IBM Third-Party Software Support: the Alternative to S&S Renewal

How third-party support replaces IBM S&S

IBM software is licensed perpetually under Passport Advantage; S&S is the annual charge for new versions, fix packs and the right to open a case. When S&S lapses the licence does not: you remain entitled to run every version IBM released before the expiry date, provided you downloaded the media and fixes you need before that date. Third-party support steps into the operational role IBM vacates. Our engineers own your incidents 24x7, provide configuration-level fixes and workarounds for known defects, assess every new vulnerability against your actual configuration and give you mitigation steps, and produce the supported-status and patch-posture documentation auditors ask for.

The commercial logic is simple. IBM prices S&S as a percentage of licence value regardless of how much support you use, and stable estates on frozen versions use very little. Third-party support is priced on the estate and the service level, which is why the saving is large and recurring.

What is covered, and what is not

• Covered: 24x7 incident response for the versions you run; root-cause analysis; configuration fixes and workarounds for known APARs; performance tuning; vulnerability monitoring with mitigation guidance for new CVEs; compliance evidence; upgrade and migration planning when you decide to move.
• Covered: versions IBM has withdrawn from support, including those IBM no longer sells Extended or Sustained Support for.
• Not covered: new IBM fix packs, interim fixes and version upgrades, which only IBM ships; new licences; products delivered as a service (SaaS) or under subscription-only terms such as Cloud Paks, where the entitlement itself depends on the subscription.
• Best fit: MQ, WebSphere Application Server, Db2 LUW, Cognos, DataStage and Information Server, AIX, Informix, Tivoli and Spectrum products, Maximo, Netezza, and any perpetual IBM licence on a stable version.

The IBM S&S exit checklist

IBM's reinstatement policy is the one thing that can turn a saving into a cost: if you let S&S lapse and later want it back, IBM charges S&S for the lapsed period plus a reinstatement fee. The decision therefore has to be made per product, deliberately, before the renewal date. The sequence we run with every customer:

1. 1Export your Passport Advantage entitlement report and reconcile it to what is installed, by product, version and PVU or user count.
2. 2Download the installation media and every fix pack you are entitled to for each version you run, and store them off the IBM site. After expiry, Fix Central access ends.
3. 3Check for bundled or enterprise agreements where one product's S&S is a condition of another's, and for Cloud Pak entitlements that cannot be separated.
4. 4Decide per product: keep S&S where you expect to upgrade within the term, move to third-party support where the version is frozen.
5. 5Set the third-party contract to start the day S&S ends so there is no gap, and record the decision and the reinstatement exposure in the risk register.
6. 6Give IBM written notice of non-renewal in the window your agreement specifies, so the auto-renewal clause does not re-bill you.

What it costs

Third-party IBM support is typically 40 to 70% below the S&S renewal for the same products, priced on the number of products, instances and the response level you choose rather than on licence list value. Multi-year terms and estates that also move AIX or Power hardware maintenance to us are discounted further. Use the calculator on this page for a range, then send us your entitlement report for a firm quote within 48 hours.