How Expiring Support For Your Servers Affects You

When buying new servers for your business, there are a number of factors to consider to ensure that you get exactly what you need. A new trend being adopted by IBM and HP could add some confusion and frustration to the process. As David King of IT Manager Daily reports, HP recently announced that firmware updates will only be available for its users who are under warranty or a support agreement. IBM has already made that change in policy.

This news means that in order to secure your servers, you’ll have to pay more than ever before. For small business who have already stretched their IT budget thin, this could be a real problem. To save yourself some trouble, and possibly some money, here’s what you need to consider before buying a server.

• Terms of warranty

While IBM’s and HP’s service comes with an expiration date that requires you to pay more for continued support, other companies like Dell and Cisco have no such stipulations. That’s not to say that one company is a better option than another. Rather, the point is that a seemingly cheap server with a limited warranty may end up being more costly than a more expensive server with an unlimited service plan. Before making a purchase, the terms of service needs to be among your first concerns.

• Third-party providers

If you already have servers that will soon lose their support, or you decide that expiring support isn’t a deterrent for buying a server, there are options for when your warranty finally expires. Before you renew with the server’s manufacturer, check around with third party support companies that may offer better service for less money. A local company may be able to offer support that’s more personalized to your specific needs, rather than the one size fits all approach of the giants.

• Resale value

In order to recoup some of the money spent on new servers, many companies plan to resell them when they’re no longer needed. The value of old servers could take a major hit if the manufacturer no longer covers them. This suggests that servers from manufacturer’s with unlimited service plans will enjoy a higher resale value than those with an expiring service plan. Keep that in mind when you’re purchasing a server if you plan to sell it later.

If you have questions about your server needs, want to explore other options for support or would like to store your company’s data on off-site servers you don’t have to manage yourself, call Geek Rescue at 918-369-4335.