GTAC services - Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software 

GTAC Services 

A guide to support services from the Global Technical Access Center (GTAC) 

www.siemens.com/gtac

2 

Contents 

The value of software maintenance 

enhancements and support 

GTAC value proposition 4 

Support services overview 5 

One stop electronic support shop 6 

Handling customer data 8 

E-mail subscription lists 9 

WebKey accounts 10 

Support telephone numbers 11 

3

The value of software maintenance, 

enhancements and support 

Welcome to the Siemens PLM Software family of productive 

users! Siemens PLM Software‘s solutions represent a unified 

approach to extended enterprise collaboration that enables 

all participants in your product lifecycle to work in concert as 

you bring products to market and support your customer 

base. 

Software maintenance, enhancements and support are 

essential for your successful utilization of Siemens PLM Software 

solutions. When you purchase maintenance, you are 

entitled to the following components to ensure that you 

maximize your effective use of our software. 

Major releases of software with new features, functions, 

and software corrections. New releases provide the latest 

and most productive tools and technology to improve your 

product development process. Every major release includes 

significant new features and corrections for software errors 

found in earlier releases. Major releases can include significant 

changes in data architecture to take advantage of new 

technology. 

Point releases of software with software corrections and 

limited new features. Point releases, made available as 

needed between major releases, provide you with timely 

corrections for software bugs, plus enhancements to existing 

features, and sometimes even new features. Point 

releases do not include changes in data architecture. We 

normally only offer this for the current release and previous 

major releases. Maintenance of releases older than that can 

only be offered through Premium Extended Maintenance at 

a surcharge. 

Prompt and effective telephone-based technical support. 

Your calls are routed directly to technical support engineers 

who have the knowledge and skills to understand, investigate, 

and resolve problems quickly. Phone-based support 

includes problem escalation, management visibility and the 

input process for reporting software errors and enhancement 

requests. 

Web-based technical support. Our customer support web 

pages provide instant access to problem reporting, a symptom/solution 

database for FAQs, tips, techniques, and software 

error listings. They also enable you to track progress on 

open issues, download and upload files, participate in news 

groups and access certification information about software 

and hardware configurations. In addition, our web pages 

provide e-mail subscription services for support bulletins and 

other critical technical information, as well as access to a 

technical newsletter with useful tips and techniques. 

Our support team, the Global Technical Access Center 

(GTAC), has the following mission: To increase our customer’s 

productive use of our software by providing responsive 

and specialized support. Your software maintenance 

dollar and our commitment to you – our customer – drives 

this overarching value. 

3

4 

GTAC value proposition 

The value of GTAC technical support 

services to the – 

End user is: 

• Having all support requirements 

satisfied by product experts through 

a single access number 

• Working with GTAC support agents 

who are closely involved with the 

product lifecycle and take ownership 

of the problem until it is resolved 

• Leveraging a full range of problem 

resolution tools and services 

• Leveraging electronic services on a 

24 x 7 basis with unlimited usage 

including: 

Newsgroups and conferencing 

Incident reporting and status 

A symptom/solution knowledge 

database for information queries 

Reporting of errors or requests for 

enhancements from within many 

of our products 

GTAC Quarterly technical newsletter 

Software Field Bulletins (SFBs) 

Online documentation 

Patches and software releases available 

for downloads 

E-mail subscription of technical 

information as it becomes available 

FTP server for data downloads and 

uploads 

License file retrieval and emergency 

license generation 

Access to all electronic tools and 

services via a WebKey account 

Manager is: 

• Reducing the distraction and 

the time consumed with unassisted 

problem diagnosis and resolution 

• Engaging in a more productive work 

environment resulting in increased 

efficiency 

• Receiving software updates and 

maintenance releases as part of the 

standard maintenance service contract 

• Automatic call tracking and escalation 

procedures for all incidents or 

problems reported 

Executive manager is: 

• Gaining profit margin resulting from 

increased productivity and efficiency 

• Experiencing product quality and 

delivery times that exceed expectations 

• Working with a single vendor who can 

facilitate every support requirement 

and administer it with a simplified 

contract

GTAC is your focal point for post 

installation software support. 

GTAC is organized into specialized 

teams that support specific product 

disciplines. Using this service, 

your call will be logged, traced 

and followed until resolved. In 

some instances, the solution to 

your problem or answer to your 

question may already exist and 

can be readily provided. 

Support services overview 

Telephone support – When you call 

GTAC at 1-(800)-955-0000 or +1 (714) 

952-5444 Monday – Friday 5:00 am – 

5:00 pm PT, your call is answered by an 

automated attendant. You will be asked 

to key in your SoldTo ID, then receive 

several support options. At that point, 

you can select the option that corresponds 

to your specific need. To view the 

list of available support options, please 

see the GTAC Service Selection Guide on 

the support site. An incident report (IR) 

will be opened for you to record and 

track your request. Keep this number for 

your records and later use it for reference 

if the issue is not immediately resolved. 

