General Terms and Conditions pertaining to XStore/eMailStor GNU/Linux Software Support Agreements, Hardware Support Agreements and standard services
The General Terms and Conditions of XStore (“Vendor”) only apply to agreements between the Vendor and its customers ( Client(s) ).
XStore Software Level Agreements ( “SLA” ) can be executed with various specifications in accordance with the following tables:
1. Support Options
Service Types
Linux Solutions Support
Data Storage Solutions Support
Network Security Support
Server Support
Backup Solutions Support
Security Auditing and Vulnerability Assessment
2a. Contact options
General Turnaround times
Contact by phone 0830-1730 Mon-Fri next business day
Contact by email 24 x 365 48 business hours
Maximum number of contact partners (Client side) 3
Number of Calls limited or unlimited as per SLA type
On-site Support Options
Software configuration/repair/installation yes
Hardware configuration/repair/installation yes
Consulting / Project Design yes
Remote Support Options
Remote Services Software/Hardware Diagnosis Yes
Software Repair Yes
System configuration Yes
Exceptions
1. Public holidays ( South Africa ).
2. Exceptions are made for critical issues at XStore’s discretion – the Client will be notified of these
3. XStore closure dates will be communicated to the Client on request
4. XStore Software Support Agreements are executed for a term of 12 months and can be made use of for a number of calls during the term based on the SLA type chosen – these can be varied pursuant to negotiation with the Client
Place of business
Burgundy Estate
Cape Town
South Africa
7441
General business hours
08h30 – 17h30 GMT+2 Mon – Fri
2b. Standard Service Level Agreement Types examples
2.1 Priority 4/4
4 hrs coverage per month
4 hr TTR (time to respond)
priority support only
2.2 Priority 8/4
8 hrs coverage per month
4 hr TTR (time to respond)
priority and maintenance support
2.3 Priority 16/8
16 hrs coverage per month
8 hr TTR (time to respond)
priority and maintenance support
Support Response levels:
Gold – 4hr TTR
Silver – 8hr TTR
non-priority – no TTR
3 Execution
3.1 The Vendor will initiate an agreement by sending a Support Services Agreement form to the Client
3.2 The Vendor makes the description of services, the order form, and his General Terms and Conditions available to the Client by e-mail, regular mail, or as a download.
3.3 The Client shall fill in and sign the order form and send it back by regular postal mail or email. This constitutes the offer to execute a Support Agreement. The Client shall use only the order form of the Vendor
3.4 The Agreement is executed by means of the order confirmation of the Vendor via email or postal service
3.5 Use of XStore services automatically assumes acceptance by the client of the T&Cs herewith listed
3.6 An SSA/SLA is, unless indicated otherwise, executed for a period of 12 months from date of attestation; SSA/SLAs will renew automatically on the date of expiry unless terminated no less than 30 days from date of expiry
4 Distributions
4.0 XStore Software Support Agreements require the Client to use any of the following distributions (hereinafter Distribution Vendor(s) ):
- RedHat Enterprise Linux
- Slackware GNU/Linux
- Suse Enterprise Linux
- Centos
- pfSense
- Untangle
- FreeNAS
- OpenFiler
4.1 XStore Software Support Agreements require the Client to exclusively use packages of any of the supported GNU/Linux Distributions outlined in section 4.0 or packages provided by XStore
4.2 and keep these up to date (“standard installation”). If this is not the case, an XStore Software Support Agreement is based on the prerequisite that the Client informs the Vendor about any deviations/modifications of the standard installation and the Vendor accepts the modified system configuration in writing.
4.3 The Client shall inform the Vendor without delay about any modification of the standard installation that the Client performs following the submission of the offer. In case the Vendor does not accept the modification for the Support Agreement in writing or in case the Client does not communicate the modifications, the Vendor is entitled to terminate the Support Agreement for extraordinary reasons.
5. Support Requests
5.1 The executed support agreement entitles the Client to submit a support request to the Vendor by phone, sms and email ( always required ). The permitted scope of the Support Agreements comprises the following three defined support levels.
