Upgrade
Don't we have to upgrade to keep maintenance?
This is a common misconception. Perpetual software licenses do not require active maintenance and or upgrades for continued usage of the product. Most of our customers weren't seeing any new features or functions after upgrading, and decided the cost and effort associated with their forced OEM upgrade projects were no longer worth it.
"How can you support our IBM software when you don't have access to the source code?"
“IBM’s base software is rock solid as they have been around for a long time. Their support teams don’t even touch the source codes. In fact 85% of patches released are configuration changes and nothing to do with the source code.
We don’t need access to source code because most IBM products are designed to be very configurable. We have a lot of internal tools to configure and customize it. We will also build workarounds to solve many of the issues.
You can speak with some of our references that have been with us for a long time. They’ll tell you how we’ve been able to solve their problems without access to source codes.”
"Our renewal is at the end of the year, we have time"
Most Origina clients start exploratory conversations anywhere between 6-12 months ahead of their next renewal. This gives them enough time to properly evaluate individual product roadmaps and whether each are a fit for independent support model
Are you an IBM business partner?
No, Origina is a direct competitor with IBM and not affiliated with IBM in any way.
"Do I have access to Upgrade once I switch to Origina?"
We help clients who switch over to Origina download all their entitled fixes, patches and upgrades before their S&S lapses so that they can deploy them as needed in the future.
Once you drop S&S with IBM, you are no longer entitled to future upgrades.
"When we need a fix or a patch, how can Origina provide one?"
Origina is responsible for 100% of your remediations. The majority of our tickets only require a workaround like configuration changes, etc. but although it's rarely needed, we do have the ability to apply code based fixes at the appropriate architectural level.
"We just recently signed a renewal / long-term agreement with IBM"
"Some of our current customers are in the exact same situation, signed an ELA but the reality is their software versions that are going End of Support or are EoS are outside of this agreement, and they must pay three times as much just to get support for known defects only. Origina will support whatever version you have deployed, for as long as your business requires and for significantly less than what IBM will charge.”
"How can you offer this support at 50% off?"
Independent software support is our bread and butter. We don't have the overhead, or other service offerings that IBM does. The majority of IBMs revenue each year is from software maintenance fees so it's pretty easy for us to charge a fraction of the amount and still be profitable.
"Can Origina support our End of Support products?"
Yes, Origina offers full support for all versions, and never requires any upgrades
How did Origina deal with Log4J?
Origina proactively reached out to every existing client and the majority of them found out about Log4J from Origina. We had 117 tickets over 115 customers, and remediated each ticket within 3 days. IBM did not release a fix for Log4J for 6 months.
"We just renewed for a year"
A lot of our current customers started conversations a year our from their renewal. Additionally, if you are running an EOS products, Origina supports all versions with no extended support fee.
"How is your support different from IBMs?"
We offer a more concierge level of support, and are contractually bound by our SLAs to deliver a 30 minute response time on Priority 1 and 2 tickets whereas IBM states they have a 2 hour response "goal". You are assigned 2 named and dedicated Global IBM experts per product group that remain with you for the life of the contract. Your customer success manager is also named and dedicated and is the primary point of contact for any escalations or other inquiries. Lastly, built into the program are 4 hours per quarter of meet the experts consulting sessions where your teams can tap into expertise to discuss anything even if unrelated to your support contract with Origina.
"We need an upgrade/ we need to be on the latest version"
“Many customers we talk to say the main reason they were thinking of an upgrade is simply “end of support”, no ROI or business benefits whatsoever. Even worse, expensive upgrades don’t deliver much value in return for the cost and risk of deployment.
One of the benefits of Origina support is that you don’t have to upgrade based on the vendor’s schedule. You can have the freedom and the option of running your current release for ten years and beyond if you choose to or upgrade when there is a future release with meaningful benefits and ROI, on your timeline and schedule.”
"Has there ever been a vulnerability Origina hasn't been able to fix?"
No, Origina has been able to effectively remediate every vulnerability and ticket.
"We are renewing in 3 months"
This is the perfect time to start conversations with Origina. Typically we start talking with clients 6-12 months in advance, but 3 months is plenty of time for you to learn more about us and evaluate our support option for your IBM products.
What IBM Services do Origina's services replace?
Origina’s service is a replacement for IBM’s S&S sold, and renewed, through IBM IPAA offering. However because of the standard enhancements included in Origina’s service, It is also a replacement for 2 additional services sold by IBM:
1.IBM Extended support agreements
2.IBM Software Accelerated Value Program
"we need to be very careful with our security"
While IBM has provided security patches to customers for decades, the reality is that these patches and updates don’t provide a total solution to security.
Instead, Origina recommends a holistic approach to security that protects your systems holistically.
We strive to take a proactive stance in advising you on best-practice security configurations. Not only do we address security vulnerabilities as they may arise, but we provide a “risk-based” approach. Based on the specific vulnerability, we assess if it applies to you, the likelihood of a breach, and advise you on multiple remediation options as opposed to “one-size fits all” vendor software updates, which may not be applicable and can be detrimental to application stability.