The Second Best Reason To Use Third-Party Support

By Joseph B. Kappernick


Many companies turn to independent and certified third-party support providers because they offer comparable support service at a much lower cost than most vendors. This is usually reason enough to decline the vendor support and go with a third-party provider. But if you are still not convinced that a third-party is a viable support alternative, there is another reason you should consider.

Many businesses find themselves in a costly situation when vendors decide that they are no longer going to support certain products, even if they still function well and meet your needs. Third-party providers are often a better choice because they continue to offer support longer after the vendor has discontinued service. Consider today's hardware products:

The hardware available today is designed to last a very long time without needing to be replaced. But, vendors regularly discontinue service on these types of products, forcing companies to spend money on costly and unnecessary upgrades. This puts businesses in an never-ending buy-support-retire cycle that wastes valuable IT investment dollars, as well as perfectly good equipment.

This budget-busting situation can be avoided by using a third-party option that provides support services on many items that the vendor considers to be obsolete or no longer supports. Third-party providers also often buy up these products right before end-of-life, giving companies a way to replace or add hardware despite discontinuation. So, in addition to providing support at a much lower cost, third-party options also help extend the value and longevity of your current hardware.

Choosing a third-party alternative for your support needs will help cut costs by eliminating the need to discard perfectly good equipment, as well as saving you money on the initial support costs. You can use these savings to address more pressing needs - or better yet - invest in new IT programs.




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