What is 3rd party maintenance?
What is Third-Party Maintenance?
Third-party maintenance (TPM) is hardware support for network, servers and storage usually in the form of a maintenance contract independent from the OEMS.
Why Third-Party Maintenance?
The simple answer is cost, TPM can be as much as 80% cheaper than the OEM alternative. This coupled with being able to extend the lifecycle of your equipment translates into major multi-year cost savings.
So what’s the catch?
The main stumbling block for TPM can be access to restricted software or firmware updates. However a lot of OEM’s freely provide these and the OEM has a legal duty to provide patching for known issues. With new equipment standard warranties usually include un restricted software access, usually between 1-3 years.
How OEM’S and TPM’s compare
| ** OEM (Typical) ** | ** TPM ** |
|---|---|
| 1-3 year warranty contracts | 3 months – 5 years, flexible terms, multi vendor |
| SLA’s, 24x7x4, 8X5 NBD | SLA’s, 24x7x4, 8X5 NBD, 8X5X4, custom |
| Desk engineer OEM certified | Desk engineer OEM certified |
| Field engineer OEM or variable certification | Field engineer OEM or variable certification |
| Parts new or refurbished | Parts mainly refurbished and fully tested |
| Software updates included | Software subject to OEM |
So what’s best for me?
This depends on your equipment and your needs. It’s really down to knowing that critical infrastructure is fully supported. Sometimes a hybrid model combining OEM and TPM is the best solution. Looking at a general equipment support lifecycle can help to understand this.
Typical Equipment Support Lifecycles
| ** 1-3 years ** | ** 3-6 years ** | ** 6-9 years ** | ** 9-12+ years ** |
|---|---|---|---|
| OEM warranty + optional enhanced SLAS | OEM warranty + optional enhanced SLAS. End of Life announcements from year 5 | OEM EOSL announcements and phasing out of support | OEM no cover |
| TPM full cover | TPM full cover | TPM full cover | TPM full cover |
In the end it’s a functionality vs. cost decision. For some instances OEM or part OEM cover may be necessary in others TPM wins because of similar functionality and overwhelmingly on cost. Again it depends on your needs, contact us to discuss what’s best for you.