Third-Party Maintenance cost guide for business IT leaders

IT costs are rising across the board, from hardware to official technical support. With economic uncertainty putting IT budgets under greater scrutiny, businesses are looking for ways to optimize their infrastructure while keeping costs under control. Third-party maintenance is steadily emerging as a cost-effective alternative to OEM support. But can TPM really save you money, and how?

Our Third-Party Maintenance cost guide breaks down where independent IT infrastructure support can reduce both long-term and short-term costs, with a side-by-side comparison of third-party and OEM support to help you make an informed decision for your IT budget.

Why are business IT budgets under pressure?

Operating in an increasingly unpredictable environment is driving businesses across the world to take a more cautious approach to IT spending and investment. In a 2025 forecast, Gartner noted what they called the “uncertainty pause, […] a suspension of net-new spending [in which] the global corporate sector is exercising increased caution” as a response to geo-political and economic uncertainty.

At the same time, the rising cost of hardware and support is making it harder to maintain or expand IT capabilities.

Here are some of the key reasons companies are under pressure to control their IT budgets:

Factor	Explanation
Supply chain disruptions	Shortages and trade-policy volatility can make it harder and more expensive to source IT parts and assets.
Economic volatility	The inability to confidently forecast due to shifting market conditions is leading businesses to tighten spending controls and delay investments where possible.
Rising electricity costs	Energy-intensive data centers (particularly AI-ready infrastructures) require significant power and cooling, increasing the ongoing cost of running IT environments.
AI and data-intensive workloads	AI and data-heavy applications require increasingly powerful and expensive hardware. Demand for GPUs and AI-ready servers may require upgrades or extra equipment when resource optimization alone is insufficient.
Subscription-based support models	Recurring subscription and support fees are creating higher ongoing operational costs compared with traditional one-off purchasing models. See our VMware guide to find out how their change from perpetual licences to bundled subscriptions is affecting customers.

Meanwhile, expensive and rigid OEM support contract renewals after a product’s warranty have long been a source of overspending for businesses. Third-party maintenance can have a direct financial impact on not just maintenance fees, but on your entire IT lifecycle. Let’s find out how:

At a glance – what is third party maintenance?

Third-party maintenance refers to independent IT hardware support and maintenance services, provided by a company that is not the asset’s manufacturer.

This can cover any services from part-replacements and repairs to troubleshooting, testing, and sometimes diagnostics. In a data center setting, TPM supports key IT infrastructure, including servers, storage and networking equipment. Find out more in our comprehensive Third-Party Maintenance guide.

How much can businesses save by switching to Third-party maintenance?

Outsourcing support to an independent vendor can significantly reduce an organization’s IT maintenance expenses. By choosing a Third-Party Maintenance provider over an OEM support renewal contract, Gartner estimates that businesses can save up to 70% on maintenance costs while receiving the same level of service.

As well as directly reducing OPEX (operational expenses) by providing more affordable maintenance services than their OEM counterparts, Third-Party Maintenance providers also help avoid unnecessary CAPEX (capital expenditure).

They achieve this by supporting hardware beyond the OEM’s official End of Service Life (EOSL) dates, extending the useful life of IT assets. This allows businesses to maximize the return on their hardware investment and delay costly premature replacements. To discover other ways to get the most out of your IT investments, check out our IT budget optimization guide.

What are TPM’s main pricing models?

Third-party hardware maintenance pricing models can vary depending on the vendor and the client’s needs. However, the most common models are:

• Per device
• Per SLA bracket
• Per bundle

See below for a deeper explanation of how each model works.

Per device

In the per-asset cost model, support is priced according to each individual piece of equipment covered.

Devices such as servers, switches, routers and storage systems are assessed separately, with the final price reflecting the equipment and level of service required.

Pricing can depend on factors such as:

• Equipment type and model: The specific hardware being supported and its configuration.
• Contract term: The duration of the maintenance agreement.
• Service level: The agreed SLA conditions, including support coverage and response times.
• Parts coverage: Whether the agreement covers labor only or includes parts and replacement components.
• Device criticality: Production or mission-critical systems often warrant higher service levels than redundant or backup equipment, affecting the final cost.

Per SLA bracket

Unlike many OEMs, third-party maintenance providers offer customized maintenance plans that cater to a company’s specific needs. This makes it possible for a business to choose the level of support that aligns with their budget and specific requirements.

For example, here are the coverage and response time options Evernex offers:

SLA coverage options	SLA response time options
24×7	4h
13×5	Next business day
9×5	Next 5 days

While flexible SLAs can reduce overall costs, it also means the final price will largely depend heavily on the features selected: faster service, for example, may equal a higher cost.

Per bundle

For companies managing large, diverse IT infrastructures, bundled maintenance plans may be a simpler and potentially more cost-effective support structure.

Rather than pricing each asset separately, the provider covers a defined group of systems, an environment or an entire site under a single contract and agreed price.

This can streamline administration and procurement, while giving businesses a clearer view of their overall maintenance spend.

Key pricing factors

Drivers affecting the final price include:

• Service levels: required support coverage, response times and SLA commitments. This is normally the biggest pricing lever.
• Asset type: server, storage, etc., and configuration.
• Geographic coverage: infrastructure support across multiple locations may influence service delivery costs, depending on the vendor.
• Infrastructure scale: the number of devices, systems or sites included.
• Hardware age: legacy systems may carry different pricing due to parts scarcity and OEM support discontinuation, as well as potentially requiring more care.
• Contract scope and duration: the length and specific terms of the maintenance agreement.

