Here are answers to frequently asked questions about DEFCON Management
What is the DEFCON phone number?
1-866-753-3278 option 3
Are all of your servers considered fully managed?
No. That's exactly why we have Five Levels of Management—it makes it possible for Layered Tech to service a wide spectrum of particular customer needs. In many cases, customers that have their own system administrators do not want or require very little of our support and expertise. These customers choose DEFCON 4 and DEFCON 5 as their server management level. If organizations contracting our services do not have system administrators on staff, DEFCON 3, DEFCON 2, and DEFCON 1 are the suggested support levels that should be considered.
What if I choose DEFCON 4 but I don't have a system administrator?
By selecting the wrong level of support it is likely you will not be satisfied with our services. At Layered Tech your level of support (DEFCON Management) helps engineers immediately determine the prowess and/or availability of your in-house administrators. As a DEFCON 4 client, expect our team of engineers to provide you with high quality responses centered largely on guidance and direction on issues that you have. It is also expected that you have the ability to open thoroughly conceived support threads using the correct terminology and applicable language. If you are not a system administrator or a system administrator is not maintaining your server, then DEFCON 4 is the wrong choice! Over time, clients that opt for DEFCON 4 and don't have system administrators readily available experience higher support fees, increased amounts of downtime, and security issues that lead to servers being compromised. System administrators are required to maintain sane, safe, and stable servers! Tickets opened by DEFCON 4 clients have a SLA based response time of 12 hours or less, while higher levels of DEFCON service receive a SLA based response of two hours or less.
What happens if I select DEFCON 4 and need advanced/priority support?
Advanced/Priority support is available anytime you require it. When opening a ticket, there is an option to upgrade to priority support as our online support system gives you the ability to approve the maximum amount of administration time you will allow for the thread in question. Any requested advanced/priority support will be billed at prevailing support rates.
Is it possible to select DEFCON 4 to start and upgrade later?
DEFCON upgrades are always an option at Layered Tech; however, such enhancements must be approved by our Level 3 engineers. When performing an upgrade, your server will be evaluated and reviewed for overall security, errata updates, and general upkeep. In cases that the Level 3 engineer is able to bring the server up to required security standards the upgrade will be approved. In cases that the server is out-of-date to a point of extended legacy or is deemed non-salvageable, alternatives such as Operating System Reinstalls and/or similar migrations will be required.
Does DEFCON Management include the backup of your server?
No, backups and restores are not a part of the overall management of your server. The space, software, and processes are treated as a separate entity entirely. To discuss a backup solution for your server please contact sales@layeredtech.com
Does DEFCON Management include OS Reinstalls?
No, OS Reinstalls are not part of any DEFCON profile’s allotment. In the event your server requires a re-install, the charge is $50.00 for the Operating System and $50.00 for Control Panel. OS Reinstalls will restore your machine to an entirely clean, out-of-the-box state. A team of engineers can be assigned if you need assistance with the restoration of data, critical service configuration, additional special procedures, or any type of support related to an OS Reinstall.
Can I upgrade and downgrade DEFCON Management anytime I want?
You have the right to upgrade (which requires approval from our engineers) and you have the right to downgrade at anytime. Layered Tech does restrict more than one DEFCON profile change inside of a three-month period. Upgrading to a higher DEFCON level to avoid advanced administration charges and downgrading shortly thereafter is strictly prohibited and as such, we have allowed a set window of time for repeated DEFCON modifications, per server profile.
Can Layered Tech require a specific DEFCON Management Level for an active server profile?
Absolutely. The goal of our team of engineers is to provide the highest level of security, webserver efficiency, and quality support to all customers. If you frequently open tickets, have repetitive security/abuse/outage issues, or it is assumed no system administrator is maintaining the server, you can and will be required to upgrade to DEFCON 3, DEFCON 2, or DEFCON 1, depending on the mitigating factors of the situation at hand.
DEFCON 3, DEFCON 2, and DEFCON 1 all have automatic software updates included, what happens if I need to be notified before they're applied?
Layered Tech understands many of our customers employ special applications and unique configurations that require the consistency of the server environment. For this reason, if you want to be notified before updates occur we can flag your server's profile with the necessary details. It is expected that full communication with our support team occurs in a timely fashion for these types of sanity checks to be properly instated.
How are tickets and support response times affected by DEFCON Management Levels?
Layered Tech as a whole adheres to a commitment to provide the quickest response times to all customers; however, servers that are classified as DEFCON 3, DEFCON 2, and DEFCON 1 receive a higher priority in our support queue. If you are not contracted for DEFCON 3, DEFCON 2, or DEFCON 1 services and need priority support, it is available for $100/hr - our support system will make this option available to you at the onset of every new thread that you submit.
How do the DEFCON Management Levels specifically translate into unmanaged, managed, and fully managed definitions?
What happens if I select DEFCON 4 and need advanced/priority support?
Advanced/Priority support is available anytime you require it, for an additional fee. When opening a ticket, there is an option to upgrade to priority support as our online support system gives you the ability to approve the maximum amount of administration time you will allow for the thread in question.
Chat online with an account manager, or call 1-866-584-6784 now.
