OEM Support or Third Party Support: Which One is the Best Option for You?

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third party support

Whenever a firm buys IT hardware from a manufacturer, they are offered limited time warranty for any manufacturing defects. After the warranty expires, they can opt for OEM support, which means the original equipment manufacturer will continue to support the hardware until EOL (end of life). This is when you have two options: either buy new hardware or hire a third party support provider to extend the life of your hardware even more.

But many firms choose to hire TPSPs (third party support providers) right after the main warranty expires (at the phase where you are required to buy extended OEM support) instead of dealing further with OEMs.

If you are in the same phase and are torn between opting for extended OEM support or TPSPs, then the following inferences of OEM and TPSPs will definitely help you reach a decision.

OEM Extended Support

Once the warranty is expired, OEMs provide an option for you to buy extended support. In such cases, you just have to pay for extended support and the OEM will take care of maintenance, repairs and replacements.

The Advantages: OEMs will always follow latest regulations and standards put in place for repairs. Plus, they are guaranteed to use original parts, and offer timely maintenance.

The Disadvantages: OEM extended support is very expensive, including the cost of replacements. Plus, they will offer support only for a limited time, and they will offer support only for their own hardware.

Third Party Support

Once the warranty is expired, you can hire a TPSP to provide support for your hardware.

The Advantages: TPSP typically offer fast support, and they charge less than OEMs when it comes to support and maintenance. They will continue to support hardware even after their EOL, and will offer support for multiple manufacturers at once.

The Disadvantages: After EOL, where spare parts are hard to come by for very old devices, they may use custom-developed parts that may not be officially approved by the manufacturer. 

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