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Three Smart Options for IT Leaders During the 2021 Global Microchip Shortage
A perfect storm of global pandemic, trade wars, and natural disasters has put a critical strain on semiconductor supply chains, resulting in a worldwide microchip shortage that is impacting everything from automobile manufacturing to video game console sales.
IT supply chains are already impacted, with lead times already at more than 120 days for typical route/switch, server, and storage technology, regardless of OEM. Lead times will continue to lengthen into the second half of 2021, and many experts are predicting lags into 2023.
Put simply: buying new IT hardware is going to be difficult in the coming months. But you do have some options.
Surplus new IT equipment is bought and sold worldwide by secondary market resellers like CentricsIT. This equipment is sourced from every stage of the typical reseller channel—whether it’s OEM surplus, distribution surplus, or equipment returns. Secondary market resellers also carry refurbished hardware. Our global buyers source from all regions, and we have tens of millions of dollars’ worth of inventory in secure warehouses around the world, ready to configure, test, and ship right away.
If you have plans for refreshing hardware with an upcoming end-of-warranty, end-of-life, or end-of-service-life date, you’ll be able to save substantially by moving your OEM maintenance plan to a third-party maintenance contract. TPM providers like CentricsIT provide contracted engineering support and keep spare parts on hand for repairs. The terms are extremely flexible and can serve as the perfect solution for short-term service gaps—such as the one you will encounter while waiting for next-gen hardware that’s on backorder.
Whether it’s end-client devices or data center infrastructure, a delay in your next refresh could mean more potential for aging technology to require support. Instead of overwhelming your help desk with additional tickets, you can enter into an On-Demand Engineering (ODE) contract. This is ticketed support for ad-hoc IT services with flexible terms and global coverage.
