Faced with rising costs, one of America’s largest energy providers committed to delivering reliable electricity solutions identified an opportunity to optimize its increasing IT spending. Maintaining hundreds of specialized servers had become increasingly expensive, prompting the company to reassess its support strategy. The energy provider partnered with Service Express to control costs and identify new opportunities for efficiency.
Challenges in maintaining in-house systems
The company’s specialized infrastructure is vital for ensuring local communities and businesses have electricity, but servicing the equipment became expensive and complex for several reasons:
- Maintaining systems was challenging due to their remote locations and lack of in-house support staff.
- The company was having trouble finding parts for the customized systems.
- Extended lead times on parts led to longer disruptive outages.
- Refreshing systems was no longer an option due to a limited IT budget.
Implementing change required a shift in its current maintenance and hardware strategy. Previously, the company relied on the OEM for equipment support and hardware. In addition to leveraging OEM maintenance, systems were refreshed every three years regardless of current performance or needs. These practices placed a strain on the company’s IT budget.
Navigating new maintenance strategies
The energy provider had never worked with a company like Service Express. The company’s leadership team was cautious initially since the systems are vital to its operations. Service Express alleviated concerns by providing detailed equipment analysis using Maintenance Navigator, identifying opportunities to leverage third-party maintenance (TPM). In addition, Service Express’ access to previous-generation parts required for the company’s customized systems granted its teams peace of mind.
Experienced service team members were available to support the company’s most remote locations, reducing service times.
The energy provider’s transition to TPM and refined hardware strategy reduced support costs by 20%, saving several million dollars without compromising uptime or performance.
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