The motive for writing this article is the startling number of consulting calls we have received in the past six months from businesses who purchased the wrong server or network equipment from another vendor. Specifically, many of our calls came from businesses that implemented a consumer grade solution, because a technician wanted to make a deal happen at the expense of responsibility and foresight. These businesses called us because they had been faced with a serious problem directly related to a hardware failure. The proceeding information will help to explain Sea to Sky’s position on what consumer grade hardware is and why it increases the total cost of ownership of a business network in the not-so-long term.
Sea to Sky Network Solutions recognizes the hardware requirements of businesses in Vancouver. We know that time is money and businesses cannot afford to be without a properly functioning network.
Custom building a server or workstation with consumer parts for a business client is not tolerated at Sea to Sky. A server runs all day and all night. Simply put, consumer hardware is not designed, engineered or tested to support the workload of multiple users accessing files simultaneously.
How Sea to Sky Addresses the Issue
Sea to Sky Network Solutions resolves this issue through our partnerships with business class hardware vendors such as Dell and Hewlett Packard (HP). We also maintain relationships with server software vendors to avoid implementing the wrong solution. Years of experience has taught us that the total cost of ownership (TCO) of business hardware is less than that of consumer grade equipment. Business hardware lasts longer and stands up to more intense processing requirements which allows our hardware partners to provide 3 year warranty on the equipment. Business hardware is better than consumer hardware because it includes the following benefits:
- The standardization of components
- The implementation of components that are designed to run 24/7
- Testing system configurations before selling or upgrading a machine
- An infrastructure to provide up to 4-hour response on hardware replacements
Consumer grade hardware simply does not address these important needs.
The typical process of replacing hardware in a consumer grade machine is extremely slow, usually two weeks or more. However, a business solution from Sea to Sky can provide 4-hour or next business day response. Most consumer hardware is replaced through a basic snail-mail warranty for one year. Business hardware is covered by an on-site warranty for three years. The reason consumer hardware is so much harder to replace is because the defective component must be sent back to the manufacturer, tested and sent back to the customer. This process is slow and cannot be controlled by the technician. Sea to Sky knows that businesses do not have two weeks to lose on employee productivity while waiting for a hardware replacement. That is why we only sell properly configured business solutions with next business day (or better) warranty to our customers.
With Sea to Sky business hardware your company can save a significant amount of time and money when compared to consumer grade hardware. The Sea to Sky team is devoted to client success. We strive to provide the most efficient and economical solutions through our Research & Development and Business Continuity Practice methodologies. If you have any questions about Sea to Sky Network Solutions, our Business Class Hardware or our Managed Service packages please feel free to contact our sales team at info@seatosky.com, or by phone at 604.628.6970
– Sea to Sky Team
