Even though maintenance of a radio system typically costs as much as its initial purchase, much attention is given to the former and very little to the latter. As a result, system owners often receive less support than they need and face additional, unplanned, costs. There is often a huge disparity between what each public safety agency considers critical vs what vendors consider critical for operations. Service Level Agreements (SLA's) should clearly define response and resolution times for system impact issues. The service contract should include clauses to ensure that vendors have skin in the game, for example a penalty clause for not meeting the contractual response time. Modern radio systems are moving towards cloud-based management and include a variety of third-party equipment. We need to ensure that service agreements include cybersecurity services which are in line with the agency's policies and procedures.

In this session:
Hear examples of real-life errors
Receive a list of the most important elements of a good maintenance contract.