If you are outside North America, 

contact your local country office for support. 

If you use a distributor, contact your 

reseller and ask about the process to follow 

for getting support. Refer to the 

list of global support telephone numbers 

for the support number in your area. 

Business issues – Option 1 

The GTAC U.S. 800 number enables you 

to contact your customer account analyst 

(CAA) to discuss any contract, billing or 

maintenance issues. You can also select 

an option to make inquiries on software 

distribution, shipments and delivery. 

Technical support – Option 2 

All of your technical support options are 

provided here. Select option 2 to request 

support or report a technical problem 

related to your Siemens PLM software 

products. Your selection will be routed to 

the appropriate team and support specialist 

for help. 

Call back – Option 3 

Our phone system has a call back 

option that enables you to go directly to 

the support agent handling your existing 

incident report or to speak to the support 

manager for your agent and product 

area. After providing your SoldTo ID and 

the incident or problem report number, 

the phone system routes your call to the 

support agent assigned or to the appropriate 

support manager. 

Training – Option 4 

Select the latest class schedules and 

training information or register for training 

classes. You can also use this option 

to get technical assistance with the training 

web application. 

5

This section describes the support 

services and tools available on our 

GTAC support site. You will need a 

WebKey account to access these 

services. 

6 

One stop support shop 

www.siemens.com/gtac 

Solution Center – We provide a knowledge 

base information query service 

where the accumulated knowledge of 

the GTAC support staff is available 

on-line, 24 hours a day. Many of its 

articles are based on problems or questions 

submitted by our customers. 

It is updated with new articles and 

current technical information daily. 

Software field bulletins (SFBs) – 

The SFB provides technical tips, updates, 

workarounds, and vendor hardware 

and software release certifications. 

These technical information bulletins 

are available through the Solution Center 

knowledge base search engine and the 

SFBMAIL Electronic Distribution List. 

Problem report (PR) status – Incident 

reports (IRs) that uncover software errors 

are converted into problem reports (PRs) 

and sent to development for correction. 

Initially, we provide the customer who 

reported the problem with an email confirmation 

notice. Subsequently, we notify 

the customer when the problem 

has been fixed or resolved. 

Call tracking – To facilitate on-line 

call status, we provide a web-based call 

handling tool called QTAC (Query the 

Technical Access Center). This tool 

enables customers to view the latest status 

of their reported issues. A simple 

authentication scheme controls access 

and guarantees the privacy of all customer 

data. 

Download and upload files – From 

our web page, you have the option to 

download or upload files using ftp, http 

or https. You can quickly send us your 

data when you need us to analyze problems. 

You can also download programs, 

full releases, maintenance releases, 

patches, drivers, documentation, bulletins 

and other information using ftp or 

http protocols. All you need is a WebKey 

account to gain access. 

Certification information – We provide 

a guide to the currently supported revisions 

of operating systems and associated 

vendor software products, graphics 

and related hardware products. You will 

find current and previously certified systems 

and configuration information for 

all of our offered products. 

Documentation – You can access on-line 

documents including release notes, user 

guides, README files, deployment 

guides, tutorials, other product guides 

and technical information. You will also 

find our technical newsletter, the GTAC 

Quarterly, which is written and produced 

by GTAC and distributed electronically. 

A PDF file for each newsletter issue 

is available and can be downloaded 

and printed. 

Electronic call entry – This call handling 

tool enables you to electronically log support 

calls with GTAC via the web. You will 

be immediately assigned an IR number, 

which you can use to reference that

incident report. If you are supported by 

a distributor or reseller, you need to 

contact your distributor or reseller to 

inquire about the support process. 

Often your reseller can log an IR for 

you. 

Newsgroups and conferencing – 

An electronic forum for exchanging 

information relating to our product 

lines is available. To help you use the 

products more effectively, you can 

exchange ideas or ask questions and 

get responses from other users, our 

GTAC support staff, developers, technical 

sales support, marketing or the user 

community. 

License retrieval and emergency 

licenses – You can use these tools to 

obtain an electronic copy of your 

license file as needed to run your 

licensed software. You can also request 

an emergency license file valid for 7 

days on any machine if your situation 

requires it. 

7

Siemens PLM Software will not 

allow non-U.S. citizens or nongreen 

card holders to view the 

customer supplied data without 

written permission from the 

customer. 

8 

Handling customer data 

How Siemens PLM Software handles 

and protects your data 

Data is often required to diagnose customer 

usage problems or to duplicate a 

problem that may be a potential software 

defect. In these situations, we ask you to 

electronically send us the part file and 

any other associated files containing 

useful information, such as syslog files 

or macros. We ask you to transfer these 

files, via http or https protocols, to the 

GTAC directory on our ftp server. You will 

need to have a WebKey account to access 

these tools. 

