Maintenance Contracts on Network Instruments Software Products

Introduction
Network Instruments provides free technical support an all new product purchases for a period of sixty days, beginning on the first business day after date of purchase. It is recommended that customers purchase a one-year, renewable software maintenance agreement at the time of purchase.

Benefits
A yearly maintenance agreement has the following benefits:

• Unlimited priority technical support Network Instruments provides unlimited priority technical support during the year to customers with maintenance contracts. 97% of telephone calls to Network Instruments technical support department made during support hours are answered by a support specialist ; 96.5% of emails and faxes received during support hours are answered within 90 minutes (85% within one hour).

• Major upgrade All customers who have purchased maintenance agreements are eligible to receive, at no additional charge, any major upgrade of any new release of the program under maintenance during the maintenance period, if the product has a major upgrade during the maintenance period.

• Quarterly maintenance CD All customers with maintenance agreements receive a quarterly maintenance CD, containing the very latest version of their Network Instruments product.

• Cross platform upgrade discount. Maintenance customers may upgrade at any time to a higher level product (within the same family) for only the difference in cost between the two products.

• Annual reminder All customers with maintenance agreements receive a yearly reminder, approximately one month prior to the expiration of the maintenance agreement, reminding them that it is time to purchase a new agreement, if desired.

• Ongoing support Continuous maintenance agreements purchased beyond the first year continue with the same benefits as above.

In short, a yearly maintenance agreement guarantees the customer both unlimited access to Network Instruments technical support, and to the latest version of his or her Network Instruments product or products.

Cost Structure
The price of a yearly maintenance agreement, when purchased along with a Network Instruments program or package of programs, is approximately 20% of the list price of that program or package. The annual maintenance renewal fee is approximately 20% of the list price of the product at the time of renewal.

Maintenance agreements are available only for the entire package purchased. It is not possible, for example, to purchase the Observer Suite and a maintenance agreement only for the basic Observer product.

When a customer purchases Observer and a Maintenance agreement, the Maintenance agreement begins in the month of the Observer purchase, regardless of when Observer is actually activated.

Upgrades
While upgrades are included in the Maintenance agreement, Network Instruments does offer upgrades to customers without maintenance agreements, at approximately 30% of the retail price of product for which the upgrade is being purchased. A customer making such an upgrade purchase will be eligible at that time to purchase a maintenance agreement at the usual maintenance agreement price.