IBM Discontinues Service for IBM DS8100 Model 921, and DS8300 Models 922, and 9A2

Attention customers with one of the three Turbo Models in the IBM 2107 System Storage DS8000 series—namely the IBM DS8100 Model 921 and IBM DS8300 Models 922 and 9A2—IBM service (a.k.a. support) will be discontinued on March 31, 2016.

This IBM EOL announcement makes us especially sad, because we love any disk storage arrays churning out more horsepower from air compression in the piston cylinder. (Next up on the blog, a review of blade servers based on torque ratios.)

Kidding aside, the problem for many turbo-loving IBMers will be replacement cost. In 2009, the DS8300 and its ilk were one-upped by the DS8700, available then for the low, low price of $290,000. (They don’t call it a “high-end model” for nothing.) In other words, the investment in a replacement system can be daunting. Yet with IBM’s famed quality and reliability, the DS8300 and DS8100 models are likely to keep humming for some time. If they’re getting you where you need to go, why not keep them?

With third party maintenance, you can.

Third Party Maintenance: Like AAA, Only Better

Companies like Park Place Technologies stand ready to take over where IBM leaves off. Our IBM server maintenance contracts are affordable. Offered for 40% to 70% less than IBM support, Park Place’s services set the perfect price point for an older (let’s call it “classic”) array. But the savings from our IBM third party support come packaged with valuable features that can help keep a high-performance disk storage system going for the long haul.Much like AAA, we offer:

Emergency Roadside Assistance

When IBM DS8300 performance suddenly flags or a system goes down, it’s helpful to get assistance quickly. Park Place is there with escalation-free support. No, we don’t mean avoiding Dad after putting a tiny (ok, maybe footlong) scratch on the bumper of his Mustang. We’re talking immediate help from Level 3 engineers, with no wait and no severity level assessment. Whenever hands-on IT hardware maintenance services are needed, we arrive within guaranteed, client-selected SLAs.

Insurance

An Park Place contract is a great insurance policy, because you get 100% component coverage. Any time you need a replacement, we give you certified spare parts and an engineer to come and install them, so you never have to get metaphorical grease under your fingernails. Of course, support for associated software and firmware issues is included, too.

Savings

Much like how AAA will get you a discount on your hotel room, Park Place also drives savings across the enterprise. We minimize costly downtime, extend hardware life, and deliver greater ROI on hardware investments. When you can also delay CAPEX, risk, and staff time to train on and transition to new systems, it can be a boon to the IT organization.

Planning

Remember those maps AAA would put together for your family road trip? Neither do we. Thank goodness we came of age with MapQuest! Navigation on the roads is easy in the age of GPS but planning the future of the IT organization is tougher. When you want insights unbiased by hardware sales, Park Place is a great resource. We are a 100% support-focused company, which means we have no vested interest in your buying any piece of equipment. With the extra engineering time included in every contract, you can tap our engineers’ brains, whether you are considering upgrading a system, have a question you need answered, or for help with proactive tasks to improve the data center.

International Service

Who knew?! AAA is authorized by the U.S. Department of State to offer international driving permits. Cool! Park Place didn’t have to jump any diplomatic hoops, but we too offer global service. No matter where you are in the world, Carmen Sandiego (or IBM DS8000 series), we’re ready to help.

There are a lot of additional Park Place contract features that don’t fit so neatly into our AAA comparison. Just contact us for specific information about how we can help in your situation.