Trend Micro Launches Priority Advantage Support

Priority Advantage support, launched Monday, is an optional addition to standard software maintenance and includes 24x7 access to support experts by phone and online. It costs $12,000 per year.

Customers of the new service get Trend Micro's proactive notification, as well as unlimited access to the Cupertino, Calif.-based vendor's knowledge base, which is searchable for the latest in-depth technical product information.

"This service is designed to provide customers with all the support they need," said Vernon Shure, product marketing manager at Trend Micro. "We've designed this to be as comprehensive as possible to help customers fight against a constantly changing landscape of security threats."

Until now, the most economical way customers could get 24/7 telephone support through Trend Micro was with a Premium support contract at $25,000 per year. The new service costs less than half that amount and includes 10 service requests per year.

Additional calls are available in packs of five for $2,500, prompting many solution providers to describe the new service as more flexible for customers who might not need all of the trappings of sophisticated Premium support.

"[The new offering] is designed to offer customers another choice beyond the support that was available in the past," said Kathy Johnson, director of sales at Johnson Consulting, Woburn, Mass. "Most small customers don't need that many requests, but if you need them, you can buy more for a reasonable price."

According to Shure, there is no restriction on the number of support requests when they are submitted online or for accessing support through the standard corporate support line.

The Priority Advantage support program is available now.