Siemens PLM Software takes receipt 

and control of these files and your data 

very seriously and has a set of procedures 

in place that control who is authorized 

to view the supplied data. The Siemens 

PLM Software Export Compliance Procedures 

have been designed to fully comply 

with the United States Export Administration 

Regulations (EAR). We treat all customer 

data as export sensitive until 

it is specifically identified by the customer 

and an export compliance control 

number (ECCN) issued. 

Data covered by International Traffic in 

Arms Regulations (ITAR) cannot be copied 

from the secure storage directory. 

Accordingly, only a Siemens PLM Software 

employee who is a U.S. citizen or 

permanent resident is permitted access 

to this data. While this protective measure 

makes for an ITAR compliant process, 

it relies on the customer to responsibly 

classify their data. 

When a non-U.S. citizen or non-green 

card holder requests access to the customer 

data for the purpose of investigating 

a problem or solution, Siemens PLM 

Software sends a request to the contact 

person or customer who reported the 

issue or owns the data. The request consists 

of an explanatory letter and a form 

to be filled out by the customer or data 

owner and returned to Siemens PLM Software. 

This form is known as the Export 

Control Classification Number (ECCN) 

form. It is sent via e-mail in PDF format. 

The sender is identified as gtac_ec.

Our e-mail subscription service 

keeps you informed of pertinent 

technical and training information 

automatically and in a timely 

manner. There are currently four 

electronic mail distributions available 

that are regularly updated 

and sent to all subscribers. 

E-mail subscription lists 

Newsletter – notification and a link to 

the latest issue of GTAC Quarterly. You 

can view the newsletter using a browser, 

or download a PDF file for viewing and 

printing using Adobe Acrobat Reader. 

SFBMAIL – all software field bulletins 

(SFBs) are distributed as soon as they are 

posted in the Solution Center database 

to the SFB collection under the specific 

product. You will have the option to filter 

or select topics of interest thereby controlling 

the amount of information you receive. 

Summary – a weekly summary list containing 

the document ID and a short description 

of new Solution Center articles and a 

monthly summary of new SFBs. You can 

click on any article title listed in the SUM- 

MARY report and your web browser 

will activate and bring up the contents 

of that article from our Solution Center 

knowledge database. 

myLD-News (Learning and Development 

Newsletter) – Learning and Development 

distributes a newsletter about upcoming 

training and workshops organized by global 

or zone-wide acting functions or countries. 

It also contains a brief recap about previous 

training and workshops as well as news, 

announcements, tips and hints. 

To initiate your subscription to any or all 

of these 4 mailing lists, go to our support 

page under Featured Services and access 

our web interface to the mailing list utility. 

You will need a WebKey account to access 

the web interface. 

Or you can subscribe to the mailing lists 

by sending an e-mail message to the 

addresses shown below. You will need to 

send a separate message for each list. The 

message and subject line should be blank. 

• newsletter-subscribe.plm@siemens.com 

• sfbmail-subscribe.plm@siemens.com 

• summary-subscribe.plm@siemens.com 

• myld-news-subscribe.plm@siemens.com 

To remove yourself from any list, you can 

go to our support page under Featured Services 

and access the web interface or send 

the following e-mail messages: 

• newsletter-unsubscribe.plm@siemens. 

com 

• sfbmail-unsubscribe.plm@siemens.com 

• summary-unsubscribe.plm@siemens.com 

• myld-news-unsubscribe.plm@siemens. 

com 

9

10 

WebKey accounts 

What is a WebKey account and 

why is it important? 

A WebKey account is a custom account 

that will give you access to GTAC web 

tools and services including: 

• License file retrieval 

• Emergency license file request 

• Newsgroups 

• E-mail subscription lists 

• Downloads of software and patches 

from the FTP server 

• Certification information for our 

products 

• Solution Center – our searchable 

symptom/solution information query 

database 

• Electronic call handling 

• Documentation 

How can I obtain a WebKey account? 

Your WebKey account is your personal, 

single point of authentication that will 

allow access to product information and 

associated support tools. To request a 

WebKey account, select the WebKey link 

on the GTAC support page or select the 

option to “Create account” from any Web- 

Key login page. 

Once you have your account, you will 

only need to enter it once per browser 

session. 

Where can I download full releases of 

software? 

Full downloads of our products are 

available to you via the FTP Server. 

This server supports the http and https 

protocols. Anonymous FTP is not supported; 

you must have a WebKey account 

to access this system. Full downloads 

have a further restriction in that your IP 

address must be registered with your 

customer account analyst (CAA) and 

downloads must occur from that system 

only. Maintenance releases, patches, 

service packs, updates, and other files 

do not have this restriction. 

Who do I contact for help with my 

WebKey account? 

