RapidCare®: Unbeatable Hardware Support That Saves You 20-30%

Third-party maintenance is an IT hardware support solution. It is provided by vendors independent of the original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) warranty coverage and OEM maintenance offerings. What's great about it? There are several benefits to using IT third-party maintenance over OEM maintenance. One reason is speed. Third-party support usually has instant access to customers’ systems. This can help customers resolve their issues quicker than waiting for the OEM support staff to respond.

What is RapidCare®?

RapidCare is a maintenance package focusing on exceptional service and high-quality replacement parts from a secondary hardware market leader. Without any doubt, it saves you 20-30% when compared with OEM maintenance offerings. Over 3,000 customers have used RapidCare across various industries, including aviation, retail, finance, and manufacturing.

We put high-quality refurbished parts through extensive quality control and testing. Third-party IT maintenance is an alternative to conventional OEM warranties and after-warranty service. Instead of OEM service, you could hire us to support your Dell EMC, HPE, or Cisco data center equipment.

Deciding whether to commit with an OEM, to a TPM, or to use a hybrid strategy is critical. Working with the right partner ensures that you get the following:

• Leveraging superior service
• Extended life equipment
• Multi-vendor support
• Customizable service agreements
• Cost savings

Without the appropriate third-party maintenance services, your IT equipment may develop difficult-to-diagnose and-resolve issues. These issues can result in widespread downtime. Maintaining your hardware with professional assistance is quintessential.

OEM Support vs TPM: Know the Difference

There are some differences between OEM maintenance and third-party maintenance. Each has a role in supporting hardware depending on one’s goals, needs, age of hardware, and other circumstances.

1. OEM Maintenance & Support

OEM maintenance is the conventional maintenance contract you get from the manufacturer. It includes replacement services if something goes wrong with the equipment and includes software updates. However, as the equipment ages, the OEM provides less support for the hardware. The closer the equipment comes to end-of-life (EOL) and end-of-service (EOS), the less service is provided.

This makes one decide what to do with equipment when these dates approach. Do you take risks and go without support? Do you buy new equipment that has support? What if your equipment works well, and you don’t need new switches, routers, servers, or storage hardware? That’s where an alternative can help.

2. Third Party Maintenance

Third-party Maintenance is a maintenance offering that gives a lower-cost maintenance option to people as an alternative to conventional OEM maintenance.

TPM provides solid support for your hardware. With various service levels available, you get the hardware replacement services you need.

While with TPM, you don’t get software updates, the OEM has stopped providing software updates for a few years old hardware. That means TPM is a good option once the optimum maintenance and support services from OEM have tapered off.

3. The Hybrid Support Model

What’s a hybrid support model? It’s an approach to hardware maintenance and support that entails using a mix of OEM support, TPM and sparing strategies where each is appropriate.

A well-designed hybrid support strategy lets you choose which options provide the best coverage for your technology infrastructure while making the most of your OPEX budget.

Types of Hardware Typically Covered under RapidCare

With RapidCare, the following types of IT equipment gets covered:

• Servers
• Storage
• Networking hardware
• Switches
• Routers
• Wireless networking
• Phones

OEM Brands Covered by RapidCare

In the third-party maintenance world, there are a variety of OEM brands that Third Party Maintenance providers cover. With some brands being more popular or dominant within a given equipment category, some OEM brands are covered more than others.

Here are some OEM brands of equipment that you will see covered by RapidCare:

• Cisco
• Dell / Dell EMC
• HP
• NetApp

Eliminate the Hassle of Running After OEM Support

1. Significant Cost Savings with Third-Party Maintenance:

Many TPM programs cost 50-60% less than traditional OEM support offerings. This point is significant for many reasons. Saving budget money is always a priority, but it's imperative to be selective in the areas where you look to keep. The Gartner report findings says that:

"Hardware maintenance is regarded as a 'nonstrategic IT' investment and procurement, resulting in IT professionals seeking low-cost options to costly OEM contracts and pricing."

Maintenance may be considered a "nonstrategic" spend, but that doesn't mean it can't become a smart way to maximize value in your investment. Using a reliable support program that costs up to 50-60% less than what you'd pay for OEM maintenance. This allows you to extend your budget to other areas where your business may need it. That's a smart strategy that will take your organization further than before. Just check out the case studies to learn how a quality hybrid support solution can make life easier for you and your budget.

2. Third-party Maintenance Provides Flexible, Customized Support:

One of the drawbacks to OEM support is that it’s hard to get individual attention. Let’s face it – sometimes you’re just one of many to the OEM. How can you get individualized service in a situation like that? According to the Gartner report:

“Some businesses see TPMs' flexibility and personalized support as an excellent benefit.”

The advantage of working with a TPM provider is that you get individualized attention and a model that is customized to your requirements. With a full-fledged TPM strategy, you may benefit from the flexibility of month-to-month contracts and the opportunity to cancel contracts without penalty. These are services that you will not receive from the OEM.

Plus, with a TPM provider’s quicker attention to your needs, you can accelerate the meantime to repair your issues. Faster problem resolution and less time waiting on on-hold for a representative mean increased productivity for you and your team.

3. Maintain Your Infrastructure – Upgrade at your Pace:

The term “asset sweating,” while sounding like some exercise regimen for your technology, actually means to maintain your investment longer than an OEM cycle suggests you should. So sweating your assets means you hold onto them after they have been deemed end-of-sale (EOS) and end-of-life (EOL) by the OEM.

Extending the useful life of your technology is a wise strategy. First, you will reduce your capital expenditures significantly. Then if you factor a TPM program into your solution, you significantly reduce your operational expenses. The Gartner report states:

“Due to considerable spikes in OEM post-warranty pricing, customers frequently switch to TPMs when the original warranty expires rather than renewing the OEM maintenance contract.”

If your equipment is EOS or EOL, the OEM support you attach to it will almost certainly cost more than the hardware it covers. Switching to a TPM solution enables you to maintain your existing technology infrastructure while paying the least amount of money. Instead of having the OEM control your plan, you can upgrade your technology assets at a pace most advantageous for your business needs.

4. Right-size Your Solution With Third-Party Maintenance:

A hybrid approach suggests considering all your options and deciding what’s best for your unique needs. No two technology infrastructures are identical, just as no two businesses are exactly the same, so there can never be a “one-size-fits-all” support solution. Customers will continue leveraging OEM and TPM maintenance in a hybrid solution.

The OEM support model is appropriate for mission-critical equipment at the heart of your infrastructure, which is still in the early stages of its product life cycle. The TPM strategy is suitable for network edge equipment approaching EOS/EOL dates. However, it is critical to note that these are not the only solutions available.

Redefine your IT strategy with CXtec RapidCare TPM Services

Companies prefer a TPM service provider with experience in IT hardware repair and support. They want legacy hardware to run smoothly while saving money on upkeep. CXtec has a solid 40-year professional presence in the industry. With our world-class yet cost-effective services, we help businesses in building a solid maintenance strategy. Our approach suits their specific business needs while preserving hardware performance.

Customers can profit from our services in the following ways:

• Improved 24x7 hardware support
• 60% reduction in IT costs
• A longer hardware lifecycle
• Customizable Contracts
• Brand-neutral on-site engineers
• Hardware replacement
• Various service-level agreements

You can contact our experts to learn more about our RapidCare program.