Modern enterprise environments are already extremely complex and costly. Going forward into the cloud computing era, datacenters will become even more complex and costs to maintain them will be astronomic. In a bid to prepare for the cloud computing era, Hewlett-Packard has redesigned its enterprise support in a bid to speed up solution of problems while lowering costs to clients.

The new Always On Support Services (AOSS) from HP integrate the intelligent technologies built into the HP Converged Infrastructure with innovative services to deliver a modern support experience for today's complex IT environments. HP promises that the AOSS helps enterprises to address problems before they occur, realize 95% first-time resolution rates and resolve unplanned downtime issues up to 66% faster. According to HP, its customers can now save on the IT support personnel headcount as HP will be able to provide very high quality services extremely rapidly.

"Enterprises need to be built on a technology foundation that helps IT shift time and resources from problem resolution to innovation. The traditional reactive IT support model is no longer effective - the industry needs to change the way it delivers support to offer proactive solutions and customized service offerings - and HP is leading that charge," said Antonio Neri, senior vice president and general manager of technology services at HP.

The recently announced eight-generation HP ProLiant servers were built with this new service model in mind. By tightly integrating server diagnostic data with advanced HP Insight Remote Support automation tools, new support and delivery capabilities, and customer warranty information, HP can provide an economical support experience that is unmatched for industry-standard environments.

To deliver an enhanced client experience along with proactive problem resolution, Always On Support Services from HP continuously monitor the 1600 diagnostic data points collected by the HP ProActive Insight Architecture. This architecture, currently embedded in HP ProLiant Gen8 servers, will soon be integrated across the entire HP Converged Infrastructure portfolio.

Always On Support Services from HP include:

• HP Foundation Care - expedites problem resolution for optimal performance by simplifying support with a single point of contact at HP for both the hardware and software in the client's environment. By leveraging relationships with leading independent software vendors (ISVs), HP eliminates the "finger pointing" typical of legacy support models.
• HP Proactive Care - minimizes downtime and optimizes performance by addressing problems before they occur. It also provides immediate and direct access to HP experts so clients receive the right support and guidance, when they need it. This eliminates the delay spent cycling through escalating levels of support personnel often associated with legacy support models.
• HP Datacenter Care - provides customized support for a client's multivendor environment with a single point of contact at HP. It delivers enhanced call handling, proactive services, reactive support and relationship management enabled by HP tools and predictive analytics to deliver premium value at a cost-effective price.
• HP also offers Lifecycle Event Services that augment the above HP Care portfolio with HP expertise throughout the technology life cycle of an IT project. This includes strategy, design, implementation and education services, allowing clients to select services "a la carte" to best serve their needs.

"Technology advances such as virtualization and flexible infrastructures are combining with multivendor environments to create complexity and make today's technology environments much more challenging than in the past. As a result, customers need and expect more from their support providers. Legacy support models are becoming less relevant. It is time for a complete overhaul of support practices. The use of predictive and proactive prevention based methodologies is now highly desirable," said Rob Addy, research director at Gartner.

Tags: Hewlett-Packard, HP, ProLiant