Overview of the software support and maintenance guidelines

Software support is reactive and covers activities to address urgent issues that arise from software use that can hamper software operations or cause downtimes. Software maintenance is proactive and includes scheduled activities to address non-urgent issues or perform planned improvements.

The support and maintenance plan will differ depending on the specifics of the supported software and its underlying infrastructure, as well as the scope of the required support and maintenance activities. 

To determine the scope of the support and maintenance activities, you need to analyze: 
-    The software’s related infrastructure. 
-    Prospective new features and changes. 
-    The current and planned number of software users.

These guidelines provide recommendations and best practices on software support and maintenance and include guidance on the support process, maintenance activities,  software updates and patch management, software change management and release process. They also define the roles and responsibilities for support and maintenance.