A HWMA is an agreement between you and IBM to provide 24 x 7 ongoing support to fix any part of your computer hardware – both parts and labor. Actual response time varies for each incident; however, you can generally expect IBM dispatch to call with an estimated time of arrival on site of the IBM Customer Engineer (CE). In most cases, the IBM CE will have the needed parts in hand to repair the malfunction during the first onsite call.
In some cases where you have Electronic Customer Support (ECS), IBM electronically monitors your server and can anticipate the failure of a part. In such cases, the IBM CE arrives onsite and repairs the bad part before you experience any down time.
Why is HWMA a good value? If you don’t have a maintenance contract and you pay to have a bad part fixed on a time and material basis, there is a strong probability that the cost of the part and labor will exceed the cost of 2-3 years of a maintenance contract.
Hardware Maintenance Can Save You from Extra Repair Fees
Is Hardware Maintenance a good value? Yes. It can save you money. If you don’t have a maintenance contract and you pay to have bad parts fixed on a time-and-materials basis, there is a strong probability that the cost of the part and labor will exceed the cost of 2–3 years of a maintenance contract.
Hardware Maintenance May Even Prevent Downtime and Delays — Because You Have a Knowledgeable Expert to Call
In most cases, your server sends a message to the console to notify you of possible hardware issues that may lead to possible downtime. Unfortunately, such messages are fairly cryptic — like “4326-FFFE” which means “Disk Bus Error” or “4326-FFF9” which means “Disk Data Error.” With Hardware Maintenance in place, you can call anytime to get these messages interpreted and we can take proactive steps to address an issue promptly.
PTFs Offer New “Drivers”
Further, as you add new devices to your IBM i / AS400 / iSeries / System i server, such as IP printers, laser printers, Windows workstations, thin clients, point of sale (POS) or RF mobile devices, you may need special “drivers” in OS400 to support the new devices. If you don’t have them now, you may need to get PTFs.
PTFs — Often the Fix to Intermittent Glitches
PTFs are important because they often provide the necessary fix for an intermittent glitch.
IBM Hardware and Software Maintenance — An Excellent Value
When you add it all up, IBM HWMA renewal provides an excellent value…and peace of mind knowing that your IBM licensed hardware is backed by a world-class team of software experts ready to help you when you need it.