Frequently Asked Questions

Transcription

1 MICROSTRATEGY CLOUD Frequently Asked Questions v

2 ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENT 1. Where is the MicroStrategy Cloud service hosted? MicroStrategy Cloud is hosted at secure MicroStrategy co-location facilities in Ashburn, VA and London, England. Services will be extended to additional facilities based on regional demand. 2. How does MicroStrategy Cloud connect to customer data? Can the data live in the cloud, on premises, or both? What performance concerns arise based on the location of the data? Your database or warehouse can reside either on premises or in the cloud. MicroStrategy also supports access to heterogeneous data sources via its multisource capability, which is included with MicroStrategy Cloud Services. MicroStrategy offers high performance hosted data warehouse and data integration services for customers that choose to store data in the cloud. Customers who prefer to maintain an on-premise data warehouse can select a Direct Connect option to connect directly to these data sources via a VPN connection between the MicroStrategy Cloud and the on-premise database. Performance of the Direct Connect architecture varies based on a variety of factors. MicroStrategy Cloud leverages framework capabilities that enhance performance including Intelligent Cubes, caching, and pushdown analytics, that reduce the query traffic between the MicroStrategy Cloud and data sources. 3. How can I be certain that I ll get the performance I need? For most customer use cases, the standard cloud architecture delivers excellent performance and throughput. As a premium service, MicroStrategy offers a complete up-front Cloud performance assessment which includes a series of tests that assess network and database performance. 4. What are your plans for adding data centers in various geographies to support regional performance needs? Current services are based in Ashburn, VA as well as London, England. An additional facility in Chicago, IL will be available for backup and redundancy operations. Additional expansion is expected based on regional demand. 5. How do end users access my MicroStrategy Cloud-based applications? Users will access MicroStrategy Cloud over the public internet via an encrypted SSL/HTTPS connection. The base connection to MicroStrategy Cloud supports single factor authentication. Two factor authentication is offered for an additional setup charge. 6. How is the development of the application via Desktop/Architect performed? Can end users access the system via MicroStrategy Desktop? Customers are required to purchase MicroStrategy Architect for BI application development and management. Development is performed within the Cloud environment and is accessible via remote desktop. 2

3 7. What BI capabilities does MicroStrategy Cloud include? The matrix below outlines the wide range of MicroStrategy BI functionality comes standard with MicroStrategy Cloud. MicroStrategy Capability Matrix for Cloud Services Product Standard Optional Services MicroStrategy Web MicroStrategy Report Services MicroStrategy VE MicroStrategy Mobile MicroStrategy OLAP Services MicroStrategy Distribution Services MicroStrategy Office MicroStrategy SharePoint Web Parts MicroStrategy Desktop Reporting only. Customer Branding Look and Feel Customization, Custom Visualizations, Custom SSO Security Integration 8. Can the MicroStrategy Cloud be configured so that end users can only access the service through our VPN? Yes. MicroStrategy Cloud Operations can work with an organization s IT team to set up a proxy server. This proxy server will redirect via a secure VPN to the MicroStrategy Cloud. 9. Once I sign up for MicroStrategy Cloud, how long will it take before I have access to my system? You will typically have access to your MicroStrategy Cloud service within 48 hours after signing the Cloud Master Services Agreement (MSA). 10. Can I use MicroStrategy Mobile in the cloud? How is the connectivity setup different from an on premises implementation? MicroStrategy Cloud includes MicroStrategy Mobile. From a setup perspective, there is no significant distinction between a traditional on premises install and MicroStrategy Cloud. MicroStrategy Cloud supports a secure VPN connection for mobile devices in the same way that it supports VPN access via MicroStrategy Web. 11. Will MicroStrategy Visual Insight be part of MicroStrategy Cloud? MicroStrategy Visual Insight functionality is included for analyst and pro users as part of MicroStrategy Cloud. 12. Will MicroStrategy Transaction Services be part of MicroStrategy Cloud? MicroStrategy Transaction Services is included for analyst and pro users. 13. What does the URL to access the system look like? Will it be a separate custom URL for each customer implementation? Will there be a common URL root? 3

