Support Policy
Support Policy [U.S.]
NovaBACKUP NovaStor Technical Support
Mission Statement
NovaStor Technical Support is committed to provide a high level of professional support to our customers and partners, enabling their success with NovaStor’s software solutions and technologies. Our support teams in the U.S. and Germany consist of highly qualified support engineers who identify with our customers’ goals.
We aim to provide timely, accurate solutions to our customers by offering expertise and handing out appropriate sources of information and assistance. NovaStor maintains a high level of technical knowledge and competency in our support engineers and provides the team opportunities to exceed.
Our customers’ and partners’ success with our products is considered as our responsibility: we listen to your input in order to assist with the continued improvement of our services and products.
Overview
The purpose of this document is to provide you with an overview of NovaStor’s support service options and information on how to access NovaStor Technical Support resources.
The guidelines apply to support services for the following NovaStor products:
- NovaBACKUP PC
- NovaBACKUP Server
- NovaBACKUP Business Essentials
- NovaBACKUP for Buffalo
- NovaBACKUP Network
- NovaStor Storage Server (xSP)
- NovaStor Remote Workforce (RWF)
- NovaStor DataCenter
Contents
- Support Services Overview
- Online Support
- Free Trial Support
- NovaBACKUP for Buffalo Customers
- NovaCare Support Plans
- Restore Support
- Complementary Support Services
- Setup Assistance Support
- Enterprise Solution Training
- Partner Benefits
- Not-For-Resale Licenses (NFR Licenses)
- Support Request Processing
- Submitting a Support Request Online
- Support Request Ticketing
- Support Request Closure
- Customer Satisfaction Surveys
- Supported Versions of NovaStor Software Products
- We do not accept Support Requests for discontinued versions.
- NovaBACKUP PC, Server, Business Essentials, for Buffalo, xSP and RWF
- NovaStor DataCenter (and Network)
- Update and Upgrade Policy
- Product Update
- Product Upgrade
- Product Upgrade Protection Policy
1 Support Services Overview
NovaStor presents its customers with a range of support offerings that are designed to meet the support requirements of every customer who is in need of our assistance.
Online Support
NovaStor offers a range of informational material accessible to all our customers.
- The NovaBACKUP Knowledgebase is an online resource center that contains all publicly available information on NovaStor’s above listed products.
- The Documentation section of NovaStor’s website offers product documentation and release notes for all major release versions, and currently released products when available.
- Training videos and webinars are available in the webinar section of NovaStor’s website and offer introductions to selected products as well as training units on selected core tasks of data protection with NovaStor products.
- Email Support is available for all supported NovaStor products by submitting a support request online at support.novabackup.com/portal.
Free Trial Support
For 15 consecutive calendar days starting with the date of either the registration of the evaluation software or the product registration, you may freely access the online support options, and submit your support requests online in order to receive an individual answer to your question from our support team within one business day.
NovaStor Storage Server (xSP), NovaStor Remote Workforce (RWF), NovaStor DataCenter Solutions have a 30 day free trial period.
Free Trial Support is available for all of the above listed NovaStor products.
NovaBACKUP for Buffalo Customers
NovaBACKUP for Buffalo products only include Email Support, as defined above.
To redeem a NovaBACKUP for Buffalo product please visit http://buffalo.novabackup.com
In addition, NovaBACKUP for Buffalo Products do not include a NovaCare Support plan unless purchased separately. More information on how to purchase NovaCare for NovaBACKUP for Buffalo Products can be found at https://get.novabackup.com/novabackup-buffalo
NovaCare Support Plans
NovaCare plans add phone support and free updates / upgrades to ensure that you always have the latest product.
NovaCare support is designed to provide professional support for NovaStor products. NovaCare provides support to any employee using our software. We wish, however, to point out that online communication is most efficient and successful when IT professionals are involved at the customer site.
Each NovaCare support plan runs for a year starting with the date of purchase, unless otherwise specified.
Products purchased as part of a subscription include NovaCare support. As long as the subscription remains active, you are covered by NovaCare.
