What is Third-Party Maintenance in the Data Center? Identifying a Strategic Alternative to Traditional OEM Support

In this article, we define third-party maintenance (TPM), highlight support differences with the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) coverage, and review the advantages you can find for your overall data center strategy. Learn how TPM can reduce your IT budget, extend your equipment life cycle and improve your customer service experience.

As an IT professional working in the data center, you have daily operational tasks to tackle as well as larger strategic objectives. Your responsibilities include maximizing uptime, improving security, optimizing operations, and meeting your budget. As your equipment reaches post-warranty or an end-of-life stage, how do you balance these demands? 

Enter third-party maintenance. Third-Party Maintenance, or TPM, is a strategic alternative to OEM support. It allows you to continue using your hard-working equipment without loss of performance or support. Along with lowering your maintenance spend, TPM also offers you increased flexibility. You can choose the type of coverage that's right for your server, storage and network equipment, as well as adjust your SLAs and add/delete equipment as needed at no extra cost.

In this article, you’ll learn how third-party maintenance ultimately gives you more control, both over your equipment life cycle and your IT budget.