Written by Heather L. Cole, September 1st 2022
With the great resignation in full swing, there are a number of people that find themselves in charge of systems they are not familiar with. If you find yourself thinking, “Help I inherited IBM Cognos and IBM Planning Analytics, Now What?” Stay tuned this blog is for you. We will share the questions you should be asking when you take over.
When is Your Support Renewal Due?
The first thing you need to know when you are assigned responsibility for IBM Cognos or IBM Planning Analytic licensing is when is your support renewal bill is due. The reason this is so important is that if you let support lapse you could find yourself with a system down and you won’t be able to log a case with IBM! This is not how you want to be known when you take over responsibility for a system. Additionally, if you let IBM support lapse you may have to pay a reinstatement free to get support back.
IBM Proof of Entitlements: To find out when your support renewal expires you can check your most recent IBM Proof of Entitlements. This is a PDF that IBM or your partner sends you when you renew. It states the quantity and type of licenses and the duration of your support. This document will also tell you your IBM site number which you will need to update IBM that you should receive the support bills in the future.
If you don’t have access to your Proof of Entitlements, Lodestar Solutions can help. Just email us at Renewals@lodestarsolutions.com or call 813-415-2910. Christina our support renewal specialist is happy to help.
How Do I Renew Support?
It’s important to know that IBM will automatically send clients a support renewal quote about 90-120 days prior to your renewal. But they will send this email to the person on record in the IBM systems for the renewals. If the prior IBM Cognos or IBM Planning Analytics owner left the company, then you probably will not receive the IBM Quote. Note it’s been our experience if IBM receives a kickback email stated Jane Doe is no longer with the company, they do not try to find the new person. So, you want to make sure you update the contact names with IBM. See our blog, How to Change Your Primary Contact with IBM.
Renew with Lodestar Solutions - A better option is to renew your support with an IBM business partner, like Lodestar Solutions. At Lodestar Solutions, we will educate you on what you own, evaluate if you are in the optimal license mix for your situation, explain licensing and clients get access to our private client only user group. So, if you would like a competitive quote and to better understand your options email us at Renewals@lodestarsolutions.com or call 813-415-2910.
Warning: There are a number of what we call “paper pushing partners.” These are partners that might offer you a discount on support to handle your renewals of many different software brands. But watch out! We have received numerous calls from clients that have renewed their support with a “paper pushing partner” only to find out they were at risk of failing an audit, misclassified causing them to pay 60% more than they needed to, or they were paying for support on licensing that did not allow them to download the latest version of the software like flexpoints. (Flexpoints and Cognos What You Need to Know)
If IBM or your IBM partner is not walking you through licensing options and functionality with your renewal, it’s time to find a new partner! Lodestar Solutions can help! Email us at Renewals@lodestarsolutions.com or call 813-415-2910.
Update Your IBM Contacts
Believe it or not IBM periodically sends important information to the names they have on file. For example, IBM will send you a quote for support renewal to the renewal name on file. This is important in the event the partner you worked with fails to send you a quote. Additionally, the names on file with IBM also determine who can contact IBM support with an issue. For more information on updating your IBM Contacts see our earlier blog.
How do I get support when I have issues?
If you inherited IBM Cognos or IBM Planning Analytics you might find yourself with an issue, the worst being your system goes down. And you need help ASAP. There are a couple options when you are having issues.
- If you are current on IBM support, you can log a case with IBM and wait for their response.
- If you are not current or want help immediately, Lodestar Solutions has a team of amazing resources we can assign to help. Note if you are not current on support, we can help but will not be able to log a case with IBM on your behalf or provide any IBM patches or software updates. We recommend that you consider signing an emergency support SOW with Lodestar so we don’t have to wait for paperwork before we can help you. For more information on our services email Services@lodestarsolutions.com or call 813-415-2910.
What Do You Own?
Another question you need to ask when you inherit IBM Cognos or IBM Planning Analytics is what the heck do we own? If you are now responsible for the analytic system, you need to know what licensing you own, what functionality it has, what version is supported….
The fastest way to discover what you own is to first see if you have a copy of your Proof of Entitlements from IBM, that will tell you the quantity and type of licensing. Next you want to find out what version you are on and if that version is a currently supported version. IBM has a web page they update with the supported versions: Here’s the link to IBM Lifecycles.
Next, call Lodestar Solutions and ask to see a demo of the latest functionality and for a complimentary What the Heck Do I Own Session. This session will get you up to speed quickly. To schedule this meeting email services@lodestarsolutions.com or call 813-415-2910.
In Summary
If you are tasked with overseeing IBM Cognos or IBM Planning Analytics because you inherited IBM Cognos, you need to first get a lay of the land. The questions above will get you started. But you don’t have to go it alone! Lodestar Solutions is here to help guide you through the process, and IBM red tape if you need it. So, let’s have a chat.
Contact Heather at 813-415-2910 or email hcole@lodestarsolutions.com.