QUESTIONS

What is the difference between a Platinum Support Event and a Platinum Planned Event? When is it appropriate to request each one? What information is required to schedule Support and Planned Events?

DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS FOR

• Support Events
• Planned Events

PLATINUM SUPPORT EVENTS

What is a Platinum Support Event?

• A Platinum Support Event is a troubleshooting session scheduled at a specific time at the discretion of the Support Engineer, preferably at least 48 hours in advance, that will include a Palo Alto Networks Platinum Engineer and customer attendees. In some cases this will include third party vendors - if this is necessary, the customer is responsible for coordinating with the additional vendor(s). Support events should be scheduled for live troubleshooting that has been documented and approved by all parties. The Engineer who schedules the event will make concise notes regarding the problem, whether or not any work has been completed thus far, and any related suggestions for further troubleshooting as needed.

When should a Platinum Support Event be scheduled?

• If a troubleshooting session is needed to resolve an ongoing issue that involves one or more third party vendors (such as MSPs, ISPs, etc.) that require specialized timeframes
• If there have been previous failed PAN-OS upgrade attempts and we need to collect additional data or troubleshoot again
• If a Platinum Engineer decides that an Event is needed to perform tests, isolated logging, or other troubleshooting steps

PLATINUM PLANNED EVENTS

What is a Platinum Planned Event?

• A Platinum Planned Event is requested by the Customer, is not related to troubleshooting, and is scheduled at least seven days in advance. A Platinum Engineer and customer attendees will be present. If any third party vendors need to participate, the customer is responsible for coordinating the event with them. Platinum customers may schedule up to four planned events per year and each event may last up to 4 hours each. 

When should a Platinum Planned Event be scheduled?

• During regular maintenance
• When a PAN-OS upgrade is being performed that has not previously failed
• During network changes that the customer would like an Engineer to be present for
• High-visibility business activities, such as critical business events

WHAT INFORMATION IS NEEDED TO SCHEDULE PLATINUM SUPPORT AND PLATINUM PLANNED EVENTS?

Required Information

• Start date and time, including the time zone
• The expected scheduled duration of the window
• Meeting details
  • If the event is hosted by the Palo Alto Networks Engineer, a Zoom invite will be provided by the Engineer 15 minutes prior to the meeting 
  • If the event is hosted by the customer, the event details need to be provided ahead of time, clearly visible in the case
  • NOTE: If the customer does not receive a call at the event time, they can call into the main support line to be connected to a Platinum Engineer
• Whether the event is taking place in a production or non-prod/lab environment
• Primary and secondary customer contact information, including:
  • Name
  • Email Address
  • Phone / cell phone number
• If there are additional relevant stakeholders that could be impacted by the event
• A detailed description of of the problem and/or intended activities
• Current PAN-OS version and target PAN-OS version (if the event will include a PAN-OS upgrade)
• Information regarding a rollback plan in case changes needed to be reverted, including a cutoff time if there are time window constraints

Optional Information

• If known, potential impact to services
• Logical and physical diagrams
• Contact details of any stakeholders that could be affected (datacenter teams, etc.)
• Any additional information that could further aid in improving effectiveness of the event is strongly encouraged

SUMMARY

Platinum Support Events and Platinum Planned Events are created for different reasons. 

A Platinum Support Event is mainly for:

• Troubleshooting 
• Should generally be requested by the Engineer handling the issue
• When a specific time is required due to 3rd-party involvement
• Should be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance if possible

A Platinum Planned Event is:

• Not related to open support cases that require troubleshooting
• Covers regular maintenance, PAN-OS upgrades, network changes and high visibility business activities
• Platinum customers can schedule up to four events over the course of one rolling year
• Further information could be required to help guarantee that the session is effective, efficient and provides appropriate resolution