[consulting] Structuring Security and Module Update Services

[Brian Vuyk]

Sam,

I put my clients on a monthly 'maintenance' contract to handle these 
things. Generally, 3-4 hours, although some clients want more, some less.

What I've done is create a test site which includes a copy of every 
module I've used on a client's site, along with any custom stuff I've 
used that depends on certain module functionality. I monitor that site 
for updates, and when a module is updated, I update the test site for, 
make sure that any client-specific monkeying I've done works, then roll 
it out to the clients.

It takes a bit of time up front to replicate some stuff on a testsite in 
addition to the client's site... but it pays off because you can catch 
any bugs introduced by modules ahead of time.

This approach is starting to get a bit a bit clunky though. I am 
starting to think about using SimpleTest, and writing my own tests to 
test for client-specific functionality to ensure that the module 
upgrades are a bit less painless.

Brian

Sam Cohen wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I am now going to be offering all my clients security and module 
> updates as an ongoing service -- I know.  I should have done it all 
> along. 
>
> I'm curious how others structure this service.  Do most of you do it 
> at a regular interval (to cover modules) or just every time there's a 
> new release.  
>
> My thought is to offer an option where every time there is a Drupal 
> release I will install it and at that time I will check for any module 
> updates and install those as well.  But pricing wise, it's tricky, 
> because what if you run into trouble due to a module upgrade that 
> leads to a conflict.  Not to mention, the time you should take for 
> testing ? 
>
> It seems like the safest way to offer this service is to just say you 
> will bill hourly for whatever time it takes every time there is a 
> release.  Is that how others do it?  If not, how much time to you 
> typically charge/take for this. 
>
> Thanks,
> Sam
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