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End-of-Life is Not the End

Don't be pressured by the OEM. End users don't need to spend endless dollars on new equipment each and every time the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) tells them they have to. In fact, in many cases, end users have a far less expensive option: to continue using their existing computer technologies through maintenance and parts replacement from a third-party provider (TPM).

Since 1986, Service Express, Inc. (SEI) is one such third-party maintenance provider. Chad Peters is head of product support. As such, he has an excellent perspective on how OEMs try to convince customers to invest more money on the newest products, and he's been there when clients decide to take another route.

"Our main focus is on providing third-party hardware service," Peters explains. This can include providing break-fix support on major computer and storage systems. TPMs generally work on a contractual basis with each customer. When a problem arises, the customer calls and a field service engineer arrives onsite to take care of the problem.


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Obstacles to HP Patch Access?

For HP Users who enjoyed the support and savings of a third party maintenance provider, recent changes restricting patch access may have caused a moment or two of concern. How do these changes affect your HP maintenance options?

Change to HP Patch Access
In September of 2010, HP made a shift in how software patches are accessed by restricting its patches to only those customers who obtained an HP contract for their software products. This contract, however, does not have to include any support. It only needs to include one of the following:

An Alternative Solution
An alternative solution is still available. First, you can obtain the required updates or subscription contract through HP. This will entitle you to all of your software updates and patches for your software packages. Second, you can continue to utilize your third party provider to maintain your HP hardware and software support services As the subscription service offered by HP does not include any technical support solutions, it represents only a fraction of the cost associated with a full HP support contract.


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