• Becoming a Distributor
• Testimonials
• Features & Modules
• Pricing
  • Support Plans
• Related Services

Support Plans FAQ

Enjoy peace of mind with a Bistro Support Agreement. In addition to a number of free self-serve resources, you can work directly with our Bistro experts for personalized assistance. Get the help you need, when you need it, as often as you need it! It's like having a Bistro software expert as part of your team! Learn more about Support Plans options.

What are Bistro Software Updates?

Bistro updates are released when

• improvements are made to the software
• problems are fixed in the software
• a new module is added to your Bistro license

Software updates are an important part of any website content management system. These updates give you access to new features and industry best-practices (for example, new Search-Engine Optimization techniques are often included as part of Bistro updates) as well as access to the latest security patches (to keep your website visitors safe against malicious programs that may try to hijack your website).

When you purchase a Bistro License, you can manually apply software updates and patches free-of-chage. With an active Support Plan, Lewis Media provides an Automatic Update Service. Bistro periodically checks to see if there are new updates available to the core system, as well as to each module you have installed. If there is one, depending on the options you have selected, it is either downloaded and installed "behind the scenes" or you are prompted to install the update(s) the next time you log into Bistro. 

Feel free to checkout the list of latest Bistro updates through our Software Updates RSS Feed.

What is Stability Monitoring?

When Stability Monitoring is enabled for your website (this can be turned on when you are logged into Bistro through System Setup » Manage your Settings) our servers check in with your website every day to to monitor the stability of your website. The information we collect includes:

• Is your website up and running?
• How many errors has your website recorded?
• How many security alarms has your website recorded?

With this information, we perform a number of important tasks. First, if your website appears to be "down", your webmaster is immediately notified so that they can take quick action. Second, we use the number of errors and alarms to create a baseline of "normal" activity for your site; when we identify any behaviour that is outside this "normal" range, we notify your webmaster immediately so that they can investigate and provide recommendations. Normally a webmaster has to wait until a client calls with a website problem (which results in costly downtime). Stability monitoring drastically reduces the amount of downtime you can expect to experience in the event of a website issue.

What is Performance Monitoring?

When Performance Monitoring is enabled for your website (this can be turned on when you are logged into Bistro through System Setup » Manage your Settings) our servers check in with your website every day to to monitor the health and performance of your website. The information we collect includes:

• What version of software and database is your website running?
• What operating system and web server software are on your server?
• How much memory is your server using to run your website?
• How much processing time is used to run your website?
• How much traffic is your website managing?

With this information, we perform a number of important tasks. First, if your website appears to be running an insecure version of software, operating system or web server software, your webmaster is immediately notified so that they can take quick action. Second, we use the number of errors and alarms to perform a trend analysis on your website - this analysis compares the traffic of your site to the resources used, and can identify when you may experience website issues before they cause a website crash. When we identify a trend that is cause for concern, we notify your webmaster immediately so that they can investigate and provide recommendations. Normally a webmaster doesn't know of insecure software or server resource issues until a website is compromised or crashes a server. Performance monitoring provides predictive alarms, allowing your webmaster to take pre-emptive action, rather than apply reactive repairs.

What is included with a Help Request?

The Bistro Help Request system is designed to get you in touch with Bistro software experts, to help you with software-related issues as quickly as possible. Although there are many types of help requests that are covered with a Bistro Support Agreement, here are a few examples of the types of issues we can help resolve:

• Resolution of anomalous behaviour and software bugs
• Resolution of security concerns
• Software configuration issues
• Investigation/resolution of errors and alarms
• Software usage questions & interpretation of documentation

When someone first starts using our built-in Help Desk, one of the common questions that is asked is "What is *not* included in the Support Agreement". The following is a list of example support questions that aren't covered by the Bistro Support Agreement, and would be considered Consulting Services. Consulting Service questions are typically referred to your web designer or host or provided by Bistro software experts at our standard hourly consulting rate of $89 per hour.

• Telephone support/training
• Creation or editing of content
• Changes to graphic, flash or design elements
• Hosting related issues *
• Server related issues *
• Email related issues *
• General business/marketing consulting (e.g. SEO, branding, process improvement, etc.)

The queries marked by a * are typically referred to your website host - if Lewis media is your website host, then these issues will not be referred, and can be submitted to the help desk as a regular help request.

How do I get help for items not covered by my Support Agreement?

To request assistance on topics not covered by your Support Agreement, you can either contact you webmaster (this can be done from within Bistro from Help » Contact Webmaster) or you can contact Lewis Media directly. When requesting additional consulting help, it's best to include the following information:

• The type of assistance required (e.g. training, content changes, etc)
• The time frame required
• The best way to contact you

If the change you are requiring is a larger project (for example, adding an Online Store to your site, where none existed before) it is also helpful to provide your webmaster with your desired budget, or a more detailed requirements document. You can learn more about writing a requirements document by reading our RFP Guide.