Ever since the news of the Metaswitch layoffs, our clients have been worried about the future. “How long will Microsoft continue to support the product? So many of my contacts have left the company! Why am I paying so much for support when the product is headed towards end-of-life?”
In this environment, we’ve had a lot of clients ask us whether they could get support directly from Award Consulting, rather than continuing to pay Microsoft for support when they’re no longer committed to the product. Many people are also worried that Microsoft will stop providing support entirely, in which case we might be the only option out there.
At first we were somewhat hesitant – after all, we don’t own the source code, so we couldn’t make any bug fixes or provide any software updates – but as we’ve talked to people, we’ve realized that for most service providers the platform is running smoothly and they don’t need any new software.
Our typical client is a rural ILEC providing class 5 services to residential and small business subscribers, and what they really want is someone to provide responsive, hands-on support when they have a question, need help troubleshooting, or want to make a configuration update. And that’s where we excel.
We have therefore begun to offer a support service on a case-by-case basis, as an alternative to Microsoft support – and we have a number of clients who have so far taken us up on this offer. There’s a long history in the industry of third-party companies providing after-market support for products, particularly once the vendors move onto other priorities – so with hindsight it’s not surprising that service providers are looking for this service. It’s a natural progression of a product in the industry.
What does this mean for you?
We are preparing ourselves for a future where there’s a strong market need for third-party support. We don’t know how long Microsoft will continue to provide support for the Metaswitch products, and when that time comes we want to be there for you, so you can continue to operate your switch with confidence – for as long as makes sense for you.
In the short-term, Microsoft still offers support, and the best option will vary depending on your situation.
- If you have a large network, offer a lot of business services, or regularly find yourself needing patches to fix bugs, then we’d strongly encourage you to stick with Microsoft support as long as it is available. We may expand our offerings to cover your situation in the future but for now we are focusing on the more straightforward situations.
- If you’re operating a stable class 5 switch, and haven’t run into any recent bugs in the Metaswitch software, then we would like to have a conversation with you about getting support directly from Award Consulting. We’re focused on the experience of support – a responsive, hands-on and personal experience that delights our clients – and if that sounds good to you, then we should talk.
Please contact us if you’re interested to learn more, and we’ll follow-up to schedule a call and review your particular situation.