4 Each MicroStrategy Cloud customer will have a separate URL to access the service. Custom domain mappings (e.g. cloudbi.yourdomain.com) are also available. 14. Can you store my data or host my warehouse in your cloud environment? Yes. MicroStrategy provides additional options for customers looking to host their analytical warehouse in the MicroStrategy Cloud environment. A variety of different databases are available in the Cloud, including Teradata, Netezza, ParAccel and SQL Server. Alternatively, customers can choose to open a secure tunnel (VPN) to connect directly to a database within their own premises or within a third-party co-location facility or cloud. Customers can use standard MicroStrategy connectors to interface to any database hosted outside the MicroStrategy Cloud environment. Database optimization services are available as an option through MicroStrategy Professional Services for customers that choose to host their warehouse database on the cloud. 15. Can MicroStrategy provide support on moving our data warehouse to the cloud? MicroStrategy technical services include restoring a backup from any of the databases offered on the MicroStrategy Cloud, including Teradata, Netezza, ParAccel and SQL Server. For other databases, MicroStrategy Professional Services can be retained to help perform this migration for your organization. OPERATIONAL SERVICES 16. What services will be provided standard as part of the offering? Which are optional and may incur additional charges? What am I responsible for in terms of system management and maintenance? The chart below breaks down major categories of services and activities related to management of a MicroStrategy environment. Premium services are available for an additional charge. Optional managed services are delivered by MicroStrategy Professional Services and are not part of the packaged MicroStrategy Cloud offering. Included Optional Customer Service Standard Support Managed Services Responsibility Privilege and Security Administration Managing (creating/adding/deleting) MicroStrategy Users Managing groups Controlling access to application functionality Controlling access to data Monitoring user access Application Maintenance Maintaining caches Application functionality privileges limited to three primary user categories in Named User pricing model. Joint with customer. Joint with MicroStrategy. 4

5 Maintaining intelligent cubes Maintaining history list Scheduled administrative services Maintaining report schedules and subscriptions Administering report delivery (distribution services) Administering report delivery (narrowcast services) Advanced application performance tuning reports, caches, cubes, etc. Monitoring and Analysis Up front customized Cloud performance assessment Monitoring system usage Analyzing system usage and application performance Metadata Modeling Create logical business model / metadata objects Application Development Create reports Design dashboards Define metrics Define filters Create templates Application Change Management Managing MicroStrategy objects Platform planning and execution Server Configuration Management Managing MicroStrategy Web and web cookies Managing MicroStrategy Mobile Manage MicroStrategy Web preferences Managing metadata database Managing source database or warehouse Integration Integration with data sources Joint with customer. Joint with customer. Joint with MicroStrategy. 5 Joint with MicroStrategy. Customer can request performance of certain services. Client provisioning.

6 Integration with metadata database Integration with LDAP or other identity management system Transaction services integration 32-Bit Applications MicroStrategy Architect Command Manager Enterprise Manager Object Manager Integrity Manager SDK Customize look and feel of MicroStrategy Web environment Security integration customization Custom visualizations Database and ETL Host database Database administration Database modeling and design Database optimization Host ETL application ETL connectivity and administration Develop ETL processes and transformations LDAP only. Custom development to support non-standard SSO Options. Limited monitoring functionality. Limited functionality. 17. Who is responsible for configuring the connection between MicroStrategy Cloud and my data? What if I need to add additional data sources? How many data sources can I connect to? Functionally, there is no limit to how many data sources (both on premises and cloud-based) that you can connect to your MicroStrategy Cloud service. If you are connecting the MicroStrategy BI environment directly to data sources, one-time services charges for setting up new connections may apply. If you opt to use MicroStrategy to host your database, you may need to set up ETL integrations to source data. One time and monthly service charges may apply to these connections. 18. Who will be responsible for creating and managing users? Will this be done by the MicroStrategy Cloud administration team or by someone from my company? Primary user administration is performed by your company via a designated customer representative. This designated user can add or delete users, move users between groups, and 6

