Application monitoring and updates
Uptime, error rate and performance monitoring, with dependency and security updates applied on a schedule.
Support with a clock on it.
Monitoring, updates, bug fixes, cloud and DevOps management and end-user helpdesk — under a service agreement with response times in writing.
- Reference
- SVC-06
- Best for
- Live systems the business depends on
- Engagement
- Monthly service agreement
- Includes
- Agreed response times
Software does not stop needing work once it ships. Dependencies age, traffic changes, and the one integration nobody documented breaks on a Friday afternoon.
A support agreement puts a named team and a response time behind that. We monitor the system, we get the alert before your customers do, and the clock is in the contract.
§ 01ScopeWhat is included
What this covers
Bug fixes with agreed response times
Severity levels defined up front, each with a response time we are held to.
Cloud hosting and DevOps management
AWS and Azure estates managed in your accounts — cost, scaling, backups and disaster recovery.
Helpdesk and end-user support
First-line support for your staff or your customers, with escalation into the engineering team.
§ 02MethodFour reviewable stages
01
Onboarding audit
We review the system, the infrastructure and the documentation before taking responsibility for any of it.
02
Service agreement
Severity levels, response times, hours of cover and the escalation path, all written down.
03
Monitoring and routine work
Alerting, patching and scheduled maintenance, reported monthly.
04
Incident handling
Triage against the agreed clock, fix, test, release, and a written post-incident note.
§ 03DeliverablesYours at handover
What you get
Concrete deliverables, listed in the contract. Everything below belongs to you at handover.
- Service agreement with defined severity levels
- Monitoring and alerting configuration
- Monthly service and uptime report
- Patch and dependency-update schedule
- Backup and disaster-recovery verification
- Post-incident notes for major issues
§ 04QuestionsShort answers
Questions about maintenance & support
Can you support software you did not build?
Yes, after an onboarding audit. We need to understand what we are being asked to keep alive before we commit to a response time on it.
What hours are covered?
Business hours by default, with extended and out-of-hours cover available. Whatever is agreed goes in the service agreement rather than being left to assumption.
§ 05RelatedThe rest of the practice
Other practices
Custom software development
Architecture, integration and legacy modernization
View service →IT audit & consulting
Infrastructure, security and cost reviews
View service →Web application development
Portals, platforms and customer-facing sites
View service →Mobile app development
iOS, Android and cross-platform builds
View service →UI/UX design
Research, prototypes and design systems
View service →Ready to scope your project?
Tell us what you are trying to solve. You will get a reply from someone who would work on it, not a sales script.