Cloud Support Conditions

This document sets out the current support terms and conditions for Astun’s Cloud Software Services for all Astun customers. This version supersedes all previous versions of these terms and conditions.

Astun reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions by giving 60 days notice by email and posting the current version at:

https://www.astuntechnology.com/cloud-support-conditions/

Cloud Software Services Support

Cloud Software Services Support comprises two elements:

  • Application Support, which is included as part of all Astun Cloud Software services agreements. 
  • Customer Specific Support, which can be called off against the Astun Consultancy Service (“Call-Off”) days that you may have pre-purchased as an addition to your Astun Cloud Software services agreement or purchased outside of your agreement.

General conditions

  1. Application Support is limited to the Cloud Software Services detailed within your agreement and queries and problems that relate to those services. 
  2. The Customer agrees to ensure that at least one nominated member of staff are suitably trained in the management and use of the Cloud Software Services that are detailed within your agreement, and that from time to time they will undertake appropriate update training (at the Customer’s expense) if so requested by Astun.
  3. Astun will usually show or instruct the Customer how to resolve a problem or achieve a result rather than doing it on their behalf. 
  4. Astun will refer the Customer to our Frequently Asked Questions, or to the Support Forum on the Astun Support site, or send written instructions for the resolution of a query or problem if applicable.
  5. If, in Astun’s opinion, the quickest resolution to a problem will be achieved by Astun support staff having direct online access to a Customer’s system we will notify you and request such access
    1. Any cost of licences for access or other related cost shall be the Customer’s responsibility
    2. The customer undertakes to provide prompt access, any costs incurred by Astun or the Customer due to delays in providing access shall be the Customer’s responsibility
  6. If you require Astun to undertake tasks that are, in our opinion, within the reasonable scope of a competent trained system administrator you will be required to make a request using pre-purchased Astun Consultancy Service (“Call-Off”) days or to purchase additional days.
  7. All support provision is subject to our Fair Use Policy.

What is included in iShare in the Application Support

  1. Subject to payment of the Charges as detailed in your agreement, Astun shall provide the following Application Support:
    1. Advice on maintaining the service(s)
    2. Access to official and community forums
    3. Advice on configuring and extending the service(s)
    4. Instructions on how to remedy common faults
    5. Resolution of issues related directly to a serious flaw in the service(s)
  2. The Customer may obtain Application support by logging a request on Astun’s Support Portal
  3. Astun will allocate an employee to any new case (support incident) and provide a Case Identifier to the Customer. The employee shall be responsible for contacting the Customer, and diagnosing and resolving the case
  4. The provision of support is dependent upon the Customer providing adequate information to enable Astun to diagnose and reproduce any errors in the Application at Astun’s own offices
  5. Astun will provide the support service during normal working hours, which are between 09.00 and 17.00 GMT, Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays
  6. Astun will implement any patches (error corrections) within a maximum of 7 days of release

What is included in Customer Specific Support

  1. Customer Specific Support includes advice on or resolution of problems with:
    1. Any custom web page, data configuration or data manipulation processes
    2. Custom configuration of Applications
    3. Bespoke developments
    4. Integration with other systems
    5. Data
    6. Additional support required because of any changes, alterations, additions, modifications or variations to the customer’s IT infrastructure other than those arising due to the introduction of updates
    7. Attendance to faults caused by using the Applications outside design or other specifications or outside the provisions laid down in any documentation or manual supplied with the Applications
    8. Applications not included within this Agreement
    9. The underlying OSGeo technologies on which the Applications are built (including but not limited to PostGIS, MapServer and OpenLayers)
    10. Diagnosis and/or rectification of problems not associated with the Applications
  2. Astun will deduct the appropriate amount of time from your Astun Consultancy Service (Call-Off) days (see below) (or if such hours are not pre-purchased make additional charges) for Customer Specific Support requested by the Customer regardless of whether or not it is specifically covered 1.a to 1.j above.

Note: Time deducted from Customer’s Astun Consultancy Service (“Call-Off”) days

Cloud Software Updates

  1. Astun will notify the Customer of its release strategy from time to time and, provided the charges as detailed in your agreement are paid, will make updates available to the Customer at no further cost within 30 days of release.
  2. Astun will evaluate the impact of an update on a customer’s specific implementation and advise on any additional work required.
  3. The Customer may request Astun to provide additional services identified in 2 above by utilising Astun Consultancy Service (“Call-Off”) days or by purchasing additional Astun Consultancy Service Days
  4. The Customer is responsible for testing updates at their own expense. 

Astun Consultancy Service (“Call Off”) days

  1. Customers are encouraged to pre-purchase a block of Astun Consultancy Service days (“Call-Off”) for Customer Specific Support as part of their agreement.
  2. The Customer must provide a nominated contact who will be responsible for the creation of consultancy requests.
    1. The nominated contact will be responsible for acceptance of any deliverables.  
    2. Where deliverables have neither been accepted nor has written comment been received within six weeks of delivery then the Astun will consider the deliverables as accepted.
  3. Astun provides such “Call-Off” on a time and materials basis. “Call-Off” days are based on 7 hours per day (“Call-Off Hours”).  “Call-Off” hours are recorded in 30 minute intervals with parts thereof being considered as 30 minutes.  
  4. A monthly statement of your “Call-Off” Hours used can be provided to the nominated contact upon request.  
  5. Pre-purchased blocks of “Call-Off” days must be used within twelve months of purchase and cannot be carried forward to subsequent years.
  6. The scheduling of consultancy requests is to be by agreement between Astun and the Customer.  

Support Classification and Target Response Times

Incidents shall be classified as to the effect that they have on the Customer’s operational system. The following severity classification shall be used to determine the Support Ticket response. Astun shall ensure all faults in the applications are classified in accordance with the following:

#Severity ClassDefinitionAssessment Timeframe
P1EmergencyApplication problem resulting in serious loss or degradation of service or serious loss of functionality.2 hours 
P2UrgentApplication problem that reduces system security or data integrity, or which represents a serious threat to service. 4 hours 
P3Non-urgentLow level applications or procedural problems requiring resolution in defined time scales. 5 working days 
P4LowOther low level applications or procedural problems10 working days 

Note: 

  • Our Guaranteed Response time is under 2 hours for all ticket classifications.
  • Our Assessment Timeframe, is the period in which a Consultant will be assigned to review your ticket. 
  • The above timings are calculated by Astun, within our Standard Business Hours, so far as reasonable and practicable, in response to Support Tickets raised by the Customer.

Escalation Procedure

We will allocate a specific and suitably qualified employee to any reported error in the software and provide a Case Identifier to the customer, allowing them to track progress in our support system. In the event of a fault not being resolved to the satisfaction of the customer, the issue will initially be handled by the customer’s Account Manager with the option to escalate to the Managing Director.

Fair Use Policy

The aim of this policy is to ensure that no single client dominates Astun’s support services to such an extent that it compromises the service it offers to the rest of its clients.

Related Terms and Conditions

Last updated April 2024