Using older equipment? Tips for approaching End of Life

Even successful products eventually come to their end of life. They are driven there by evolution in technology, standards, performance expectations, or the end of life of an underlying component that the product depends on. Unfortunately, the end of life of successful products is the most challenging to manage and has the most significant impact as they are the most widely adopted by businesses, who have come to rely on them. Typically your provider/supplier will inform you of an ‘end of life’ notice – this means the particular product you are using will cease to be manufactured or supported. Typically support continues for a period after the product stops being manufactured. Make sure you have the following questions answered if you receive such a notice:

• How long will a product be supported after the end of life?
• How long will I have to purchase the end of life product before it is no longer available?
• Is there an alternate solution available?
• Will my existing products integrate with the next generation?
• The end-of-life product is a sub-system of a more extensive solution. How long will I have to test and verify that the alternate solution works within the larger system?

At GHM Communications we have extensive end of life support and notice. We understand you have made a significant investment and want to ensure continuity throughout your business processes.

If you have received an end of life notice from a provider but still have questions, please get in touch with us. We will make sure you have all of the information you need and more.