UPDATE 12/12/12:
I just realized that this table is out of date. Way, way out of date. Please don’t refer to this table until I’ve updated it. I’m keeping it here just for reference but right now, as you can see from the Software Assurance 2006 reference this thing is ancient. I have an updated chart to post.
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Recently, I had someone ask me the question:
What’s the difference between Microsoft’s ‘Professional Support’ & ‘Premier Support’?”
Really big question, but it starts with the chart below:
| Offering Brand | Professional Support | 24×7 Profess. Support | Software Assurance 2006 | Essential Support | Premier Support Family | |
| Key Benefits | Key Features | |||||
| Problem Resolution Support – Phone | All products covered | X5 | X5 | X1 | X3 | X3 |
| Incidents / hours – Fixed Amount based on package | X | X | X | |||
| Business hours – coverage in local language | X | X | X4 | X | X | |
| After hours – coverage for English language/English product | X | X | X | X | ||
| After hours – coverage for non-English language | X2 | X | X | |||
| Incidents – Earned based on SA Spend | X | |||||
| Incidents / hours – Flexible | X | |||||
| 24×7 Critical Situation Escalation Management | X | |||||
| Rapid Onsite Support | X | |||||
| 1 hour response | X | |||||
| Knowledge Transfer | Proactive Information Distribution, Microsoft Premier Online, etc. | X | X | |||
| Direct Relationship (e.g., Support Account Management, Account Profiling and Reporting, etc.)
|
Phone-based | X | X | |||
| Onsite | X | |||||
| Proactive Services | ||||||
| Support Services | X | X | ||||
| Health Check and Infrastructure Workshop, Global and Regional | X | |||||
X = Service is available.
1 Any product that is in the mainstream phase of the product lifecycle and is eligible for SA Benefits, except Developer tools and Developer editions of all server and Home and Entertainment products.
2 After business hours, support will be provided on issues that are business critical. Support will be in English; however, some local language interpreter services may be available. For those non-English language products where interpreter services are not available, customers will be routed to an English speaking support engineer using English to troubleshoot the problem. For those non-English language products where interpreter services are available, customers will have the option of using interpreter services if they prefer to speak in their local language. If we cannot reproduce the problem or read the logs in the local language, we will attempt to resolve the issue using other available resources; otherwise, we will notify you that the issue cannot be resolved in the customer’s local language. Requesting support in a local language may significantly delay resolution. Please visit the Volume Licensing Service Center to verify local language support availability in your country.
3 Products as mentioned in the lifecycle program Microsoft Support Lifecycle. Currently excluded from Premier and Essential Support are the Groove products, Microsoft TV and Microsoft Windows Storage Server.
4 Visit the Volume Licensing Service Center to verify local language availability in your country.
5 24×7 professional support covers problems associated with software and hardware development, network connectivity, server-based technologies, and business-critical systems. Issues can also include problems associated with configuration and deployment of business workstations and servers.
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For more information about the differences between Microsoft Professional Support, 24/7 Problem Resolution Support, & Premier Support, refer to the following links:
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