Understanding the lifecycle of your hardware environment has always been crucial. In challenging times like now, many organizations and companies face difficulties refreshing their IT infrastructure and planning new IT projects. They must choose wisely where to invest, be it in Cybersecurity, Digitalization, etc. To delve deeper, we recommend the following article: 8 top priorities for CIOs in 2023. Due to the reasons mentioned, purchasing new hardware systems doesn't occur as frequently as it once did. Thus, it's essential to understand your options and optimize your situation.
Let's start with the terms. Different brands use varied terms. We'll focus on the most commonly used ones EOS, EOL, EOSL.
EOS, EOL, and EOSL
End Of Life (EOL) / End Of Sale (EOS): This is when the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) decides to no longer market and sell a specific piece of equipment. This typically happens 3-5 years after release. At this stage The frequency of updates, like bug fixes, decreases, support costs are at a premium and the push is towards newer models is clear.
End Of Service Life (EOSL) / End Of Support (EOS): This is the final stage. From the EOSL date, the OEM discontinues all support for the equipment, usually 5-7 years post-release. This cessation includes updates, patches, and hardware maintenance contracts. The push towards new products is even stronger.
While OEMs usually inform about these dates through official letters, sometimes they don't. When extending a support contract, they might say, "We can cover the full year, but the product will go EOSL next month. We can only cover 1 month. However, we can offer our new model!" This tactic instills fear, urging you to purchase the new model.
How to deal with this situation? Let's check out our 3 step advice approach:
Step 1: Understanding Your Business Needs
Assess your IT infrastructure's performance, safety, redundancy, and support contracts for critical equipment.
Identify needs for:
Expanding vital resources (e.g., storage or compute).
Enabling new workloads for updated applications.
Supporting additional employees, users, or transactions.
Lowering the cost per user or transaction.
Building IT capabilities (e.g., workload resilience, business continuity, and disaster recovery).
Note: Not every need requires a complete refresh. For example, you can add new disks to existing storage servers for increased storage.
Step 2: Identify the Upgrade Targets
Examine specific hardware, software, services, policies, processes, and workflows impacted by the upgrade.
Consider scenarios like updating hardware for an outdated legacy system:
If hardware is updated, ensure software compatibility.
Explore options for maintaining existing infrastructure with upgrades, including:
Adding more storage with new HDDs or SSDs.
Enhancing performance through CPU and memory upgrades.
Adopting better technology with newer equipment.
Step 3: Finding the Right Partners
After devising a plan, seek suitable partners, especially those offering refurbished Data Center hardware. Consider these tips when choosing the right partner:
Communication is key: Reach out to multiple companies and evaluate their response time, communication style, professionalism, and technical knowledge.
Demand a warranty: Don't settle for limited-time warranties; request at least a 1-year warranty.
Seek companies covering all needed brands for convenience.
Conduct research and seek recommendations.
Ensure the ability to test ordered parts/systems before making payments.
To gain a better understanding of the refurbished hardware market, we've prepared a brief summary on the topic.
The Power of Refurbished Hardware
With supply chain disruptions causing delays of up to 12-18 months for new equipment, businesses need alternatives. Enter refurbished hardware. But what exactly is it?
New Equipment: Direct from the manufacturer with a warranty.
Recertified Equipment: Almost new but might be overstocked or returned. Still qualifies for a manufacturer-provided warranty.
Refurbished Equipment: Previously owned, then sold to the secondary market for refurbishing before resale.
Why Consider Refurbished Hardware?
It's cost-effective, often a fraction of new equipment's price.
Offers quick availability, bypassing long wait times.
Ensures quality. Trusted vendors restore products to their original condition, rigorously testing for reliability and offering warranties up to 5 years.
It also reduces carbon footpring, lowers electronic waste and minimize global demand.
At server-parts.eu, we offer up to a 5-year warranty on our refurbished products. With post-testing payments, there's no risk when purchasing from us. We cover all big brands, like HPE, IBM, Lenovo, Dell, EMC, Fujitsu, NetApp, Cisco (server, storaga, tape library, switchetc.). Contact us for pricing: info@server-parts.eu.