7 setup user hierarchies. User privileges are limited by default to three different user classifications Consumer, Analyst, and Pro: Feature Subscribe to reports, scorecards, etc. Print Export Drill Use MicroStrategy Mobile on ipad/iphone Create derived metrics Define thresholds Drill anywhere Publish shared reports Use Transaction Services Use Microsoft Office integration Design new reports Create and edit filters and prompts Save templates for reuse Advanced formatting Consumer Business user Representative feature list. Does not reflect all available features. Analyst Business analyst Pro BI developer 19. What type of administration functionality will be available to my company (e.g. monitoring of performance, troubleshooting of reports) or are all administration functions performed by the MicroStrategy Cloud administration team? What tools will be made available to my company? Your company will primarily be responsible for managing user groups and hierarchies and managing project configurations. You will have access to interfaces for monitoring overall system health and usage. MicroStrategy Architect and other tools like Integrity Manager (for troubleshooting reports) will be hosted on our utility box development server and accessible via remote desktop functionality. Most other administrative tasks will be managed by MicroStrategy. Premium charges may apply depending on the type or frequency of certain administrative actions. 7

8 MicroStrategy will manage the web server and the metadata database; certain configuration options may become available through a web-based interface selectively over time. 20. Will my company be able to perform manual administration of the infrastructure (e.g. one-off purging of caches and one-off unloading of projects) or will everything need to be automated? MicroStrategy will generally be responsible for managing the infrastructure. Certain operations are available to organization via a web-based user interface. Other operations will be performed by MicroStrategy on an as-needed basis. Cache operations, for example, are managed by MicroStrategy. Organizations can request a cache refresh on a scheduled or one-off basis. Project administration generally is the responsibility of the customer. Each Cloud customer designates a primary point of contact for the Cloud services team. Technical and administrative tasks and coordinated in conjunction with this contact. 21. How do I access MicroStrategy Cloud Professional Services that aren t part of the MicroStrategy Cloud Services offering? Some MicroStrategy Cloud services are available as a premium service or can be delivered for a onetime fixed price. These services can be requested via standard MicroStrategy Technical Support channels. For all other professional services, please contact your MicroStrategy account executive. DATA AND SECURITY 22. What is the physical security for your cloud environment? MicroStrategy uses SSAE-16 Type II (formerly SAS70) compliant data centers that are housed in nondescript buildings that feature extensive setback and vehicle control berms as well as other natural boundary protection. Authorized staff must pass multi-factor authentication to access data center floors. Physical access is strictly controlled both at the perimeter and at building ingress points by professional security staff utilizing video surveillance, state of the art intrusion detection systems, and other electronic means. In most cases, because MicroStrategy may share rack space with other vendors, racks are located in specific cages with limited access to each cage. Visitors to every cage are logged and monitored. All MicroStrategy employees undergo an extensive background check when hired. MicroStrategy only provides data center access and information to employees who have a legitimate business need for such privileges. When an employee no longer has a business need for these privileges, his or her access is immediately revoked, even if they continue to be an employee of MicroStrategy. All physical and electronic access to data centers by MicroStrategy employees is logged and audited routinely. 23. What is MicroStrategy s data retention policy for the cloud? MicroStrategy backup policies and procedures are designed to ensure limited downtime to the customer should an unforeseen incident occur that impacts the quality or availability of customer data. These backup procedures are designed as part of an overall effort to provide high levels of availability to MicroStrategy Cloud customers. 8