To check your NovaCare support status, enter your key on our Support page.
Restore Support
Restore support is available at no additional change for customers with an active NovaCare plan.
Restore support can be requested by submitting a support request online or calling our NovaStor support number. Restore support is available for all of the above listed NovaStor products.
Please note: A successful data restore depends on the measures that customers have taken to protect their data. NovaStor can therefore not guarantee a successful restore, but support customers in an optimal manner during the process.
2 Complementary Support Services
In addition to the standard support services described above, NovaStor offers a range of services upon individual arrangement.
Setup Assistance Support
Setup Assistance support is available at no charge to NovaBACKUP Server and Business Essentials customers. Upon purchase, customers will receive a link to schedule a Setup Assistance call with a NovaStor support engineer.
These customers are entitled to receive a phone call at the scheduled time and date and a remote assistance session from NovaStor’s support team to help them install and configure the software on their system. This is valid for a single installation within 30 days of purchase.
Enterprise Solution Training
NovaStor DataCenter, xSP and Remote Workforce customers are eligible to receive remote installation, training and setup assistance.
3 Partner Benefits
Not-For-Resale Licenses (NFR Licenses)
NovaStor equips partners with NFR licenses that allow partners to evaluate one or more NovaStor product/s over a longer time than the standard evaluation period.
NFR Licenses are licenses for evaluation and demonstration purposes only and not for production use.
NFR Licenses are only available under the terms of NovaBACKUP’s NFR Agreement. For further details please contact NovaBACKUP at partner@novabackup.com
4 Support Request Processing
Whether you contact us via email or the Support Request Form, we will promptly log your support request and quickly assign your issue to the appropriate support engineer. The following sections detail the life cycle of a support request and explains best practices, our processes and your options as the issue progresses. Here are general recommendations for contacting us by email or website.
Submitting a Support Request Online
If you have an active Support Plan, or are entitled to Complimentary Support, you can Submit a Support request from our website.
To Submit a support request, go to the Support Section of NovaBACKUP’s website, and click "Submit a Ticket". You can also visit our support portal to reach the same form.
Once there, fill out the necessary fields and provide a detailed problem description.
Please include your License Key (preferred), Cleverbridge Order reference number, or email used at the time of purchase when submitting the Support Request Form. This is necessary as our Support Request System will identify your support status from this information.
Support Request Ticketing
- After you submitting your Support Request, our Ticket System assigns a unique ticket number (Ticket ID) to your request. These ticket numbers allow NovaStor Support to prioritize and track all requests through to resolution, and allow the customer to get a status update of their case via the Support section of our Website.
- You will receive an email with the Ticket ID assigned to your request and the link to your support request in the support system. Always record your Ticket ID and please ensure that you have it readily available if you are calling our support team in reference to an existing case.
- Please review the confirmation email is received as this is the same channel Technical Support will respond to any open ticket. Additional information may be requested after completing the ticket submission.
- You can view the status of your support request and annotate your request any time via the NovaStor Support Website. Use the link you received in the response email to your ticket submission. You can also simply reply to the response email to update your support ticket.
- You can close your support ticket if you found a solution to your problem. Tickets closed this way will no longer be visible to the support team.
- If a remote session is requested by NovaStor Technical Support:
- We only utilize TeamViewer for remote connections. A no-install QuickSupport module is available at novabackup.com/teamviewer
- The customer MUST be on the phone with a support representative throughout the session
- The customer MUST be able to control the machine themselves (physically or remotely) throughout the session (i.e. watch anything we do)
- The customer will enter any required credentials themselves
- Technical Support will NOT make changes to your system without verbal confirmation, we are here to support our product, not your operating environment
- If a customer does not agree with these terms, a remote session will NOT be initiated under any circumstance
Support Request Closure
Excluding cases described in the above section a Support Request is typically closed when you confirm that a resolution is reached or if we do not hear back from you after three attempts. We may also close Support Requests if we cannot resolve, or choose not to resolve certain issues.
