Support Plan Packages

Equinix offers a range of Smart Hands Support Plans to help customers manage data center operations more efficiently. These plans provide access to technical assistance from IBX technicians and are designed to simplify service delivery, improve cost predictability, and reduce administrative overhead.

Benefits

• Discounted rates: Up to 40% off standard Smart Hands hourly rates.
• Customizable plans: Choose the exact number of support hours for monthly or annual plans.
• Cost planning: Budget for recurring maintenance and scheduled activities.
• Simplified approvals: Avoid delays caused by internal purchase approvals, especially during urgent requests.
• Flexible usage: Use plan hours across multiple IBX locations or limit usage to a specific site.
• Expense separation: Separate plan purchase costs from operational expenses.
• Rollover support: Rollover plans allow unused hours to be used for one month.
• Billing options: Choose between monthly or annual billing cycles.
• Extended availability: Use hours during or outside of standard business hours.

Plan Types

Support plans are available in monthly and prepaid formats, with options for rollover, multi-site usage, and tiered discounts based on the number of hours purchased. Equinix offers three plan types, each with a defined number of hours and specific usage terms.

Monthly Smart Hands Support Plan (1 Month Rollover)

• Provides on-site technical assistance for the number of hours stated in the contract.
• Plan auto-renews after the initial term.
• Unused hours roll over for one additional month.
• Hours from the current period are used first, followed by any rollover hours.
• Rollover hours expire if not used within the rollover period, and are not refunded or carried forward.

How Monthly Rollover Works

Monthly hours can be used for 60 days (1 month rollover). Each month, the hours consumed are deducted from the current month first, then from the rolled-over hours. For example:

Month	Current Month Hours	Hours Rolled From Prior Month	Hours Used During This Month	Notes
May	10	0	4	Only 4 out of 10 hours were used, so the remaining 6 hours will roll over to June.
June	10	6	7	Only 7 out of 10 hours were used, so the 3 remaining hours roll over to July. The 6 hours rolled over from May will expire unused.
July	10	3	12	All 10 monthly hours were used, and 2 of the hours rolled over from June were used. The remaining 1 hour rolled over from June will expire.

Monthly Smart Hands Support Plan (No Rollover)

• Provides on-site technical assistance for the number of hours stated in the contract.
• Plan auto-renews after the initial term.
• Unused hours expire at the end of each month, and are not refunded or carried forward.

Prepaid Smart Hands Hours Plan

• Provides on-site technical assistance for the number of hours stated in the contract.
• One-time purchase of support hours is valid for 12 months.
• Plan does not auto-renew.
• Hours can be used at any time during the plan term.
• Unused prepaid hours expire at the end of the plan term, and are not refunded or carried forward.

tip

When you purchase a Smart Hands Support Plan, you can choose to restrict the use of prepaid and rollover hours to the specific IBX data center listed in the contract. If you don’t select this option, the hours can be used at any IBX data center within the same country.

Using Your Support Plan

Your Smart Hands Support Plan is designed to make ordering services simple and predictable. Here's how it works:

• Automatic Deduction of Hours - When you place a Smart Hands order, the time required for the task is automatically deducted from your available plan hours.

• Tracking Remaining Hours - View your remaining plan hours in the Customer Portal under your account details. This helps you monitor usage and plan ahead for upcoming tasks.

• Rollover Rules - If your plan includes rollover, any unused hours will carry over to the next month according to your plan's terms. Check your plan details for rollover limits.

• Pro-Rated Hours for Mid-Month Orders - If you purchase a Support Plan in the middle of the month, your available hours will be pro-rated based on the remaining days in that month. When ordering online, the order form may show the cost for a full month. However, your invoice will reflect only the pro-rated amount.

Existing Price Agreements

If your company has an active price agreement that includes Smart Hands Support Plan or overage rates, those rates will remain in effect until the agreement expires. When ordering a Support Plan online, the order form may show the standard hourly rate. However, your invoice will reflect the correct rate based on your agreement.

Invoicing for Support

Support plans are billed according to the terms outlined in your contract. See Invoices for detailed information and examples. If you have questions, email our Billing department.

Discounted Hourly Rates

Smart Hands Support Plans offer discounted hourly rates based on the number of hours purchased. Discounts vary by plan type.

Monthly Support Plan

Plan	Discount
1-10 hours	15% off
11-15 hours	20% off
16-25 hours	25% off
26-120 hours	30% off
121-500 hours	35% off
500+ hours	40% off

Prepaid Support Plan

Plan	Discount
1-120 hours	5% off
121-180 hours	15% off
181-300 hours	20% off
301-1440 hours	25% off
1440+ hours	30% off

Included Fixed-Price Smart Hands Services

Smart Hands Support Plans generally apply to time and materials services. However, certain fixed-price services are also eligible and billed under part numbers PS00040 or PS00041. The table below shows which fixed-price services can and cannot be used with Smart Hands Support Plans.

Fixed Price Service	Included in Smart Hands Support Plan
Service Delivery Report - SLA	Yes
Service Delivery Report - IBX Service Summary	Yes
Service Delivery Report - Customized	Yes
Loaded Cabinet Move	Yes
Power Consumption Report - non-BCM	Yes
IBX Access Activity Report (Previously known as Cage Activity Report)	Yes
IBX Access Permissions Report (Previously known as Access Permissions Report)	Yes
Energize AC/DC Circuit	No
Expedite Fee	No