Corporate IT Buying Behavior and Customer Satisfaction Study x86-based Servers

TBRT ECH N O LO G Y B U SIN ESS RESEARCH , IN C.
Prepared for Lenovo
Nov. 30, 2016
Contributors: Angela Lambert (angela.lambert@tbri.com), Engagement
Manager and Senior Analyst; Matt Bowden, Analyst; Amanda
Darcangelo, Research Analyst; Krista Macomber, Senior Analyst, Data
Center
Corporate IT Buying Behavior and Customer Satisfaction Study
x86-based Servers
Second Half 2016

TBR
2H16 | TBR — x86-based Servers Customer Satisfaction Study ©2016 Technology Business Research Inc.2
Contents
3 Executive Summary
8 Key Findings
17 x86-based Server Attribute Analysis
22 Appendix A: x86-based Server Attribute Analysis — Sales Satisfaction
29 Appendix B: x86-based Server Attribute Analysis — Product Satisfaction
37 Appendix C: x86-based Server Attribute Analysis — Service and Support Satisfaction
47 Appendix D: Firmographics
54 Appendix E: Analytical Procedures and Survey Instrument
63 About TBR
Table of Contents

TBR
Executive Summary

TBR
Attribute Dell HPE Lenovo
Purchase Price/Acquisition Cost 5.5 5.4 5.6
One-time Services and Setup 5.3 5.3 5.7
Delivery Time and Product Availability 5.4 5.5 5.7
Sales Responsiveness 5.3 5.4 5.6
Post-purchase Customer Care 5.4 5.4 5.6
Online Product Information 5.2 5.4 5.7
Initial Hardware Quality 5.6 5.7 5.8
Ongoing Hardware Reliability 5.6 5.8 5.8
Performance 5.6 5.7 5.9
Virtualization, Efficiency, Scalability 5.5 5.7 5.8
Total Cost of Ownership 5.4 5.6 5.7
Management Capabilities 5.4 5.6 5.7
Product Design/Features 5.5 5.7 5.8
Phone Support Availability 5.5 5.4 5.6
Phone Support Technical Expertise 5.5 5.4 5.6
On-site Response Time 5.5 5.5 5.6
On-site Technical Expertise 5.4 5.5 5.7
Online Technical Support 5.5 5.5 5.7
Ongoing Services and Maintenance 5.5 5.5 5.6
Replacement Parts Availability 5.7 5.7 5.6
Self-support/Automated Support 5.2 5.1 5.5
Social Media Support 4.8 4.7 5.4
Will Buy Again 87.6 96.2 83.3
Would Recommend 86.7 91.4 85.4
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
Loyalty Index
Rolling Mean Satisfaction
Product Mean Satisfaction
Sales Mean Satisfaction
Service Mean Satisfaction
TBR
Dell HPE Lenovo
Sales Satisfaction Index 76.3 77.0 81.0
Product Satisfaction Index 78.9 81.1 82.4
Service Satisfaction Index 77.0 76.5 79.8
Loyalty Index 87.2 93.8 84.4
Importance Multiplier 99.7% 98.4% 101.9%
TBR Weighted Satisfaction Index 78.2 78.6 82.8
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
Rolling Satisfaction IndexTBRTBR
TBR builds its index from 4 key attribute areas comprising 24 total factors
Executive Summary
Lenovo customers continue to report industry-leading satisfaction across
sales, product and service attributes
Note: Detailed explanation of methodology and calculations
can be found in the technical appendix (Slide 54).

TBR
Attribute Dell HPE Lenovo
Purchase Price/Acquisition Cost 5.5 5.4 5.6
One-time Services and Setup 5.3 5.3 5.7
Delivery Time and Product Availability 5.4 5.5 5.7
Sales Responsiveness 5.3 5.4 5.6
Post-purchase Customer Care 5.4 5.4 5.6
Online Product Information 5.2 5.4 5.7
Initial Hardware Quality 5.6 5.7 5.8
Ongoing Hardware Reliability 5.6 5.8 5.8
Performance 5.6 5.7 5.9
Virtualization, Efficiency, Scalability 5.5 5.7 5.8
Total Cost of Ownership 5.4 5.6 5.7
Management Capabilities 5.4 5.6 5.7
Product Design/Features 5.5 5.7 5.8
Phone Support Availability 5.5 5.4 5.6
Phone Support Technical Expertise 5.5 5.4 5.6
On-site Response Time 5.5 5.5 5.6
On-site Technical Expertise 5.4 5.5 5.7
Online Technical Support 5.5 5.5 5.7
Ongoing Services and Maintenance 5.5 5.5 5.6
Replacement Parts Availability 5.7 5.7 5.6
Self-support/Automated Support 5.2 5.1 5.5
Social Media Support 4.8 4.7 5.4
Will Buy Again 87.6 96.2 83.3
Would Recommend 86.7 91.4 85.4
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
Loyalty Index
Rolling Mean Satisfaction
Product Mean Satisfaction
Sales Mean Satisfaction
Service Mean Satisfaction
TBR
Executive Summary
Dell
Dell’s TBR weighted satisfaction score declined from 1H16 as the
vendor experienced declining satisfaction in 19 of 22 attributes.
Despite declining scores and a third-place finish, Dell tied with HPE
and beat out Lenovo for first place in replacement parts availability,
a historically critical purchase decision driver for customers.
HPE
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) was the only vendor for which
customers reported an increase in satisfaction for a majority of the
22 satisfaction attributes. Additionally, HPE regained the lead in
TBR’s Loyalty Index, with 96.2% of customers indicating they would
buy again and 91.4% of customers saying they would recommend
HPE servers to a peer.
Lenovo
Customer satisfaction scores continued to keep Lenovo in first place
in TBR’s weighted satisfaction index, which it has maintained since
2015. Lenovo had similar scores to 1H16 with 16 of 22 attributes
changing by less than 1%. Lenovo’s ability to maintain strong levels
of satisfaction among customers allowed the vendor to remain in
the top spot for 21 of 22 attributes, with replacement parts
availability being the only attribute where Dell and HPE lead.
Lenovo maintains a dominant lead over its competitors; however,
increased satisfaction with HPE narrowed Lenovo’s lead in 2H16

TBR
Out of the three TBR satisfaction indexes, Dell, HPE and Lenovo all scored highest in in
the Product Satisfaction Index as scores in the Sales and Services Index fell slightly
behind. While customers consider product attributes such as performance, initial
hardware quality and ongoing hardware reliability to be critical to the purchase
decision, these attributes are table stakes server customers expect from their vendor,
and while they will keep customers loyal, they are unlikely to draw in new customers,
which creates an opportunity for server vendors to tout their strengths in sales and
service attributes.
Across Dell, HPE and Lenovo, customers report a similar theme of reliability and
performance motivating their decisions to buy again from their current vendor. As
organizations choose to adopt off-premises cloud deployments instead of x86-
based servers, it becomes even more important for server vendors to meet these
customers’ needs for reliability and performance, as a key reason organizations are
reluctant to switch from x86 servers is a requirement for low latency and high
availability, especially for mission-critical applications.
Sales and service attribute satisfaction trails product attributes
Reliability and performance drive brand loyalty
In 2H16 customers reported a shift in importance toward services attributes such as
on-site response time and ongoing services and maintenance. The increasing
importance of these attributes indicates a need among customers to limit downtime
through preventative maintenance or by quickly fixing issues, making it critical for,
making it critical for server vendors to meet these needs.
Services impact server sales
Quality, reliability and performance are reported loyalty drivers, but
services attributes are becoming increasingly important purchase criteria
Executive Summary

