Q. Saving money on our maintenance spend is important but uptime is key to us, what is TERiX measurement?
A. TERiX measures our performance to first call fix inside SLA statistics as collected by the Gartner Group and to parts quality metrics and phone call-back times, onsite arrival times, parts availability and to escalation rate percentages.  TERiX statistics exceed those of the OEM and large integrators.  These are the factors that lead to increased satisfaction and system uptime.  This is where our attention is focused.  TERiX position is that the support has to be better - and the fact that it can also cost less - is just icing on the cake. 

Q. I have been hearing more and more about the Oracle purchase of Sun Microsystems and am worried about our OEM support, what can you tell me about the future?
A. We can tell you that TERiX is an independent maintenance company that has been on your side of the desk for 13 years and that the future you speak of has many unknowns.  Since we support all UNIX platforms and operating systems, our view is neutral to the OEM positions.  What is not in question is that Oracle has publicly stated that products will be bundled and some product lines eliminated.  Oracle is a software company.  What is also not in question is that for many quarters prior to the EU approval, Sun declared six digit losses each month and shed thousands of employees and engineers.  The future of development and support from a customer view is anyone’s guess and only time will tell how successful the offerings emerge and in what form.  The questions you have are valid and the fears of what the future will hold are real.  TERiX offers a safe solution for support needs - where products never end-of-life.   

Q. The Storage OEM we use says that only they can support our platforms with call-home, is that true?
A.  You will hear this type of comment from many OEM and not just on storage platforms - but don’t believe the hype.  There are a number of ways that this statement can be false - if you are working with a legitimate company who understands the rules and plays by them.  Would it surprise you to know that the OEM themselves might be the largest user of third party support in the world?  Believe it.  It is important to work with a support company that protects the intellectual property of any third party from infringement, and where necessary, develops their own products for call-home or other support solutions - and TERiX is that company.  We build and leverage those tools. 

Q. We have some items that have been End-of-Service-Life (EOSL) - can you support them?
A. Yes.  At TERiX, products do not have an end to life where support SLA is not available.  The current economic situation facing many companies has them requiring added life from their server, storage and network inventory in the data center.  TERiX supports new systems manufactured months ago - and the latest operating system versions, but also systems that are decades old.  There is nothing more agonizing for a customer to hear than the OEM telling them that system support is now only available on a time and materials or best effort basis.  TERiX has the experience, parts, people and flexibility, to continue to support OEM EOSL systems and increase their service life - with the same SLA you expect for your data center and uptime requirements.

 Q. Explain what is meant when TERiX talks about “FIX FIRST”?
A. FIX FIRST is a TERiX written policy that states that once you are a TERiX customer that we will respond to your service request for support, even when the system in question is not covered by us under a current contract, or is covered at a lower service level than needed, or in a different location than we currently support for you.  Our policy allows us to service customer critical situations - 7x24x365 when they are in pain and need us, and then work on administrative issues of adding to contract or paying a time and material ticket later.  While this is probably much different from the way your current provider treats your relationship, it is a cultural difference that sets TERiX apart.

Q. Our vendor states they are a TERiX channel partner.  Is it better for me to order with you directly?
A. You can be confident that the same TERiX service and deliverables you receive from TERiX direct are also a value you receive when engaged by one of our many channel partners.  TERiX partners offer key values because many of them offer hardware and software sale or services that meet customer needs.  TERiX support is just one more solution they can bring to you. 

Q. What is TERiX current financial condition?
A. While we are a private company, and don’t publish financial result, I can tell you that TERiX is financially strong.  We have been growing each and every year at an average of 35%/year for 13 years.  The company has no debt and has great cash on hand, cash flow and open lines of credit.  In recent years, TERiX has purchased other companies - cash.  TERiX focus is on maintenance and support of the data center customer and as such, we leverage all of our strength toward our mission of better service - better value globally.

Q. We saw that TERiX has patent products and their own intellectual property.  Why is this important?
A. TERiX has developed and will continue to develop our own tools and technologies where value can be added to the service delivery process, and in some cases, where it is necessary to protect the IP of others.  TERiX support is more like OEM support in this manner, in that the traditional measures of people, parts and process are augmented by specialized tools and technologies.  TERiX tools assist in patch management, call-home, snapshot and compare and monitoring in their use associated with various server and storage platforms, and can be selected for use as an option on some platform support agreements, while on others, they are in-built and included.  TERiX solutions are about creating the right service support structure to meet an individual customer or partner need.

Q. Our outsourcer for data center support uses TERiX in its deliverables and we are adding international sites, can you help?
A. TERiX serves large OEM and Systems Integrators in a Strategic division - so seeing TERIX engagement inside of a large vendor offering is common.  Even better, that same TERiX deliverable is available in the US and 48 countries around the world.  TERiX has hundreds of customers who are headquartered somewhere other than the US and rely on us for support.  Many are industry vertical titans with a brand that is envied by peers.  In short, count on TERiX for strong delivery internationally.  Whether you are selecting TERiX through a large integrator, or directly, you are streamlining your support infrastructure - and leveraging this volume for added savings too.

Q. What does TERiX mean when they state there is an “Interoperability” policy for us to count on?
A. TERiX provides “Interoperability” as a written policy to our customers and what it means is that TERiX understands the nature of service events and their complexity, and that a support partner should not close a ticket or refuse to assist - pointing fingers at other companies when it comes to data center support on hardware a software related issues.  TERiX commits to stay engaged and be a collaborative team member toward resolution, representing the things we are hired to support, and continue engaged, participate in conference calls, even if appears that resolution lies elsewhere with another provider.  Interoperability helps mitigate finger pointing and increases resolution time - because that is why you hired us right?

Q. Can I receive a Ticketing System login and ID?
A. TERiX provides ticketing system credentials to all of our customers for their use in opening, interacting, monitoring and reporting on events in their TERiX support relationship.  Our sales teams also provide demonstration of the system to prospective customers or partners.  The system is available 7x24x365 and allows for a real-time service experience on an event basis for system administration and IT teams as well as a monitoring basis for customer management teams.  Of course, we offer toll-free numbers in the US and many countries, but the ticketing system is very popular with customers and all data and information reside there as a time-stamped record no matter how you interact with TERiX.  Login credentials are issued with our “Welcome” process along with user manuals and a meet and greet process during transition.  You can issue as many “sub-login” under your credential as is needed for other staff in your firm.