You will be notified by e-mail when your support request will be closed; however, you can reopen your ticket by responding to the ticket again, if the ticket was closed more than 60 days ago, you will need to open a new ticket.
Please be sure before reopening a particular Ticket that your comment is not a new support issue, which requires a new ticket submission.
Customer Satisfaction Surveys
The current and future services we offer are based largely on feedback from you. Your satisfaction with our services is the only way we measure our success. Thereto we conduct customer satisfaction surveys that give you the opportunity to let us know how we are doing. These responses are for internal review for determining what we need to work on.
5 Supported Versions of NovaStor Software Products
As a general policy, the current and previous major version of our products are supported by Technical Support. Our release cycle is typically annually for Major versions.
Documentation and related Knowledgebase articles for unsupported versions of NovaStor products may remain available on the NovaStor Website.
We do not accept Support Requests for discontinued versions.
NovaBACKUP PC, Server, Business Essentials, for Buffalo, xSP and RWF
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Current Version:
19.x
Previous Version
18.x
Released:
June 2017
Released:
June 2016
NovaStor DataCenter (and Network)
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Current Version:
7.x
Previous Version
6.x
Released:
November 2017
Released:
April 2016
6 Update and Upgrade Policy
We provide software releases to fix problems uncovered in our current products. We use two mechanisms to provide bug fixes:
Product Update
Updates provide important fixes to NovaStor products that could affect you. By keeping your software updated, you ensure that you are running on the latest version with all of the latest fixes. Product Updates are released regularly.
To check your update and upgrade eligibility, visit our upgrade page.
The NovaStor email notification system allows you to remain up-to-date on current events, latest updates for your products, as well as new product releases. To subscribe please check the appropriate box in your registration form.
Being a registered user of one or more NovaStor products, you are entitled to free updates to this product until a new major release is launched that changes the version number of the product in front of the dot, e.g. from version 18.7 to 19.0, in accordance with the specific update policy.
Product Upgrade
An Upgrade refers to a new version of NovaStor products that contain major enhancements, new features or significantly improved functionality, thus we are committed to further development of our software. However, NovaStor does not assume any obligations concerning any dates of new version releases. Upgrades are signified by a major version number change. For example, a major upgrade from version 18.x would be 19.x.
If you have an active NovaCare plan you are entitled to free product upgrades. If you do not have active NovaCare, a full version will need to be purchased as upgrade purchases are no longer available for the NovaBACKUP product line. Occasionally discounts are made available to help customers get upgraded to the latest version.
When purchasing the product initially, it will include a full year of NovaCare, which entitles you to all new major releases and versions for as long as you maintain your NovaCare plan without interruption, as specified below.
NovaBACKUP subscription plans include NovaCare support. All active NovaBACKUP subscriptions are entitled to updates and upgrades.
If you purchased a NovaStor product that includes maintenance, it includes a full year of product updates and upgrades from the initial purchase date. As long as your maintenance remains active, you will continue to be entitled to product updates and upgrades.
To check your update and upgrade eligibility, visit our upgrade page.
7 Product Upgrade Protection Policy
By purchasing a NovaStor product with NovaCare, a maintenance plan, or one of our subscription products, the customer ensures that their software is always kept up-to-date with the latest version of the software - without having to worry about any extra upgrade costs. NovaStor’s software continues to be developed and improved in response to customer needs and new technological advances, to ensure the best software is being provided. It is in the best interest of the customer to take advantage of these developments in the most cost-effective way.
During the term covered by NovaCare or maintenance plan, customers are entitled to receive all generally-released new versions of their NovaStor software title(s), including both updates and major releases, changes, service packs and patches for the product. In other words you can always download updates and upgrades for free, as long as your NovaCare, maintenance plan, or subscription remains active.
If you have any questions about our NovaCare protection plans, please contact us at ols@novabackup.com
Disclaimer
This document has been created for your convenience. Nothing in this document conveys a contractual right to you, or a commitment from NovaStor. NovaStor reserves the right to make changes and amendments to this document and change any support policies referenced here at its discretion.