TBR
• Post-purchase Customer Care
• One-time Services and Setup
• Self-support/Automated Support
• Online Product Information
• Sales Responsiveness
• Social Media Support
• Performance
• Initial Hardware Quality
• Ongoing Hardware Reliability
• Virtualization, Efficiency, Scalability
• Total Cost of Ownership
• Product Design/Features
• On-site Response Time
• Ongoing Services and Maintenance
Executive Summary
Customers rated attributes as critical, important or less important
• Customers continue to report that performance, initial hardware quality, ongoing hardware reliability, virtualization and
product design are critical; however, in 2H16 total cost of ownership (TCO), on-site response time and ongoing services and
maintenance also joined the critical category. TBR believes that as organizations look to reduce costs and limit downtime,
these attributes will play a key role in keeping x86 customers from moving to alternatives such as cloud.
• Additionally, in 2H16 management capabilities and self-support/automated support both experienced declines in their
importance to customers’ purchase decisions, indicating a shift from simplifying the management of IT environments and
toward keeping them up and running with a low TCO.
Attributes once considered important to the purchase decision have
shifted to critical as organizations seek to limit costs and downtime
Note: The stacks of attributes shown on the scales above are listed in order of the importance of each attribute to overall customer satisfaction this quarter, with the
most important attributes at the top of each stack.
.
• Replacement Parts Availability
• On-site Technical Expertise
• Management Capabilities
• Purchase Price/Acquisition Cost
• Online Technical Support
• Phone Support Availability
• Delivery Time and Product Availability
• Phone Support Technical Expertise

TBR
Key Findings

TBR
87.4%
83.7%
82.6%
91.1%
87.6%
85.1%
83.2%
88.8%
89.2%
96.2%
82.6%
80.8%
84.1%
92.1%
83.3%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
VENDOR HISTORICAL SERVER
LIKELINESS TO BUY AGAIN
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Key Findings
TBR perspective
• HPE customers’ likeliness to buy again has increased since 1H15 while Dell’s and Lenovo’s
both declined from their 1H16 positions. HPE customers are satisfied not only with
performance and integration, but also with TCO.
• Lenovo’s buy again score declined considerably compared to 1H16, but was similar to the
prior reporting periods. Customers who were unlikely to buy again most often reported
product attributes including performance, reliability and cost as the top drivers.
HPE’s customer likelihood to buy again has continued to improve since
1H15, while Dell’s and Lenovo’s began to decline in 2H16

TBR
88%
11%
1%
DELL LOYALTY:WILL BUY
AGAIN
Yes
Maybe
No
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Key Findings
Dell’s strong customer loyalty score was driven primarily by customer
perceptions of Dell x86-based servers being reliable
Yes — Will buy again % of Yes
Servers are reliable 68.5%
Servers integrate well with our IT environment 41.3%
Server performance meets our expectations 40.2%
Satisfied with TCO 40.2%
Maybe/Will not buy again % of Maybe/No
Servers are not reliable enough 38.5%
Server efficiency did not meet our expectations 30.8%
Dissatisfied with TCO 23.1%
Sales staff is not responsive enough 23.1%
Servers have inadequate online technical
support
23.1%
Top criteria for customers buying again and considering switching

TBR
96%
3% 1%
HPE LOYALTY:
WILL BUY AGAIN
Yes
Maybe
No
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR Yes — Will buy again % of Yes
Server performance meets our expectations 47.5%
Servers integrate well with our IT environment 42.6%
Servers are not reliable enough 25%
Server efficiency did not meet our expectations 25%
Dissatisfied with TCO 25%
Key Findings
Reliability, performance and integration helped HPE achieve 96% loyalty,
besting closest rival by nearly 9 percentage points

TBR
83%
17%
Yes
Maybe
No
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR LENOVO LOYALTY: WILL
BUY AGAIN
Yes — Will buy again % of Yes
Server efficiency meets our expectations 32.5%
Servers performance meets our expectations 31.3%
Servers are not reliable enough 31.3%
Server performance did not meet our
expectations
31.3%
Servers are too expensive 31.3%
Key Findings
Lenovo’s customers reported a lower likelihood to buy again than its rivals’,
driven primarily by issues with reliability, performance and cost

TBR
85.2%
81.1%
81.3%
91.1%
86.7%
82.8%
83.8%
85.3%
87.3%
91.4%
78.9%
80.8%
82.8%
97.0%
85.4%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
VENDOR HISTORICAL SERVER
LIKELINESS TO RECOMMEND
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Key Findings
Top customer recommendations
After increases in the likeliness to recommend since 1H15, Dell and Lenovo experienced declines from 1H16 while HPE
continued to improve and regained the No. 1 spot.
Dell
customer
“I'm satisfied with the quality of the system, reliability and dependability from start to end of life, and energy
efficiency for the price we pay.”
HPE
customer
“I am very satisfied with HPE keeping our servers up and running without any major flaws for the last few years.
Anytime one of our servers goes down, an HPE tech is there with the parts needed to get us back online.”
Lenovo
customer
“Lenovo does a good job of communicating and keeping us up to speed on all changes, updates and new products,
and any help we might need to make our company work better and more efficiently.”
Lenovo and Dell were unable to maintain their above-90% likeliness to
recommend, while HPE customers reported strong loyalty in 2H16

TBR
Attribute
2H16
Satisfaction
Purchase Price/Acquisition Cost 5.5 2 -1.8%
One-time Services and Setup 5.3 2 -3.6%
Delivery Time and Product Availability 5.4 3 -3.1%
Sales Responsiveness 5.3 3 -3.1%
Post-purchase Customer Care 5.4 2 -2.9%
Online Product Information 5.2 3 -5.9%
Initial Hardware Quality 5.6 3 -1.9%
Ongoing Hardware Reliability 5.6 3 -3.1%
Performance 5.6 3 -1.1%
Virtualization, Efficiency, Scalability 5.5 3 -1.8%
Total Cost of Ownership 5.4 3 -1.5%
Management Capabilities 5.4 3 -1.3%
Product Design/Features 5.5 3 -3.9%
Phone Support Availability 5.5 2 0.4%
Phone Support Technical Expertise 5.5 2 -2.3%
On-site Response Time 5.5 2 0.0%
On-site Technical Expertise 5.4 3 -2.5%
Online Technical Support 5.5 2 -0.5%
Ongoing Services and Maintenance 5.5 2 -2.0%
Replacement Parts Availability 5.7 1 0.7%
Self-support/Automated Support 5.2 2 -4.6%
Social Media Support 4.8 2 -5.9%
Loyalty
2H16 Loyalty
Metric
Will Buy Again 87.6 2 -3.8%
Would Recommend 86.7 2 -4.8%
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
Dell: Server Performance Dashboard
Industry
Rank
Satisfaction vs.
1H16
Industry
Rank
Loyalty vs.
1H16
TBR
Key Findings
Dell customers were less satisfied with the vendor in 2H16, especially in
product attributes, dropping Dell from second place to last place
Lower levels of customer satisfaction in 2H16
dropped Dell into third place overall
Dell customers reported declines in their level of
satisfaction for 19 of the 22 satisfaction
attributes, including all sales and product
attributes, compared to 1H16. Dell’s declining
satisfaction resulted in the loss of second place in
13 attributes as HPE moved ahead of Dell.
Despite declining satisfaction, Dell’s service
attributes provided a bright spot in 2H16
Dell finished 2H16 in second or first place for
eight out of nine service attributes, with on-site
technical expertise being the lone attribute in
which the vendor ranks last among competitors.
Additionally, Dell experienced higher levels of
satisfaction for two service attributes than in
1H16, helping the vendor to move past Lenovo to
finish first in replacement parts availability, a
critically important attribute in customer
purchase decisions.

