Support Handbook

About This Handbook

The DNIF Support Team provides technical support to its Enterprise and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) users. The DNIF Support Handbook is the central repository for why and how we work the way we do.

This handbook lets you know about services we can provide to you, because we care about your success, we want to help you receive the service you need. We will also direct you to other valuable sources of information that you will find extremely beneficial

Additionally, this handbook sets a clear, explicit set of standards for DNIF Customer Support. Our employees and customers share visibility into this public commitment. We hold ourselves to these standards; let us know if you feel we are falling short.

User Type	Requirement	Refer
Enterprise User	Technical, Sales, Q&A, Service requests and Training assistance	Visit and log into the DNIF Support Portal post implementation sign-off. This handbook further describes the best way to get the help you need and lists DNIF's paid service offerings
SaaS User	Technical assistance	Visit and log into the DNIF Support Portal post implementation sign-off. This handbook further describes the best way to get the help you need and lists DNIF's paid service offerings

Completed DNIF Enterprise Deployment Or need to be onboarded on SaaS

In case you have just completed an Enterprise deployment of DNIF or have been onboarded on DNIF SaaS, you would receive an onboarding kit along with project signoff over email and subsequently we would initiate the following activities:

• Handover the project to our Operations team.
• Create and invite users on our Support Portal
• Share Customer Support Handbook.

You can keep track of all of your tickets and their current status using the DNIF support portal. We recommend using the support portal for a superior experience managing your tickets.

Support Portal Unaccessible

Occasionally, you may find the support portal not acting as expected. This is often caused by the user's setup, on encountering this, the recommended course of action is:

1. Ensure your browser is allowing third party cookies, these are often vital for the system to work.
2. Disable all plugins/extensions/addons on the browser.
3. Disable any themes on the browser.
4. Clear all cookies and cache on the browser.
5. If you or your organization use restrictive firewall or proxy server settings, then refer: IP addresses and domains for Atlassian cloud products.
6. Try logging in again to the the Support Portal.
7. If you are still having issues, write down the browser version, type, distro/Operating System, and other identifying information and share with DNIF Delivery Team during implementation.

Raise a ticket/service request

Customers can raise the following types of support tickets with DNIF

Problems / Issues

1. These tickets can be raised in case any functionality of the software is not working as expected.
2. Following information is required while raising a problem ticket with DNIF,
   1. DNIF Version in use
   2. Scope name of the DNIF Cluster
   3. Functionality: This highlights the functionality of the software which is not working as expected. Example - Search, Dashboards, Reporting etc
   4. Issue Type: This briefly describes the problem faced in the above functionality.
   5. Whether the problem is a first time or a repeat issue
   6. Brief description of the problem and attachments / screenshots to elaborate the same.
3. Please go through all the available options in Functionalities and Problem types mentioned on the portal and choose the one that best describes the issue faced.
4. The Priority Level (P1 / P2 / P3 / P4) assigned to the ticket is based on the Functionality and the associated Issue Type being faced.
5. In case the actual problem significantly differs from the option selected above, the support analyst may ask you to re-raise the support ticket with the correct option.
6. The support response SLA for each ticket shall be governed by the Priority Level assigned to the ticket.
7. Customers can also select a Severity / Impact level (High / Med / Low) with the ticket which gives the support analyst an idea of the impact of the issue for the customer. The analyst will attempt to respond in line with the severity mentioned.
8. In case any action is pending on a customer for more than 20 calendar days, the ticket shall be auto resolved.

General Queries

Customers can raise a general query regarding use of the product. These questions will be responded to by a DNIF PS consultant. Service response levels to these tickets shall be as specified in the SLA document above.

Feature Request

In case customers would like to request for a feature to be included in the product, they can do so by raising a request in this section. Customers shall need to provide adequate description on the expected feature along with screenshots as applicable.

Expected Service Levels

Priority Level	Priority Description	Support Parameter	Standard Support	Enterprise Support
P1	Application is not accessible for all users or ingestion has stopped due to an application failure or at least 2 or more critical functionalities are unavailable	Support Window	Business Hours Support	24 x 7 Coverage
		First Response Time	4 Hours	30 minutes
		Ticket Update Cycle	Weekly	1 hour
		Resolution Time	N/A	24 hours
P2	A critical feature/functionality or service of the application is not available	Support Window	Business Hours Support	24 x 7 Coverage
		First Response Time	2 business days	1 hour
		Ticket Update Cycle	Weekly	2 hours
		Resolution Time	N/A	7 calendar days
P3	Any other case where a specific functionality/feature of application is not working as documented	Support Window	Business Hours Support	Business Hours Support
		First Response Time	1 week	2 hours
		Ticket Update Cycle	None	24 hours
		Resolution Time	N/A	N/A
P4	All General queries or Feature Requests	Support Window	Business Hours Support	Business Hours Support
		First Response Time	None	1 business day
		Ticket Update Cycle	None	3 days
		Resolution Time	N/A	N/A

