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Prepare for Expiration of IBM Cognos 8.4 Support with a Complementary Ironside Upgrade Assessment

Because a large number of IBM Cognos clients have upgraded to Cognos 10, IBM has announced Cognos 8.4 will reach End of Support (EOS) at the end of September 2013. To help clients manage this transition, the Ironside Group is offering a 2-day free assessment for any current Cognos 8.4 client looking for guidance on how to proceed with their Cognos environment.

As a result of this change, current Cognos 8.4 customers will no longer receive technical support from IBM on their version of the product. 8.4 Customers will not have the ability to log calls with support, register defects, or receive new fixes or enhancements.

Current 8.4 users have a few different options on how to proceed:

  • Ironside recommends current clients upgrade to the latest version, Cognos 10.2. Clients with active 8.4 Support are entitled to this version.
  • Clients can continue to leverage KnowledgeBase documents that apply to Cognos 8.4.1 and “Fix Central” to access fix packs that have been created for Cognos 8.4.1 in the past. (There will be no new fix packs posted.)
  • Clients can continue to receive support on their current version buy purchasing a Support Extension. This is an additional cost in addition to their current renewal and the price does vary due to the level of support required.
  • Finally, clients can choose to stop paying for support for Cognos 8.4.1. In this scenario, clients lose the right to upgrade to a new version of Cognos until they reinstate their S&S renewal. The costs associated with reinstatement vary depending on how long a client has been off of support.

As part of our free assessment, Ironside will analyze current performance and ensure that every client is adhering to Best-Practices and provide a cost estimate and scope of effort required to upgrade. Most importantly, Ironside will provide recommendations as to where new Cognos 10 functionality can be leveraged, ensuring that clients can receive all the benefits of their investments. With over a hundred clients on Cognos 10, Ironside continues to be a leader in providing world-class Cognos consulting across the country. This free assessment is a great way for us to begin helping you to build a cutting edge, strategic Business Intelligence infrastructure.  Contact Dave Myers, dmyers@ironsidegroup.com or 781-860-8840 if you would like to take advantage of this offer!

Please note: Scope of effort dependent upon a conversation between the client and the Ironside sales executive.