LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
CINCINNATI, OHIO
DENVER, COLORADO
MADISON, WISCONSIN
RARITAN, NEW JERSEY
TORONTO, ONTARIO
NOIDA, INDIA
HYDERABAD, INDIA

V-Soft's Corporate Headquarters

101 Bullitt Lane, Suite #205
Louisville, KY 40222

502.425.8425
TOLL FREE: 844.425.8425
FAX: 502.412.5869

Denver, Colorado

6400 South Fiddlers Green Circle Suite #1150
Greenwood Village, CO 80111

TOLL FREE: 844.425.8425

Chicago, Illinois

208 N. Green Street, #302, Chicago, IL 60607

TOLL FREE: 844.425.8425

Madison, Wisconsin

2810 Crossroads Drive, Ste. 4000
Madison, WI 53718

TOLL FREE: 844.425.8425

Atlanta, Georgia

1255 Peachtree Parkway Suite #4201
Cumming, GA 30041

TOLL FREE: 844.425.8425

Cincinnati, Ohio

Spectrum Office Tower 11260
Chester Road Suite 350
Cincinnati, OH 45246

Phone: 513.771.0050

Raritan, New Jersey

216 Route 206 Suite 22 Hillsborough Raritan, NJ 08844

Phone: 513.771.0050

Toronto, Canada

1 St. Clair Ave W Suite #902, Toronto, Ontario, M4V 1K6

Phone: 416.663.0900

Hyderabad, India

Incor 9, 3rd Floor, Kavuri Hills
Madhapur, Hyderabad – 500033 India

PHONE: 040-48482789

Noida, India

H-110 - Sector 63 ,
NOIDA , Gautham Budh Nagar ,
UP – 201301

How Does Third-Party Maintenance Improve IT Shop Bargaining Position?

When considering Third-Party Maintenance (TPM) for IT hardware as an alternative to OEM-supplied storage support, many IT leaders look solely at cost-savings. There is reason for that, though -- the price can average about 60% lower than OEM contracts. But that’s not all there is to TPM.

The IT research organization Gartner has identified yet another cost advantage. It comes down to the relative bargaining position of the IT organization as they consider hardware acquisitions.

How OEMs Foster Vendor Lock-In

Companies know well that it’s great to have customers coming back for more; it can be an indication of a great product or service. But it’s also something that OEMs strategically promote through their support pricing arrangements.

As Gartner puts it:

I&O leaders who restrict themselves to vendor-supplied maintenance often find themselves doing infrastructure refreshes due to punitive vendor policies around postwarranty support pricing that means keeping their systems on maintenance is more expensive than replacing them.

These users also frequently find themselves in effectively sole-source situations because of an incumbent vendors’ ability to use maintenance waivers to create financial barriers that are too high for nonincumbent storage vendors to overcome.

Many IT pros have experienced these effects directly. Three-year support contracts are frequently purchased alongside new storage systems. Then, as soon as an array becomes stable and reliable, it seems, the contract comes up for renewal—and there’s sticker shock. Extended support is priced very dear.

What’s the OEM’s response? Buy a new system, and we’ll waive some or all of the maintenance fees.

There are many problems with this scenario:

  • Replacing existing systems before their effective lifespan is up reduces ROI on hardware investments.
  • Capital is expended on storage hardware with features that aren’t “must haves” for the business.
  • Additional staff time is spent installing, configuring, and training on new systems.
  • The organization can’t capitalize on the deflationary pressures on storage hardware pricing. (In other words, IT always pays top dollar for brand new products because of OEM incentives)
  • It becomes a struggle to bring in a different hardware vendor—potentially with products better suited to the environment or the business needs—because the incumbent’s maintenance waivers are so valuable.

How Third-Party Maintenance Breaks Free

As Park Place covered previously, the OEMs work to make customers wary about TPM—and for good reason. Bringing in an alternative maintenance provider breaks their hold on storage acquisition decisions in several ways:

  • Maintenance contract pricing. Third-party maintenance often costs between 40% and 70% less than OEM support. This factor alone can make it financially attractive to keep existing hardware in service. An added bonus: bringing a TPM to the table can even cause the OEM to negotiate.
  • Extended hardware lifespan. With extended lifespans comes the option not to purchase new storage systems until the features and capacity needs of the business warrant it. 
  • Less costly, older systems become an upgrade option. Not only can IT organizations skip a generation or more, they can buy in to new technology longer after the release date, knowing that they can still get full service life from it.
  • No maintenance waiver. This puts other OEMs on par with the incumbent so everyone at the table has to come in with their best offer on price and service.

And really, that’s what every IT leader would like—to get the best possible deal on the right equipment when it’s truly needed to meet emerging business requirements, and not a moment before. Gartner has pointed the way.


Blog post modified and posted with permission of Park Place Technologies.

 Software App Development Consulting

Topics: Technology, Managed Services, Third-Party Maintenance

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