9 As a normal part of operations, all customer data is redundantly stored in a separate offsite location. MicroStrategy Cloud Services will perform a scheduled backup on a nightly basis of the following: MicroStrategy environment including metadata Customer access control lists Virtual environment parameters and settings Applicable audit logs This backup is persisted in a storage device located in MicroStrategy Cloud data center and is subject to the same physical security as other MicroStrategy Cloud infrastructure. A redundant backup is created at a similar facility in a different physical location. These backups are retained for a period of 14 days, at which point they are permanently deleted. Backups can be restored on customer request. Five such restoration requests are included per month; thereafter the customer will be billed for restoration services on an hourly basis. As backups are point-in-time, MicroStrategy cannot guarantee that all data can be recovered. Additional premium data retention options are available for an additional monthly fee. 24. Who will have access to my data? Typically, only authorized users within your organization have access to your data. In cases where MicroStrategy employees have legitimate business needs to access your data, temporary access will be granted. This may occur, for example, when troubleshooting a performance issue in the production environment. When an employee no longer has a business need for these privileges, his or her access is immediately revoked, even if they continue to be an employee of MicroStrategy. All access to your data through the MicroStrategy application is logged and audited routinely. All MicroStrategy employees undergo an extensive background check when hired. 25. What safeguards, processes, and procedures are in place to prevent unauthorized access to system infrastructure? Is there any other third party involved that could obtain access? MicroStrategy only provides physical system access to employees who have a legitimate business need for such privileges. When an employee no longer has a business need for these privileges, his or her access is immediately revoked, even if they continue to be an employee of MicroStrategy. All physical and electronic access to customer implementations by MicroStrategy employees is logged and audited routinely. Access to the physical system infrastructure by other third parties is prohibited, unless accompanied by a MicroStrategy Cloud team member. The MicroStrategy Cloud infrastructure is located in a locked cage within the data center and only MicroStrategy Cloud members have access to that environment. Access by these employees is restricted to a limited number and all access is managed and monitored. All such employees are also subject to an extensive background check. 26. Can MicroStrategy personnel that access my data be subjected to additional background check? All MicroStrategy employees undergo an extensive background check when hired. Because MicroStrategy Cloud operations are performed by an integrated team in a shared environment, it is generally not possible to specifically designate individual employees to operate particular customer environments. As a result, we typically do not offer the ability to perform additional customerspecific background checks. Please contact your MicroStrategy account executive for additional information. 9

10 27. What security mechanism will MicroStrategy employ to detect intrusion through firewalls? MicroStrategy Cloud leverages both active and passive network intrusion detection systems to protect against third party attacks. Suspicious activities are programmatically identified and network operators are sent alerts. MicroStrategy personnel monitor the system for specific alerts on a 24/7 basis and follow a standard set of procedures and practices to respond to threats as they are identified. 28. How is data in cubes and caches secured? Caches and cubes are specific to each customer s unique system environment, which runs in a separate virtual environment and is not accessible by any other MicroStrategy customer. Data stored in-memory in intelligent cubes and caches are secured using a variety of different approaches. For example, at a customer s option, MicroStrategy s cube encryption technology can be used to encrypt both caches and cubes. Cache- and cube-based data also takes full advantage of the physical security environment of the MicroStrategy Cloud infrastructure outlined elsewhere in this document. 29. What additional security provisions do you have in place? Passwords for all servers, agents, and applications use strong passwords are revised on a periodic basis. Passwords for customer access are encrypted and are unknown to MicroStrategy staff. In the case of lost passwords, new passwords are system generated and ed directly to the corresponding user account. In addition, MicroStrategy Cloud takes advantage of the security features native to the MicroStrategy Business Intelligence platform. This includes user authorization security for the business intelligence application itself (including application functionality security, access control lists, and data security features), along with wired and wireless internet transmission security features. More information is available in the MicroStrategy Architecture Book. 30. How and when will security-related issues be communicated to customers? In compliance with federal, state, and/or foreign law (as applicable), MicroStrategy has implemented processes to provide notification to customers of lost or compromised data based on the severity of the security threat and the results of any individual attack. 31. Who owns the data? You do. At any time, you can request metadata database extracts from MicroStrategy. Database extracts are only provided to individuals explicitly authorized by the customer. 32. What operational controls are in place? What certifications does MicroStrategy offer? MicroStrategy is working with a public accounting firm to ensure continued Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) compliance. Our MicroStrategy Cloud computing infrastructure is maintained in an SSAE-16 Type II (formerly SAS 70) compliant data centers. The MicroStrategy Cloud controls are based on the Cloud Security Alliance control matrix. As such, we are able to map our controls to the most common industry control frameworks including COBIT, NIST, ISO27001/2, PCI, HIPPA, etc. A detailed list of existing certifications and a roadmap for additional certifications is available by request. Please speak to your account executive. 10

