End of Samsung OfficeServ Telephony systems
Samsung have announced that they are ceasing the supply of their OfficeServ products to the Australian market from 1st April 2019. As Redsand/Commander MNC we have installed and support many hundreds of these units to our clients delivered over the last decade. We take this opportunity to share this information with you, so we can assist you in making the right business decisions based on this news. We have the support of the sole Australian distributor of the Samsung OfficeServ range and below are the highlights of the announcement and timelines.
- Any orders for new hardware equipment will need to be placed by 31st March 2019, with expected delivery of these items in May 2019.
- Hardware support will remain in place for 5yrs from 1st April 2019- 31st March 2024
- Software Support will remain in place for 2yrs until 31st March 2021, there will be no new feature releases and support will be limited to software bug fixes
- Any new software licences required for systems will be available for 2yrs up to 31st March 2021
Here are 5 questions and answers that helps to clarify what this announcement means to our clients.
Q&A
Q1) Will I be able to buy new phones for my existing system over the next 5 years?
A1) No new stock will be in Australia, the sourcing of new equipment outside of Australia may be possible although long lead times could apply. The second-hand market of used equipment may be available locally.
Q2) If I expand my existing requirement after March 2019 how do I do that?
A2) We can still purchase software licences for the OfficeServ for another 2years to enable physical phones to be used, new handsets will be difficult to obtain.
Q3) If I want a new Samsung OfficeServ what shall I do?
A3) Our advice is to plan and budget future requirements with us from a different vendor, as an example we have been installing Panasonic telephone systems since December 2018.
Q4) Is there an official statement from Samsung about their withdrawal from the Australian market?
A4) Unfortunately not a public one at this time, a letter of support will be available for us to share with clients from the sole Australian Samsung distributor to reference this announcement. Please ask for it if this is a concern.
Q5) How do I get support for my current installed Samsung OfficeServ?
A5) There is no change in the immediate future as our technicians are still accredited to support our customers and we have the support from Samsung over the next few years to support the existing installed base.
Integer IT’s advice.
As an Enterprise partner of Samsung telephony systems to the Mid North Coast we are disappointed by their global decision to exit the Australian market, however its extremely important to share this announcement immediately with our customers to enable us to plan together for the future.
There are clearly some options available, our advice is to review the existing Samsung OfficeServ installation now. If there is a possibility for growth in usage or phone users, purchasing the Samsung handsets/phones now would be advisable and even buying the software licences to activate at the same time. Inevitably with no new software development and releases its important to assess what is required in the future.
If you would like to discuss this news article in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact us.