Level & Scope
Level 1 Registration and verification of customer data
Check whether the problem is a known problem and a solution is available Basic user support by phone or e-mail for difficulties with common operations on Linux desktop workstations and servers, and network/storage/security devices as covered by a Services and Support Agreement
Level 2 Reproduction and localization of previously unknown errors
Support of the system administrator for difficulties that arise in connection with the system administration
Level 3 Bug fixing or security updates for the packages included in the scope of delivery, as far as this is technically feasible and necessary.
5.2 Any support requests not regarded as a priority request ( ie. General IT requests and issues ), need to be sent to help@xstore.co.za; SLA clients have a unique client-specific email address for their individual use. Support requests received at any other email address will not be processed.
5.3 Support requests received that do not have the appropriate/sufficient information attached relating to the issue/request, or context relating to the request, may result in delays to the processing of the request. The subject of the support email request should accurately define the issue. Make sure you include all relevant information pertaining to the support request.
5.4 Support requests that require an on-site scheduled appointment will not be scheduled until such time as the relevant information the appointment is dependant on, is provided.
5.5 For more information on how to compile a support request, please go to: https://www.xstore.co.za/index.php/business-documentation-mainmenu-52/118-how-to-generate-an-efficient-support-request
5.6 Do not include more than 1 issue/request in an email – use a separate email for each request/issue.
5.7 You will be advised via an automated email reply that your support request has been logged – if you do not receive this reply, then the support ticket has not been successfully logged.
5.8 If the Client finds a solution to a request/issue before the Vendor, the Client should communicate this fact to the Vendor as well as the solution itself.
5.9 Priority support requests from SLA clients need to be emailed to the Support Ticket address ( if possible ) as well as communicated via a mobile call to 0824168696 and an sms to the same number.
5.10 Senders of priority support requests need to pre-register their contact information with XStore
5.11 Appointments scheduled by clients will still attract standard service charges should the client cancel said appointment inside of 24hrs of the scheduled appointment time.
5.12 Appointments scheduled by clients, where information required to complete the requested work is missing, will still attract standard charges.
5.13 Messaging systems ( like Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp and Google Hangouts/Talk ) are not acceptable methods of logging support issues.
5.14 Any support queries logged need to have a clear and compact description of the issue in the subject line – unclear issue descriptions may result in delays in processing of the support request.
5.15 Meetings/appointments will not be deemed to be confirmed until an email meeting request is sent to us (rpedrica@xstore.co.za) and a confirmation is sent back.
5.16 Where a quote has been provided by the Vendor to the Client, the work will not proceed unless the quote has been accepted
5.17 Additional support coverage may be purchased in 4hr blocks, in the event that the standard coverage for an agreement has been exceeded; unused time coverage under agreement does not flow over to the next period
5.18 a priority request is related to the failure/non-availability of a critical system which the business requires to function
6.Scope of the Contractual Services of the Vendor
6.1 Pursuant to the SSA/SLA, the Vendor is under the obligation to respond by phone, sms or e-mail to support requests from the Client within the contractually agreed turnaround time in accordance with the tables presented in Section 2b (“services”) or per SSA. The scope of the individual services the Vendor is required to perform is regulated conclusively in the following Sections 6.2 to 6.20. The turnaround ( response ) time (“TTR”) is calculated pursuant to Section 7 of the General Terms and Conditions.
6.1a A Support request is initiated by the Client sending an email to help@xstore.co.za or a client-specific address, and in addition, a call/sms to 0824168696 for requests of a priority nature
6.2 The support language is English.
6.3 In the events indicated in Section 6.19, the Client may be contacted by a staff member of the Vendor within the contractually agreed turnaround time, in case this is necessary in order to obtain additional support related information or in order to submit a solution proposal.
6.4 No guarantee is issued and no responsibility is assumed for the solvability of a specific problem.
6.5 The submission of a solution or a notice that a support request can not be solved may not necessarily occur within the contractually agreed turnaround time ( These periods are known as TimeToRespond (“TTR”) and TimeToFix (“TTF”)). The Client can not request compliance with a specific solution time or restoration time for TimeToFix. XStore does not supply a TimeToFix.