TBR
Attribute
2H16
Satisfaction
Purchase Price/Acquisition Cost 5.4 3 1.9%
One-time Services and Setup 5.3 2 2.1%
Delivery Time and Product Availability 5.5 2 3.0%
Sales Responsiveness 5.4 2 2.9%
Post-purchase Customer Care 5.4 2 5.0%
Online Product Information 5.4 2 2.1%
Initial Hardware Quality 5.7 2 2.0%
Ongoing Hardware Reliability 5.8 1 4.7%
Performance 5.7 2 1.1%
Virtualization, Efficiency, Scalability 5.7 2 2.3%
Total Cost of Ownership 5.6 2 3.4%
Management Capabilities 5.6 2 2.8%
Product Design/Features 5.7 2 3.6%
Phone Support Technical Expertise 5.4 3 2.7%
On-site Response Time 5.5 2 4.4%
On-site Technical Expertise 5.5 2 2.4%
Online Technical Support 5.5 2 4.1%
Ongoing Services and Maintenance 5.5 2 2.0%
Replacement Parts Availability 5.7 1 4.6%
Social Media Support 4.7 3 -3.5%
Loyalty
2H16 Loyalty
Metric
Will Buy Again 96.2 1 7.8%
Would Recommend 91.4 1 4.7%
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
HPE: Server Performance Dashboard
Industry
Rank
Satisfaction vs.
1H16
Industry
Rank
Loyalty vs.
1H16
TBR
HPE overcame recent struggles to improve from last place to second
place, as satisfaction rose in nearly all 22 attributes
HPE increased satisfaction scores in 2H16,
improving the vendor’s industry rankings
HPE moved out of last place and into second place,
driven by improvements in 20 of 22 attributes
compared to 1H16. Increased customer
satisfaction also helped the vendor to improve its
industry rankings in 16 attributes, including
ongoing hardware reliability and replacement
parts availability, in which HPE finished 2H16 in
first place.
HPE remained behind Lenovo with several
attributes, providing opportunities to gain ground
HPE’s improvements helped the vendor to pass
Dell and become the second-ranked vendor
overall; however, the vendor remains in last place
for five attributes, including four services
attributes. To challenge Lenovo, HPE will need to
improve its performance in these areas, especially
self-support/automated support and social media
support, which declined from their previous levels,
providing little opportunity for HPE to challenge
Lenovo in the Service Satisfaction Index.
Key Findings

TBR
Attribute
2H16
Satisfaction
Purchase Price/Acquisition Cost 5.6 1 -2.4%
One-time Services and Setup 5.7 1 1.2%
Delivery Time and Product Availability 5.7 1 0.0%
Sales Responsiveness 5.6 1 -0.7%
Post-purchase Customer Care 5.6 1 -0.5%
Online Product Information 5.7 1 0.9%
Initial Hardware Quality 5.8 1 0.9%
Ongoing Hardware Reliability 5.8 1 -0.7%
Performance 5.9 1 -0.2%
Virtualization, Efficiency, Scalability 5.8 1 -0.3%
Total Cost of Ownership 5.7 1 -0.9%
Management Capabilities 5.7 1 -0.7%
Product Design/Features 5.8 1 -0.2%
Phone Support Technical Expertise 5.6 1 -1.2%
On-site Response Time 5.6 1 -0.9%
On-site Technical Expertise 5.7 1 0.9%
Online Technical Support 5.7 1 2.2%
Ongoing Services and Maintenance 5.6 1 -0.2%
Replacement Parts Availability 5.6 3 -0.7%
Social Media Support 5.4 1 1.1%
Loyalty
2H16 Loyalty
Metric
Will Buy Again 83.3 3 -9.6%
Would Recommend 85.4 3 -12.0%
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
Lenovo: Server Performance Dashboard
Industry
Rank
Satisfaction vs.
1H16
Industry
Rank
Loyalty vs.
1H16
TBR
Key Findings
Lenovo’s customer satisfaction experienced little change from 1H16 to
2H16, helping the vendor keep its dominant lead and remain No. 1 overall
Despite little change in satisfaction, Lenovo
remained in the No. 1 spot overall
Lenovo continued to have the highest mean
customer satisfaction in 21 of 22 attributes in
2H16, with replacement parts availability being
the lone attribute in which Lenovo finished in
last place. Although Lenovo has maintained a
first-place ranking for two years, the vendor has
fewer statistically significant advantages in
satisfaction than the previous reporting period,
as HPE customers report increasing satisfaction.
Lenovo was unable to maintain its 1H16 level of
brand loyalty
Strong increases in satisfaction among Lenovo
customers propelled the vendor to the top spot
for loyalty in 1H16; however, stagnant levels of
satisfaction in 2H16 resulted in Lenovo’s loyalty
score returning to early 2015 levels. Lenovo’s
buy again percentage fell to 83.3%, down from
92.1% in 1H16, dropping the vendor into last
place. Additionally, Lenovo experienced a
decrease of 12% in its customers’ likeliness to
recommend the brand to a peer.

TBR
x86-based Server Attribute Analysis

TBR
Product Attributes
7. Initial Hardware Quality
8. Ongoing Hardware Reliability
9. Performance
10. Virtualization, Efficiency, Scalability
11. Total Cost of Ownership
12. Management Capabilities
13. Product Design/Features
Sales Attributes
1. Purchase Price/Acquisition Cost
2. One-time Services and Setup
3. Delivery Time and Product
Availability
4. Sales Responsiveness
5. Post-purchase Customer Care
6. Online Product Information
Service and Support Attributes
14. Phone Support Availability
15. Phone Support Technical Expertise
16. On-site Response Time
17. On-site Technical Expertise
18. Online Technical Support
19. Replacement Parts Availability
20. Ongoing Services and Maintenance
21. Self-support/Automated Support
22. Social Media Support
Report attributes and statistical significance key
Statistical Significance Key
Higher mean than
Dell — 99%
confidence level
Higher mean than
Dell — 95%
confidence level
Higher mean than
Dell — 90%
confidence level
Higher mean than
HPE — 99%
confidence level
Higher mean than
HPE — 95%
confidence level
Higher mean than
HPE — 90%
confidence level
Higher mean than
Lenovo — 99%
confidence level
Higher mean than
Lenovo — 95%
confidence level
Higher mean than
Lenovo — 90%
confidence level
2H16 Results by Vendor

TBR
5.45
5.34 5.38
5.26
5.38
5.23
5.36 5.34
5.45
5.36 5.41 5.41
5.60
5.72 5.70 5.64 5.64
5.74
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
OVERALL SERVER CUSTOMERS'AVERAGESATISFACTION
BY SALES ATTRIBUTE
Dell HPE LenovoSOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
HPE’s and Dell’s mean product satisfaction lags behind Lenovo’s as the
vendor continues to hold significant leads in most sales attributes
Sales Satisfaction Drivers
• Lenovo sustained its dominant position in sales attributes, taking the top spot in all six attributes, including
significantly higher scores than both Dell and HPE in four of the six attributes.
• Dell struggled to keep pace with Lenovo and HPE in 2H16, as the vendor finished in third place for delivery time,
sales responsiveness and online product information while HPE finished in second or tied for second in all sales
attributes except for purchase price.

TBR
5.58 5.60 5.63
5.52
5.42 5.43 5.47
5.70
5.77
5.70 5.73
5.55 5.57
5.70
5.83 5.79 5.85
5.75 5.70 5.70 5.76
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
BY PRODUCTATTRIBUTE
TBR
Lenovo finished 2H16 in first place for all 7 product attributes; however,
HPE is close behind the leader in second place
Product Satisfaction Drivers
• HPE experienced a significant turnaround in 2H16 in product attributes, as the vendor no longer trails Lenovo by a
significant margin in any of the seven product attributes. Additionally, HPE also tied Lenovo for first place in ongoing
hardware reliability while finishing slightly behind Lenovo in second place for the remaining six product attributes.
• Dell fell behind Lenovo, trailing the vendor by a significant margin in TCO, management capabilities and product
design.

