Many times, providers end up waiting until the last possible minute of the quoted time frame to provide repairs to your systems. While it technically isn’t a breach of contract, it can still be frustrating when your business has more downtime than you expected.
Additionally, because SLAs are intended to cover all aspects of a business and their subsidies, they can often be broad and generic, meaning you aren’t getting the personalized protection you need.
By considering an enhanced support SLA from an independent service organization (ISO) for your data center, you can avoid these pitfalls of a basic SLA agreement from each OEM and give your business the all-in-one technical support it needs to thrive. Enhanced support SLAs can supplement your existing warranty, offer flexibility and cost savings, and even extend the life of your equipment.
1. It Supplements Your Existing Warranty Package
Much of the equipment in your data center probably comes with a basic OEM warranty. However, this warranty typically only covers defects in the products and won’t be very flexible when it comes to offering repairs or replacements.
Even worse, there are certain scenarios for which the provider will not render service. For example, if your data center comprises equipment from multiple manufacturers, a basic SLA from a specific manufacturer will only cover that manufacturer’s equipment, regardless of whether your other equipment is affected by an issue. That means needing to arrange on-site service from not just one, but many different technicians, which can extend your downtime.
With an enhanced support SLA from an ISO, you can supplement these basic warranties to receive a faster response time that encompasses all of your equipment. You’ll be guaranteed to have service provided within a certain timeframe—one that is often more viable for a business needing to get its operations back on the ground quickly. This will ensure you have a faster return to service, and therefore, less lost revenue.
2. It Offers Better Flexibility
With a basic OEM support agreement, you’ll receive fairly standardized service and support. This is because many companies have expanded their services as technology has advanced, making it harder to provide customized resources for each specific segment. While this can work for some companies, it often limits their abilities in times of crisis.
Choosing an enhanced support SLA from a separate data center partner allows for you to receive help for your unique needs. It can even be adjusted accordingly with your third-party maintenance (TPM) provider so that you receive exactly the services you require.
What’s more, an enhanced support SLA adds the ability to maintain multi-vendor set-ups for a more integrated experience, as mentioned before.
3. It Adds Significant Cost Savings
By choosing a basic OEM warranty package when you purchase equipment, you might think you are saving money. However, you might quickly realize that this package isn’t enough for your needs. If you then try to upgrade to an enhanced package from the OEM after purchase, the prices can shoot up astronomically, leaving your business bleeding income.
An example of this could be the need for replacement parts. The basic warranty might offer next-day parts; however, the enhanced warranty could offer delivery in significantly less time.
In situations where uptime is critical for internal and customer-related operations, a few hours can make all the difference. The longer your environment is down, the more problems you accrue and the more money you stand to lose. In such a scenario, can you afford to wait a whole business day to receive on-site support?
4. It Extends the Life of Your Equipment
As a thriving business, you most likely want to get the maximum life out of each and every piece of equipment in your data center. Constantly replacing and installing new equipment is not only costly, but unproductive. In order to help you maximize the life of your data center, most basic OEM warranties cover a period of three years before expiring.
However, what if you want to keep your equipment longer than that? You’ll be left vulnerable and with no guarantee of assistance if something breaks. By adding on an enhanced SLA from a data center partner, you will be able to both supplement the original warranty as well as extend it past the original period. This will allow you to keep your equipment much longer than if you simply relied on the OEM warranty.
An enhanced support SLA is essential for every business that relies heavily on data centers. Without it, your IT personnel will become stretched too thin, your systems will have too much downtime, and your customer service and profits will suffer.
If you’d like more help investigating enhanced support SLAs for your company, Maintech can help you consider your options and find the right solution for your needs.