6.6 The services of the Vendor are limited to support for specific problems that arise with the retention or the usability of the GNU/Linux Server, network. security and/or storage device/software. In case a service description is referred to in the support request, this will complement the conclusive service scope.
6.7 Furthermore, the contractual services of the Vendor are limited to the support for specific problems that arise in connection with the services, programs and packages listed in the overview at the XStore website and subsections.
6.8 The contractual services for independent server products from the range of Business Solutions are limited to the basic set-up (installation and configuration) of the product(s) and the due ( standard ) utilisation of the product as per vendor installation and configuration procedures, as well as best practices.
6.9 All kinds of programming tasks that exceed the extent necessary for handling the problem and maintaining the system as well as the development of complex IT concepts, feasibility studies, and similar tasks (consulting) are excluded from the services of the Vendor unless specified by extended agreement. Likewise, the exclusive development and provision of specific software adaptations (patches) for the Client is excluded.
6.10 The Vendor is entitled to perform the services for the Client directly by means of his own staff or indirectly by means of representatives of XStore.
6.11 XStore does not provide support for, warranty or guarantee hardware unless specifically stated in a Support Agreement
6.12 The Vendor is not obligated to perform priority support if the Client does not have an SSA/SLA
6.13 The Vendor may not honour an appointment for scheduled work where information required to initiate/complete that work has not been provided beforehand
6.14 Backup solutions ( included as part of an SLA ) do not include the restoration of anything other than user-generated data, unless specifically stated otherwise in a Support Agreement
6.15 The Vendor does not provided support services for Microsoft Windows-based systems unless specifically indicated in or included as part of an SLA
6.16 The Vendor will retain administrative access to devices, without requiring client consent, unless otherwise indicated by the client
6.17 The Vendor and/or it’s representatives is/are not required to perform the requested support from the client’s premises unless alternatives are not available; XStore can not guarantee site availability for support requests outside the immediate confines of the greater Cape Town area.
6.18 The Vendor is not liable for solutions that are not fit for purpose should a scope of work not have been provided by the Client or any intermediary that XStore engages with
6.19 The specific scope and support coverage of an SLA will be included in the SLA agreement
6.20 Adjustments made by the client to supported systems may impact on the ability for the Vendor to execute on an SLA – the Client accepts this as an exclusion to the support services offered by the Vendor
7.Turnaround Time / Time to Respond ( “TTR “)
7.1The Vendor exclusively performs his services within the following call windows.
Support Level Standard Service
Type Linux Server, network and storage device support
General Call reception and turnaround times
Call reception by phone 0830 to 1730 Monday-Friday
Call reception by email 24 hours x 7 days
Response time next business day or best effort
Exceptions are made for critical issues at XStore’s discretion.
7.2 The TTR is the period between the reception of the support request and the response of the Vendor, interrupted by the periods outside the call windows. Periods that are outside the reception hours for phone calls are not included in the calculation of the turnaround time. The scope of the response is conclusively defined in Section 6. Calls/Issues logged per Priority SLAs are excluded from this provision per agreement stipulations.
7.3 The calculation of the TTR is demonstrated by means of an example based on the Standard Support level (turnaround time 8 hours). The turnaround time for a support request submitted by phone on Monday at 1700 hours expires on Tuesday at 1600 hours. The turnaround time for a support request submitted by electronic media (email) on Monday at 1900 hours expires on Wednesday at 1900 hours.
7.4 The vendor can not be held responsible for non-response to support initiation calls/emails from the Client due to natural and unnatural infrastructure problems or Force Majure eg. Power failures, Cell, network, fax and PSTN problems – it is the Clients’ duty to make sure the Vendor has received the support request.
7.5 The Vendor does not guarantee a TTR for Clients without a priority SLA/SSA – times provided for a TTR are approximate unless specified by a priority SSA/SLA
7.6 The Vendor does not accept calls from non-SLA/SSA clients outside of business hours
7.7. SLA/SSA Agreements with priority support can not be used outside of business hours for non-critical or non-priority support requests
8.Remuneration and Manner of Payment
8.1The prices are quoted ex headquarters of the Vendor (“place of performance”).