Service Requests

Service requests can be raised for catering to specific non-support based requests with DNIF. Some of these requests may need the customer to engage into a paid services contract with DNIF. The types of service requests which can be raised with DNIF include,

1. New Extractor Creation Request: This request can be raised by a customer within the DNIF Extractor and Integrations Support Program to leverage DNIF support in creating a new extractor to integrate a device which is not present in the list of supported devices. Please refer to the DNIF Extractor and Integrations Support Policy to see customer entitlements within the program.
2. New SOAR Plugin Request: This request can be raised by a customer within the DNIF Extractor and Integrations Support Program to leverage DNIF support in creating a new extractor to integrate a device which is not present in the list of supported devices. Please refer to the DNIF Extractor and Integrations Support Policy to see customer entitlements within the program.
3. New Installation / Upgrade Request (Requires a PS Engagement): Customers can engage DNIF PS services in carrying out a new deployment or upgrade the DNIF versions.
4. Request to Integrate a Device / Technology (Requires a PS Engagement): Customers can engage DNIF PS in integrating a Log source or technology.
5. Request for a Training (Requires a Training Contract): Customers can request for DNIF training.
6. Discussion with a PS Consultant (Requires a PS Engagement)

Expected Service Levels for Service Requests

Sr.	Service Request	Engagement Type	Typical Response Levels
1	New Extractor Request / New SOAR Plugin Request	DNIF Extractors & Integrations Support Program (Included in Support)	6 weeks / 12 weeks
2	New Extractor Request / New SOAR Plugin Request	Custom Request (Paid PS Engagement)	Typically 2 weeks / 3 weeks
3	Implementation / Upgrade	Paid PS Engagement	Within 5 working days
4	New Device Integration Request	Paid PS Engagement	Within 5 working days
5	Training Request	Training Contract	As per availability
6	Discussion with PS Consultant	Paid PS Engagement	Within 5 working days

DNIF Extractors & Integrations Support Program

DNIF shall enhance its Extractors library for commercial and popular devices as a part of its product strategy on a continuous basis. 

Customers/Business Partners who seek to build support for a device that is not on the scheduled roadmap, but the device qualifies as a commercial and popular device, DNIF shall add that device to the Roadmap and advise the customer, with no cost involved.

Customers and business partners can raise a Service request (SR) with type, “New Extractor Creation Request”in the portal to avail additional benefits under this program:

1. Generic OOTB extractors at no extra cost for commercial and popular devices.
2. Any updates / upgrades in the log formats or API endpoints of the OEM which may require further enhancements in the extractor.
3. Fine tuning of Generic OOTB extractors in case events of interest are not grouped into appropriate streams.

Program Eligibility and Exclusions

1. Licensed Customer or Business Partner.
2. Logs integrated should be as per the standard log formats as mentioned in documentation by the OEM with no customizations done for the particular deployment.
3. Logs being received by the DNIF deployment should match with the standard log formats as provided in the OEM documentation.
4. No tampering/modifications has been done to the existing OOTB extractor for the device other than by the user DNIFHQ.
5. Extractors required for any custom applications or modifications to the log format done specific to an environment shall not be covered within this parser programme.
6. In case the device forwards logs in multiple formats, DNIF team shall select the suitable log format for which the reference extractor will be provided. In such cases, the customer would need to forward logs in the same format.
7. The reference parser provided shall be covered by the IP guidelines as mentioned in the DNIF EULA.

Update on extractor support

With the release of DNIF v9.1.1, we have introduced Schema on Read as a new feature in DNIF. This allows users to extract additional fields which have not been included in the extractor by extracting these while creating the DQL query.

With this update, DNIF Support will not be making any modifications to the extractor provided and customers are encouraged to leverage the above capability for the same. Details of the new new version release and the new feature can be found below

Release Notes v9.3.0
Schema on Read

Scenarios not covered in Support

DNIF Enterprise or SaaS users will be considered ineligible for support services if there is any kind of agreement breach including payment obligations. Below are few scenarios for which support is excluded:

1. Account suspension or termination due to breach of the terms of Agreement.
2. Unscheduled maintenance or emergency caused by factors outside DNIF's control, including events such as acts of God, acts of government, flood, fire, earthquake, civil unrest, acts of terror, Third Party Content or Internet Service Provider failures or delays.
3. Failures resulting from User's equipment, software or technology.
4. User's ability or inability to operate DNIF as per documentation, write queries as per best practices, provision consistency in prerequisites for working of components or integrations.
5. Support required for Software versions which are outside the scope of support period.
6. Support required for security incidents / events that are generated by the solution.
7. The subscription has been frozen on account of non-payment of subscription fees.
8. Repeated support tickets raised for cases in which documented procedures have not been followed by the User.
9. Support for device integration or data forwarding SOPs or log guides.

