Curvature Named a Top Performer in Inaugural Gartner Report on Third-Party Maintenance Providers for Network

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., March 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Curvature, an innovative IT infrastructure services provider, has been identified as a Top Performer – Network for third-party maintenance (TPM) in a March 2016 competitive landscape report issued by Gartner, entitled, "Leveraging Third-Party Maintenance Providers for Data Center and Network Maintenance Cost Optimization, North America" [ID G00294372].¹

According to Gartner's first TPM competitive landscape report, "End-user interest and demand for independent support providers is fueled by a need for cost optimization, especially for post-warranty and End-of-Service-Life (EOSL) data center and network devices." The report also states, "Hardware maintenance is increasingly being considered as 'nonstrategic IT' spending and procurement, with the results being that IT professionals are seeking low-cost alternatives to expensive OEM contracts and pricing."

The report's author, Christine Tenneson, is a research director supporting Gartner's Managed Business and Technology services team research. "TPM contracts offer customers an average of 60 percent savings off OEM support list prices," she writes. "However, depending on equipment type, location and product density, Gartner has seen that the range of savings with TPM contracts is 50 percent off OEM list up to 95 percent off OEM list."

Within the report, a mix of third-party maintenance providers were identified according to representative attributes/characteristics for top performers, rising stars, disrupters, stalwarts and secondary hardware entrants. Companies considered for the top performer category needed to have the following attributes/characteristics: Global; Providers with significant market share today; Solid brand awareness; Well-developed service delivery strategy; Highly automated processes; Developed channel strategies.

For nearly a decade, organizations around the world have relied on Curvature's NetSure® third-party maintenance to support Cisco, HP, Sun, IBM, Dell, EMC and NetApp devices. "It's highly rewarding to see Gartner put the spotlight on third-party maintenance and we believe this validates what customers have told us for years—they want better procurement and support options than OEMs are willing to give," says Mike Sheldon, president and CEO of Curvature. "We are very pleased to be recognized as a top performer of network services, which we feel complements our growing server and storage support offerings."

Related Research Reinforces TPM Drivers and Benefits

In related research, Curvature sponsored a Dimensional Research global survey of more than 500 IT decision makers to identify trends in data center procurement and support.² According to those polled, 60 percent use third-party maintenance while 53 percent purchase pre-owned equipment. The top three drivers for increased adoption of TPM include:

• Greater focus on reducing operational expenses
• Improved support offerings from independent maintenance providers
• Positive experiences with prior-generation hardware

Moreover, nearly 90 percent of the survey participants saw clear benefits in their use of third-party maintenance, including:

• Opportunity to lower costs
• Cost optimization through hybrid maintenance, including both independent and OEM support
• Ability to work with a vendor focused only on maintenance
• Retaining vendor flexibility for future needs
• Reduced risk caused by vendor lock-in

Curvature's NetSure Offers Global Reach, Local Support

With NetSure, companies have the flexibility to maintain both current-generation and end-of-life products to extend equipment lifecycles while slashing operational and capital expenditures. A variety of flexible service levels are available, including 24X7 global technical support, four-hour and next-business day hardware replacement worldwide, onsite sparing and field support. Customers also have the ability to use the NetSure portal to centrally manage all their NetSure and OEM server, storage and network maintenance contracts.

Supporting Quote

• Paul Jones, CTO, Sisters of Charity Health System
  "We quickly saw the value of working with Curvature as the team isn't trying to sell us like the OEM—they're on our side of the fence trying to do what's best for us and it shows. By helping us extend the useful life of our previous-generation equipment, which Curvature supports, we saved hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Additional Resources

• Competitive Landscape: Leveraging Third-Party Maintenance Providers for Data Center and Network Maintenance Cost Optimization, NA:
  http://www.gartner.com/reprints/year-2-of-2?id=1-31HM834&ct=160318&st=sb
• Dimensional Research Data Center Industry Trends
• Curvature TPM Momentum Blog

About Curvature

Curvature is transforming how companies procure, maintain and upgrade equipment and support for multi-vendor network, server and storage environments. Founded in 1986, Curvature is a trusted strategic partner for more than 10,000 organizations globally, including some of the largest telecommunications carriers and mission-critical financial services firms. Based in Santa Barbara, Calif., the company specializes in delivering 24X7 global technical support and advanced hardware replacement from corporate locations in the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.curvature.com.

¹ Gartner, "Competitive Landscape: Leveraging Third-Party Maintenance Providers for Data Center and Network Maintenance Cost Optimization, North America." [ID G00294372, Christine Tenneson, March 17, 2016
² Dimensional Research, "Trends in Data Center Procurement and Support," January 2016

SOURCE Curvature

Related Links

http://www.curvature.com