TBR
5.49 5.46
5.53
5.41 5.46
5.52
5.67
5.23
4.75
5.38 5.38
5.46 5.46
5.53 5.49
5.65
5.13
4.70
5.61 5.59 5.58
5.71
5.65 5.63 5.63
5.46 5.39
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
BY SUPPORTATTRIBUTE
TBR
Lenovo’s sole third-place finish came in the support attributes with
replacement parts availability
Service Satisfaction Drivers
• Dell and HPE chipped away at Lenovo’s lead in support attributes. While having the highest score in all but one
attribute (replacement parts availability), Lenovo has fewer significant advantages than in previous reporting
periods.
• Lenovo continued to show its strength in social media support as the only vendor to break the 5.0 barrier,
corresponding to “satisfied” on a 7-point Likert scale.

TBR
Appendix A
x86-based Server Attribute Analysis:
Sales Satisfaction

TBR
5.15
5.13
5.13
5.55
5.45
5.03
5.00
5.06
5.26
5.36
5.12
5.12
5.27
5.74
5.60
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
PURCHASEPRICE/ACQUISITION COST
SATISFACTIONTRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix A: Purchase Price/Acquisition Cost — Trends
Dell Customer Comments HPE Customer Comments Lenovo Customer Comments
• “The pricing is usually better than HPE,
and I consider Dell a higher quality
brand.” — IT EVP/SVP/VP, Education
• “They are priced reasonably and
perform to our high expectations.” — IT
Manager, Education
• “Great value without sacrificing
quality.” — CTO, Computer Software
• “HPE servers are relatively cost
competitive with a good overall
TCO.” — IT Director, Education
• “Prices are competitive and
specifications meet our requirements
and price.” — CTO, Telecom Services
• “They are very price efficient and
they are definitely worth the
money.” — IT Director, Computer
Software
• “The best money can buy.” — IT
Director, Manufacturing
Lenovo took the top spot for purchase price satisfaction; however, Dell
and HPE are close behind in second and third place, respectively

TBR
5.07
4.94
5.03
5.54
5.34
4.99
4.90
4.95
5.23
5.34
5.16
5.17
5.32
5.65
5.72
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
ONE-TIMESERVICES AND SETUP
SATISFACTIONTRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix A: One-time Services and Setup — Trends
As Lenovo continued to dominate one-time services and setup
satisfaction, it gained a significant lead over Dell
• “The time required to deliver and set
up the servers exceeded our
expectations. We were pleasantly
surprised with the improvements in this
area.” — IT EVP/SVP/VP, Business and
Legal Services
• “Dell set up the servers on the date and
time promised.” — IT EVP/SVP/VP,
Pharmaceuticals/Life
Sciences/Medical Devices
• “They are always on time and get
the job done right.” — IT Director,
Manufacturing
• “HPE sends out a tech person if
needed to assist with the initial
setup.” — IT Director, Retail
• “They were quick, friendly, and on
time.” — IT Manager, Industrial
Manufacturing
• “[Lenovo] offers on-site service and
on-site training to our techs to
resolve issues in-house as much as
possible.” — IT EVP/SVP/VP,
Hospital/Healthcare
• “They are professional and timely.
What more is there to want or
need?” — CTO, Industrial
Manufacturing

TBR
5.11
5.08
5.21
5.55
5.38
5.03
5.10
5.08
5.29
5.45
5.18
5.14
5.31
5.70
5.70
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
DELIVERY TIME AND PRODUCT
AVAILABILITY SATISFACTION TRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix A: Delivery Time and Product Availability — Trends
Lenovo finished 2H16 significantly ahead of Dell and HPE as it took the
No. 1 spot in delivery time and product availability satisfaction
• “Delivery is on time, and if we have any
issue our Dell rep takes care of it.” — IT
EVP/SVP/VP, Education
• “Dell server delivery is very expedient
and effective.” — IT Director, Retail
• “Delivery and setup were on
schedule and budget.” — IT
Manager, Government
• “Delivery of HP servers traditionally
takes longer than I would expect.” —
IT Architect, Industrial
Manufacturing
• “Come as promised after the product
is ordered. Always timely.” — CTO,
Telecommunications Equipment
• “They have some of the fastest
delivery and setup times across the
industry and also provide updates in
real time to their clients.” — IT
Director, Banking/Financial Services
• “The delivery came on time.” — IT
Director, Computer Services/IT
Consulting

TBR
4.97
4.88
5.02
5.43
5.26
4.84
4.91
4.92
5.21
5.36
4.98
5.03
5.23
5.68
5.64
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
SALES RESPONSIVENESS SATISFACTION
TRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix A: Sales Responsiveness — Trends
Dell and Lenovo experienced declines in sales responsiveness satisfaction;
HPE increased in this area, but not enough to dethrone Lenovo
• “The online product information is very
detailed and useful. We also have a
good working relationship with our
sales and care team members.” — IT
EVP/SVP/VP, Business and Legal
Services
• “Our Dell team takes great care of us
and always goes the extra mile to make
sure we're taken care of.” — IT
• “Our project manager has stated the
sales responsiveness is quick.” —
Analyst/Specialist, Energy and
Utilities
• “HPE has really turned things around
in recent years. Sales responsiveness
has been really notable.” — IT
Director, Banking
• “They seem to be genuinely
interested in helping the customer.”
— IT Director, Manufacturing
• “We have a dedicated sales and
service rep to contact for immediate
attention to our needs. ” — IT
EVP/SVP/VP, Hospital/Healthcare
• “Good solution in a short time.” — IT
Director, Computer Software

TBR
5.08
4.96
5.02
5.54
5.38
4.99
4.89
4.99
5.15
5.41
5.12
5.11
5.28
5.67
5.64
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
POST-PURCHASECUSTOMER CARE
SATISFACTIONTRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
• “They follow-up each and every time.”
— IT Director, Computer Software
• “Post purchase care is very proactive,
which is nice.” — IT Director,
Hospital/Healthcare
• “The post-purchase customer care that
Dell gives us is top notch and very
professional.” — IT Director,
Transportation/Logistics
“They keep track of everything you
require and make periodic checks to
make sure you are totally satisfied all
the way through the whole process
and after as well.” — IT Director,
Insurance
• “Our agent went out of their way to
make sure we were happy and
satisfied and understood everything.”
— IT Director, Banking/Financial
Services
• “The post-purchase customer care has
been amazing and they are super
supportive.” — IT Director, Computer
Software
HPE improved its post-purchase customer care satisfaction score and no
longer trails the leader, Lenovo, by a significant amount
Appendix A: Post-purchase Customer Care — Trends

TBR
5.05
5.03
5.05
5.56
5.23
5.02
4.98
4.91
5.30
5.41
5.05
5.03
5.19
5.69
5.74
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
ONLINEPRODUCTINFORMATION
SATISFACTIONTRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix A: Online Product Information — Trends
While HPE improved in 2H16, Lenovo continued to possess a significant
lead over its competitors in online product information satisfaction
• “The Dell website has many relevant
documents to find the right product for
our needs.” — IT Manager, Education
• “The online manuals and product fact
sheets are very detailed to include
capabilities, thresholds and limitations/
recommendations.”
—Telecommunication Services
• “The HPE website is a great source
for the type of information I'm
looking for.” — IT Architect,
Industrial Manufacturing
• “Server specifications are well
written and most of [the] items that
we require for purchasing a server
are listed.” — IT Director,
Energy/Utilities
• “They have so [detailed] information
we don't have to scratch our head.”
— CIO, Computer Services
• “The online product information
shows all the specifications we need
to be sure of.” — IT Director,
Computer Services/IT Consulting