11 An industry-leading third party will be responsible for the monitoring and Level 1 escalation within the MicroStrategy Cloud environment. This firm has Network Operation Centers (NOC) around the world and offers complete 24x7 environment and security monitoring services as well as a highly tested and accepted set of controls for monitoring and managing solutions such as ours. MicroStrategy staff will manage Level 2 and Level 3 escalations. Our hardware and software partners in the MicroStrategy Cloud initiative will also provide Level 3 escalation coverage. 33. How is user authentication handled? Can I integrate with existing LDAP, Active Directory, or other identity management or single sign on solutions? MicroStrategy Cloud can integrate with your existing identity management and single sign on solutions. Integration is securely achieved via a VPN connection between our web server in the MicroStrategy cloud and the authentication server on your network. Basic LDAP integration is available as part of the standard MicroStrategy Cloud service; other single sign on or identity management integration is available as a premium offering. Single factor authentication is standard; two factor authentication can be supported for an additional up-front fee. For further details regarding the MicroStrategy Cloud security framework, please download the security whitepaper at DATA SERVICES 34. How does your Cloud Warehouse offering work? MicroStrategy offers a complete cloud-based data warehouse with robust ETL support for loading and maintaining your database. MicroStrategy Cloud data hosting services are available in three standard configurations: a) Basic Edition. This is our entry level option and supports a maximum data volume of 1 TB. This option features a low compute-to-storage ratio, a low memory-to-storage ratio, and standard disks. b) Performance Edition. This option delivers strong performance and scalability up to 10TB. This option features a medium compute-to-storage ratio, a medium memory-to-storage ratio, and fast disks. c) Enterprise Edition. Based on a high end appliance from a leading analytical database vendor, this option is designed to support use cases with large amounts of data (up to 100TB), high levels of concurrency and demanding analytical challenges. This option features a high computeto-storage ratio, a high memory-to-storage ratio, and very high performance disks. 35. What services does MicroStrategy provide to maintain the environment? MicroStrategy provides basic database administration functions. MicroStrategy services for tuning and optimization are available on a time and materials basis. 36. Is there an SLA for warehouse performance? MicroStrategy provides an SLA as it relates to system uptime, including any data warehouse. Performance of a given warehouse is dependent on a number of factors including design of the 11

12 schema and ongoing optimization. As such, there is no specific performance SLA defined for warehouse performance. 37. How can I update my database using ETL? MicroStrategy offers a range of ETL options from cost-effective data loading services to high performance, dedicated ETL with capability for advanced processes and transformations. TESTING AND DEVELOPMENT 38. How do you handle testing and development? As part of your service, MicroStrategy will provide access to virtual environment dedicated for testing and development. This environment can be used for testing and development purposes. Subscribers to MicroStrategy Cloud Warehouse and ETL services will also have access to similar, additional virtual environments for testing and development. Custom testing and development configurations are available for an additional monthly service charge. UPGRADES AND MIGRATION 39. How will you handle patches and upgrades to my system? As new versions of the underlying MicroStrategy Business Intelligence platform are released, the MicroStrategy Cloud service is updated with the enhancements contained in those releases. This process unfolds in two different ways: a) Minor patches and upgrades. MicroStrategy maintains as scheduled two hour maintenance window on Saturday night of each week. During this window of scheduled downtime, MicroStrategy will apply minor upgrades and patches to your system. This two hour window of downtime will not count against MicroStrategy s uptime SLA. b) Major releases. From time to time, your MicroStrategy Cloud service will require a major upgrade by MicroStrategy. To ensure stability of the customer environments, MicroStrategy will perform rigorous testing of major release versions prior to upgrading customer environments. During the major release upgrade process, MicroStrategy will provide an upgrade window in which customers will be able to schedule a time to minimize the impact on the customer application. To maintain your service during this upgrade, MicroStrategy will create an instance of your system based on the upgraded software platform. This instance will run in parallel with your production environment for a period of two weeks, during which time you may test the system as you see fit via MicroStrategy Integrity Manager or other means (MicroStrategy will also be conducting its own tests during this time period). At the end of the two week period, users of the old system will be redirected to the new instance, and the old instance will be turned off. All costs associated with this process are included in your MicroStrategy Cloud services. If you require additional, non-standard services or a customized upgrade process (for example, to accommodate more extensive user acceptance testing), the MicroStrategy Cloud team can accommodate this with a tailored service offering. 12

