If the phrase 3rd Party Hardware maintenance makes you cringe, you are not alone. There are a number of It buyers who shudder at the thought of 3rd party anything when it comes to their equipment and maintenance choices.
But why?
Many purchasing managers have a strong loyalty to their chosen brand of network equipment. Combined with the notion that 3rd party products are not the real deal and cannot be used with their branded equipment, it’s no wonder that buyers shy away from any kind of OEM alternatives. However, these notions could not be further from the truth!
Think about it this way, you prefer jiff brand peanut butter and that is what you always buy at the grocery store. Until one day 
you go into the store and see a new brand of peanut butter being advertised. This peanut butter is half the price of, has the same ingredients as, and has the exact same taste as Jiff AND it is much better for you. Why wouldn’t you try it? You are skeptical, I get it. But if you never try it, how will you know if it’s any good?
The exact same thought process can be applied to 3rd party maintenance. If you never give it a try, you will never know how great it is. I know what you are thinking, why is 3rd party IT hardware maintenance so great? I am glad that you asked!
Here are 5 Fantastic benefits of using 3rd party maintenance
for your network hardware.
Smaller Price Tag
OEM maintenance contracts come at a steep price. Alternative network hardware maintenance providers can deliver the same 
level of service at an often significantly lower price than their OEM counterparts.
Equipment Doesn’t Have to be New!
3rd party maintenance does not require equipment to be new. That’s right, refurbished IT equipment is eligible to be placed under a 3rd party maintenance contract.
Everything in One Place
Most 3rd party providers offer maintenance on a variety of equipment and manufacturers. This will allow you to purchase maintenance for all of the equipment in your data center from one company, making your life easier when a failure occurs.
Extend the Life of Your Hardware
3rd party maintenance can be used on equipment that has received an End of Life announcement and therefor is no longer covered under OEM maintenance. Basically alternative maintenance providers pick up where OEM’s leave off, ensuring that your equipment is never without maintenance.
Peace of Mind
All of the money you will save by using 3rd party providers for your maintenance coupled with never having to worry about legacy equipment not being covered, how could you not have peace of mind.
The bottom line here is that sometimes you have to take a step out of your comfort zone to find something better. If you never explore our options, in IT hardware maintenance providers or life in general,you will never know what we are missing out on.
