We ended up letting this pass.

This was not for a NetApp system but for a 3Par (now HP) SAN. And while I’m sure there are situations where the savings from an out-of-band support contract would be sufficient to warrant the risk, in this case we had a choice between a nation-wide company with techs and spare parts in Seattle but no 3Par skills, or a company with 3Par skills but no boots on the ground near here. In fact, both companies had proposals that boiled down to reselling the other’s services (and both of their prices reflected the overhead of two companies in the deal). Their best deal wasn’t lower than the manufacturer’s, let alone low enough to compel us to change horses.

Thanks for your feedback,

Randy

From: toasters-bounces@teaparty.net [mailto:toasters-bounces@teaparty.net] On Behalf Of Randy Rue
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 6:11 AM
To: toasters
Subject: Aftermarket Hardware Support?

Hello All,

This is not a NetApp question but a general storage question.

We have an older system with two years left in it maximum.

Its support contract is coming up.

We're considering going with Sherlock Services for hardware support. There's potentially a savings over the next two years that significant enough to warrant the risk.

Anyone gone this route? Anyone familiar with this provider?

Hope to hear from you,

Randy