Running and maintaining a data center is not a simple task, nor is it an inexpensive one. The actual total cost of data center maintenance for enterprise businesses over its entire lifecycle can be much higher than many anticipate.
There are many factors that can contribute to this money crunch, including power, ISPs, network connections, A/C and cooling units, and even real estate if you don’t have enough room in your current headquarters. Not only that, but data center hardware and software will often need to be added, changed, or deleted, all of which continues to accumulate more bills.
One way to avoid the pitfalls of this monetary drain is to work with a data center partner instead of trying to manage everything on your own. With a data center partner, you can reduce maintenance costs, find the right support for your needs, and reduce rebuilding costs. This will help lower your data center budget and make the venture much more affordable.
1. Lowering Ongoing Maintenance Costs
Maintaining a data center means you will regularly have to schedule repairs and services to keep everything in running condition. Even a single outage due to skipping routine service could end up costing your business thousands, if not millions, in lost revenue.
If you rely on maintenance services from the OEM, most warranties typically only cover a period of three years. In some cases, they will also offer you an option to add on a fourth year, but what happens after this period expires?
At this point, you’ll have to foot the bill for all service and repairs, costs which could quickly add up as your system ages. It’s not feasible to simply buy all new equipment every few years, so it’s important to have a viable solution to maintain your existing environment.
Luckily, third-party maintenance is a good option. On average, it costs less than out-of-the-box OEM support, helping you save big in the long-term scheme of things. A data center partner service will be able to keep monitoring your center long after the original OEM warranty expires.
2. The Right Fit for Your Specific Needs
In most cases, OEM warranties provide generic support because the manufacturer has to provide services to many different kinds of companies. This one-size-fits-all approach helps simplify things on their end, but it means you might be losing out on a personalized approach that would benefit your business. While there is often the ability to request some variables in your service, these simply aren’t enough to make a noticeable difference.
By opting out of the OEM warranty and adding on the services of a data center partner, you can customize your SLA exactly to the needs of your business. You can choose your exact uptime expectations or emergency repair timeframes depending on your budget. This will help give you better control over your data center and help you get exactly what you need out of it at a cost that is amenable for your business.
3. Eliminate the Cost of Rebuilding
As previously mentioned, most OEM only offer three year warranties. This is because they hope you decide to purchase all new equipment at the end of this period. In most cases, however, upgrading every time your warranty expires is simply unnecessary and a waste of capital.
One way to extend the life of your equipment and get more money out of your initial investment is to utilize the services of a data center partner that provides post-warranty maintenance. By constantly monitoring and repairing any small problems, you can increase the efficiency of the equipment to help max out its life.
In fact, one Maintech client was able to extend the life of their equipment several years past its OEM warranty period. This basically cut out an entire cycle of equipment replacement, helping them keep money that could be put back into the business. Just think of how much your business could save if you didn’t have to replace your equipment every three years.
While running a data center can be difficult, it doesn’t have to be an insurmountable task. By taking advantage of data center partner services from an independent service provider like Maintech, you can make the process much more manageable. Our extended warranties can help you lower ongoing maintenance costs even after the OEM warranty ends. Not only that, but Maintech can provide a customized SLA that meets the exact needs of your data center.