8.2 The prices are net prices in Rands and are payable without any further deductions
8.3 Subscription-based fees for XStore GNU/Linux Software and other Support Agreements are payable by the Client through electronic transfer or cash, on receipt of an invoice for work performed
8.4 Incident- and project-based fees for XStore GNU/Linux Software and other Support Agreements is payable by the Client through electronic transfer or cash, on receipt of an invoice for the work performed. At maximum, 9 business days from receipt of invoice are allowed for payment – this is a courtesy and is not a given. Additional payment terms are available on request.
8.5 Payment on subscription-based SLAs is required iat the beginning of the month of coverage; payment on monthly eMailStor services is required at the beginning of the month of service
8.6 If the Client is in default of payment, the Vendor may withhold his delivery and claim default interest amounting to 2 percent points over the base interest rate pursuant to applicable South African law. The day that the amount is credited to the account of the Vendor will be deemed the day of payment. The right to claim damages in excess of this amount is
reserved.
8.7 If a due commercial assessment by the Vendor reveals circumstances that give rise to justified doubts regarding the creditworthiness of the Client, including facts that existed at the time of the execution of the Agreement but were not or did not have to be known to the Vendor, the Vendor is entitled to discontinue the operations in connection with current orders and request advance payment or the issue of acceptable securities for services still to be performed, regardless of any other legal rights that the Vendor may have. If the said securities are not issued by the end of a reasonable extension period, the Vendor may rescind the Agreement and claim compensation for damages.
8.8 The Client may only set off payments against claims that are undisputed or legally established.
8.9 The requirement to be on site ( outside of Gold/Silver SLA ) will attract a general site visit charge of R495.00 per hour within a 25km range of place of business unless otherwise specified in an SSA/SLA; other charges apply depending on the nature of the work
8.10 An additional charge of R95 will be levied for site visits between 26km and 100km of place of business. Additional charges apply for site visit greater than 100km from place of business.
8.11 XStore reserves the right to request payment on outstanding invoices from the end user should an intermediary, to whom services have been sub-contracted by XStore on behalf of the end user, default on payment.
8.12 Quotes are valid for 14 days unless otherwise indicated
8.13 Additional charges may apply, over and above quoted charges, should there be changes in circumstances as a result of 3rd parties or other factors outside of the vendor’s control
8.14 A minimum charge of 1 hour of service charge will be levied in the case where a resolution to a support request is not met by the Vendor, and the time required to arrive at this decision is 1 hour or longer
8.15 Where the Vendor sub-contracts services via an intermediary, the intermediary is responsible for payment under the above terms, irrespective of their payment arrangements with the end-user
8.16 If a client requests priority support, while not having an SLA, a discretionary charge of 100% over and above normal pricing may be levied; support will then be provided on a best-effort basis
8.17 A minimum charge of 1 hour of labour is charged for on-site work – further work is charged at 1 hour increments
8.18 Charges will still attract should information required to complete the request work, not be supplied or not be supplied timeously by the client.
8.19 Where a work period extends (even partly) into after hours, after hours rates apply
8.20 non-SLA services are provided outside of business hours as follows:
5.30pm – 8.30am 2x rate
9.Delivery Times
9.1Compliance with the agreed turnaround times is only possible if the Client delivers all necessary documents in time and complies with the agreed payment conditions and other obligations of the Client. If these requirements are not met in due time, the deadlines are extended accordingly; this does not apply if the Vendor is responsible for the delay.
9.2 If non-compliance with the deadlines is caused by events of force majeure, such as mobilization, war, civil unrest, or similar events such as strike, lockout, government intervention, energy and resource shortages, transport deficiencies, operational obstructions for which the Vendor is not responsible, such as power failures, defects in the Internet, damages caused by fire or water, damages to the electronic system, telecommunication network or computer failures, and defects in machines, the deadlines will be extended accordingly.
9.3 The Client only has the right to rescind under the condition that he grants the Vendor a reasonable grace period for performing the delivery, with a note indicating that he will reject the delivery following the expiry of the period, and the period expires without success.