13 40. Are upgrades mandatory and outside of the control of the customer? How many versions will be run simultaneously across the entire infrastructure? MicroStrategy s objective is to deliver an infrastructure where all customers can take full advantage of the functional benefits of using the latest version of MicroStrategy software. We will work with you to schedule your upgrade processes to maximize the efficiency of the upgrade and to minimize any business impact. 41. Will new functionality be turned on right away as soon as a new upgrade is completed or will it be made available only on demand by the customer? New functionality will be available to the customer as soon as an upgrade has been completed. To the extent that the manifestation of any new functionality is dependent on BI solution design, the customer will have control over the deployment of this functionality in its applications. 42. How can I migrate out of the cloud to an on-premises solution? What s the migration process? You are free to migrate to an on-premises solution at any time. Typically, MicroStrategy will facilitate this migration by packaging your metadata database into a secure, encrypted file and transmitting it to you via FTP. Database backups and ETL scripts/workflows will also be provided if applicable. MicroStrategy Professional Services are available to help with any implementation issues or questions related to your on premises environment. 43. Can I migrate from an existing on-premises install to the MicroStrategy Cloud solution? MicroStrategy offers two paths to migrate your MicroStrategy implementation into the MicroStrategy Cloud. First, you can package your metadata database into a secure, encrypted file and transmit it to MicroStrategy via FTP. Alternatively, you can use standard MicroStrategy Object Manager capabilities to create a package which can be used to update your cloud-based MicroStrategy instance. Existing data warehouses and ETL capabilities can also be migrated on a time and materials basis. 44. Can I convert existing licenses to MicroStrategy Cloud credits? MicroStrategy Cloud is an integrated solution that bundles BI, database, ETL, and other software, plus hardware, network, support, and operational services. Existing licenses cannot be converted. 45. Can I migrate from an older MicroStrategy version into the Cloud? What is the process that is involved? Do I need to have another implementation cycle? Yes, you can migrate from an older MicroStrategy version into the cloud. Once your MicroStrategy Cloud service is available, the migration process is the same as it would be for any other migration to a newer version of MicroStrategy. After the migration is complete, you can continue to run your existing system in parallel as you test your new cloud-based environment. 46. Can I migrate my existing production environment in the cloud and keep my Development and QA on premises? How can we migrate metadata on premise into the cloud for on-going projects? Yes, you can migrate your production environment to the cloud while maintaining an environment or environments for development and QA on premises. Metadata migration can take place as described above via a secure FTP-based transfer or through the standard MicroStrategy Object Manager interface. Depending on the frequency of metadata database refreshes, you may be 13

