Product Lifecycle

This English version is provided for convenience only. The German version is legally binding; in the event of any discrepancy between the two versions, the German version shall prevail.

1. Purpose and scope

This Product Lifecycle Policy (“Lifecycle Policy”) governs the provision, test phases, further development and planned discontinuation of products, functions and services of the centron Cloud.

The Lifecycle Policy applies to all products and services of centron unless expressly deviating agreements have been made. It supplements the existing contractual provisions, in particular:

• the Terms of Use,

• the general Service Descriptions, and

• the relevant Service Specifications and/or descriptions of services applicable in each case

In the event of contradictions in content between this Lifecycle Policy and other components of the contract, the order of precedence agreed in the Terms of Use applies.

2. Lifecycle phases

The products and services offered by centron regularly pass through various development and provision phases. centron distinguishes between the following lifecycle phases:

• Private Preview
• Public Preview
• General Availability (GA)

Each of these phases is characterised by different features with regard to availability, stability, support and legal classification.

3. General principles of the lifecycle phases

Depending on the lifecycle phase, products and services may vary considerably in their range of functions, their stability and their availability.

While earlier phases serve in particular for testing and further development and may therefore be subject to restrictions, products in later phases are in principle intended for productive use.

centron is entitled at any time to transfer products and services between the lifecycle phases, to adapt, extend or restrict their functionality and to discontinue them in whole or in part, provided that this is done taking into account the legitimate interests of the Customer and that no mandatory contractual provisions preclude this.

4. Private Preview

Products and services in the Private Preview phase represent early stages of development that are made available exclusively to selected customers by invitation.

These products and services may be incomplete, have functional limitations or fail to meet the requirements for stability, security or performance that are customary for productive systems.

Use of Private Preview products for productive purposes is therefore not intended and takes place exclusively at the Customer’s own risk.

The following restrictions apply in particular to products and services in the Private Preview:

• There is no entitlement to any particular availability or uptime.
• There is no entitlement to support services.
• No service level agreements (SLA) are granted.
• centron gives no warranty for functionality or freedom from errors.

centron is entitled to change, restrict or completely discontinue products and services in this phase at any time and without prior notice.

5. Public Preview

Products and services in the Public Preview phase are further developed pre-release versions that are in principle available to all customers for optional use.

In this phase, too, products and services may still have functional limitations or be subject to changes, in particular with regard to range of functions, performance or user guidance.

Use of Public Preview products for productive purposes is possible in principle, but is subject to the proviso that not all characteristics of a fully mature product are yet present.

The following applies to products and services in the Public Preview:

• Support services are provided within the scope of the Service Description applicable from time to time.
• There are no claims to SLA credits or other compensation in the event of incidents or outages.
• centron is entitled to adjust prices, functions and performance characteristics at any time.

centron may, subject to reasonable notice periods, further develop products and services in this phase, transfer them to the General Availability phase or discontinue them.

6. General Availability (GA)

Products and services in the General Availability phase are fully released services intended for productive use.

These products and services correspond to the current state of the art and are provided within the scope of the contractually agreed terms.

The following applies to products and services in General Availability:

• The agreed service level agreements apply.
• Support services are provided in accordance with the Service Description.
• The services are in principle suitable for permanent and productive use.

Changes to products and services in this phase are made exclusively within the scope of the contractual provisions, in particular in compliance with the Terms of Use, the Service Description and the respective Service Specifications.

7. Transition between lifecycle phases

centron is entitled to transfer products and services from one lifecycle phase to another at any time.

Such a transition may in particular be associated with changes to the functionality, the technical architecture or the operating parameters.

The Customer has no entitlement to a product or service remaining permanently in a particular lifecycle phase or being continued unchanged.

To the extent that technical adjustments or migrations are necessary in connection with a change of phase, centron may carry these out taking into account the legitimate interests of the Customer.

8. Discontinuations of products and services

Products and services may be discontinued by centron if there is an objective reason for this, in particular in the context of technological developments, economic considerations or security-related requirements.

For products and services in General Availability and Public Preview, centron will inform the Customer in good time of an intended discontinuation and – where possible – grant reasonable transition periods.

For products and services in the Private Preview, on the other hand, there is no obligation to give advance notice of a discontinuation.

9. Liability and risk

The use of products and services in the Private Preview and Public Preview phases takes place in principle at the Customer’s own risk.

In these phases, to the extent permitted by law, centron gives no warranty for functionality, availability or fitness for particular purposes.

Liability for damage arising from the use of preview products is excluded – subject to mandatory statutory provisions.

For products and services in the General Availability phase, the liability provisions of the General Terms and Conditions apply.

10. Final provisions

This Lifecycle Policy supplements the existing contractual agreements between centron and the Customer.

Should individual provisions of this Lifecycle Policy be or become invalid in whole or in part, the validity of the remaining provisions shall remain unaffected.

In all other respects, the contractual provisions between the parties continue to apply.