Hi there. My name is Paul Cohen – I've been with Hitachi Vantara going on four years now, originally hired to run and expand the capabilities of the Pentaho Support Team. The role has expanded over the years and there have been lots of changes since I joined the company. I’d like to think we’ve made good progress since.  

Last April I took on a new role as Head of Customer Success for our Lumada Software Group. We’re organized a bit differently now – We’re not just support. I liken our new team to a toolbox full of everything needed to make our customers truly successful. Our capabilities have expanded dramatically. We still have our core 24x7 Product Support team but also Architecture, a variety of available services teams (helping with everything from upgrades to platform extensions) and our Education & Training Team. 

If our customers have a problem, chances are this extended team has an answer. 

The changes don’t stop at the Customer Success Team.  

Other recent developments: 

• When we released Pentaho 8.3 - It was designated an “LTS” or “Long Term Support” release which will continue to receive updates for multiple years in the future. I know there are a lot of customers that don’t want to upgrade frequently but need to be on a fully ‘supported’ version. I’d recommend everyone in that situation look into this release. Details can be found in our published End of Life Policy. If you’d like assistance upgrading, please let us know. 
• Speaking of upgrading, the release of 9.1 this fall will contain a new architecture to vastly simplify the process of upgrading Pentaho. This is one of the primary pieces of feedback I’ve heard over the years, “It’s too difficult to upgrade” - This is being addressed! 
• We’ve grown and we’re continuing to grow! Earlier this year we acquired the assets of WaterlineData and have incorporated the Data Catalog into the Lumada Suite as the “Lumada Data Catalog” - We have other solutions coming out soon as well! 
• We’re giving the Support Portal a facelift very soon. It will have more “Lumada” branding on it – But be assured, if you use Pentaho, or Lumada Data Catalog (formerly WaterlineData) you’ll be able to access the same excellent customer support that you expect. It may look different, but be assured you’re in the right place. 

One more thing to mention – We're sending out a CSAT survey in the next week or so, please take a few minutes and give us your thoughts. We’re always trying to improve. 

And we’re here if you need support, have questions or anything else. Feel free to reach out to me directly or by opening a support ticket. 

Thanks for reading … More good stuff to come soon! 

Paul 

Paul Cohen
Head of Customer Success & Support, DSBU
Hitachi Vantara
e: paul.cohen@HitachiVantara.com