The world of IT can be complicated, to say the least—the need for constant and ubiquitous connectivity, new ways of serving customers, and the seemingly ever-present requirement to build bigger and better infrastructure is never-ending. But all the technical stuff aside, there is a far bigger elephant in the room that should be addressed, one that also adds its own type of complexity, albeit one that’s far more political and financial in nature. I, of course, am speaking of OEM support.

Now, before any manufacturers out there develop a sudden case of “How dare you,” let me begin by saying I get the paradigm all too well. Manufacturers of big-enterprise IT gear are not in the business of supporting legacy equipment. And yes, many will argue that they offer a multitude of support options, including post-warranty and so on, but it’s really not in the best interest of their business model. After all, why would they work so hard at innovating and constantly releasing new products if previous products had a shelf life of a decade?

However, though the art of creating new and exciting equipment is a lucrative one, the reality is that most organizations neither want nor need to update big-enterprise equipment at the market-frequency rate expected by OEMs—a frequency that borders on the impossible.

That’s where the elephant in the room truly makes itself impossible to ignore. You see, the driver put in place by OEMs to necessitate those frequent and impossible upgrades resides entirely in their post-warranty support models. They present one of two very clear options: spend millions on new equipment or spend millions on post-warranty support contracts to sustain legacy equipment. See where this is going?

So, what would you choose? I know that for myself, put in that same two-choice conundrum, the shiny and new would win over the old every time, especially given that my pocketbook is going to hurt either way.

But what about a third and far more realistic option, because spending millions on infrastructure every three years just doesn’t cut it. It’s here that customized extended warranty support services have become the go-to model—one that has, in fact, become imperative for business success—all due to the substantial savings that it represents to organizations as a whole.

The reasons are simple. The world of IT can be calculated in many ways but, in this case, it really comes down to two very distinct things: the true value of one’s own network, and the people needed to maintain it.

The value of IT is a fascinating byproduct of the modern age. For instance, the inherent value of one’s equipment is based on its value to those who rely on it. Therefore, if high-end storage-server infrastructure costs a million dollars, but the entirety of one’s business process and subsequent success relies on that infrastructure, it is by definition worth far more than the simple sticker price. Therefore, keeping it running is imperative. By engaging with a customized extended warranty support services provider, the cost of maintaining that infrastructure could be 50 percent lower than OEM costs—saving millions—all while maintaining business value.

Then there is the people aspect of the equation. Let’s face it, network maintenance is not just about keeping the proverbial lights on; innovation plays a critical role as well. This means that upgrades, swaps, and so on are also a reality that must be addressed. To do so, however, requires that highly skilled operators and administrators perform these tasks.

Again, by leveraging a relationship with a provider of customized extended warranty support services, that provider’s own highly trained team members will shoulder the brunt of that work—physically moving components and reintegrating all the software, processes, and so on. By doing so, your own staff can be working on other far more important tasks.

So, it begs the question—if you could easily save a million dollars, would you? And if you are skeptical about the amount you could potentially save and reallocate to far bigger and better things—as anyone with a healthy sense of business should—here’s my challenge to you: call us and find out. The odds are in your favor that my team could very well contribute to your next big project by cutting millions out of your expenses. What do you have to lose?