Best Steps for Transitioning from OEM IT Maintenance to Third Party Maintenance (TPM)
By Donna Pizarro, Top Gun
It makes great sense to move from OEM hardware maintenance to Third Party Maintenance (TPM) when you’re comfortable with the firmware level on your IT equipment either because there are no other firmware releases available, or any bugs previously corrected with firmware updates from the OEM have been implemented. TPM offers the alternative of extending the life of your IT assets against the OEMs’ forced upgrade lifecycle.
IT budgets are very tight and resources are often limited. TPM provides savings in reduced maintenance cost, as compared to the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) involved in adopting new hardware technology.
Moving up into new technology has additional expenses outside of hardware, such as:
- Learning curves
- Compatibility issues with older systems
- Software upgrades
- Additional personnel
TPM can eliminate these costs by circumventing an OEM-forced technology upgrade.
To ensure your transition from OEM to TPM goes smoothly, you must do your homework.
Additional Reading: Asking “Sharper Questions” of Your TPM/Independent Hardware Maintenance Providers
You’ll need to confirm the TPM (vetted and) selected has:
- Experienced Level 3 engineers for the technology under contract
- Local coverage
- Sparing facilities
- Remote reporting capabilities to support the technology.
You’ll want to be sure to confirm you have the latest firmware release level prior to terminating your maintenance with the OEM. If you’re comfortable with the performance of your existing firmware level, ensure that it supports your environment with no issues which could be corrected by a new release.
Affirm your systems going under TPM are in good health after any implementations of recent OEM firmware updates and prior to moving over to the TPM support service. This ensures a smooth transition and also reduces any out-of-pocket costs incurred to repair a system which should have been repaired by the OEM while still under the original hardware support contract.
Allow adequate time for the transition from OEM maintenance to TPM coverage. Make sure you provide current outputs covering the hardware configuration, licensing details installed on the system and the current health reports. Configuration outputs are used to ensure accurate sparing by providing EC-levels and part numbers within the hardware configuration. The licensing details provide insight to your environment.
Complete all network preparations required to implement the TPMs remote support monitoring and remote access to ensure there is no delay once the cut-over is made from OEM to TPM.
Communicate your environment details, facility access information, security clearance requirements and special handling preferences to your Transition Coordinator, so that your environment conditions/requirements are correctly conveyed to the local engineers who will service your account and to insure all SLAs are easily met.
Top Gun is here to serve you and make the transition to TPM is a smooth one, while being as expeditious as possible.
To discuss how TPM can serve your business initiatives, click here to contact us.
Please feel free to connect to me at my LinkedIn profile.
