Services Description  – 
Vanilla Self-Serve Implementation

Scope of Services: 

Higher Logic, LLC  on behalf of its wholly owned entity Vanilla Forums ULC (“HLV”) provides a self-directed implementation option designed for Subscribers who prefer to independently configure and launch their Vanilla Community using on-demand enablement resources (the “Implementation”). 

This tier is intended for organizations with strong technical confidence and internal capacity to self-manage planning, configuration, authentication, and launch activities without assigned HLV implementation resources. 

Implementation: 

The Implementation is fully Subscriber driven and does not include assigned project management, live consultation, or hands-on implementation services from HLV. 

Subscribers will leverage HLV’s Success Community, which provides structured training videos, product documentation, configuration guides, and searchable Q&A, to support platform setup, configuration, and authentication. Subscribers are responsible for independently applying training content to their Vanilla environment, configuring core functionality, and completing single sign-on (SSO). 

This Implementation provides maximum flexibility and autonomy while maintaining alignment with supported Vanilla capabilities. Subscriber acknowledges that configuration options are limited to existing Vanilla functionality and that HLV is not responsible for achieving requirements beyond the platform’s documented capabilities. 

Project Phase: 

Phases	Activities	Estimated Timeframe
Self-Guided Planning	• Review enablement resources • Define internal implementation plan	Subscriber driven
Self-Guided Configuration	• Community architecture and environment setup • Category structure and navigation configuration • Roles, permissions, and moderation workflows • Feature enablement using standard Vanilla functionality	Subscriber driven
Authentication & Integrations	• SSO configuration • Integration and API development	Subscriber driven
Testing & Launch	• Community testing •  Develop launch plan •  Recruit early adopters •  Beta testing/Soft launch	Subscriber driven

 

Subscriber Project Personnel Requirements: 

Project Owner / Point of Contact (POC): Subscriber is responsible for assigning internal ownership of all project planning, coordination, and execution activities. No HLV project manager or implementation advisor is assigned as part of this Implementation. 

Subscriber Community Stakeholder(s): Responsible for defining community goals, configuring platform functionality, managing content, and overseeing moderation and long-term governance. 

Subscriber Marketing / Design Stakeholders: Responsible for all design, branding, UX decisions, and visual configuration of the community, including the homepage and all other site areas. 

Subscriber IT and Data Stakeholders: Responsible for execution, testing, and troubleshooting of SSO configuration, API development, and integrations. 

Single Sign-On (SSO): 

Vanilla Community supports multiple SSO methods, including SAML (cloud-only), OAuth 2, JWT (JSON Web Tokens), and jsConnect. Under this Implementation, Subscriber is solely responsible for confirming compatibility of the available SSO options with Subscriber’s requirements, SSO configuration, and troubleshooting using available documentation and knowledge base resources. No SSO consultation is included. 

Subscriber Training: 

This Implementation includes access to HLV’s Success Community, which provides on-demand training videos, product documentation, configuration guides, and searchable community Q&A. No live training sessions, working sessions, or configuration walkthroughs are included. 

Support: 

Subscriber will receive standard product support in accordance with HLV’s published support policies. Implementation guidance, project management, and consultative services are not included. Standard product support is limited to troubleshooting issues with supported Vanilla functionality and does not include implementation consulting, configuration review, integration design, or project guidance. 

Assumptions: 

• All implementation activities are self-directed and performed by the Subscriber. 
• HLV does not provide timelines, project oversight, or launch coordination under this Implementation. 
• Subscriber assumes full responsibility for readiness, configuration accuracy, and launch execution. 
• HLV may update, modify, or replace enablement resources and documentation at its discretion. Subscriber is responsible for ensuring it follows current supported documentation. 

Out-of-Scope Services: 

The parties acknowledge and agree that any services not explicitly listed as included in this Implementation are outside the scope of services. HLV does not provide implementation consulting, live enablement, or build services under this tier. 

Examples of Out-of-Scope Services include, but are not limited to: 

• Assigned Implementation Advisor or Technical Resource 
• Discovery workshops or documented solution blueprint 
• Live training sessions, working sessions, or configuration walkthroughs 
• SSO or integration consultation 
• Custom widget development or Widget Builder training 
• Design consultation or homepage build-out 
• Launch readiness validation or go-live support 
• Custom development, experimental configurations, or one-off solutions