Support Escalations

1. Check if the concern or request raised on the ticket is not excluded from support scope.
2. For open tickets, share every possible detail such as logs, screenshots etc. while communicating about your questions or issues. For example, if a support engineer has to ask for logs, it will result in more cycles.
3. In subsequent replies, the support engineer may ask you follow-up questions or share SOPs. Please do your best to read through the entirety of the reply to avoid any confusion.
4. It is expected that you review and execute the checks as mentioned in SOPs and share screenshots of the outcome with Support Engineer to analyze the problem and will have what is necessary to further escalate to developers or request for a screenshare virtual session if so required.
5. n case you observe there is something amiss in the efforts or overall expectations, kindly reach out to below contacts by sending an email with your concerns:
   
    

   Sr.	Role	Escalation Type	Contact Details	Escalation Level	Scenario
   1	Support lead	Email	supportlead@net-mon.net	First	If the Technical Support Engineer (TSE) is unable to resolve an issue, it is escalated to the Support Lead via email as the first level of escalation.
   2	SME manager	Email	sme@net-mon.net	Second	Issues persist even after Support leads intervention, it is then escalated to the SME ( subject matter expert) via email as the second level of escalation.
   3	Operations Manager	Email	Opshead@net-mon.net	Third	Issue persists even after the SME’s involvement, it is further escalated to the Operations Manager via email as the Third level of escalation.

Documentation for self resolution

Extensive documentation ranging from basic feature walkthrough to solutioning and troubleshooting your DNIF setup is available on the DNIF Documentation Portal, users can leverage the search box on the portal to quickly find related articles of interest and follow the same.

Customer Satisfaction

Within 24 hours after a ticket is resolved or automatically closed due to a lack of activity, a Customer Satisfaction survey will be sent out on the ticket reporter's registered email address on the portal. We track responses to these surveys to improve ourselves and provide better user experience and service.

Support Management regularly reviews responses, and may contact customers who leave negative reviews for more context.

General Support Practices

Do not use language intended to threaten or harass

Please treat ticket communications with the same respect you would while talking in person. We need to keep this a clean and well-lighted place for civilized discourse. Be respectful of the topics and the people discussing them, even if you disagree with some of what is being said.

One way to improve a discussion is by discovering existing or past tickets that are already happening or related. Spend time browsing and reading the ticket and trailing replies before replying. This would help add more context to the conversation and give ideas on how the ticket can be amicably resolved.

Repeat violations may result in termination of your support contract and/or business relationship with DNIF.

Do not send encrypted messages

Some organizations use 3rd party services to encrypt or automatically expire messages. As a matter of security, please do not include any sensitive information in the body or attachments in tickets. All interactions with DNIF Support should be in plain-text.

DNIF Support Engineers will not click on URLs contained within tickets or interact with these type of 3rd party services to provide support. If you do send such a reply, an engineer will politely ask you to submit your support ticket in plain text, and link you to this section of our Support Handbook.

If there's a pressing reason for which you need to send along an encrypted file or communication, please discuss it with the Engineer in the ticket.

Do not share login credentials

Do not share login credentials for your DNIF instance to the support team. If the team needs more information about the problem, we will offer to schedule a call with you.

Sanitize data attached to Support Tickets

If relevant to the problem and helpful in troubleshooting, a DNIF Support Engineer will request information regarding configuration files or logs. We encourage customers to sanitize all secrets and private information before sharing them in a DNIF Support ticket.

Support for DNIF on restricted or offline networks

DNIF Support may request logs in Support tickets or ask you to screenshare in customer calls if it would be the most efficient and effective way to troubleshoot and solve the problem. Under certain circumstances, sharing logs or screen sharing may be difficult or impossible due to our customers' internal network security policies. DNIF Support will never ask our customers to violate their internal security policies, but Support Engineers do not know the details of our customers' internal network security policies. In situations where internal or network security policies would prevent you from sharing logs or screen sharing with DNIF Support, please communicate this as early as possible in the ticket so we can adjust the workflows and methods we use to troubleshoot. Customer policies preventing the sharing of log or configuration information with Support may lengthen the time to resolution for tickets. Customer policies preventing screen sharing during DNIF Support customer calls may impact a Support Engineer's ability to resolve issues during a scheduled call.

Handling Unresponsive Tickets

To prevent an accumulation of tickets for which we have not received a response within a specific timescale, we have established the following process. If the ticket reporter (end user) fails to respond within 20 days following our last reply, our ticketing system will mark the ticket as solved. If the ticket reporter fails to respond within 7 days of the ticket being marked as solved, our ticketing system will proceed to close the ticket.