Deployment questions to ask when engaging with customer; have you ever deployed software like JMP® before?

Daniel_Valente

Deployment questions to ask when engaging with customer; have you ever deployed software like JMP^® before?

Question 1:  Are you the individual who will distribute the software?

If yes, go to Question 2.

If no, ask:

• Who will distribute the software for you? 
• Do you know how that person typically distributes desktop software like JMP, or would it be helpful for me to talk to him or her about it?

If the customer says, “Why are you asking? Is the software complex to distribute?”.

Say:

• Customers can deploy JMP to their users in any of several ways. I want to make sure that I understand your environment so that we provide the correct license paperwork

Question 2: How do you typically deploy desktop software like JMP? Do you know how you will deploy JMP^®?

Possible answers: 

• CD, DVD.
• Key drive.
• Install from a shared server.
• Internally or externally developed software update deployment system¹.
• Desktop virtualization².
• Server virtualization².

¹ If the customer is running a commercial software configuration management system, please find out the name of the system being used.

² When virtualization is indicated, ask for specifics:

• Name of virtual environment.
• If the customer says Citrix, for example, please ask for a product name. (Citrix is the company name and it has many products, some for virtual desktops and others for virtual servers; the same is true for other virtualization vendors.)
• If the customer doesn’t know, ask for the customer to investigate or provide a contact who can tell you more.

Question 3: On what operating systems will your users be running JMP^®?

If JMP^® or JMP^® Pro:

• Your main thing you need to learn is: Windows or Mac.
• Note that Windows XP will not be supported in JMP 11. 

If JMP^® Genomics or JMP^® Clinical, it is critical to ask:

• What is the bitness of the operating systems your users will be running?
• For the life sciences products, you will have to specify 32-bit or 64-bit, so it’s important to establish if the customer has machines of one or both types. 
• Once the life sciences products are updated to a version that will run with JMP 11 or SAS 9.4 (likely in 2014), this will be less of an issue since SAS 9.4 will not support 32-bit Windows. But for the present, the software is ordered as 32- or 64-bit.

 

 

All information is SAS company confidential. Do not disclose.