TBR
Appendix B
Product Satisfaction

TBR
5.39
5.26
5.40
5.69
5.58
5.45
5.33
5.38
5.59
5.70
5.30
5.38
5.54
5.78
5.83
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
INITIAL HARDWAREQUALITY SATISFACTION
TRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix B: Initial Hardware Quality — Trends
HPE made a strong push to the top but fell just short as Lenovo took first
place in initial hardware quality satisfaction
• “Very high quality, very few problems
since day one.” — IT Director,
Computer Software
• “They have [passed] the test of heat
and abuse, our users have
complimented us on server uptime.” —
IT Manager, Industrial Manufacturing
• “I think I feel this way mostly
because of how dependable the
servers are out of the box. They allow
our company to run the numerous
workloads we have going
concurrently without slowing down
or having a notable dip in
performance.” — IT Director,
Computer Software
“Hardware that we [are] using is really
high-end quality and managing
accurately.” — Project Manager,

TBR
5.37
5.33
5.33
5.78
5.60
5.43
5.33
5.38
5.51
5.77
5.29
5.39
5.56
5.83
5.79
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
ONGOING HARDWARERELIABILITY
SATISFACTIONTRENDS
TBR
Appendix B: Ongoing Hardware Reliability — Trends
HPE surged to the top, tying Lenovo for the No. 1 spot in ongoing hardware
reliability satisfaction after finishing significantly behind in 1H16
• “Very few problems with newer Dell
servers. My organization tends to keep
servers beyond three years, and Dell
servers still maintain reliability.” — IT
Director, Government
• “Dell Servers are extremely reliable and
their performance is better than most
other servers in the market today.”
— IT Director, Transportation/Logistics
• “HPE servers just run forever. We
have next to zero issues ever.” — IT
Architect, Manufacturing
• “HPE hardware is so reliable I'm able
to extend the life of the server while
reducing my TCO.” — IT Architect,
• “We have had fewer outages since
switching to [Lenovo] several years
ago.” — IT EVP/SVP/VP,
Hospital/Healthcare
• “I have been in this business for
nearly 20 years and never
encountered a major problem.” — IT

TBR
5.45
5.34
5.35
5.69
5.63
5.48
5.39
5.38
5.64
5.70
5.40
5.46
5.64
5.86
5.85
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
PERFORMANCESATISFACTION TRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix B: Performance — Trends
Lenovo maintained its performance satisfaction score, allowing the
vendor to remain in first place despite HPE closing in on the lead
• “Performance has been top-notch as we've
pushed several servers and have multiple
applications or virtual technologies
running.” — Telecommunication Services
• “Dell servers are highly productive and
efficient.” — IT Director, Retail
• “Our company can feel assured that our
servers will always operate at their highest
potential.” — CTO, Computer Software
“We have had some HPE servers for
several years that still perform really
well. The performance is unlike any other
manufacturer’s out there and they are
easily managed.” — IT Director,
Government
“We've tried a few other
companies, and [Lenovo’s]
servers have by far the highest
sheer processing power and
uptime.” — IT Director,
Computer Services/IT
Consulting

TBR
5.40
5.24
5.31
5.62
5.52
5.45
5.25
5.37
5.60
5.73
5.29
5.40
5.52
5.77
5.75
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
VIRTUALIZATION, EFFICIENCY, SCALABILITY
SATISFACTIONTRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix B: Virtualization, Efficiency, Scalability — Trends
Lenovo barely edged out HPE to take the top spot in virtualization,
efficiency, scalability satisfaction
• “Very scalable hardware and easy to
upgrade.” — CIO, Manufacturing
• “Have had extremely good success with
Dell performance in managing
virtualization and growth.” — CIO,
Hospital/Healthcare
• “It is easy to virtualize and use our
servers for many different capabilities
in our environment.” — IT Manager,
Education
• “HP servers are easily scalable providing me
with more flexibility when needed.” — IT
Architect, Industrial Manufacturing
• “I am highly satisfied with the value and
scalability because we can do some many
things with our HP servers that would cost
our company a whole lot more money if we
purchased solutions for them separately.”
— IT Director, Computer Software
“[Lenovo] has the ability to
scale well with the business.”
— IT Manager, Computer
Hardware, Microprocessors
and Components

TBR
5.25
5.21
5.19
5.50
5.42
5.22
5.07
5.22
5.37
5.55
5.16
5.23
5.33
5.75
5.70
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
TOTAL COSTOF OWNERSHIPSATISFACTION
TRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix B: Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) — Trends
Despite a slight decline in TCO satisfaction, Lenovo held off HPE
to remain in the top spot
• “Dell servers save on energy. We are
very satisfied with TCO and ROI.” — IT
• “TCO lower than expected.” — CTO,
Business Services
• “The TOC is better than similar
offerings.” — IT Manager, Industrial
Manufacturing
• “Low cost for the quality.” — CIO,
Hospital/Healthcare
• “Very competitive pricing providing
the lowest TCO in the industry.” — IT
Architect, Industrial Manufacturing
• “They are very cost efficient to own
and operate” — IT Director,
Computer Software
• “Great value for the price.” — IT
Consulting

TBR
5.22
5.15
5.13
5.50
5.43
5.30
5.15
5.23
5.42
5.57
5.16
5.22
5.40
5.74
5.70
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
MANAGEMENTCAPABILITIES
SATISFACTIONTRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix B: Management Capabilities — Trends
Lenovo took first place in management capabilities satisfaction with a
significant lead over Dell
• “The features on their servers meet all
the requirements of management.” —
IT Director, Transportation/Logistics
• “The capability to remotely connect to
servers and [make] internal
configuration changes quickly is a huge
plus.” — Telecommunication Services
“They do not require many reboots,
[are] easy to maintain and provide
monitoring alerts when
process/utilization spike or
performance deteriorates.” — IT
Director, Energy and Utilities
“[Lenovo] always considers
consistency, performance and time
management, which is why we trust
our clients and technology with their
brand.” — IT Director,
Banking/Financial Services

TBR
5.30
5.21
5.24
5.69
5.47
5.35
5.19
5.31
5.50
5.70
5.26
5.29
5.45
5.77
5.76
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
PRODUCTDESIGN/FEATURES SATISFACTION
TRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix B: Product Design/Features — Trends
Lenovo and HPE finished first and second, respectively, in product design
satisfaction, with both vendors significantly ahead of Dell
“Although Dell offers the very highest-
end builds, you have the option to scale
down the server to meet customers’
budget. Many times a customer’s
expectations of performance is met more
easily with the right price.” — IT
Manager, Computer Services/IT
Consulting
“They are obviously designed well to
be able to perform with excellence.”
— IT Director, Insurance
“It blends well with the IT environment
the company [has] and the
competitive features they provide and
up-to-date improvement of the
features makes us satisfied.” — IT
Manager, Retail

