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The dreaded four words… end of service life
Have you received an announcement from your vendor that a vital device is going end of service life (EOSL)?
The good news is that there is no cause for alarm! When a vendor makes an announcement like this, you are normally given plenty of time to evaluate your options and make an informed decision on the best one for your organisation.
For a critical piece of infrastructure, this news triggers three key alternatives for an IT manager: replace the technology or migrating to another solution, or alternatively, finding another service provider to support the equipment.
Replacing the technology or migrating to another solution seems like the simplest solution, at face value. However, when you critically review the steps, it not always the best for your business. Often, replacement or migration doesn’t necessarily align with your organisation’s strategic roadmap, refresh cycle or budget.
If you have hardware in your IT infrastructure that is still very much fit for use and fit for purpose, and is stable and performing well, there is usually no need to incur the additional costs and risks associated with either replacement or migration.
IT budgets are usually set in place six to 12 months in advance, which can make it difficult to factor in the unplanned costs of a refresh or migration project. There is also the risk of refreshing one component of your overall IT environment and the impact that it might have on any interdependent systems, as well as limiting your ability to influence change and potentially locking you into your current architecture for a longer period.
Third-party maintenance (TPM) is service offered through a different company from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and it is usually for hardware maintenance. Many TPM providers have engineers who are trained and certified across various vendors including Cisco, IBM, Lenovo, HPE, and more. In addition, they often support hardware once its reached EOSL.
