a new license key to be used with the licensed software after it has been installed.

If applicable, new license keys can be requested from Specops as required by the Customer.

Software Updates

From time to time Specops will release updated versions of the software. These updates are denoted by an increment in the minor version number of the software, such as changing the version number from 1.9 to 1.10. Software updates typically include bug fixes and general improvements, but may also include new features and functionality.

Trial and Evaluation

In order to use the service(s) you must register a customer account representing the Customer, and the Customer’s organization, and enable the use of the service(s) in an associated Active Directory domain. The account registration details must always contain:

1. A customer name accurately reflecting the name of the Customer.
2. Email domain(s) registered to the Customer or an authorized agent or representative of the organization.
3. A valid email address where Specops can reach the contact responsible for the Customer’s account.

If you are creating an account on behalf of a legal entity other than yourself, this represents and warrants that you are authorized to do so. Specops holds the Customer responsible for any actions taken in the service(s) by the users or administrators registered to the account. The terms of the service(s) may change, as required, in response to changes in the services and technologies. Notifications of such changes will be sent to the registered administrator for each account.

The Specops services can be trialed for up to 25 Active Directory user accounts, registered to the Customer’s account, for up to 30 days. During such trial period, Specops grants the Customer a limited, non-exclusive, non-assignable and non-transferable license to access the service and utilize any software components referenced in Specops’ documentation for the sole purpose of evaluating any of the supported services.

This trial version is offered free of charge, however, Specops reserves the right to modify, limit, suspend or terminate such access at any time, without notice to the Customer. Should any account exceed 25 registered Active Directory user accounts, the Customer’s trial subscription will no longer be valid, and the Customer will be asked to contact Specops to obtain a paid subscription to the service(s) in accordance with the Agreement.

Service Availability

Specops uses commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that the services are available for use at all times. Specops guarantees a minimum uptime of its services of 99.95 percent. Uptime does not include planned maintenance windows by Specops, which will be completed, to the best of its ability, outside of normal business hours. Other acceptable exceptions to availability may still be caused by:

1. Planned downtime (as communicated to the registered administrator for the Customer’s account at least 24 hours in advance).
2. Circumstances beyond Specops’ reasonable control, including, but not limited to, disasters such as fire, flooding or earthquakes, civil unrest, acts of government, acts of terror, internet service provider failures or denial of service attacks.

In the event of a service interruption, Specops will use commercially reasonable efforts to quickly restore full service availability.

If Specops, by notice from Customer and reviewed by Specops for accuracy, fails to meet the service levels within any one (1) calendar month period, Customer shall receive a ten (10) per cent credit to the next monthly subscription fee, pro-rated if fees are paid annually. Such credit shall constitute the full and exclusive remedy for any failures by Specops to reach service levels regarding service uptime.