ERDAS Software Maintenance (SWM) is a comprehensive support program available to all customers on a yearly subscription basis. ERDAS Software Maintenance provides quick, thorough assistance to specific issues, involving you in the process. SWM includes:
• Software upgrades. Automatic upgrades are part of the SWM program, ensuring you have the most up-to-date version of your ERDAS software. Software updates are released in the form of fixes, services packs and full releases. When a new version of a product is released, it is delivered to customers with current SWM contracts via Internet download. Service packs are delivered via Internet download. Licenses must be under SWM to transfer to another machine or platform of equal value. In other situations, licenses may be transferred for a fee. Currently, major releases occur each Fall and minor releases in Spring (these release dates are subject to change at any time).
• Technical Support. ERDAS has an industry-leading technical support team dedicated to assisting customers with issues related to the operation of our solutions. Technical support can assist with installation, licensing and configuration, as well as helping to resolve technical issues you encounter. Every technical support engineer has access to a team of ERDAS technology experts from both a functional and technical perspective.
• Support Log-in. With SWM, you are granted permission to the special SWM section of our website, which includes:
- Online self-licensing (immediate delivery of licenses via email)
- Downloadable software enhancements between official releases
- Technical support requests
- Knowledgebase searches
- Online account management with:
-- Full listing of products owned
-- Ability to add employees and set their privileges
- One no-charge license system ID change per year
ERDAS provides clients with 24/7 web access to our knowledgebase and support requests. In addition, technical support is also available through e-mail and toll-free telephone (US business hours, Mon-Fri). When a new support case is established, ERDAS strives to commence working with the customer within one business day of receiving the request.
If your SWM coverage lapses for more than ninety days, you must reinstate your coverage. You may reinstate expired SWM by paying the current annual SWM renewal fee, plus a reinstatement fee equal to 100% of the annual SWM renewal fee. This will provide you with the latest version of the software and you will continue to receive any applicable software upgrades and new-version releases during the service period.
For SWM, technical assistance is limited to unmodified ERDAS software. Support under SWM is offered for the current ERDAS software version and the immediate previous version only (exception: bug fix efforts are directed toward the current version only). Services that extend beyond standard technical support may require ERDAS professional services for an additional fee, based on time, project or delivery required.
Because of the constant improvements in functionality in ERDAS software, maintenance that has lapsed for more than three major-release software versions is not eligible for SWM reinstatement, and will require the purchase of new software. Using ERDAS IMAGINE as an example, if the current version is 11.0, then SWM reinstatement is only offered to customers with elapsed SWM on versions 10.0, 9.3, and 9.2. When the next new major version is released, then version 9.2 is no longer eligible for reinstatement, and so on with each new major version release. Minor release updates such as "10.1.1" do not count as a version. Only the number-and-one-decimal-number major releases count as versions.
Major-product software versions eligible for SWM reinstatement as of December 20, 2010:
ERDAS IMAGINE & LPS: 11.0, 10.0, 9.3, 9.2.
ERDAS ER Mapper: 11.0, 10.0, 7.2, 7.1.
ERDAS Extensions for ArcGIS: 11.0, 10.0, 9.3, 9.2.
ERDAS APOLLO Essentials - Image Web Server: 11.0, 10.0, 9.3, 8.5.