Storage hardware support is more important than ever, which means that it can never be overlooked. It can be difficult in the average enterprise data center to find the time to check all the diagnostics all the time. Small problems-in-the-making can easily go undiscovered until they become big problems with the boss.

Understanding your hardware equipment’s End of Service Life can be confusing. Pre Rack IT can break down what End of Service Life means and what your HPE extended support options are.

You may have noticed how your product performance starts deteriorating after some time; this makes you think that it has reached its End of Service Life (EOSL) and needs to be replaced. That is not the case! 

The manufacturers only want to maintain their profit margin. However, this is where third-party maintenance can help you out. 

What Is HPE Post-Warranty Maintenance?

Every product has a warranty of its own.

In most cases, the product has a 3-year warranty, after which it is denied any maintenance and support. This is where HPE Nimble Post-Warranty Maintenance comes in!

Post Warranty Maintenance is simply the support provided to your IT asset once its OEM’s warranty has expired. You may be familiar with it as third-party maintenance (TPM).

What Does EOSL Mean?

EOSL stands for End of Service Life when a manufacturer stops selling a particular piece of equipment. In most cases, they also quit providing maintenance services or updates after a specific date.  

What Does the Actual Product Lifecycle Look Like?

Every product has a lifecycle that it completes before a company comes out with a new product. 

In many cases, your product hasn’t gone bad, but customers get new products and go through the hassle of transferring files and upgrading unnecessarily. 

Initial Release

These are the first few years after the product has been initially released. In the initial release years, you will get full support and maintenance from the manufacturer.  

However, if they keep providing the same maintenance, their newer products won’t ever get sold, and no profit would be made. Hence, they start withholding updates and maintenance as years progress. 

End of Sale (EOS)/ End of Availability (EOA)

As soon as the product reaches its three-year mark, the manufacturer announces its EOS (End Of Sale). It means the product will not be manufactured, let alone sold anymore. In other words, this is also known as the EOA (End of Availability). After this, the manufacturers start encouraging the customers to buy new products.

End of Life (EOL)

Once the product has reached its fifth-year mark, the manufacturers stop giving any support, maintenance, or updates. If anything, they would ask you to pay a premium to get the manufacturer’s support.

End of Service Life (EOSL)

Finally comes the End of Service Life, when the manufacturer officially discontinues the hardware maintenance of a product. After this, the support and maintenance for an IT asset are no longer provided by the OEM.

The whole purpose for an OEM to stop tending to any older products is so people can buy the ones that will get maintenance and support, and then the loop keeps repeating. 

To break this loop comes an outsourced team that can provide third-party maintenance to your IT assets. 

Advantages of Third-party HPE Nimble Maintenance

The maintenance of your device can be pretty costly if the company itself does it. You may have to call in a third party to save money on your Del maintenance. 

The maintenance provided by an outsourced system admin comes with many advantages:

• Reduces operating cost

HPE Nimble storage maintenance done by a third party can help you save up to 80% compared to the manufacturer’s provided maintenance.

• Reduces the cost of ownership 

Third-Party support teams lower the total cost of ownership by providing additional services whenever required and via pro-active maintenance. The amount of time you own a piece of equipment is inversely proportional to the total cost of ownership. 

Hence, by helping you reduce the cost of ownership, HPE Third-Party Maintenance extends the time that you own your IT asset.

• Enabling environmental savings

Manufacturing a piece of complex equipment hugely impacts the environment since it takes more resources. However, if you extend the life of your product, you can cut this environmental impact by a third.

Cutting the capital expenditure

Once the manufacturers aren’t responsible for the product anymore, it is essential to get some critical support. HPE storage maintenance ensures the longevity of your IT storage, which delays the capital expenditures as long as possible. It is done while making sure your equipment is working properly.

Which HPE Nimble Models Are EOSL?

At Pre Rack IT, we offer extended support on primarily all HPE Nimble models, including but not limited to: 

• Nimble CS700
• Nimble CS210
• Nimble CS215
• Nimble CS220
• Nimble CS235
• Nimble CS240
• Nimble CS260
• Nimble CS300
• Nimble CS420
• Nimble CS440
• Nimble CS460
• Nimble CS500

Conclusion

When OEMs refuse to assist their customers after the EOSL, there are other ways to seek maintenance and support. Third-party HPE Nimble maintenance brings many advantages since it increases your IT asset’s longevity. So, take your first step and contact Pre Rack IT today!