Have you ever received that dreaded email from your OEM scheduling your hardware for End of Service Life, or maybe even End of Life? If not, it’s coming… so be prepared to make the best decision for your business!
EOSL, EOL, and EOS are all abbreviations pertaining to your IT hardware that are incredibly important to know, understand and keep track of. So what exactly do all these terms mean?
EOSL
EOSL stands for “End of Service Life”, which essentially means that the OEM, like EMC or Dell, will no longer provide technical support or any other type of support services after the scheduled date. Though it is still possible to get OEM hardware maintenance support after an EOSL date, customers are usually charged a premium price, as they are pushed to simply buy new equipment instead.
EOL
EOL is also commonly referred to as “End of Life”. EOL refers to the time when the item, in the manufacturer’s mind, has reached the end of its useful life. After the scheduled date, the OEM will no longer market, sell or sustain the product.
EOS
EOS stands for “End of Sale”. EOS refers to the absolute last day that you will be able to purchase equipment directly from a manufacturer like EMC or NetApp. After this date, the product may still be available through other third-party vendors as a new or used item, but the OEM will no longer offer to sell it.
Now that you have a better understanding of these key terms associated with your IT hardware, what do you do when your equipment reaches EOSL, EOL, or when you can no longer purchase equipment from the OEM?
1. Purchase extended support. SMS | CURVATURE offers just that. We help our customers extend the life of their equipment well beyond the EOSL and EOL date, saving them millions of dollars on an OEM-driven hardware refresh, while also maintaining a high level of service support.
2. Purchase equipment elsewhere. SMS | CURVATURE is your strategic source for N-1 and N-2 data center hardware systems, upgrades and parts. We guarantee our customers unbiased, OEM-neutral guidance to identify alternative solutions to tech refreshes, as well as brokers looking to expand their supplier network.
So, if you have received that dreaded email and are looking for OEM alternative solutions, click here to call, chat or email us today!