COVID-19 FAQ

April 30, 2020


Updated: May 27, 2020

We need immediate support. Can Park Place Technologies help?

Park Place is offering short term-data center and technology infrastructure maintenance contracts to ease the financial burden during these uncertain times.  These are in addition to our standard annual and multi-year contracts.  Whether your current decision-making is focused on the immediate or the long-term, we are positioned to accommodate your needs.  In addition, PPT has streamlined our contracting process to address customer remote work challenges.  Please contact your Park Place account manager or reach out to us via your local toll-free number.

Does Park Place Technologies have a mobile app to help access the Park Place Customer Portal?

Park Place has improved ease-of-access with our mobile app, PPTechMobile. PPPTechMobile enables you to identify devices that need support by using the camera on your phone to scan the device’s bar code.  The app will decipher the bar code and automatically populate the corresponding serial number in a ticket submission form.

The app is available for download on both Android and iOS devices through Google Play and the Apple App Store.

In order to use PPTechMobile, customers will first need to register for Central Park.  Register here.

ParkView:

Is remote monitoring a solution for possible staffing concerns due to COVID-19?  How do I add ParkView remote monitoring to my data center support?

ParkView monitoring provides proactive hardware fault detection.  ParkView is your eyes and ears for hardware component failures and automatically initiates service tickets to Park Place without human intervention.

How quickly can customers add ParkView to their environments?

Depending on customer preparedness and their data center environment, we have been able to deploy our ParkView agent in as few as 10 minutes.  Creation of the monitoring policies is simple and typically only entails providing the system IP address and read only credentials.

How does ParkView work?

ParkView is Park Place Technologies’  hosted monitoring service that remotely monitors and initiates service tickets for hardware component failures. ParkView deploys as an agent, typically a pre-packaged hardened VM, that polls systems remotely through standard protocols like SNMP, WMI and SSH. ParkView communicates hardware events back to Park Place over a secure, outbound TCP connection.

Remember, we offer ParkView on all storage devices for free.

Contact your account manager and they can help you get ParkView installed.

 

Support:

How is Park Place handling service tickets in communities with curfew, stay-at-home or lock-down restrictions?

Increasingly, communities, states and countries are issuing restrictive orders, including curfews, business closures and “stay-at-home” orders.  Many communities with such restrictions have “essential business” exceptions which permit technical support personnel to continue to maintain data center and technology infrastructure.

Park Place is responding to these restrictions to honor both the expectation of social distancing and the critical role of maintaining high-performing technology infrastructure.  Thus, when a ticket is opened, we have added a level of triage to determine if the incident can be resolved remotely.  If so, our experienced Field Service Engineers and Advanced Engineering Group work with the customer to resolution;this may include drop-shipped parts.  If on-site support is required, your PPT Field Service Engineer has authorization, including credential documents, and will be able to provide on-site support services.

What about parts?

PPT maintains sufficient parts inventory to meet all customer needs.  We do not rely on the production of new parts, which may be impacted by manufacturing shut downs in China, the US or other locations.  We source parts globally, so regional impacts do not have a significant impact on our global parts inventory.  PPT warehouses the needed parts proximate to customer locations, thus reducing the risk of shipping delays.  There may be instances in which local access to parts is challenged based on government shut-down orders or travel restrictions.Park Place is working proactively to mitigate these risks.

What precautions does PPT take for on-site visits?

All PPT Field Support Engineers have been briefed on coronavirus hygiene and social distancing requirements recommended by the CDC and WHO.  In addition, all PPT FEs have been equipped with protective gear  such as gloves, eye protection and masks.  The intention is to go beyond CDC and WHO recommendations to make service visits as safe as possible for all.

In addition, PPT has established policies for personnel with positive COVID-19 test results, symptoms or exposure to the coronavirus.  These personnel will self-quarantine and be available to provide remote support, barring severe illness.  If on-site assistance is required to resolve the issue, PPT will deploy alternative personnel to perform the services at your site.  We also have followed CDC and WHO recommended practices in establishing back-to-work requirements.

How can I reach a Field Engineer to address remote support needs? Are there any changes to the process?

The process of reaching out for support remains the same.  If you have facility restrictions, our Field Engineers and 24/7 Support Center are equipped to assist you.

As a refresher, you may log into Central Park, our Customer Portal or call your local toll-free number for 24/7 Support here.  If you haven’t already set-up your Customer Portal, please contact your account manager.

What policies does Park Place Technologies have in place to ensure a healthy employee population?

Prior to the coronavirus, Park Place’s workforce was 100% trained on our Business Continuity Plan, which contemplated every possible disaster, including this one.  As a result, we have anticipated customer service disruption risks and have eliminated or mitigated those risks before they arise.  Business Continuity is not about continuing our business, it is about continuing yours.

How long do you expect to be in BCP state?

Our business continuity plan was invoked for purposes of compliance with government orders and shifting to remote work, which we did on March 16, 2020.  It will remain a guiding document so long as we are in remote work status, in whole or part, or there are other matters related to the Pandemic that impact standard work practices.  Please note that a primary purpose of the BCP is for Park Place Technologies to operate with the same effectiveness, productivity and customer support in a crisis situation as we do under normal circumstances; thus, the impact on the customer should be minimal.

When restrictions are lifted at state/government/country level, do you anticipate going back to “Business As Usual”, or do you expect to maintain certain protocols beyond the end of the restriction period?

We will maintain all protocols required by government orders or recommended by guidelines.  For example, we are taking steps to retrofit office space to improve the “low touch” experience for our employees.  As concerns customer support, we will return to business as usual, which has not been disrupted by our BCP.  Further, if customers have requirements, such as mask wearing, distancing, additional training, etc., our field teams will comply with these requirements.

Is there an anticipation of newly formed COVID-19 protocols to stay in place indefinitely? If so, can you elaborate?

As described above, certain COVID-19 protocols are likely to stay in place, including office retrofits for the benefit of our employees.  At this time, the necessity to continue other protocols, such as mask wearing,  will be reviewed on a regular basis against government requirements, employee and customer safety, and best practices.

Who do I contact if I have questions or concerns?

Central Park Customer Portal or your Account Representative.

Look up your local toll-free number for 24/7 Support at: https://pptcopy.wpengine.com/contact-us/#Toll

 

About the Author

Simon Bitton, Sr. Director, Marketing, EMEA & APAC
Simon is responsible for driving the full mix of multi-channel marketing activities, sales and operations support on behalf of Park Place Technologies in Europe & Asia, working with customers and channel partners on supplier management, new business development and market research. He brings 15+ years of deep experience to his position, honed over the course of his work in a variety of service sector roles.