2020

Technical
Support
Specialization

Learn more on kaspersky.com

Contents
Is it right for your business? 2
The benefits 2
Higher priority response 2
Additional communication with Kaspersky 2
Technical Support Specialization – partners event 2
Specialization certificate and logo 2

Responsibilities and requirements 3

General responsibilities & requirements for partners 3
Performance requirements for partners 3

How to apply 4
Basic steps for applying 4

Renewals and Termination 4

Changes to Terms & Conditions 4
Technical Support Specialization
Is it right for your business?
Technical Support Specialization is for partners that want to provide 1st line technical
support to their end-user customers. Subject to additional requirements, partners
that have achieved Platinum or Gold status within the Kaspersky United Partner
Program are eligible to apply for Technical Support Specialization.

The benefits
Partners that achieve Technical Support Specialization qualify for a range
of valuable benefits:

Higher priority response

When a partner’s Technical Support Specialist escalates a support issue, Kaspersky
local support team will treat the incident as high priority (compared with other
incidents – of the same level of severity – submitted by partners that have not
achieved Technical Support Specialization).

Additional communication with Kaspersky

Because knowledge sharing is vital in helping partners to build their skills, Kaspersky
may invite Technical Support Specialization partners to regular meetings, training
and rotation programs. These activities may be face-to-face or online.

Technical Support Specialization – partners event

Selected partners may be invited to take part in an annual event that gives partners
the chance to meet representatives from Kaspersky head office and local offices.

Specialization certificate and logo

A special certificate – plus the right to use the Technical Support Specialization
logo – helps the partner to differentiate its business and show its customers that
the partner has achieved a defined level of expertise.

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Responsibilities and requirements
Delivering excellent support to customers is the prime focus for this specialization.
Whenever the partner’s customer encounters a product malfunction – or one of
a range of specific related issues – the partner should provide the customer with
high-quality, post-sales technical assistance.

General responsibilities & requirements for partners

• The partner should employ a minimum of two technical specialists that have
completed specific Kaspersky training courses and have passed the necessary
exams to become Kaspersky Certified Systems Engineers. At regular intervals,
the partner will be required to confirm that the necessary Certified Systems
Engineers are still employed by the partner. In addition, the partner must ensure
that its Certified Systems Engineers undertake additional training courses –
and pass the relevant exams – whenever new training courses and/or
certifications are released.
• The partner’s Certified Systems Engineers should have a working knowledge
of how to use the CSS Remedy system. When a customer reports an issue, the partner
should register the issue within CSS Remedy. The partner shall then use CSS
Remedy throughout the partner’s activities in handling the issue.
• To help ensure Kaspersky can provide end-user customers with up-to-date
information about support capabilities – and publish accurate information on its
websites – the partner should provide Kaspersky with key information regarding
the partner’s technical support activities, including details of:
• The partner’s own support contacts
• The partner’s support team’s working hours
• The languages that the partner can support

Performance requirements for partners

• The partner should meet or exceed specific KPI targets that are set by Kaspersky:
• For customer satisfaction (CSAT), the monthly rate should be 85% or more.
• For customer dissatisfaction (DSAT), the monthly rate should be 10% or lower.
• The partner should handle each incident within the reaction time defined for
incidents of that specific level of severity.
• Whenever possible, the partner should aim to handle customers’ technical
issues without escalating those issues to Kaspersky technical team. If a partner
abuses the escalation procedure or escalates an excessive number of issues –
as a result of a lack of diligence or technical knowledge by the partner –
the partner may lose its Technical Support Specialization status.

If the partner fails to comply with any of the responsibilities, requirements or KPIs,
Kaspersky will be entitled to cancel the partner’s Technical Support Specialization.

3
How to apply
Platinum and Gold partners are eligible to apply for Technical Support Specialization.

Each partner should be able to prove that it has a consistent and effective approach to
delivering support.

Basic steps for applying

The partner should:

1. Ensure that two or more of its technical specialists achieve accreditation

as Kaspersky Certified Systems Engineers1.
2. Contact the Kaspersky Partner Account Manager to request that the partner is
considered for the specialization.
3. Complete the training course on how to use CSS Remedy.
4. Agree to the Technical Support Policy.
5. Sign the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and Controller to Processor
(C2P) agreement.

Provided partner continues to meet all relevant requirements for Technical Support
Specialization, the status will remain valid until the end of the calendar year
(unless stated otherwise in partner’s confirmation email or on partner’s certificate).

Renewals and Termination

Technical Support Specialization status is subject to renewal at the beginning of
each calendar year. To qualify for renewal, the partner should continue to meet all of
the requirements for Technical Support Specialization. Any Specialist Partner that
fails to meet all necessary requirements will lose their Technical Support
Specialization status and lose all relevant benefits.

Partner participation in Technical Support Specialization can also be terminated by

the partner or by Kaspersky (by either party) giving the other party 30 days’ notice.
Notice can be given via email or in the case of Kaspersky via the Kaspersky
Partner Portal.

Changes to Terms & Conditions

Kaspersky is continuously working to improve the Technical Support Specialization
Program. Kaspersky reserves the right to change Technical Support Specialization
terms & conditions at any point during the Specialization lifecycle. All such changes
shall be effective upon their publication on the Partner Portal or at such time,
that Kaspersky may specify.

1. To achieve accreditation as a Kaspersky Certified Systems Engineer, a technical professional must pass
exam number 002 (Kaspersky Endpoint Security and Management Fundamentals) and then pass exam
number 310 (Kaspersky Endpoint Security and Management Expert).

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