Risk vs. Reward Flashcards
Firmware Updates
Many customers feel the need to stay with OEM because they fear losing access to firmware updates. In fact, most of the updates are
made in the first 3 years, while product is under warranty. This correlates well with the End of Life concept- most OEM’s aren’t actively
working on updates for products that are beyond 3 years – which is particularly true with SmartNet for Cisco. And, those updates that are
for safety and security purposes must ALWAYS be made available to customer. And, equipment that is crucial to maintain current with all
updates, we offer a hybrid OEM/TPM solution which is a popular way to go – in fact, Gartner recommends that as a preferred approach to
data center maintenance.
I need to stay with OEM because I don’t want to lose access to firmware updates for risk of something shutting down.
Losing access to critical updates would be tough – however, most firmware and security bugs are found and remediated during the warranty period.
We work with you and can determine which equipment is
best suited to stay under OEM and which is best for TPM.
CUSTOMER PROFILE
AUDIENCE
* Orgs on “rolling”
refresh cycle.
* Want to minimize
OpEx costs.
CONTEXT
Firmware gets used a lot
by OEM’s to convince
customers to stay with
them – an opportunity is
to dig in with customers
to uncover what updates
are actually taking place
post-warranty – it’s often
not much.
Bleeding Edge
You’ve often heard the phrase, “Once you drive a car off the lot, it loses much of its value.” Same is true with data center equipment. Most
IT organizations think that if they’re not on the “Bleeding Edge” of technology, they’re behind. In fact, Gartner finds that the most successful
companies run on 7+ years. Some companies are on a 3-year cycle, many are on a 5-year cycle, but most companies could optimize the
value of their equipment by being on a 7-year cycle. Think about it, if you buy the first generation of something, there will be a LOT of fixes
and updates. If you wait a year or two, most updates have been done, so you get better firmware and performance. Timing a refresh cycle
around when products are in the middle of their lifecycle or using an N-1 (last generation) refresh can bring massive CapEx savings to the
customer.
As an IT organization, we want to make sure to stay up-to-date
on the latest equipment – it’s important that we’re cutting edge and offering our stakeholders the best experience possible.
Did you know that buying equipment 1-2 years
after it was initially released means you’re getting a better product at a lower cost?
We can consult with you to identify the best refresh cadence for your business goals, to make sure you’re taking advantage of technology cycles. We also sell hardware to support you in between refresh cycles.
CUSTOMER PROFILE
AUDIENCE
* Doesn’t want to be
artificially constrained
by OEM
* Budget-conscious
CONTEXT
Most customers don’t
understand the
technology lifecycle,
which means they’re not
aware of how updates
work, and are often
unaware of cost/quality
difference. We can
consult with them on how
to build a refresh plan.
Quality and Training
Because many customers have never heard of/worked with a TPM before, it’s easy for the OEM to instill “Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt”
(FUD) around the risks of moving to a TPM – particularly around the quality of parts they use and the training their service engineers have.
They’ll often say that because they manufacture the product, they’re the only ones that can service it, or that a customer will be exposed or
at risk if they move from them. In fact, post-warranty service is where we excel. Our training is based on thousands of service calls and our
technicians have extensive ongoing training – often above and beyond OEM-based training. Because our business is service, we put all of
our effort into ensuring our engineers are deeply skilled in their roles. And parts? OEM’s often buy parts from us and very often used
refurbished parts – they don’t spend a lot of their energy on the service experience for “older” equipment.
We want to make sure we have covered our basis by staying with the OEM who knows their parts and equipment the best.
Manufacturing and Service don’t always go hand in hand – prioritizing quality service and extending life of equipment is counterproductive for OEM’s.
Our business is service. We provide extensive training and stock the right parts at the right time to ensure your needs are met.
CUSTOMER PROFILE
AUDIENCE
* Large Enterprises
* High-security /
confidential data
owning organizations
CONTEXT
OEM’s love to use “FUD”
to drive customers away
from TPM. However, if
you think about it, it’s
pretty simple. Our
business model is built
around service- if we
didn’t have the quality
training and right parts
needed, how would we be
successful?
Risk vs. Reward
DISRUPTIVE TRUTHS
Understanding a customer’s decision criteria is critical, as there are often “hybrid” solutions that can satisfy even the most
risk adverse customers. We have the opportunity to reframe the conversation around the goals they most care about.
