As organizations consider their options for the post-warranty support of their data center server, network, and storage systems, they are faced with an assortment of industry acronyms and jargon – TPM, EOSL, LSD, and more. And now throw in Multi-Vendor Services (MVS) – popularized by many of the larger infrastructure OEMs – to the mix of terms. Adding to the confusion: many of the vendors who participate in these varied offerings use similar statements of value – “save money”, “lower risk”, “augment staff”.
How do you separate the signal from the noise of this market, and most importantly, how do you make the right choice for post-warranty support of your critical data center infrastructure?
First, it’s important to understand the difference between provider types. Provider types generally fall into two categories – third-party maintainers (TPMs) and multi-vendor service providers (MVS). As the name implies, a “maintainer” is looking to support the system in perpetuity. Their business model is fueled by extending the life of a system as long as possible. These companies are threatened by the idea of modernization and the infrastructure and cost optimization that follows. MVS providers, on the other hand, are delivering “service” appropriate to all stages of the data center lifecycle – from onboarding to end of service life, and all phases in between. MVS providers view modernization projects as vital to the health and growth of their enterprise customers, and provide services like data migration, data erasure, and asset decommissioning to accelerate those initiatives.
Second, provider types also differ in terms of their go-to-market strategy. TPMs compete with the data center infrastructure OEMs. They directly target the OEMs installed base and lead with a “low price” sales motion. Their solutions are not vendor-endorsed. MVS providers, on the other hand, partner with OEMs, delivering a vendor-authorized solution to enterprises globally. MVS providers focus on delivering value and the highest return on investment (ROI). Make no mistake: MVS providers also unlock spend and save enterprises money across the data center. Their focus, however, is on delivering the highest-quality service, with the best technology and vendor-certified experts, to avoid a “you get what you pay for” scenario that is highly common when choosing the cheapest alternative. MVS providers are focused on customers meeting their strategic objectives and higher value outcomes, helping customers modernize and migrate to the new solution as quickly as possible, not simply extending the life of the existing infrastructure.
TPMs are notoriously inconsistent with their onboarding efforts and timelines. As their mission is to maintain systems forever, TPMs are not necessarily incentivized to accelerate the process. MVS providers are modernization partners, and a rapid transition means people, time, and even budget can be quickly freed up and redirected towards more strategic imperatives. Faster onboarding means faster transformation and faster business impact.
A vendor driven to keep your systems alive forever, or a partner who wants to accelerate your transition?
When your next post-warranty support decision needs to be made, consider the important distinctions between TPMs and MVS providers. Make sure to look beyond the glossy “lowest cost” promises to truly understand the real cost to the business in terms of risk, time to value, and delayed modernization initiatives. Make sure to choose a partner who will rapidly deliver the highest quality vendor authorized solutions that are aligned with your business’s strategic goals.