TBR
Appendix C
Service and Support Satisfaction

TBR
5.21
5.04
5.08
5.47
5.49
5.08
5.01
5.10
5.34
5.38
5.11
5.22
5.35
5.57
5.61
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
PHONESUPPORTAVAILABILITY
SATISFACTIONTRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix C: Phone Support Availability — Trends
All 3 vendors earned improved phone support availability
satisfaction; however, Dell and HPE were unable to catch Lenovo
• “Right level of support always
available when needed.” — CTO,
Business and Legal Services
• “We are able to receive support
every time we call Dell for service.”
— Construction/Engineering/
Environmental Services and
Equipment
• “They are always there and don't put you
online with someone that doesn't know
what they are talking about.” — CIO,
Government
• “I have always been able to reach the
phone support without having to be on hold
for long periods of time. They also always
get my issues solved in a timely manner and
make me feel important as a customer.” —
IT Director, Computer Software
• “They offer prompt attention to
needs and generally resolve issues
quickly. Additionally, they always
provide training to our staff to
resolve repeated issues in-house in
the future.” — IT EVP/SVP/VP,
Hospital/Healthcare
• “Phone support is available all the
time and answered with priority.”
— IT Director, Computer
Services/IT Consulting

TBR
5.23
4.99
5.08
5.59
5.46
5.01
4.94
5.04
5.24
5.38
5.14
5.25
5.32
5.66
5.59
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
PHONESUPPORTTECHNICAL EXPERTISE
SATISFACTIONTRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix C: Phone Support Technical Expertise — Trends
Lenovo remains the leader in phone support technical expertise
satisfaction, albeit no longer with a significant lead over HPE
• “The agents are knowledgeable and
empowered to assist. We can usually
resolve any issues in one or two calls.” — IT
EVP/SVP/VP, Business and Legal Services
• “It is easy to get a human on the phone and
their level of support matches my
expectations, they listen to what I have to
say and don't require me to go through
steps I've already diagnosed.” — IT
Manager, Education
• “They are very knowledgeable when
helping us with our issue. The person
we talk with is able to resolve the
issue.” — IT Architect, Computer
Services/IT Consulting
• “They are very knowledgeable and
provide quick assistance.” — IT
EVP/SVP/VP, Insurance
• “They have been available and
responsive. Most importantly,
they are knowledgeable and
capable.” — IT Director, Retail
• “Their phone people are
absolutely qualified for the job.”
— IT Manager, Industrial
Manufacturing

TBR
5.20
5.04
5.04
5.53
5.53
5.05
4.98
5.12
5.23
5.46
5.20
5.30
5.36
5.63
5.58
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
ON-SITERESPONSETIMESATISFACTION
TRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix C: On-site Response Time — Trends
Dell and HPE fell just short of catching Lenovo, which again took the top
spot in on-site response time satisfaction
• “Technicians are available when we
need them, arrive on time, quickly fix
problem.” — IT Director,
Government
• “They have come fast and fixed the
problem.” — IT EVP/SVP/VP, Retail
• “Dell support responds immediately
and does the job right.” — IT
EVP/SVP/VP, Energy/Utilities
• “Technicians always arrive
promptly and follow through
until the issue is resolved.”
— Analyst/Specialist,
Pharmaceuticals/Life
Sciences/Medical Devices
• “Whenever these has been an
issue, HPE has dispatched with
the responsive time.” — IT
Manager, Government
• “I am always surprised at how quickly
someone is sent out for use when I request
it. This is important, as the company cannot
tolerate much downtime at all.” — CTO
Construction/Engineering/Environmental
Services and Equipment
• “Very fast to arrive.” — IT Director,

TBR
5.20
5.00
5.03
5.55
5.41
5.06
5.01
5.12
5.33
5.46
5.20
5.29
5.34
5.66
5.71
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
ON-SITETECHNICAL EXPERTISE
SATISFACTIONTRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix C: On-site Technical Expertise — Trends
Lenovo and HPE built significant leads over Dell in 2H16, with Lenovo
finishing first and HPE second in on-site technical expertise satisfaction
• “They are highly experienced and dig
right in when they get there.” — IT
EVP/SVP/VP, Electronics
Manufacturing
• “The techs are knowledgeable,
efficient, and often go above and
beyond. We can have our problems
addressed and be back up at 100%
capacity quickly.” — IT EVP/SVP/VP,
Business and Legal Services
• “On-site techs appear to be HPE
branded and have been familiar with
the product line.” — IT Architect,
• “They know what they are doing and
are quick to replace a part.” — IT
EVP/SVP/VP, Hospital/Healthcare
• “They were capable when they were
on-site, and they took the time to
talk about the product and its
functionality.” — IT Director, Retail
• “Every time they have showed up the
problems have been addressed and
fixed within a very short time
frame.” — IT Director, Computer
Software

TBR
5.22
5.04
5.05
5.49
5.46
5.03
4.98
5.02
5.31
5.53
5.10
5.22
5.29
5.53
5.65
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
ONLINETECHNICAL SUPPORT
SATISFACTIONTRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix C: Online Technical Support — Trends
Despite increased satisfaction among HPE customers, Lenovo remains in
first place for online technical support satisfaction
• “It’s a good site where you can
research issues and often find
resolutions.” — IT Director, Business
and Legal Services
• “The support website has a wealth of
knowledge related to common issues or
design questions. Online chat has been
superb with supporting regular
questions.” — Other,
Telecommunication Services
• “My technicians rave about the
online support and say it is really
helpful in resolving their issues
quickly.” — IT Director, Government
• “Online service and chat is more than
acceptable and useful, we prefer it to
the social media support.” — IT
• “The online services through the
website turned out to be a money
saver and educational tool as well.”
— IT Director, Banking/Financial
Services
• “I love the ability to talk to an expert
through chat rather that taking the
time to make a call and wait on
hold.” — IT Director, Computer
Software

TBR
5.33
5.15
5.29
5.63
5.67
5.25
5.19
5.24
5.40
5.65
5.18
5.25
5.40
5.67
5.63
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
REPLACEMENTPARTS AVAILABILITY
SATISFACTIONTRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix C: Replacement Parts Availability — Trends
Dell and HPE narrowly beat out Lenovo to tie for first place in
replacement parts availability satisfaction
• “Replacements parts always available
within a 24-hour window.” — IT
Director, Government
• “When we do experience issues,
replacement parts are shipped quickly
and implemented in a very quick
fashion.” — Telecommunication
Services
• “Replacement parts are available
always.” — Analyst/Specialist,
Energy/Utilities
• “They are the best at parts. They
have them immediately available
and get them to us the same day or
next day every time.” — CIO,
Government
• “We have only needed this once, but
the response time for replacement
parts was quick and efficient.” — IT
Director, Retail
• “If something goes wrong, we can
order replacement parts rather than
trashing the entire thing.” — IT
Consulting

TBR
5.25
5.11
5.20
5.63
5.52
5.11
5.11
5.11
5.38
5.49
5.17
5.27
5.38
5.64
5.63
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
ONGOING SERVICES AND MAINTENANCE
SATISFACTIONTRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Appendix C: Ongoing Services and Maintenance — Trends
Dell lost its first-place crown as Lenovo regained sole possession of first
place in ongoing services and maintenance satisfaction
• “It's easy to deal with any maintenance
or repairs. The online tools are also
easy to use and very detailed.” — IT
EVP/SVP/VP, Business and Legal
Services
• “Dell is very proactive in their ongoing
support. They do not wait for us to call
with a problem to communicate with
us.” — IT Director, Hospital/Healthcare
“We've had a longstanding
relationship with HPE. Several years
ago, we had some issues, but HPE has
really turned things around, especially
with ongoing maintenance and self-
support features.” — IT Director,
Banking and Financial Services
• “They have great maintenance on all
of their products.” — IT Manager,
Chemicals
• “The contract that we have includes
on-site maintenance and tech
support. We have everything we
need to succeed with our company
thanks to them.” — IT Director,
Banking/Financial Services