Once terms and conditions are agreed, TPM’s fixed pricing structure helps businesses predict and manage their maintenance costs more effectively, reducing budget surprises.

How long do Third-Party Maintenance contracts normally last?

Third-party support contract durations will vary according to both the vendor and the client’s needs, ranging from an on-demand, no commitment structure to a support contract of several years.

Most frequently, Third-Party Maintenance support contracts have a one-year duration and often offer annual renewal. However, terms of other frequencies, such as 3, 6 or 24 months are also widely available. Businesses with larger IT infrastructures or longer lifecycle plans also often use three-year agreements.

Being more flexible than standard OEM support, this factor of a TPM contract is generally up to the client’s requirements. Evernex, for example, has no minimum contract duration, allowing businesses to avoid lock-ins. However, its standard contract duration is one year.

How does IT parts availability affect my business costs?

The availability of replacement parts or devices can have a direct impact on the cost of maintaining IT infrastructure. Access to legacy spare parts can help extend the useful life of older equipment, reducing the need for expensive hardware refreshes and the associated CAPEX.

Refurbished components can also provide a more cost-effective option than brand-new when components need to be replaced, while readily available spares can help minimize downtime and the costs that come with lost productivity.

 

What if I have international or distributed infrastructures?

Global TPM providers such as Evernex leverage global networks of trained engineers. This means they are able to support infrastructures across the world, even in remote locations.

On a financial level, this reduces costs for businesses.

While OEMs often insist on a contract per country where a client has infrastructure needing support, third-party maintenance agreements tend to consolidate them into one global contract.

This saves both administrative burden and the accumulated expenses of multiple smaller contracts, a significant hidden cost of managing complex infrastructures.

A reputable third-party maintenance vendor should not only be able to fully support infrastructures in different regions or countries, but also ensure that their processes remain consistent and reliable across those regions.

Comparison: Third-Party Maintenance costs vs OEM support costs

Although OEM support is often included in a warranty, things can change drastically once this warranty runs out. While Third-Party Maintenance focuses on lifecycle extension and support flexibility, manufacturers often prioritize new hardware sales over supporting existing infrastructure. This means that businesses dependent on OEM contract renewals for their IT infrastructure support may experience:

• Limited support flexibility due to one-size-fits-all contracts
• Vendor lock-ins
• Forced premature hardware refresh cycles driven by sales timelines
• Restrictions across mixed vendor environments, since each OEM only supports its own products
• Lack of visibility across the entire infrastructure due to single-vendor support approaches

Here’s a quick cheat sheet comparing third-party and manufacturer support head-to-head across the main support cost factors.

Factor	Third-party maintenance	Manufacturer support	How it impacts costs
Maintenance fees	Lower	Higher	Lower maintenance fees reduce overall support costs and free up budget for other IT priorities.
Multi-vendor support	Yes	No	Contract consolidation rather than a contract per brand reduces cost complexity and boosts visibility.
Post-EOSL support	Yes	No	Lifecycle extension delays expensive refreshes.
Contract flexibility	Higher	Lower	Flexibility allows businesses to adapt the SLAs to their needs and budget.
Pressure to upgrade	Lower	Higher	Continued support for existing infrastructure can reduce the need to replace functional equipment after OEM support milestones, avoiding unnecessary replacements.
Global coverage	One contract for all infrastructure locations	Contract per country with infrastructure	One global contract simplifies contract management and cuts overheads, avoiding the price variation and duplication that come with multiple regional agreements.
Parts availability	Primarily refurbished options	Primarily manufacturer-supplied and brand-new	Access to refurbished or alternative parts can provide more cost-effective replacement options and help extend IT lifecycles.

How to estimate your Third-Party Maintenance budget

Your exact Third-Party Maintenance costs will depend on your IT architecture and its specific requirements. To help estimate your approximate costs, make sure to have the following information ready:

• The brand/OEM of each device
• Asset configurations
• Number of assets
• Model numbers
• Support statuses (in warranty, EOL, EOSL, etc.)
• Site locations
• Mission criticality of each device
• An initial idea of response time and coverage window requirements
• Estimated initial contract length

This information will help the support provider establish service-level recommendations for a tailored support plan and an expected overall cost.

How to align your third-party maintenance costs with your budget

Once an organization has selected the right provider, it should align support with its budget goals for maximum cost efficiency. Here’s a few best practices to help you do just that:

1. Adjust the level of maintenance and support to match your financial capabilities, starting with critical systems and gradually expanding as the budget allows.
2. If possible, leverage the provider’s asset management services to gain better visibility into your IT inventory. This will help optimize asset allocation.
3. Enhance IT performance by taking advantage of proactive monitoring. Addressing issues quickly ultimately reduces downtime and increases productivity.
4. Work with your third-party support provider to develop a long-term IT lifecycle management plan that adapts to your budget and business objectives. This includes ensuring equipment is retired or replaced strategically.

Controlling your IT costs doesn’t have to be such a struggle. If you think it’s time for an expert, impartial and free assessment, get in touch with Evernex now to find out how much you could save with Third-Party Maintenance.

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