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Strategic Lifecycle Management
POST-WARRANTY · AFTER FACTORY WARRANTY

Post-warranty maintenance — no gap after warranty expiration

Factory warranty typically runs 3 to 5 years. What comes next has its own dynamic: OEMs offer extensions that get more expensive over the years, new hardware gets pushed, and simply continuing maintenance becomes a strategic negotiation topic. TechCare post-warranty maintenance is the sober alternative: same SLA tiers as under factory warranty, often 30 to 50 percent below OEM extension, one contract for mixed inventory. Seamless takeover the day after warranty expires.

Tag 1
seamless takeover
30–50 %
savings vs. OEM extension
24×7×4
max. SLA like factory warranty
0 €
migration cost

What TechCare post-warranty maintenance delivers

Post-warranty maintenance ideally is invisible: the day after factory warranty everything continues as before. Tickets come in, engineers dispatch, parts arrive — only the brand on the contract and invoice changes. That's exactly how we set it up.

01

Identical SLA tiers as under factory warranty

If you had NBD under Dell ProSupport, you get NBD with us. HPE Foundation Care 24×7×4? Same with us. We replicate SLA definitions per system — same response time, same on-site procedure, same escalation paths. On request we extend SLA tiers (e.g. from NBD to 4 h) where economically sensible.

02

Multi-OEM under one contract

Instead of 5 OEM contracts with 5 contract numbers, 5 account managers, 5 monthly invoices: one TechCare contract with everything. For a typical DACH mid-market company this alone reduces internal contract management cost by 5 to 8 percent, before factoring in the actual maintenance price advantage.

03

OEM parts from DACH depots

No trick with inferior imitations. We deliver certified OEM parts sourced through the same DACH distribution channels that OEM contract partners use. For critical components we maintain regional warehouses — physical proximity is mandatory to meet 4-hour SLAs in metro areas.

04

No gap on transition day

Contract start is 00:00 the day after factory warranty ends. Tickets open on the last warranty day are carried over if still under OEM procedure. Emergency phone, engineer list, and escalation paths are communicated to your IT operations 2 weeks ahead of transition. Nobody should have to figure out who's responsible on transition day.

From OEM renewal offer to TechCare contract

Typical trigger situation: the OEM account manager sends a renewal offer 6 to 9 months before warranty end, often with significantly increased terms. That's exactly when to evaluate an alternative.

  1. 1

    Request comparison quote

    Send us the inventory list and — if you want to share — the OEM renewal offer. We deliver a fixed-price quote within 48 hours with line-by-line comparison. You see immediately where we're cheaper, equal, or where special handling makes sense (e.g. very rare hardware needing OEM-specific service contracts).

  2. 2

    Build transition plan

    On contract acceptance we jointly build the transition plan: cutover date (typically the day after OEM warranty ends), contacts list, escalation workflow, test ticket one week before cutover, transition call with your IT. For multi-site or critical systems we add on-site engineer briefings.

  3. 3

    Spare-parts preparation

    2 to 4 weeks before cutover the closest DACH depot stocks parts for your fleet. For rare or specialty components (specialty storage controllers, mainframe boards) we set up a pre-stock arrangement with storage near or directly at your site. On transition day you know every critical defect is SLA-covered.

  4. 4

    Cutover day

    At 00:00 the TechCare contract is live. Your IT operations received the onboarding package 2 weeks prior: ticketing access, emergency phone, escalation paths. Most cutovers run without a first-night emergency — if one occurs, it runs exactly as planned. Test ticket one week prior ensured all workflows function.

  5. 5

    First quarterly review

    3 months after contract start we run the first quarterly review. What went well, what to adjust, are there SLA tiers over- or under-dimensioned for certain systems? On post-warranty contracts we often re-tune the SLA mix after 3 to 6 months — some systems become more critical than initially scoped, others less so.

Why post-warranty via TechCare instead of OEM extension

OEM renewal offers are a negotiation subject. List prices are often 30 to 60 percent above what's actually contracted — if you negotiate hard. In reality, many DACH mid-market companies have neither time nor room to negotiate annually. Result: contracts get renewed at near-list pricing because the alternative — switching — is perceived as too much hassle.

