Questions (and Answers) to Help You Overcome FUD 

You know what you know about your IT hardware. But do you know what you don’t know?

What tools do you use to assess your data center and network hardware? Your routers, switches, servers and endless connections need constant monitoring and support. How can you be sure you have insight into the lifeline that is your network? And even if you do know every inch of your information kingdom, how are you supporting and optimizing it?

It certainly does not help your peace of mind – or bottom line — that network hardware support is notoriously expensive. And because the business and professional stakes are so high, many customers feel pressured to stay with the OEM as the safe choice to keep their systems running.

OEMs fill the heads of customers considering a switch to TPM with fear, uncertainty and doubt; a dubious practice so common it has its own standalone acronym, “FUD.”

But for every desperate FUD claim Park Place has a solid, uncontestable response.

An OEM such as Cisco might claim, “You can’t be sure where their parts are coming from or how they will perform!” But all parts in our inventory are 100% genuine Cisco equipment confirmed by multiple processes such as vetting of serial numbers. Additionally, our parts are put through rigorous testing to ensure a DOA rate unmatched in the industry.

Your OEM salesperson may say, “Park Place can’t support Cisco equipment well beyond LDoS due to patching limitations!” In fact, we can. And do! The reality is that many of our customers run LDoS equipment for many years (at times up to 20) beyond the OEM LDoS date, as it’s nearly impossible for them to refresh hardware at the rate needed to avoid the obsolescence Cisco creates.

There are many other examples, but we suspect you have heard them yourself. And yes, it’s true that some devices should absolutely remain under OEM support, but many are great candidates for the third-party maintenance support Park Place offers.

Let’s start with how we assess your network and hardware to make sure you know exactly what we can service – and what may be best left to the OEM.

Our exclusive ClearView™ Contract Analyzer produces a detailed report that projects pricing comparisons along with answers to key questions that are critical for capturing savings, protecting compliance, upholding service performance – and providing an objective recommendation on which devices should:

• Stay with OEM support
• Which should be moved to Park Place Hardware Maintenance support
• Which should be moved to NetSure+ support, which leverages customer-owned and entitled spares purchased by the customer through Cisco’s authorized VAR channel (and are 100% compliant with Cisco policies).

What are the FUD-vanquishing questions you need ask a potential third-party maintenance provider?

• What are the major milestone dates for my assets?
• What hardware and software warranties are available?
• Which of my assets are entitled to software updates without SMARTnet coverage?
• What risk exposure exists if I change coverages or providers?
• How do I optimize my support models without compromising incident management?
• Is the device subject to compliance with Cisco’s End User Licensing agreement?

ClearView™ Contract Analyzer can answer these questions, and many others. Simply send us a list of your network assets, and we’ll match the list against millions of relevant data points considering each device’s operational impact, role in the customer experience, place in the workflow, compliance issues, associated risks, as well as the cost and options for support.

Our philosophy with ClearView™ is total transparency. We deliver a recommendation for a hybrid strategy that balances varying levels of support with quantifiable savings.

The next time your OEM tries to corner you with FUD, you will have a confident and clear strategy to rebuff the ploy. You will know what you know … and what you don’t know.

Contact your Park Place Technologies Sales Representative to get started.