Support
Technology
What does SaaS stand for?
SaaS stands for “Software as a Service.” The idea of SaaS is that you don’t purchase hardware and software and run them in-house. Instead, you contract with a company equipped with its own server farm, software and support Staff. Your users then access those applications across the Internet.
What are the benefits of SaaS comparing to SW license provisioning?
SaaS has the advantage of providing VanillaDesk to small and medium-size businesses without forcing them to incur large investments in hardware infrastructure, Staff and application design and programming. Instead of facing large upfront costs, the Customer pays for access to VanillaDesk on a regular basis, much like a phone bill.
What does ITIL® stand for?
A descriptive framework of best practices for the delivery of IT services also known as IT Service Management (ITSM). The IT Infrastructure Library provides a source of guidance on what an IT organization needs to think about in order to deliver and directly support IT services.
What do I need to install locally?
No local application is required. A standard internet browser and appropriate internet connection is all you need to use the VanillaDesk solution. It is a 100% web-based solution.
How can I save money with VanillaDesk SaaS solution?
Traditional solutions require a lot of side investments:
- hardware to run on,
- correct network configuration,
- client software to be installed,
- upgrade and reconfiguration charges
- surcharges to increase the number of available user licences
VanillaDesk has no additional costs involved.
What do I need to start using VanillaDesk?
No money, no specific hardware or software is required. Just login and enjoy. Fill in a simple registration form and you can use the Free trial of VanillaDesk with no functionality limits. VanillaDesk is also pre-configured in a way, that you can use it right after registration.
May I host VanillaDesk in my own environment?
VanillaDesk is fully designed as a SaaS solution. You don’t need to install it locally.
How does VanillaDesk support team collaboration?Configure various Escalations and notifications via email alerts and the reminders can be sent to support Staff.
Is there any Reporting capability within VanillaDesk?
VanillaDesk provides pre-configured management reports. Moreover with the Professional and Enterprise Edition you can run a variety of own reports. Reports may be run real-time or exported to spreadsheets.
In which language is the application available?
An individual language can be setup for a specific user. VanillaDesk is currently available in English. Other languages will be added in due course.
Is there any manual available?
VanillaDesk was designed for simple and intuitive usage. However a context help is available within VanillaDesk itself to help you gey on the right track..
Does VanillaDesk support ITIL®?
VanillaDesk applies and enlarges the application of ITIL® best practice into a Service Management software tool. All process workflows, terminology a principles were implemented and expanded into practical usage.
Is it primarily an IT oriented solution?
No. In fact, some of our customers are not from IT industry. It is just a matter of a correct configuration.
How secure is my data?
We understand that cloud based solutions may be seen as less secure in compare to „localy installed“ systems. So we implemented some measures to make you more comfortable:
- Nobody, not even our support team is able to log in to your instance without having an account there.
- Each customer has his own database, which is totally isolated from the other databases.
- We do not store your passwords, so you can not retrieve it from our system. Our password recovery procedure allows you only to reset your password.
- All our servers are running in Amazon AWS datacenters, so physical security is undisputable (see here for more details http://aws.amazon.com/security).
- We use SSL encryption to protect your data while being transferred over Internet.
Reliability is our second top concern.
- Our application servers are load-balanced and auto-scaled which provides automated failover.
- Our databases are clustered with automated failovers. Cluster nodes are spread in multiple datacenter locations (AWS Availability Zones).
- Data are automatically backed-up to Amazon S3 systems (just in case ALL cluster nodes would fail).
Requirements
Technologies
- HTML5
- CSS
- JavaScript
The application does not use proprietary technologies (e.g. Flash, Silverlight, ...) to run.
Browser
The officially supported browsers are:
- Google Chrome (Win, Linux, OSX), version 6 and above
- Mozilla Firefox (Win, Linux, OSX), version 3.6 and above
- Safari (Win, OSX), version 5 and above
- Internet Explorer 9 and above
- Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 - should run with these design and functional limitations:
- No pretty rounded corners
- Only one file at a time can be selected to upload, no drag and drop file upload support
Other browsers are not supported, yet may run, depending on their support of the web standards listed above.
Integration
API
VanillaDesk provides REST API for application integration. For more details see https://sd.vanilladesk.com/doc/api/index.html
Email Integration
You can specify one or more POP3 email accounts from which emails will be automatically imported to VanillaDesk as new tickets. System automatically recognizes and correctly handles customer assignment of new tickets, attachments and ticket updates.
Pricing
Should I expect to pay any extra maintenance or licence fee?
There is simple and clear pricing for VanillaDesk. No other hidden costs are going to surprise you.
What "number of users" should I pay for?
We offer a fixed price for the Service Desk application and an unlimited number of users. No charge for Service Desk users, no charge for Service Desk operators or members of resolution groups. All the End-users that are supported by your IT Staff are free to use the Customer portal gratis.
We are a Service Provider with 3 main Customers and 10 people in our support team. How much would I pay monthly for this?
Based on our pricing principles you would pay a fixed montly price for the Service Desk application only ($29/month for the Lite Edition).
How much would I pay for a new VanillaDesk version or product upgrade when available?
VanillaDesk guarantee regular upgrades with improved functionality and bug fixes. There are no extra costs and this service is already included in the price.
Would I need to pay for VanillaDesk online support?
VanillaDesk provides online support to all Customers. There are no extra costs and this service is already included in the price.
May I pay by wire/bank transfer?
Yes, you may. Please, contact our sales at sales@vanilladesk.com.
May I pay by credit card?
Sure. FYI, we do not store your card details. We use services of PayPal.
May I subscribe for a longer period than one month?
Of course and you can get some nice discount for that :-) Please, contact our sales at sales@vanilladesk.com.