14 subject to additional services charges to the extent that manual change management processes on the part of the MicroStrategy Cloud team are required. PRICING AND BILLING 47. How are MicroStrategy Cloud Services priced and packaged? There are two ways to purchase MicroStrategy Cloud services: a) Named User Pricing Our named user pricing model is based on the number of users authorized to use your system in a given month. There are three user classifications Consumer, Analyst, and Pro each with a different set of privileges and a different monthly cost. Feature Subscribe to reports, scorecards, etc. Print Export Drill Use MicroStrategy Mobile on ipad/iphone Create derived metrics Define thresholds Drill anywhere Publish shared reports Use Transaction Services Use Microsoft Office integration Design new reports Create and edit filters and prompts Save templates for reuse Advanced formatting Consumer Business user Representative feature list. Does not reflect all available features. Analyst Business analyst Pro BI developer 14

15 MicroStrategy will request that you commit to a base level of named user usage in a given time period. Longer commitments will be more deeply discounted. As system utilization increases, you can modify your level of commitment in increments of 25 additional users. b) Capacity-Based Pricing Capacity-based pricing allows organizations to only pay for a fixed amount of system capacity. It is ideally suited for organizations that have an unknown number of end users, or are subject to wide swings in demand for system resources. This model enables customers to benefit from consistently optimized system performance even at the highest level of user activity, without the need to make expensive up front investments to build out the costly infrastructure required to deliver consistent performance at large scale. MicroStrategy will work closely with your BI organization to evaluate system usage and recommend the optimal capacity. Your organization is able to increase capacity at any time to meet demand growth. 48. How will MicroStrategy bill for MicroStrategy Cloud services? What kind of data will be captured? Will it be auditable by customers? Will customers have the opportunity to review their billing on demand? What kinds of billing reports will be provided to the customer? MicroStrategy will issue monthly invoices for MicroStrategy Cloud services. Quarterly, annual, or multi-year invoices are available upon request. Invoices will be based on utilization of the customer system in accordance with either the metered or named-user based pricing models offered by MicroStrategy. Invoices are generated automatically based on usage statistics from the customer s MicroStrategy implementation and the customer s negotiated pricing. These usage statistics can also be monitored by a customer at any time in the billing cycle through the administrative interface of the solution. Customers should be aware that while this interface does track hourly utilization or active named user counts (depending on the relevant pricing model) it does not actually apply pricing to this information. Pricing is only applied in the monthly bill itself. Usage history is maintained by the system and is accessible directly by the customer through the administrative portal for a period of two years. Billing information is not otherwise auditable by the customer. SUPPORT 49. How is tech support delivered for MicroStrategy Cloud? Customers requiring tech support can access it through MicroStrategy s existing channels for support. For high severity support issues, MicroStrategy recommends you contact us via the appropriate MicroStrategy Technical Support phone number for your location. Once you have contacted MicroStrategy Technical Support, you will be assigned a case number. Support cases are managed based on severity. 15

16 Case status can be accessed through the web support portal at any time by providing your customer information and case number. 50. Does the MicroStrategy Cloud service include standard MicroStrategy Technical Support? Yes, standard MicroStrategy Technical Support is included in the price of the MicroStrategy Cloud offering. 51. Are there self-service options for support? MicroStrategy offers full access for MicroStrategy Cloud customers to MicroStrategy s online knowledge base and product documentation. In addition, MicroStrategy Cloud customers can access the MicroStrategy Discussion Forums. The Discussion Forums are an online community for peer-to-peer technical support and knowledge sharing. These Forums are a place where MicroStrategy customers and partners can exchange knowledge, best practices, and experience. They are moderated by MicroStrategy technical specialists, who contribute to ongoing discussions as needed. Participation in the Forums requires a MicroStrategy Resource Center account. MISCELLANEOUS 52. Is there a way to try MicroStrategy Cloud Services before committing to a purchase? A Cloud QuickStrike is available to enable customers to develop a proof of concept. Please contact your account executive for additional information. 53. Can I run my existing MicroStrategy software licenses in your cloud? MicroStrategy Cloud is an integrated solution that bundles BI, database, ETL, and other software, plus hardware, network, support, and operational services. MicroStrategy does not offer hosting services for existing owners of MicroStrategy software licenses. 16