Maintenance and Operations for Custom Software

Question 1

What do maintenance and operations cost?

Answer

Industry practice is 15 to 25 percent of the original development or licence costs per year. At TenMedia the price depends on the model. "On Demand" is billed by effort, without fixed monthly costs. The maintenance plan starts at €900 per month, from eight hours at €112.50 per hour. "Managed Operations" starts at €1,500 per month plus contingent. All prices are net plus statutory VAT. Expenses such as hosting, domains or licences are passed on at cost.

Question 2

Are there minimum contract terms or notice periods?

Answer

There are no minimum contract terms. TenMedia does not believe in lock-in: customers stay because of the work, not because of the contract. The notice period is four weeks. On exit, code, access and documentation are handed over in an orderly way.

Question 3

Does TenMedia take over any existing software?

Answer

No. Before any takeover, each case is assessed individually to determine whether it matches TenMedia's focus and whether the starting point allows for reliable long-term support. Decisive factors include the technical condition of the code base, available access and documentation, and legal clarity regarding the source code. The programming language is rarely the obstacle, as all common languages, CMS and frameworks are supported. The free initial consultation and the subsequent code audit provide clarity quickly. This diligence protects both sides, because only a takeover on a solid basis leads to stable operations.

Question 4

How does the takeover of existing software work?

Answer

Taking over an existing application begins with a non-binding initial conversation and a review of the technical documentation. We then conduct a code audit in which architecture, security posture, dependencies, and open technical debt are evaluated. On this basis, we draft an onboarding plan, set up monitoring, backups, and code versioning, and define responsibilities and response times. The project then moves into regular operations, with a fixed monthly meeting, a shared backlog and dedicated developers. At TenMedia, the entire project takeover takes place within the agreed hourly contingent, so no additional setup fees apply. Long-term maintenance contracts are also possible for software that was not developed by us.

Question 5

How long does it take to take over an existing software application?

Answer

The duration depends on the size of the application, the quality of the documentation and the availability of access. After the free initial consultation, a code audit follows; responsibility is then taken over step by step, starting with monitoring, backups and code versioning. The application keeps running throughout the takeover. In urgent cases, TenMedia can step in on demand once the project has been set up, even before onboarding is complete.

Question 6

What happens in emergencies, such as when a server or database fails?

Answer

We have 24/7 monitoring on every customer project. In case of an acute failure, we receive alerts and respond within the agreed response times. Outside business hours, the team steps in if a corresponding SLA tier has been agreed.

Question 7

How does TenMedia prevent knowledge monopolies, for example during holidays, illness or staff loss?

Answer

Knowledge about each project is documented across the team, not held by a single person. At least two developers are deeply familiar with every project, and standardised, ISO-certified processes allow additional team members to take over at short notice. Holidays, illness or the loss of a team member therefore do not interrupt ongoing operations. The onboarding plan records architecture and operating procedures, every change is traceable through code versioning, and the shared backlog in Azure DevOps makes the state of work visible to everyone. Monitoring also runs team-wide and does not depend on individual people.

Question 8

Does TenMedia work with outsourcing, third-party providers or freelancers?

Answer

No. Development, operations and support are handled entirely by permanently employed staff in Berlin, without outsourcing, subcontractors or freelancers. This keeps knowledge, responsibility and data access in-house and makes the collaboration traceable for audits and procurement bodies. On-site meetings in Berlin can be arranged at any time.

Question 9

Is a data processing agreement (DPA) available?

Answer

Yes. As soon as TenMedia processes personal data on behalf of a client during operations or support, a data processing agreement in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR is concluded. It covers the subject and duration of processing, technical and organisational measures and subprocessors such as the data centre. It is based on TÜV-certified ISO 27001 processes; hosting is GDPR-compliant in European data centres.

Question 10

Which hosting providers and infrastructures are used?

Answer

The internal standard environment is an EU cloud based on Microsoft Azure, GDPR-compliant in European data centres. By arrangement, TenMedia also provides hosting and technical operations on other infrastructure. Existing environments at other hosting providers or on-premises are looked after as well.

Question 11

Which programming languages and systems are supported?

Answer

We work with all common programming languages, CMS platforms and frameworks. Which technologies we can support in a specific case is clarified in advance during the initial consultation.