To learn more about third-party support and if it is the right fit for your organization’s needs, visit reliant-technology.com/maintenance or call 1.877.227.0828.

INDEPENDENT SUPPORT VENDORS ARE

LESS SKILLED

THAN OEM ENGINEERS

Additionally, engineers from a third-party support organization are more likely to have certifications in multiple manufacturer brands, giving them a broad understanding and thorough knowledge of multiple equipment lines - ideal for supporting multi-vendor environments. OEM engineers’ expertise is more limited to the brand they represent, however storage environments are not always homogeneous from one manufacturer. Independent maintenance vendors can provide comprehensive support for your data center, especially if you have more than one vendor within your data center. You can work with one company and have one maintenance service agreement to cover your entire data center instead of managing multiple contracts, coverage dates, and SLAs, all while working with the same level of engineer qualifications.

When evaluating potential maintenance providers, don’t forget to ask about certifications across multiple vendors. You want to make sure that the engineers are fully qualified to support all the equipment within your data center.

OEM engineers are usually experts in their equipment - as they should be. However, that doesn’t mean that OEM engineers are the only experts on that equipment. High-quality third-party maintenance providers will have engineers that are trained on OEM equipment with the same certifications and qualifications that OEM engineers have. In fact, many engineers working for third-party maintenance vendors often have previous experience working at an OEM.

QUICK TIP

MYTH 1MYTH 13

OEM SUPPORT SERVICE IS

INHERENTLY BETTER

THAN THIRD-PARTY SUPPORT An independent support vendor is focused on delivering hardware support in the best interest of the customer’s needs - not pushing up-sells or more equipment than you require. This focus on your organization’s best interests results in an overall better capability of handling hardware issues, easier and faster support, and support from a source that is only concerned with making sure your current equipment works the way you need, want, and expect it to.

The reality of getting support for your end-of-life (EOL) equipment from the OEM is that their responsibilities are divided between upselling their newest product lines and providing maintenance. Often times, for the OEM, maintaining customers’ N-1 or N-2 hardware is in direct conflict with their sales goals and upgrade paths.

5

MYTH 2MYTH 2

THIRD-PARTY MAINTENANCE

RESPONSE TIMES ARE SLOWER

THAN THE OEM

Many OEM call-centers are located overseas which can also cause additional delays, whereas a third-party vendor with a domestic based call-center can easily respond to customers’ needs and provide quick resolution to any hardware issues. Third-party support SLAs can provide direct and easily accessible technical support on the first call every time. Third-party vendors also can have a national network of engineers to ensure nationwide coverage is available on-site if needed.

Slower response times are often reported to be more typical of an OEM than an independent support provider. OEM customer service and technical support has a hierarchical chain of command, starting support requests with the lower tier engineers, in order to minimize costs before escalating.

7

MYTH 3MYTH 3

Choose a maintenance provider that puts your needs as a priority. Make sure they are available when you need them and offer you flexibility to determine the terms and coverage you need for your unique environment.

QUICK TIP

PRIORITIES FOR THE OEM &

THIRD-PARTY MAINTENANCE VENDORS

ARE THE SAME

When the OEM controls both the cost of new hardware and the cost to support your existing hardware, they have a lot of power in determining when the cost to support existing equipment becomes more expensive than upgrading to new equipment. By extending the lifespan of your legacy hardware with post-warranty support, you decide the timeline of what and when to upgrade.

The OEM’s goal is to promote their latest and greatest products. However, that doesn’t always align with the objectives of the end user. Business-owners, IT Directors, and Storage Architects are often looking to stretch their IT budgets and get the most value out of their storage assets, while the OEM is focused on pushing rapid upgrade paths, thereby minimizing the lifespans of existing products.

9

MYTH 4MYTH 4

A third-party maintenance provider is focused entirely on maintaining your existing equipment, but many support vendors can provide hardware upgrades as well. Ask about available upgrades before replacing your existing system.

QUICK TIP

OS & FIRMWARE PATCHES

ARE CRITICAL TO

EOL EQUIPMENT SUPPORT

While the OEM will recommend that you upgrade your equipment once it has gone EOL, it is usually that new generation of equipment that requires critical OS or firmware patches. So, when you don’t have to worry about OS and firmware updates from the OEM, supporting legacy equipment through a third-party maintenance provider is a cost-effective alternative with the same peace of mind.

One of the concerns people may have when considering leaving OEM support is that they will no longer have access to critical OS and firmware patches for their EOL equipment. The truth is that once equipment is deemed EOL by the manufacturer, critical OS or firmware patches are few and far between. The equipment’s firmware and OS are stable at the point, so third-party maintenance vendors can fully support your EOL equipment at that level.

11

MYTH 5MYTH 5

THIRD-PARTY MAINTENANCE VENDORS

CAN’T ACCESS THE NECESSARY PARTS

OR CAN ONLY ACCESS LOW-QUALITY PARTS

Independent maintenance providers have access to a wide network and inventory of replacement parts, and keep stock of all critical parts for systems they maintain, so that a part can be replaced immediately if and when necessary.

In the world of third-party maintenance, the term end-of-life doesn’t really exist - especially not in the manner that the OEM will suggest it does. Just because a system goes EOL in the OEM world doesn’t mean that replacement parts cease to exist.

13

MYTH 6MYTH 6

Ask about replacement part testing to make sure that the equipment going into your data center is up to the highest standards. When considering third-party support vendors, ask about their testing procedures and certification processes for spares and replacement parts.

QUICK TIP

Myths around what third-party support can offer your organization in terms of savings, reliability, and expertise can

complicate your decision making process and priorities.

FACTS?

WANT THE FACTS?

To learn more about third-party support and if it is the right fit for your organization’s needs, visit reliant-technology.com/maintenance or call 1.877.227.0828.