Expensive manufacturer maintenance – computer centre operators give away potential savings

New study shows third-party maintenance cuts costs, optimises processes and is an alternative to the Cloud

Hochheim, 27 February 2020 – Companies did not first start considering whether operating their own data centre was worth it when Cloud computer centres emerged.  Some potential savings are simply given away here, as a study from Technogroup IT-Service GmbH clearly shows. The company from Hochheim in Germany started an online survey for its report “Data Centre Maintenance” and evaluated responses from 132 representatives with IT decision-making authority – with interesting results.

“The majority of the companies surveyed use hardware from different manufacturers with corresponding maintenance agreements, each of which costs money,” explains Klaus Stöckert, CEO of Technogroup. Only 21 per cent of companies exclusively use hardware from one manufacturer, 38 per cent now use up to five manufacturers, 29 per cent between five to seven and a further 18 per cent as many as more than seven manufacturers. If technical hardware problems occur that cannot be attributed to one component immediately, expensive downtime results, always related to one manufacturer with its own service conditions and costs. Only 17 per cent of companies place the operation of their own infrastructure in external hands – at more than half of businesses their own IT department is responsible.

Fragmented service drives up costs

31 per cent of the companies surveyed as part of the Technogroup study use fixed-term service agreements with the individual manufacturers while a further 34 per cent do so for part of their computer centre hardware. The service agreements are only rarely reviewed: at more than 50 per cent of the companies surveyed a review is only carried out every two years or even less frequently. Satisfaction with OEM maintenance is currently not high. Not a single one of the business representatives asked is very satisfied, only 17 per cent are satisfied, 43 per cent less satisfied and 19 per cent are even dissatisfied. “More than ever manufacturers decide when the life of a product ends these days. But this is by no means the real possible life,” emphasises Technogroup CEO Klaus Stöckert.

The globally recognised analyst house Gartner currently assess the savings potential in IT maintenance at up to 70 per cent – through third party maintenance, or TPM, independent of the manufacturers. According to Gartner’s “Market Guide for Data Center and Network Third-Party Hardware Maintenance” from August 2019, the global market is constantly growing because third-party maintenance providers are more likely to meet the quality requirements companies and their computer centres have.

Longer lives conserve resources

However, the possibility of using independent maintenance from third parties is not yet sufficiently well-known in Germany. 57 per cent of companies in the Technogroup study did not know about the TPM concept and only 31 per cent are already working with a TPM provider. For 67 per cent of those surveyed, however, reducing operating costs through use of a third-party maintenance partner is an alternative to changing to the Cloud. More time for their own IT is another result. 23 per cent expect up to ten per cent more time, 36 per cent up to 20 per cent, and 19 per cent up to as much as 30 per cent, if they used third-party maintenance. “Server maintenance ties up important time contingents that could be used much better,” says Stöckert. Third-party maintenance provides lower ongoing costs, longer service lives and by using fewer resources, conserves the environment.

You can download the full results of the studies here https://insights.technogroup.com/studie-data-center-wartung or on request.

Technogroup is the TPM market leader in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The company offers services and consulting from one source for all crucial IT systems in computer centres. Comprehensive service packages help to avoid and fix hardware failures, and to extend the lifetime of IT systems at a reasonable price for companies from a variety of sectors. Additional services include monitoring, installation, system relocations, modifications and updates as well as recycling old systems. Thanks to extensive know-how and many years of experience in the sector, Technogroup offers a professional approach at a high level of service and with reduced costs. As one of the first companies on the market, Technogroup is certified in quality management, environmental management and information security as per ISO standards.

www.technogroup.com

For further information please contact: 

Daniela Burggraf
Technogroup IT-Service GmbH
Tel.: +49 6146 8388 103
Email: d.burggraf@technogroup.com

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