Breaking Up with HP XP24000 Maintenance

There comes a time in the HP XP24000 maintenance relationship when it’s best to part ways with the OEM. An HP Care Pack can be fruitful early in the hardware lifecycle. As systems age, however, the manufacturer behaves like a straying husband, devoting less attention to the older system as flash-y upstarts nose in. The result: declining maintenance contract value.

Here’s how to tell if your HP XP24000 maintenance partnership is failing and what you should do about it.

Irreconcilable Differences

For older yet reliable storage systems like the HP XP24000, customers generally find that the downsides of HP’s support infrastructure have become more pronounced over time. We often hear complaints about:

• • At first, it may seem worthwhile to put up with HP’s escalation procedures, severity level assessments, and other support contract frustrations to stay on the list for periodic bug fixes. But as releases grow few and far between, the day-to-day service experience makes the most difference in the performance, reliability, and lifespan of your HP XP24000. At that point, it’s time to find a more customer-focused IT maintenance provider.

• Yep, we said it. HP isn’t there for your hardware until “death do you part.” Admittedly, the OEM will usually be very engaged after initial purchase and can assist in the configuration and integration processes. Then new hardware comes out and HP’s priorities drift. Eventually, support calls become mildly disguised sales opportunities. And that’s before end-of-service-life (EOSL), when HP walks away from the XP24000 completely. Third party maintenance, by contrast, is in it for the long haul, through EOSL and far beyond, so you can extend the lifespan of your StorageWorks equipment and enhance ROI on the investment.
• Value delivery. Just like with car insurance, customers shell out the same dollars for an HP XP24000 service contract whether or not they use it. If everything is running swimmingly, the annual contract fee is basically wasted money—unless you work with a top-tier third party maintenance provider. Companies like Park Place Technologies have incorporated more features into their standard contracts to ensure that we help enhance performance, reliability, uptime, and other KPIs.

Dare We Say Divorce?

If you have concerns about your HP XP24000 contract like those listed above, it might be time for something new. On a personal level, the “big D” is rightfully dreaded. Even HP itself is suffering the impacts of a corporate breakup that isn’t cheap, leading to a bleak earnings forecast.

A parting of ways in a support contract, on the other hand, is simple and brings immediate benefit. Right off the bat, the HP Care Pack customer that engages a reputable third party maintenance provider will save about 40% to 70% off annual maintenance costs—plus gain better service quality and more support features.

Switching over couldn’t be simpler. At Park Place Technologies, we welcome you with a complete, on-site systems analysis performed by an engineer that will be assigned to your account going forward. It’s a one-two punch that enhances systems performance and reliability while serving as a foundation for a successful long-term relationship with “your” HP engineer.

A Happy New Life

Once you switch to third party maintenance, you’ll experience a surge of “feel good.” With the annual contract savings and extended hardware life, the operating and capital budgets will become roomier. With the proactive service, the chance of costly downtime will diminish. And with the full-service, escalation process-free problem response, the issues that do arise won’t cascade into migraine-inducing crises.