IT hardware is an essential component of business success. Without the right hardware, you cannot track data, help your employees collaborate, create and stay on budget, help clients on time, and successfully navigate many other business processes. Unfortunately, like any technology, it does not last...
Working Toward a Forward-Focused Federal Government Every year, the government awards millions of dollars in federal contracts for IT maintenance and support. The lion’s share is currently going to the OEM, the Original Equipment Manufacturer, even though there is a much less expensive alternative, TPM (Third...
Companies around the world choose NetApp filers for storage arrays and infrastructure data storage. Since NetApp is primarily a manufacturer and offers support and maintenance for their products, they are typically more interested in selling you new hardware versus maintaining older hardware. Thus, they are continually...
According to The Gartner Report, hybrid maintenance strategies that use both OEM and TPM (third party maintenance) are becoming the standard in the hardware support market. There is an ecosystem of independent support providers for server, storage, and networking equipment. End-user customers are selectively using...
One of the leading Gartner analysts stated that Gartner has seen very few customers look to move equipment back to Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) maintenance once it has been moved to a Third Party Maintenance (TPM) provider due to overall satisfaction and substantial savings with...
As we come to the end of this book, let’s review what we’ve learned. You cannot avoid the central issue or push/pull that is part of every IT executive and procurement professional’s world. Money or cost is a constraint that always inhibits the paradise view of...
Another critical issue is the availability of software, OS, patches, updates, firmware, and microcode. TPMs cannot provide these updates, only the OEM can license the code. But you should check with your OEMs licensing agreement as they do vary. If a TPM states they have...
So, now the question becomes how to factor in SLAs. After all, aren’t they really the essence of the maintenance agreement? The real issues that should be addressed in your SLAs include what service standards, equipment functions, and time to repair are maintained. Why else...
Perhaps one of the reasons you’ve come this far in this book is that you have many questions, a little confusion, and maybe even some fear of whether you should consider TPM as a realistic option for your IT infrastructure. What if the TPM provider...
What’s the elephant in the room? It’s the natural tension between the needs of the IT executive charged with delivering a reliable network and the goals of the procurement professional mostly concerned with securing the lowest cost....