*Content in this article is written by Chad DePasquale.*
One of the most frequent questions I get about Rockwell software is “I have an active TechConnect support contract, isn’t my recently purchased software supported under that?”.
TLDR: Any Rockwell software purchased through the new Software Portal needs to be supported with a separate Portal contract and cannot be supported by a TechConnect contract. Any software purchased prior to the portal is still supported by a TechConnect contract.
Let’s first start with what a TechConnect support contract is. This is a contract which entitles you to technical support and maintenance of Rockwell registered software and hardware. When software is under a TechConnect support contract you get access to the latest versions as well as technical support regarding installing, troubleshooting, or programming the software. When Rockwell hardware is under the support of a TechConnect, that entitles you to technical support whenever you encounter an issue. Have a PLC fault, a drive not working, or HMI acting up? A TechConnect support contract allows you to talk to the Rockwell experts to troubleshoot the issue to get you back up and running faster.
Traditionally, TechConnect was the only way to receive support and updates for a customer’s registered software. Want to upgrade your perpetual license to the latest version? TechConnect. Need support on an error the software was throwing? TechConnect. So our customers because accustomed to associating TechConnect with software support.
Fast forward to ~2019 when the Rockwell Software Commerce Portal (Portal for short) was released (link below) with the purpose of creating a software purchase and renewal experience more aligned with customer’s expectations. The idea of the portal is great and every year it is getting better but, specifically to software maintenance contracts, it created a lot of confusion on how to support new software purchases.
Any software purchased through the Portal needs a separate support contract managed through the portal. This is the crux of the confusion, and understandably so. We did a great job helping customers support their software through a TechConnect so naturally when they purchase new software through the Portal, they assume it would automatically be supported through their TechConnect. When the support and maintenance renewal emails started firing off for Portal purchases, we received a lot of questions about why this isn’t supported through TechConnect.
Right now, we are in an interim state where any Rockwell software purchased prior to the Portal release is supported through TechConnect. Any software purchased through the Portal will have its own support contract. Looking ahead, Rockwell has plans to merge the two contracts into one unified support contract and estimates are that will happen in 2024 (fingers crossed). While we eagerly wait for that to happen here are some tips to simplify software support if you have old and new software purchases:
- Align any Portal support contracts with the renewal date of your TechConnect. We have the ability to adjust the renewal date in the Portal. While this still creates separate contracts, we can put them on one HESCO order (one PO needed) and renewal will be a one-time event for all contracts.
- Suggest moving to a 3 or 5-year support contract. Multi-year contracts save the customer money and reduce time to manage. TechConnects can span up to 5-years and the benefit is you can lock in pricing for those years to avoid any price increase. Even more beneficial is that you can choose to be invoiced annually instead of all upfront, which some customers prefer. When you move to a multi-year contract you save time and money by only having to order support once instead of going through the yearly renewal process.
- Schedule a registered software review with HESCO to view what software was purchased prior to the Portal. It’s very easy for larger companies to lose track of purchased software and buy a new license when someone new comes onboard. In reality, they might have that needed license already registered to their account and can still utilize it, reach out to us for a review of your software.