TBR
5.08
4.94
5.00
5.48
5.23
4.96
4.97
4.96
5.18
5.13
5.02
5.12
5.26
5.62
5.46
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
SELF-SUPPORT/AUTOMATED SUPPORT
SATISFACTIONTRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
TBR
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
Appendix C: Self-support/Automated Support — Trends
All 3 vendors experienced declines in self-support/automated support
satisfaction in 2H16
• “These services are highly effective
and efficient.” — IT Director, Retail
• “Self-support enables us to save
time.” — IT Manager,
Mining/Metals/Oil and Gas
• “I prefer to use their self-support,
and it’s solid.” — IT Director,
Pharmaceuticals
• “The self-support features help my
techs save time in resolving low
level issues.” — IT Director,
Government
• “Self-support is not a complicated
process.” — IT Director,
Electronics Manufacturing
• “They have great support and fix problems
within great time frames.” — IT Manager,
Computer Hardware
• “The automated phone service is
abysmal.” — CTO,

TBR
4.52
4.48
4.40
5.05
4.75
4.40
4.46
4.40
4.87
4.70
4.72
4.69
4.82
5.33
5.39
4.00
4.25
4.50
4.75
5.00
5.25
5.50
5.75
6.00
2H14 1H15 2H15 1H16 2H16
SOCIAL MEDIA SUPPORTSATISFACTION
TRENDS
Dell HPE Lenovo
TBR
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
Appendix C: Social Media Support — Trends
Lenovo continues to dominate social media support satisfaction, easily
defeating Dell and HPE to take first place
“We have not had any problems
with the Dell server online services
or social media support.” — IT
Director, Transportation/Logistics
“We are not fan of social media
support on HPE’s site, in fact, we
stopped going to their support site,
they have become terribly bad on their
support site because they keep on
changing the site, their Chinese
support site management team is
below standard.” — IT Director,
Energy and Utilities
“It is amazing at how quickly someone
contacts me when I ask a question or leave
a comment on the Facebook and/or Twitter
pages. Just the fact that these options exist
is extremely helpful, and then add to the
timeliness of contact, it’s just a great
system.” — CTO,

TBR
Appendix D
Firmographics

TBR
Dell HPE Lenovo Total
Respondents 101 102 101 304
SERVER RESPONDENTS
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
TBR
Firmographics
Surveys collected between Sept. 8, 2016, and Nov. 6, 2016
1H16 Sample Overview

TBR
Servers Installed Currently 280,226
Servers Purchased
in the Past 12 Months
48,003
Average Percent of Installed Servers
Purchased in the Past 12 Months
17%
Server Purchases Planned
in the Next 12 Months
51,213
Average Percent of Installed Servers
Planned for Purchase in the Next 12 Months
18%
SERVER INSTALLS AND PURCHASES
TBR
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
Firmographics
Servers Installed and Purchased

TBR
I don’t know 3% 4% 1% 3%
Less than $100 million 13% 8% 8% 10%
$100 million – $249 million 15% 19% 14% 16%
$250 million – $499 million 19% 9% 19% 15%
$500 million – $999 million 13% 10% 10% 11%
$1 billion – $4.9 billion 20% 27% 30% 25%
$5 billion – $9.9 billion 9% 11% 8% 10%
$10 billion or more 9% 12% 8% 10%
COMPANY SIZE BY ANNUAL REVENUE
TBR
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
Firmographics
Notes: 2H16 firmographic data based on information provided by x86-based server sample only.
Totals that do not add to 100% are due to rounding.
Company Size by Annual Revenue
Lenovo represents respondents who have purchased System x servers.

TBR
Small 50 or fewer IT employees 26% 25% 18% 24%
Medium 51 - 300 IT employees 38% 39% 29% 36%
Large Over 300 IT employees 35% 36% 53% 40%
IT DEPARTMENT SIZETBR
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
500 - 999 employees 28% 18% 25% 24%
1,000 - 4,999 employees 39% 38% 50% 41%
5,000 - 9,999 employees 11% 10% 12% 11%
10,000 or more employees 22% 34% 13% 24%
COMPANY SIZE
TBR
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
Firmographics
Company and IT Department Size by Number of Employees

TBR
CIO/CTO 20% 23% 35% 25%
IT EVP/SVP/VP 8% 9% 12% 10%
IT Director 32% 30% 30% 31%
IT Manager 26% 23% 23% 24%
IT Analyst/Specialist 12% 13% 0% 9%
Other 1% 2% 0% 1%
RESPONDENT TITLETBR
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
Firmographics
Respondents’ Titles

TBR
Aerospace/Defense 1% 2% 0% 1%
Banking/Financial Services 9% 10% 11% 10%
Business and Legal Services 5% 6% 2% 5%
Computer Services/IT Consulting 17% 11% 21% 16%
Computer Software 3% 3% 9% 5%
Construction/Engineering/Env Services 8% 1% 8% 5%
Consumer Packaged Goods 1% 1% 1% 1%
Education ─ Private/Training 3% 2% 1% 2%
Education ─ Public 6% 2% 1% 3%
Electronics Manufacturing 1% 1% 0% 1%
Energy/Utilities 3% 8% 0% 4%
Government ─ Federal 3% 2% 0% 2%
Government ─ State/Local 4% 3% 2% 3%
Hospital/Healthcare ─ Private 1% 4% 3% 3%
Hospital/Healthcare ─ Public 1% 8% 3% 4%
Insurance 3% 4% 0% 2%
Industrial Manufacturing 5% 3% 9% 5%
Manufacturing ─ Other 8% 12% 2% 8%
Media/Publishing 1% 1% 0% 1%
Pharmaceuticals/Life Sciences 2% 1% 1% 1%
Retail/Wholesale 7% 7% 15% 9%
Telecommunications 3% 3% 7% 4%
Transportation/Logistics 3% 1% 2% 2%
Other 4% 1% 3% 3%
INDUSTRY
TBR
SOURCE: TBR 2H16
Firmographics
Industry

TBR
Appendix E
Analytical Procedures and Survey Instrument

TBR
• At the beginning of the survey, respondents select what brand of servers they purchased most in the
past 12 months. This brand is their “primary brand” for the remainder of the server survey questions.
• Respondents rate their satisfaction with servers from their primary brand on 24 attributes using a 7-
point Likert scale. Respondents rate satisfaction separately for blade and rack x86-based servers.
o Question: How satisfied are you with each of the following attributes of {Primary Brand} {Blade/Rack} servers?
• The mean satisfaction scores (S) for each attribute by vendor are calculated for both server types, and
for blade and rack servers separately.
• TBR uses an independent sample t-test assuming unequal variances or the standard student’s t-test.
Three  levels are used in the analysis: 0.1 (90%), 0.05 (95%) and 0.01 (99%).
Value 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Scale Extremely
Dissatisfied
Very
Dissatisfied
Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Very Satisfied Extremely
Satisfied
Satisfaction

TBR
• Respondents rate the importance of the 24 total factors when making their purchase decision for x86-based servers.
o Question: When making your last server purchase, how important were the following attributes to your organization? Please move each
attribute on the left into one of the categories on the right by dragging and dropping them. You can move as few or as many attributes into
one particular category as you like.
o Categories:
• Importance ratings are used for three key analyses in understanding customer perceptions and are applied to each
vendor’s server responses.
1. Importance Multiplier by Brand — Average importance across all attributes for that specific brand (I) is divided by the average importance
across all attributes of all brands to determine an Importance Multiplier (M). The Importance Multipliers are used to help determine the
TBR Weighted Satisfaction Index.
2. Attribute Importance Weight by Brand — Each attribute mean importance score by brand (I) is divided by the sum of that brand’s mean
importance scores to determine a relative Importance Weight (W). The Importance Weights are used in the TBR Satisfaction Indices.
3. Attribute Importance Level by Brand — To determine what attributes are “Critical,” “Important” and “Less Important” for each brand, the
following methodology is applied.
o Important Cut-off: Average WBrand y - ½ the standard deviation of the 21 WBrand y
o Critical Cut-off: Average WBrand y + ½ the standard deviation of the 21 WBrand y
o Less Important Attribute: An attribute with an importance weight that is less than the Important Cut-off
o Important Attribute: An attribute with an importance weight that is greater than the Important Cut-off and less than the Critical Cut-off
o Critical Attribute: An attribute with an importance weight that is greater than the Critical Cut-off
Value 1 2 3
Scale Less
Important
Important Critical
Importance

