Spinnaker Support: A Long Term Solution for Third-Party Support

October 14, 2016 | Michelle Wilkinson | Director, Marketing

Gartner has built a powerful brand as the independent research voice in the IT space. So it comes as no surprise that the pros at Gartner have recognized third-party software support as an important force in the marketplace.

Last month, Gartner undertook a comparison of the two leaders in the field of third-party software support, Rimini Street and us at Spinnaker Support. While we both offer alternatives for SAP and Oracle clients, we do differ in many ways. For those short on time, this blog will serve as a summary of the report and will dive into some facts that didn’t make the article. For those looking to read the report in full, you can find it here.

When it comes to Oracle and SAP software support, there should be no debate about five salient points:

  • Enterprise clients dislike being force-marched by a technology supplier

Hundreds of enterprises have recently asked Gartner for advice on finding a way out of pricey manufacturer contracts that too often deliver low-quality maintenance and support. They are tired of paying maintenance fees for software licenses they don’t use. These 22% in maintenance fees often run into the millions of dollars.

  • There are two dominant players in the third-party support business

Both Spinnaker Support and Rimini Street deliver third-party support for SAP and Oracle enterprise applications at a significant savings, at least 50 percent, off software publishers’ maintenance fees. When you know you are unhappy with your current solution, but unsure of your next step, you need to research both vendors. Competition ensures the right support level at the best price.

  • There are differences between the leading third-party vendors

There are many differences between the two providers in approach to customers, values, risk averseness, and breadth of service offerings. One of the differences that at first glance stands out in the report is that Rimini Street appears to have a substantial size advantage in terms of customer and employee count. But let’s measure apples to apples. An estimated 40% of Rimini Street’s customers run PeopleSoft, an application Spinnaker Support has chosen not to support. Many of their employees are dedicated to the support PeopleSoft products, including the huge requirement of providing tax and regulatory updates. Excluding Rimini Street’s PeopleSoft practice, Spinnaker Support owns an estimated 40% share of market.

Another difference lies in the breadth of services Spinnaker Support has chosen to offer customers. We built distinct practices for maintenance and support, managed services, and consulting because we understand the high value placed when a single vendor that can drive deeper into their operations with a broader set of cost-effective services. Well over one-third of our global clients have leveraged at least two of these major service offerings to reduce costs, advance their technology stacks, minimize vendor count, and eliminate finger pointing.

  • Legal and financial risk mitigation matters to prospective adopters of third-party support

The Gartner research paper affirms that there is no legal reason why a third-party cannot provide cheaper and better support for Oracle and SAP customers. Executives from both SAP and Oracle have publicly stated that third-party support is fine as long as it is done the right way.

However, the risk is introduced when prospective third-party support adopters see news about lawsuits involving Rimini Street and Oracle. And the legal troubles between the two companies are far from over. It is public knowledge that Rimini Street now owes Oracle almost $125 million in damages, fees, and interest charges resulting from the first case. To a lesser extent it is known that there is a second legal battle underway. Couple the legal issues with the recent loan taken by Rimini Street from Colbeck for $125 million, there is some question as to whether that is actually being used for growth and expansion or to pay for their legal fees.

Increasingly more enterprises are choosing the safety and security of Spinnaker Support because risk-mitigation matters to them. Spinnaker Support has a sterling reputation for respecting and complying with the intellectual property rights of others, a built-to-last financial profile, a broader suite of services, and a strong history of customer satisfaction and loyalty.

  • Third-party support brings better service for a fraction of the cost

All licensees of SAP and Oracle software pay 20-22% maintenance and support fees. As time passes, comprehensive vendor support morphs into “customer self-service.” Prices aren’t reduced though. Switching to third-party support restores comprehensive support, even adding support for customized code and embedded technology advisory services. Spinnaker Support customers average a 62% reduction in support costs versus vendor costs, in large part due to the way we align fees with actual usage. These savings are being used in a number of innovative ways, including helping fund cloud migration. Taking a “maintenance vacation” is a great way to get better support for a fraction of the cost.

Read the Gartner report. Then read more about the services offered – Oracle Services or SAP Services. Contact us to talk about the specifics of your situation.

Your efforts can save your company millions, money that can propel you into the next generation of ERP solutions.