If you encounter problems with the creation 

or use of your WebKey account, call 

GTAC at 1 (800)-955-0000, if you reside 

in the U.S. or Canada, or use +1 (714)- 

952-5444. Enter option 2, 6 to get help 

with our support tools and products. You 

can also contact your local office for 

help.

Support telephone numbers 

ASEAN: 

+65 6843 1073 

aseanhotline.plm@siemens.com 

AUSTRALIA: 

1300 519 144 or +61 7 3849 7866 

http://helpdesk.phoenxplm.com.au 

1300 883 653 or +61 3 9532 0700 

http://www.edgeplm.com.au/ 

support.html 

1300 790 661 or +61 2 9484 7837 

http://www.endurasim.com.au 

AUSTRIA: 

+43 732 377 550 38 

BELGIUM 

+32 2 709 56 66 

SOUTH AMERICA: 

+55 11 4224 7111 

CHINA: 

+800 810 1970 

helpdesk_cn.plm@siemens.com 

DENMARK: 

+45 73 42 1160 

FINLAND: 

+358 9 540 48429 

hotline@ideal.fi 

FRANCE: 

+33 1 30 67 71 11 

GERMANY: 

+49 221 208 02222 

HONG KONG: 

+852 2230 3322 


HUNGARY: 

+36 1 436 9610 

plmsupport@graphit.hu 

http://www.graphit.hu/plmsupport 

INDIA: 

+1800 102 4822 or +91 020 40282100 

indiahotline.plm@siemens.com 

ISRAEL: 

+972 3 7344560 

ITALY: 

+800 900 047 

JAPAN: 

+81 3 5354 6700 

KOREA: 

+82 02 559 5854 

LUXEMBOURG: 

+32 2 709 56 66 

MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA and 

CARIBBEAN: 

+52 811 234 2244 

NETHERLANDS: 

+31 73 680 25 43 

NEW ZEALAND: 

+64 9 524 6890 

http://helpdesk.phoenxplm.com.au 

0800 440 684 or +61 3 9532 0700 

http://www.edgeplm.com.au/support. 

html 

+61 2 9484 7837 

http://www.endurasim.com.au 

+64 3 3595 298 or +64 2 7436 9179 

http://www.solidedge.co.nz 

NORWAY: 

+47 67 55 15 01 

support@summit.no 

POLAND: 

+48 22 339 36 90 

PORTUGAL: 

+35 126 190 905 

RUSSIA: 

+7 495 967 07 72 

SPAIN: 

+34 900 87 88 80 

SWEDEN: 

+46 8 506 990 80 

SWITZERLAND: 

+41 44 7557 282 

TAIWAN: 

+00801 86 1970 


UNITED KINGDOM: 

+44 (0) 1276 702111 

Parasolid Support 

+44 (0) 1223 371555 

parasolid.support.plm@siemens.com 

UNITED STATES and CANADA: 

+1 800 955 0000 or +1 714 952 5444 

11

Siemens Industry Software 

Headquarters 

Granite Park One 

5800 Granite Parkway 

Suite 600 

Plano, TX 75024 

USA 

+1 972 987 3000 

Fax +1 972 987 3398 

Americas 

Granite Park One 

5800 Granite Parkway 

Suite 600 

Plano, TX 75024 

USA 

+1 800 498 5351 

Fax +1 972 987 3398 

Europe 

3 Knoll Road 

Camberley 

Surrey GU15 3SY 

United Kingdom 

+44 (0) 1276 702000 

Fax +44 (0) 1276 702130 

Asia-Pacific 

100 How Ming Street 

Suite 4301-4302, 43F 

Two Landmark East Kwun Tong 

Kowloon 

Hong Kong 

+852 2230 3333 

Fax +852 2230 3210 

About Siemens PLM Software 

Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens 

Industry Automation Division, is a leading global provider 

of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and 

services with 7 million licensed seats and 71,000 

customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, 

Siemens PLM Software works collaboratively with 

companies to deliver open solutions that help them 

turn more ideas into successful products. For more 

information on Siemens PLM Software products and 

services, visit www.siemens.com/plm. 

© 2012 Siemens Product Lifecycle 

Management Software Inc. All rights 

reserved. Siemens and the Siemens 

logo are registered trademarks of 

Siemens AG. D-Cubed, Femap, 

Geolus, GO PLM, I-deas, Insight, 

JT, NX, Parasolid, Solid Edge, 

Teamcenter, Tecnomatix and Velocity 

Series are trademarks or registered 

trademarks of Siemens Product Lifecycle 

Management Software Inc. or 

its subsidiaries in the United States 

and in other countries. All other 

logos, trademarks, registered trademarks 

or service marks used herein 

are the property of their respective 

holders. 

23395-X38 4/12 A

GTAC services - Siemens PLM Software

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