RM CC4 Legal requirement for RM support

[Kennyboy]

Hi,

 

RM keep pushing their support contracts on the schools I support. Is there any legal requirement for them to have a contract with RM or a support Partner? I don't think there is.

 

Thanks,

 

Ken

[gtg93]

No requirement what-so-ever AFAIK. I've supported a few CC3/CC4 sites and we've never had a contract with RM alongside.

[Max_Power]

I don't believe there is a legal requirement. But without a support contract I don't think you are entitled to any of the updates or patches they release which "attempt" to resolve certain bugs or issues.

[Chuckster]

Having support from RM is worth its weight in gold. When we were CC3 their support and response was second to none. And as @Max_Power put it you do need the contract should you want any updates and patches.

[Foresthippy]

Having support from RM is worth its weight in gold.

 

Isn't support weightless ;-)

[synaesthesia]

RM's support is good, then again they have so little to support these days - in the last few years they've lost so many CC contracts to vanilla setups, their remaining CC support people have to be good! However, 2k a year just to provide what are frankly necessary updates if you have any chance of building new computers onto their networks is just hilariously bad value for money.

[Michael]

You have to ask the question - if you're using a CC3/CC4 network and you don't buy into their support, you could potentially be stuffed if something specific RM stops working.

 

If you go down the generic/vanilla route then you can buy support from anyone of your choosing.

[gtg93]

Maybe I'm wrong - but I'm sure a couple of my old CC3 sites received updates and didn't pay a support contract. Unless they were paying it and I just wasn't aware of the fact.

[synaesthesia]

Where did they get them from? The updates come from RM's support site and the download links are only active for those with an active support contract, or getting 3rd party support from someone with an RM contract

[gtg93]

I believe they came from the RM support site... They must have had the contract I guess if that's the case.

[Kennyboy]

Thanks for all the replies.

[matt40k]

My understanding of RM CC3/4 was it was a overlay, they did all the complex bits. It, putting it bluntly, meant you didn't have to hire people which as much experience\knowledge vs vanilla network which meant you didn't have to pay them (your staff) as much. If you're ditching the contract with RM, you basically need to get a new expert. If you've already got an expert then ditch CC3\4 and save some dosh

[Danp]

RM's support is good, then again they have so little to support these days - in the last few years they've lost so many CC contracts to vanilla setups, their remaining CC support people have to be good! However, 2k a year just to provide what are frankly necessary updates if you have any chance of building new computers onto their networks is just hilariously bad value for money.

 

£2k? And some...

[Chris_RM]

Hello, I'm Chris Burgess I work for RM Education looking after our support products and wanted to stop by and provide some answers to the questions in this post.

 

As others have correctly said, legally you can have CC4 installed without purchasing the support service. However, by having support you do have access to our very experienced team, access to our knowledge library and to our feature updates and bug fixes. This can help give you and the school peace of mind that you've got CC4 experts on-hand and help to keep your environment up to date.

I did also want to share that our support service isn't limited to RM IP as we offer a single support contract with over 50 leading technologies that cover the main network platforms in schools (vanilla windows, google, apple).We're helping a number of schools go completely Google and some of our new technologies use the Microsoft's Azure platform. If you want to know more, take a look at our support technologies list, review our website or PM me and I'll be happy to help.

 

Thanks,

Chris

Edited February 9, 2017 by Chris_RM

[synaesthesia]

@Chris_RM nice to have a reply from RM, thank you. I think some of the ire here and elsewhere on the forums comes from having to pay large amounts of money just for the updates which in many cases are vital for the continued running of CC4 networks. The schools still have to pay RM for a license per machine so RM still have some income from it without the support contracts in place.

[Chris_RM]

@synaesthesia, no problem always happy to help and thanks for your reply.

 

Just to clarify your point, with an active CC4 subscription license you do receive major updates for CC4, such as Windows 10 support and regular builds with no need for a support contract in place. These should all be available in your schools My Account area and available from RM's WSUS servers. In addition to this you can upgrade to the latest version of CC4 with no additional licensing costs, but there is a charge for the installation from an approved partner or direct.

 

Thanks,

Chris

[synaesthesia]

Thanks - can I ask about the costs of such a subscription license please?

[Chris_RM]

Hi @synaesthesia, There's a few permutations that affect the cost of the subscription license, for example, it can depend on the type of CC4 licenses you may already have in place at the school. If you give our team a call on 08450 700 300, they'll be able to talk you through the specifics over the phone and provide a license price.

 

Thanks,

Chris