Why Spinnaker Support is one of the most unique and respected JD Edwards application services companies in history

What Employees Are Saying

October 11, 2016 | Mark Kreutz | Vice President of JD Edwards Global Services JD Edwards application services company

Our newest JD Edwards services advertisement makes a bold proclamation. There is no doubt that, since inception in 2008, our JD Edwards application service practices have been highly revered by customers around the world. So, what does it take to become the fastest growing, most unique, and most highly respected application services company in the history of JD Edwards software? To address this topic, we decided to ask our JDE employees for their take. We asked them to answer a handful of specific questions related to the new advertising message. A sampling of their responses is summarized below:

  1. What makes Spinnaker Support’s JD Edwards practices so unique?

Spinnaker Support is a progressive, forward-thinking company, always seeking and finding new and better ways to serve those who count on JD Edwards software applications. I can’t think of any single JDE implementation that could not be improved by Spinnaker Support.

Spinnaker Support has arguably built the industry’s largest and most experienced team of JDE support engineers – even when compared to Oracle. The core of our current team has been together for over a decade; even before Spinnaker Support was formed in 2008.

Spinnaker Support was the first to build independent, yet collaborative, practices for the big three: maintenance, managed services, and consulting. All three practice groups under one roof – powered by truly expert JDE professionals and enabled by our global infrastructure. 100% expert level engineers – no ‘bait and switch’ offshore junior techs posing as senior techs.

Spinnaker Support is not just another stand-alone third-party support provider. Our support organization is unmatched, but the additional managed services talent makes us truly authentic – whether for application development, CNC services, helpdesk, or staff augmentation. Spinnaker Support might not be the first JD Edwards application services provider to distinguish between level three (managed services) and level four (maintenance and support), but we are the only vendor that can eliminate the blurred line and finger-pointing that has long existed between pure managed service providers and pure maintenance support providers.

Spinnaker Support is the only third-party support vendor who has always done things the right way. We have never wavered, sticking to our commitment to always respect the intellectual property of software publishers and customers. We are completely trustworthy. From my perspective, that makes Spinnaker Support unique in our served market.

  1. What do you highly respect about Spinnaker Support as a provider of JD Edwards application services?

I see Spinnaker Support as pioneers. We deliver a broad suite of services. Well over half of our considerable customer base have leveraged at least two of our three services offerings and are constantly seeking new ways to engage Spinnaker Support.

Spinnaker Support respects and honors software publisher and customer property. We don’t transfer, borrow, or download unauthorized information. In doing so, we keep our customers legal. We’ve stayed clean throughout the years. Risk mitigation is huge to our customers.

We have repeatable and predictable engagement, onboarding, and support delivery processes. Consequently, we have consistently met customer service level agreements. We place emphasis on efficient resolution with quality, not just fast response.

The skill and delivery commitment of our employees is most impressive. We treat customers as family, building trusted relationships to earn and keep their business. Spinnaker Support engineers follow every issue that customers raise to complete resolution rather than try to prove that the problem lies elsewhere.

  1. What makes Spinnaker Support a great employer?

Spinnaker Support recently earned the 2016 “top workplace” award for good reasons. The award was solely based on employee feedback. Our culture sets us apart and results in world-class retention of world-class software experts. Many of my teammates have been working together since before the company was founded in 2008.

Spinnaker Support is adept at hiring the right people at the right time in order to provide best-in-class service to our rapidly growing JDE business. We have a tremendous history of support knowledge and are properly trained to stay current as JD Edwards software and technology stacks have evolved over the years.

It’s gratifying to know that there is virtually no JD Edwards-related issue that the Spinnaker Support team can’t resolve. Spinnaker Support executives have built a unique trio of practices. Our broader set of services enables us to address a wider array of client business issues and demands. And more importantly, we are consistently told by our customers that we are difference makers – a true extension of their team.

It’s not surprising that Spinnaker Support has risen to such heights – it was our goal.  From inception, there was a clear vision to be unique, to fill market gaps, to listen and to delight customers. We’ve built the right skillsets and infrastructure to staff the vision. We’ve put world-class, repeatable processes in place to drive execution of the vision. Our hundreds of JD Edwards customers continuously validate our vision, people, execution, and relentless drive to excellence. Over 50% of them have, at one time or another, leveraged more than one of our service offerings. They recommend us freely and frequently. They consistently score us above the 98% satisfaction level. They recognize our unique value proposition and highly respect our company, people, and value. They are family!