Transcript Identifying Critical Support Dependencies for Lync Server

Supporting Unified Communications
Understanding Support Requirements
Assessing the Environment
Developing a Support Structure Map
Timing the Support Discussion
New dynamics
New dependencies
New challenges
The changing
landscape of voice
solutions
Convergence of
telecom and IT
Standard PBX to
software-based
applications
VoIP to Unified
Communications
Understanding and planning for the support dependencies of
a Lync Server solution is a critical part of design.
A full plan for how a solution will be supported must be part
of any engagement.
If you walk away from a customer without completing a
support plan, the engagement is incomplete!
Non-functional requirements of the Lync service
Criteria that judge the operation of a system
Key
business
requirements
Service scope
Service level
agreements
System
requirements
Monitoring and
support
Organizational level
Customer role
Executive
Executive sponsor or
business unit lead
Core team
Solution architect
Service delivery owner
Operations manager
Network services manager
Telecom services manager
IT service contracting/procurement
User community
Departmental leads
Power users
Long resolution times
Business disruption
Cost inefficiency
Complex escalation paths
Lack of accountability
Support Requirements
Capture:
Key takeaway
Help your customers
understand and then
capture their support
requirements for the Lync
solution
9
Help your customers understand and then
capture their support requirements for the Lync
solution
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Questions to be asking your customer
What are the challenges with your voice system today?
What do your existing support escalation paths look
like?
Which vendors and support contracts are already in
place?
What SLAs do they offer?
What is the average resolution time you’re
experiencing?
What is the interoperability like with other systems and
their support teams?
Understand the escalation paths and experience
Network
vendor
Hardware
vendor
Customer
Software
vendor
Device
vendor(s)
Who maintains overall ownership of UC support
issues?
Consider the interaction of:
Multiple components and vendors
Multiple SLAs with each party including escalation
process/tools
What level of satisfaction do your users have with the
existing environment and its support processes?
What historical call analysis and trending is available?
Understand the
Environment:
Key takeaway supported
Analyze the customer’s existing or planned
environment and how it is supported
Credibility from repeatability – leveraging the
Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF)
The Plan phase: Service mapping
The Operate phase: Problem management
The Manage layer: Roles and accountability
17
Microsoft Operations Framework
The “what” of a service
Components
Relationships
for managing the “how” of a service
Delivery and controls to ensure
expected availability, capacity, security,
and manageability
Does not address the relationships of the teams that support
the service components
An evolution of MOF Service Mapping
Considers the relationships between infrastructure components and support
Defines a reference set of common Lync infrastructure components
Defines their dependencies
Network team
Team
Defines support path and response time
Defines escalation paths
Component
Dependency
Messaging team
Support
No
SLA….
4 hours
4 hours
SLA
Identifies gaps
Requirements
Capture support requirements
Environment
Capture the components of the Lync solution
Functions
Dependencies
Gaps
Remediation
Identify support functions and SLAs
Map functions to components and
dependencies
Identify gaps
Remediate
CORE NETWORK
LYNC SERVERS
INTERNAL CERTIFICATES
LYNC EDGE SERVERS
VOICE / VIDEO INFRASTRUCTURE
VIRTUALIZATION PLATFORM
SESSION BORDER CONTROLLERS
FILE SERVICES
PERIMETER NETWORK
BACKUP PLATFORM
PSTN
STORAGE PLATFORM
FEDERATED PARTNER
SQL DATABASE SERVERS
PUBLIC IM PROVIDER
EXCHANGE SERVERS
UC USER AND DEVICES (REMOTE)
BRANCH SERVERS (SBA/SBS)
UC USER AND DEVICES (INTERNAL)
VOIP GATEWAYS
EXTERNAL CERTIFICATES
WAN
REVERSE PROXY SERVERS
INTERNET SERVICES
ACTIVE DIRECTORY SERVICES
………. and so on
Technical
skillset
Case
exposure
Who
Role
Front line call
handling
Capture
information
None
100%
Technology
generalist
Solve most
common user
issues
Breadth
60%
Dedicated
technology solution
support
Troubleshoot
solution-specific
issues
Depth
20%
Design team
Solve critical
infrastructure issues
Expert
5%
Vendor
Code bugs/critsits
Code
1%
Is there an overall SLA
for the Lync solution?
What is important to the
customer?
How do calls that get
escalated depend on
incident severity?
Do support teams have
operational level
agreements?
Look at ‘time to respond’
and ‘time to escalate
Severity
Target
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
Tier 4
1 – System
down
Response
(hrs)
1
1
1
1
Escalation
(hrs)
2
2
2
-
Response
(hrs)
2
2
2
2
Escalation
(hrs)
4
4
8
-
2 – Service
degraded
Identify gaps in support strategy or escalation paths
Which escalation paths break overall SLA?
Which aspects of the Lync solution are at risk?
Most efficient alignment of support functions to tasks
Identify over/under utilized teams
Create an action plan to address gaps
Convert gaps into services opportunities
Training
Reactive support services
Proactive
Tailor-made support solution
Certified support partners
Microsoft Premier
Define overall
escalation targets
Define teams
Define time to
respond
Define team OLA
Lync
Sub
Dependency
component component
Escalation path
Graphical
representation
highlighting
issues
Support Structure Mapping
Determined by:
Customer size and complexity
Solution size and complexity
Level of “quality” engagement with customer teams
Customer operational maturity
Level of discovery automation
Use a structured approach to identify and
document support escalation paths for all
components of a Lync Server environment
Support is often an afterthought to project implementation plans
Introduce the support discussion at the right time
Embed support into the project lifecycle
Address the dependencies of the solution architecture
Take a structured approach
Develop a support structure map
Sales lifecycle
Qualify
Develop
Solution
Proof
Close
Deploy
Introduce solution support discussion in the Develop
phase
Ensure that support costs are included in the solution
sale
Include support requirements captured in project
discovery
Customers should see a well-structured support
solution as a positive outcome of your
engagement
35
Supporting UC environments brings unique challenges
Help customers understand and then capture their support requirements
for a Lync solution
Analyze existing or planned environment and how it is to be supported
Use a structured approach to identify and document support escalation
paths for all components of a Lync Server environment
Generate services opportunities
Customers should see a well-structured support solution as a positive
outcome of an engagement
Deliver a great support experience for your customers!
MOF Service Mapping
http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/5/8/658BC1E9-E262-45CA-BB6E-E87C058BBD37/MOF%20Service%20Mapping.docx
Microsoft Lync Certified Support Partners
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/lync/hh965532.aspx
Microsoft RAP as a Service
http://services.premier.microsoft.com/raas
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