TBR
• The TBR Weighted Satisfaction Index comprises four indices:
((0.3*Product Sat. Index + 0.3*Sales Sat. Index + 0.3*Service Sat. Index)*Importance Multiplier) + 0.1*Loyalty Index
• Attribute Scores: TBR uses the mean satisfaction score of all respondents by vendor to compare vendor performance
by attribute.
• Attribute scores are aggregated into three distinct indices (Note: If a vendor receives a perfect seven mean
satisfaction score for all attributes within an index, the index score equals 100):
1. Sales Satisfaction Index — The sum of the sales attribute scores by vendor (six satisfaction attributes)
2. Product Satisfaction Index — The sum of the product attribute scores by vendor (seven satisfaction attributes)
3. Service Satisfaction Index — The sum of the service attribute scores by vendor (nine satisfaction attributes)
• The fourth element of the TBR Weighted Satisfaction Index is a measure of loyalty:
4. Loyalty Index — The average percent of respondents who indicated they would buy servers from that vendor
again and percent of respondents who indicated they would recommend it to a professional peer, all multiplied
by 100.
100 ∗
% 𝐵𝑢𝑦 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛 + % 𝑊𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑑
2
TBR Satisfaction Index

TBR
Key Survey Questions

TBR
Would you recommend {Brand} {segment} {notebooks/desktops/servers} to a professional peer?
Yes
Maybe/Undecided
No
Will your organization buy {Brand} {segment} {notebooks/desktops/servers} again?
Yes
Maybe/Undecided
No
If “No” or “Maybe/Undecided” to Buy Again
Which of the following reasons best describes why your organization is not likely to purchase {Brand} {segment}
{notebooks/desktops/servers} again?
Please select up to five.
[Brand] [form factor] are not reliable enough
[Brand] [form factor] performance did not meet our expectations
[Brand] [form factor] did not meet our efficiency expectations
[Brand] [form factor] use too much energy
[Brand] [form factor] did not integrate well with our IT environment
Dissatisfied with the total cost of ownership (TCO)
[Brand] [form factor] are a poor value
[Brand] [form factor] are too expensive
Dissatisfied with the management capabilities
[Brand] [form factor] are difficult to set up
[Brand] [form factor] are lacking necessary features
[Brand] [form factor] are poorly designed
[Brand] [form factor] have long delivery times
[Brand] sales staff is not responsive enough
Dissatisfied with phone support
Dissatisfied with on-site support
[Brand] [form factor] have inadequate online technical support
[Brand] [form factor] have insufficient remote managed services
Dissatisfied with ongoing services and maintenance
Replacement parts are not available quickly enough
We do not need to buy [form factor] because we are using cloud computing/on-demand services
We are buying another brand of [form factor] instead

TBR

TBR
IF “VERY SATISFIED” OR “EXTREMELY SATISFIED” WITH PHONE SUPPORTRESPONSIVENESS OR EXPERTISE
Please explain why you are highly satisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} phone support.
IF “VERY SATISFIED” OR “EXTREMELY SATISFIED” WITH ON-SITE RESPONSE TIME OR EXPERTISE
Please explain why you are highly satisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} on-site support.
IF “VERY SATISFIED” OR “EXTREMELY SATISFIED” WITH ONLINE SUPPORT
Please explain why you are highly satisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} online services and/or social media support.
IF “VERY SATISFIED” OR “EXTREMELY SATISFIED” WITH REPLACEMENT PARTS, SELF-SUPPORT/AUTOMATED SUPPORT OR ONGOING SERVICES
Please explain why you are highly satisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} ongoing maintenance, self-support features or replacement parts availability.
IF “EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED,” “VERY DISSATISFIED” OR “DISSATISFIED” WITH PHONE SUPPORT RESPONSIVENESS OR EXPERTISE
Please explain why you are dissatisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} phone support.
IF “EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED,” “VERY DISSATISFIED” OR “DISSATISFIED” WITH ON-SITE RESPONSE TIME OR EXPERTISE
Please explain why you are dissatisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} on-site support.
IF “EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED,” “VERY DISSATISFIED” OR “DISSATISFIED” WITH ONLINE SUPPORT OR REMOTE MANAGED SERVICES
Please explain why you are dissatisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} online services.
IF “EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED,” “VERY DISSATISFIED” OR “DISSATISFIED” WITH REPLACEMENT PARTS, SELF-SUPPORT/AUTOMATED SUPPORT OR
ONGOING SERVICES
Please explain why you are dissatisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} ongoing maintenance, self-support features or replacement parts availability.

TBR
IF “VERY SATISFIED” OR “EXTREMELY SATISFIED” WITH INITIAL HARDWARE QUALITY, ONGOING HARDWARE QUALITY & RELIABILITY, PERFORMANCE,
MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES OR PRODUCT DESIGN/FEATURES
Please explain why you are highly satisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} hardware reliability, performance, features or management capabilities.
IF “VERY SATISFIED” OR “EXTREMELY SATISFIED” WITH PURCHASE VIRTUALIZATION, EFFICIENCY, SCALABILITY OR TCO
Please explain why you are highly satisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} scalability or value.
IF “EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED,” “VERY DISSATISFIED” OR “DISSATISFIED” WITH INITIAL HARDWARE QUALITY, ONGOING HARDWARE QUALITY &
RELIABILITY, PERFORMANCE, MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES OR PRODUCT DESIGN/FEATURES
Please explain why you are dissatisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} hardware reliability, performance, features or management capabilities.
IF “EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED,” “VERY DISSATISFIED” OR “DISSATISFIED” WITH PURCHASE PRICE OR TCO
Please explain why you are dissatisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} scalability or value.
IF “VERY SATISFIED” OR “EXTREMELY SATISFIED” WITH DELIVERY TIME OR ONE-TIME SERVICES AND SETUP
Please explain why you are highly satisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} delivery or setup.
IF “VERY SATISFIED” OR “EXTREMELY SATISFIED” WITH SALES RESPONSIVENESS, ONLINE PRODUCT INFORMATION OR POST-PURCHASE CUSTOMER
CARE
Please explain why you are highly satisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} online product information, sales responsiveness or post-purchase customer care.
IF “VERY SATISFIED” OR “EXTREMELY SATISFIED” WITH PURCHASE PRICE
Please explain why you are highly satisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} purchase price.
IF “EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED,” “VERY DISSATISFIED” OR “DISSATISFIED” WITH SALES RESPONSIVENESS, DELIVERY TIME, OR ONE-TIME SERVICES AND
SETUP
Please explain why you are dissatisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} ease of doing business, delivery or setup.
IF “EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED,” “VERY DISSATISFIED” OR “DISSATISFIED” WITH SALES RESPONSIVENESS, ONLINE PRODUCT INFORMATION OR POST-
PURCHASE CUSTOMER CARE
Please explain why you are dissatisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} online product information, sales responsiveness or post-purchase customer care.
IF “EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED,” “VERY DISSATISFIED” OR “DISSATISFIED” WITH PURCHASE PRICE
Please explain why you are dissatisfied with {Brand’s} {servers} purchase price.

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