9.4 On request of the Vendor, the Client will declare within a reasonable period whether he rescinds the contract due to the delivery delay or insists on the delivery.
10.Term and Termination
10.1The term of an XStore GNU/Linux Support Level Agreement is twelve months, unless a different agreement has been made in writing.
10.2 Standard termination of agreements requires a minimum 30-day notice period before the end of the contract period and must be provided via postal service or email ( confirmation of receipt or DSN is required )
10.3 Extraordinary termination is only possible for important reasons and requires any reasonable notice.
10.4 Terms are not applicable to per-incident or project-based engagements unless specified however termination of services still requires any reasonable notice via postal service or email
10.5 Monthly service products ( eg. Monitoring, hosting, etc. ) require 30 days notice
11.Liability for Defects
11.1 In case an error in the GNU/Linux software product is detected within the scope of the support provided for a specific problem, the Client can only demand the elimination of the software error within the scope of the general provision of a solution, e.g. when an updated software package is made available by the Distribution Vendor. Any additional liability for defects is excluded.
11.2 The aforesaid regulation also applies to all troubleshooting measures, including bug fixes that the Vendor makes available for eliminating errors.
11.3 The Client shall submit complaints regarding defects in writing and without delay to the Vendor.
11.4 In the event of complaints, the Client may withhold payments to an extent that is in reasonable proportion to the encountered defects. The Client may only withhold payments when making complaints that are clearly justifiable. If the complaint is not justified, the Vendor is entitled to reclaim the expenses he incurred as a result of work done in clarifying the complaint, from the Client.
11.5 The Vendor shall be granted a reasonable period for the supplementary performance pursuant to Sections 11.1 through 11.4
11.6. If the Vendor is not given this opportunity, he will be free from liability for defects.
11.7 The Vendor will not be held liable or responsible for any data loss or result thereof as part of its interaction with
clients and their systems – this includes the process of data recovery.
11.8 It remains the Client’s duty and responsibility to check the integrity of all backup/storage solutions and the resulting backup data; the Vendor will not accept liability as a result of loss of data due to misconfiguration of backups, natural loss of data, data loss due to hardware or software failure, data loss due to security access or threats, or any other means/manner by which data may be lost or damaged.
11.9 While the Vendor takes every care ( and in good faith ) to make sure systems are as robust as possible, no warranty or guarantee is supplied by the Vendor to the client, in terms of the reliability of a system or the usability thereof.
11.10 While the Vendor will exercise the utmost level of attention in seeking to resolve an issue, the Vendor will not provide guarantees for such resolution, nor will the Vendor assume responsibility for such resolution.
11.11 The Vendor does not take responsibility for the results of audits or compliance tests – these are provided as is
11.12 The Vendor will not accept liability for non-performance of this SLA where the client has not made reasonable effort to maintain their systems, software and/or services covered by said SLA
11.13 Clients may be required to perform certain functions ( eg. register a device or software ) or provide certain information to XStore as part of the installation of a product/solution – XStore can not warrant a solution as fit for purpose unless the client has completed these steps
11.14 Excluding misconfiguration, XStore can not take responsibility for the operation, execution and usability of ICT technology products or software – this is covered by the manufacturer’s warranty
11.15 The Vendor will make recommendations for implementation of solutions and the configuration thereof, based on industry and commercial best practices and guidelines; irrespective of any indemnification, XStore does not take responsibility for the application of these best practices or guidelines – this remains the responsibility of the client
11.16 The Vendor requires clients to carry out regular audits to ascertain current status and configurations of systems – advice or recommendations provided by the Vendor in the absence of these audits, are based on best practice and will not apply directly to the client
12.Breach of Protective Rights, Other Breaches
12.1 Provided nothing else has been agreed, the Vendor will perform the delivery in the Republic of South Africa free of commercial protective rights and third-party copyrights (“protective rights”).
12.2 Claims of the Client are excluded if the Client is responsible for the breach of protective rights.
12.3 Furthermore, claims of the Client are excluded if the breach of protective rights was caused by specific conditions of the Client, a utilization that the Vendor could not foresee, or due to the fact that the delivery was modified by the Client or deployed together with products not delivered by the Vendor.
