When an HPE Tech Care renewal quote lands, the cost rarely reflects the age of the hardware it covers. Independent, third-party maintenance keeps your ProLiant, Alletra, MSA and Aruba estate fully supported for a fraction of the OEM figure — and keeps it running long after HPE declares end-of-service-life. Use the calculator above to see your own numbers, then let us confirm them with a free audit.
| Your OEM support / yr | Third-party / yr | You save / yr | Over 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| £40,000 | £12,000–£20,000 | £20,000–£28,000 | £60,000–£84,000 |
| £75,000 | £22,500–£37,500 | £37,500–£52,500 | £112,500–£157,500 |
| £150,000 | £45,000–£75,000 | £75,000–£105,000 | £225,000–£315,000 |
| £265,000 | £79,500–£132,500 | £132,500–£185,500 | £397,500–£556,500 |
Figures are indicative estimates shown as a range, based on the Gartner 50–70% saving band applied to an example spend, and confirmed by a free Servnet support audit — not a quotation. Third-party maintenance covers hardware break-fix and defers refresh; it does not supply software or firmware security patches.
A genuine alternative to HPE Tech Care
HPE has consolidated its support under Tech Care Service, sold as Basic (9x5 remote, next-business-day on-site), Essential (24x7 remote, four-hour response) and Critical (24x7 with a six-hour call-to-repair). Our third-party maintenance mirrors those response commitments — 24x7 monitoring, matched on-site SLAs and UK-held spares — but decouples the price from HPE's list. You keep the same coverage discipline on ProLiant, Synergy and BladeSystem hardware without funding an OEM premium tied to a refresh cycle you didn't ask for.
Beyond Foundation Care and Pointnext
HPE retired the older Foundation Care and Proactive Care branding, folding legacy contracts into Tech Care as renewals come due. If your systems are still on inherited Foundation Care paperwork, or facing a forced migration to a new tier, that transition is the natural moment to move to independent support instead. We take on the whole estate — servers and storage on one contract — rather than the fragmented, per-product coverage that OEM renewals often leave you juggling.
Storage and Aruba, including end-of-service-life
HPE's roadmap steadily pushes older arrays out of support: Primera has reached end-of-life, Nimble and 3PAR are being funnelled toward Alletra, and MSA generations rotate on their own EOSL clock. We maintain Alletra 6000/9000, MSA 1060/2060/2062, Primera, Nimble and 3PAR — plus Aruba switching and wireless — well past HPE's cut-off, so a healthy array isn't retired on the vendor's timetable. Honest caveat: third-party maintenance covers hardware break-fix, not HPE firmware or software security patches, which stay tied to your entitlement.
FAQs
Is third-party maintenance really an alternative to HPE Tech Care?
Yes. Independent providers match the response tiers HPE sells under Tech Care — Basic, Essential and Critical — with equivalent 24x7 cover, on-site SLAs and spares. The difference is price and flexibility: one contract can span your whole ProLiant and storage estate, without the OEM premium or the pressure to refresh on HPE's schedule. The calculator above shows your specific saving.
Can you support HPE kit that's past end-of-service-life?
That's a core strength. Once HPE declares end-of-service-life on hardware like Primera, older Nimble, 3PAR or earlier MSA and ProLiant generations, OEM cover stops or prices spike. We keep well-functioning systems supported with tested spares and experienced engineers for years beyond that date, deferring costly refreshes until you genuinely need them.
What does third-party maintenance not cover?
We're upfront about this: our service is hardware break-fix — diagnosing failures and replacing faulty components. It does not include HPE firmware updates or software security patches, which remain tied to your HPE entitlement. If a system carries un-patchable compliance risk, replacement is the honest answer, and we'll say so rather than sell you cover that doesn't fit.
How we work these figures out
- Saving band: Gartner, "Market Guide for Data Center and Network Third-Party Hardware Maintenance", 29 Aug 2019 (ID G00414695) — TPM contracts save 50–70% off OEM support NET prices. IDC (2022) separately reports savings of up to ~50% vs OEM. Reports are dated; net-price basis (not off-list).
- Optional spend estimator seeds ONE editable per-device figure anchored to HPE-published post-warranty Tech Care pricing (buy.hpe.com, captured 2026-07-04, ~$1,700/yr → £ at 0.74). Non-HPE OEM support pricing is quote-gated — enter your own renewal figure.
- EOSL life extension: TPM providers report 3–5 (up to 7) additional supported years past OEM end-of-service-life; indicative.
- All figures are indicative estimates shown as a range and confirmed by a free Servnet support audit — not a quotation. TPM covers hardware break-fix and defers refresh; it does NOT supply software/firmware security patches.
Third-party maintenance across your estate
One independent contract can cover every OEM below. Model your saving →
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