NEI > Services > Support & Maintenance

Platform and Appliance Support & Maintenance

Maintenance, support and service programs that extend product life span and maximize uptime.

Product Return and Failure Reporting

Basic Warranty Support

NEI guarantees that every system we manufacture functions properly — 100% free from workmanship defect under our Basic Warranty Support terms for two (2) years after receipt of product. Extended (optional) warranties are also available to NEI customers who wish to lengthen warranty periods.

In the case of systems manufactured by a third party and re-sold by NEI (including but not limited to Dell, HP, Sun and IBM), we offer no warranty. However, NEI passes on the original manufacturer’s warranty and will assist our customers in expediting the manufacturer’s service and repair of those systems.

Components shipped separately and not integrated into systems are under NEI warranty for 30 days. However, many of these components carry longer warranties issued by the original manufacturer, which we freely pass along to our customers.

Basic Warranty Support also provides direct access to NEI’s technical (troubleshooting) staff either by e-mail, telephone or online. Technical support by telephone is available between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM EST on weekdays (excluding holidays). Our on-staff experts are always ready to answer questions and resolve problems. If after troubleshooting any damaged or inoperable equipment must be returned to NEI, we quickly repair or replace the equipment and expedite its return to service. For equipment deemed out-of-warranty, repair and return service is handled on a time and materials (T&M) basis.

NEI limited Warranties and Liability for Servers & Components

Advance Server Replacement

NEI offers Advance Server Replacement (ASR) as an optional service designed specifically for fast system substitution. With ASR, multiple pre-configured systems can be stocked at NEI and made ready to ship in the event of field unit malfunction or damage. Field replaceable units (FRUs) are provided as well for serviceable compnents such as hot-swap power supplies and hot-swap hard drives. This plan is popular among customers who purchase and deploy high volumes of identical systems that are warranted as a bundle. ASR systems are shipped by FedEx Priority freight. Forward stocking is also available as an ASR option.

Advance Parts Replacement

Many customers prefer our optional Advance Parts Replacement (APR) program, which extends the warranty on parts for a minimum of one (1) year to a maximum of three (3) years. Problems received with APR status are given workflow precedence. After any failed part has been diagnosed and identified, a replacement part is shipped via FedEx Priority freight Monday through Friday (excluding holidays). NEI assumes all freight charges for replacement parts. This program is great for customers that have add-in components such as telephony boards and can save critical time as well as simplify the tracking and processing of replacement components.

Advance Parts Replacement with On-Site Technician

When technical issues require professional on-site assistance, Advance Parts Replacement with On-Site Technician delivers experienced technicians to your door during local business hours (between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM). For problem-free installation or equipment replacement, our on-site technicians take the guess-work out of installation. Optionally available is the forward stocking of replacement parts, which will ensure expedited arrival (in major metropolitan locations) within four hours of your support request.

Anytime On-Site

When 24×7×365 availability is mission critical, our Anytime On-Site program gives you full-time service and support — weeknights, weekends and holidays included. This comprehensive program includes all the components of APR with On-Site Technician and dispatches a qualified technician to your location (any time of day) in as few as four hours after the replacement parts are delivered onsite. Forward stocking of replacement parts is available as an option to enable expedited arrival of parts for on-site technicians.

Anytime On-Site with Advanced Troubleshooting

For the most all-inclusive, hands-on support, service and troubleshooting program available, many NEI customers enroll in our Anytime On-Site with Advanced Troubleshooting program. This program offers the ultimate insurance against long-term downtime and guarantees that a technician is dispatched (within four hours of the support request) to your facility where they can quickly diagnose and solve equipment problems. If necessary, our technicians will order and install replacement parts and/or systems that arrive by FedEx Priority freight. Forward stocking is optionally available under this program. If your application warrants fail-safe operation, regular and timely maintenance, or you need top-line support services, Anytime On-Site with Advanced Troubleshooting is the program of choice.

Technical Support Services

NEI’s Technical Support Services provide customers with access to an experienced staff of customer service professionals and technical support specialists. NEI’s trained and certified technicians are available during standard business hours or 24×7×365 (depending on your program) to provide installation, troubleshooting, repair and basic configuration support for Internet security, storage, network or telecommunications applications and systems. These services are available by phone, email or through NEI’s self-service web portal.

In addition to offering diagnostic and repair services on products covered by our NEI Support and Maintenance programs, NEI offers the ability for OEM’s, ISV’s and partner companies to leverage its existing support infrastructure and provide Level 1 through Level 4 technical support and diagnostic services. NEI can handle service requests and work to diagnose, repair and resolve technical problems that can arise during installation and configuration of the equipment and your application. NEI can customize support service plans as needed for customers. Please contact your local NEI sales representative for details regarding our Support and Maintenance programs.

Product Return and Failure Reporting

Customer Quality Trend Reports are developed by quality engineers to monitor product and order fulfillment performance, drive continual improvement, and improve sustainability. NEI applies a Predicted Annual Failure Rate (PAFR) method as the means to predict product field performance and establish trigger points to indicate special cause conditions. The PAFR is based on actual measurements of component failure rates, the complexity and field-deployed quantity of each design, and component redundancies. NEI has determined that predictions of product quality performance that are based on actual measured failure rates are more accurate and reproducible than published Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) rates. Comparisons of actual product performance to PAFR and Pareto analyses are then used to prioritize issues by product and subcomponent to indicate any need for more in-depth failure assessments, root cause analysis, and corrective action. Customer Quality Trend reports can be made available on a quarterly basis at NEI’s customer portal.