12.4 The Client is aware that the service also contains Open Source software (“OSS”). Due to the specific nature of OSS, which is developed by a large number of persons not affiliated with the Vendor, any liability of the Vendor for the breach of protective rights or other defects of title regarding OSS is excluded.
12.5 Claims of the Client against the Vendor due to defects of title of a different nature than those regulated in Section 12 or additional claims are excluded.
12.6 Invoices remain valid with current client details should the client not have advised the Vendor of any change in details; this includes, but is not limited to, physical/postal address, email address, contact person or bank details
13.Inability to Deliver
13.1 In case events of force majeure substantially change the economic importance or the contents of the delivery or have a profound effect on the operations of the Vendor, the contract shall be amended appropriately in good faith. If this is not feasible from the economic point of view, the Vendor is entitled to rescind the contract. If the Vendor wants to make use of his right to rescind, he shall notify the Client about his decision without delay as soon as he realizes the impact of the event, even if the Vendor and the Client had initially agreed an extension of the delivery time.
14.Exclusion and Limitation of Liability
14.1Indemnification claims of the Client due to any legal grounds, including but not limited to breaches of the contractual obligations or prohibited actions, are excluded.
14.2 The Client is aware that the delivery may contain Open Source software (“OSS”). Due to the specific nature of OSS, which is developed by a large number of persons not affiliated with the Vendor, any liability of the Vendor for the breach of protective rights or other defects of title in connection with OSS is excluded.
14.3 To the extent that the liability of the Vendor is excluded or limited pursuant to Section 14, this also applies to the personal liability of the Vendor’s employees and other agents
15.Cession
15.1The Client may only cede rights from this Agreement following the written approval of the Vendor.
16.Confidentiality
16.1The information and data that the Client provides to the Vendor are not regarded as confidential, unless the contrary is explicitly agreed in writing.
16.2 Notwithstanding the above stipulation, the parties shall not forward any documents, know-how, information and other technical documentation with respect to the Client’s operations – no matter what the carrier medium may be – that was received from the other party within the scope of the Agreement (“information”) to third parties or utilize them for any purpose other than the contractual purpose. The information must be protected against unauthorized access or utilization. In addition to any other rights, the party can demand the information to be returned in case the other party breaches these obligations. Note that POPI and GDPR now apply.
16.3 The obligation pursuant to Section 16.2 commences with the initial receipt of the information and ends 12 months after the end of the Agreement.
16.4 The obligation pursuant to Section 16.2 does not apply to information that is publicly known, or that was already known to the receiving party prior to the receipt without any obligation to maintain confidentiality, or that is subsequently communicated by a third party that is entitled to forward them, or that is developed by the receiving party without using confidential information of the other party, or that is applicable to documentation relating to the usage of or information regarding FOSS software.
16.5 The obligation pursuant to Section 16.2 does apply to information that is sensitive and private to either party, and that is not publicly available
16.6 The obligation pursuant to Section 16.2 does not apply to configurations effected and enacted by the Vendor; as standards and best practice is used for system configurations, these configurations are not deemed to be unique to the Client in terms of Intellectual Property or value
16.7 Information provided to the Client by the Vendor, and that is not publicly available information, is considered to be bound to the 2 parties; should the Client wish to forward this information to other parties, then the Client needs to do so under the same conditions and with a binding agreement
16.8 The vendor may retain information or access as it pertains to the Client’s systems even on expiry of an agreement – the Client specifically needs to advise that access should be terminated, terminate it themselves or request the destruction/return of information as it relates to the Client.
16.9 The Vendor will honour privacy frameworks (GDPR/POPI) on the expiry of an agreement
17.Place of Venue
The exclusive place of venue – also for claims from cheques, notices and bills – is South Africa.
18. Applicable Law
The substantive law of the Republic of South Africa exclusively applies. The United Nations Convention on the International Sale of Goods dated April 11, 1980, is excluded from application. GDPR, PAIA and POPI notices are available on the XStore website www.xstore.co.za
V4.8 – 1 June 2021
E&OE