It's exactly this perceived effort we address. Switching to TechCare is doable with 4 to 6 weeks lead time, no migration cost, no hardware change, with seamless cutover the day after factory warranty. The price advantage stays — typically 30 to 50 percent versus OEM extensions. The only thing that changes for your IT operations is the logo on the invoice. And the amount.

30–50 %
avg. vs. OEM extension
1
Contract for 5+ OEMs
4–6 Wo.
Cutover lead time
0
Migration cost

FAQ on post-warranty maintenance

When should we get a post-warranty quote?
At the latest 4 months before factory warranty end. Optimal: 6 months prior, parallel to the OEM renewal offer arriving. That gives you enough time for a clean comparison, potential renegotiation on both sides, and an unhurried transition build-up. For larger fleets (50+ systems) even earlier lead time pays off — 9 months isn't too early.
Do we lose access to OEM tools (iDRAC, OneView, ProSupport portal) on post-warranty switch?
Hardware tools like iDRAC (Dell), iLO (HPE), IMM (IBM) and equivalents remain fully usable — they're hardware functions, not subscriptions. Management suites like OpenManage, OneView, IBM Director continue to work as long as you have the software license. Specific ProSupport portals get locked at warranty/extension end; that's OEM practice. If you depend on specific ProSupport features, we discuss in detail — sometimes a ProSupport mini-subscription alongside TechCare hardware maintenance pays off.
What happens to active storage software subscriptions?
These subscriptions are independent of hardware maintenance. You continue them with the OEM if actively used. TechCare hardware maintenance doesn't touch storage software licenses. In practice the separation is clean: OEM contract for software features, TechCare for hardware. Some customers consciously skip the storage software subscription after factory warranty if features aren't actively used — we honestly advise whether that fits your case.
With Cisco there's SmartNet — does that work with TechCare?
Cisco SmartNet is a special case because it includes software updates and IOS bug fixes. If you need active IOS updates (e.g. for security compliance), two models work: keep SmartNet via Cisco partner + TechCare hardware maintenance combined (still cheaper than full Cisco SmartNet CCO + SmartNet Onsite), or consciously skip further IOS updates and fully switch to TechCare. In practice older Cisco Catalyst and Nexus switches are often very stable and don't need ongoing IOS updates — then pure TechCare is the most economical solution.
Can we cancel the post-warranty contract anytime if hardware strategy changes?
Default term is 12 months with various cancellation options. For larger fleets or multi-year contracts a special cancellation clause at refresh decision is standard: if you consciously replace or migrate a system, we cancel the corresponding contract line item by cutover date. Full cancellation is possible with 3 months' notice. We understand hardware strategy changes — but try to spot the reasons early in quarterly reviews.
We're in a KRITIS sector — are TechCare contracts audit-ready?
Yes. TechCare standard contracts include KRITIS-required clauses: documented maintenance processes with ITIL-compliant ticketing and audit trail, field-engineer qualification records, BSI-compliant data-protection annex, ISO-certified refurbishment sources, documented escalation paths. We have active contracts with BAIT-relevant banks and KRITIS energy providers — auditors typically accept our documentation without discussion. On request we provide direct contact with the auditor.
What's the difference between post-warranty and EOSL maintenance?
Post-warranty refers to hardware after factory warranty end but before the manufacturer announces End-of-Service-Life. OEMs typically still offer extensions, lifecycle status is 'actively supported.' EOSL means the state when the OEM ends official maintenance — extensions are then refused or only offered as expensive custom support. We serve both models with slightly different emphases: post-warranty focuses on price advantage and contract consolidation, EOSL adds emphasis on spare-parts strategy and realistic lifecycle management.
What typical savings do we see on a post-warranty switch?
Rule of thumb for hardware in year 4-6 post-purchase: 30 to 50 percent below OEM extension list. With 5 to 8 different OEMs in inventory, add an internal contract-management advantage that's harder to quantify but adds another 5 to 10 percent at many DACH mid-market companies (hours for renewal, escalation routing, invoice reconciliation). Concrete comparison quote after inventory review within 48 hours.
Service performance

Real actuals Q1 2026 — straight from our ITIL ticketing.

99,2 %
Tickets resolved within agreed response time
2,4 h
Avg. first response on 4h SLA tier
88 %
First-time fix on initial dispatch
97 %
Spare part on site within 4 h, DACH depots
Service building blocks

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