What is Third-Party Support? Definition

Rimini Street Staff

Last modified: Oct 8, 2026

What is third-party support?

Third-party support is software support and maintenance for applications, databases and infrastructure. It replaces vendor support that is often packaged with the software purchase. Third-party support clients typically select this option to attain more comprehensive and responsive support than their vendor provides. Third-party software support offers comprehensive product support (sometimes called “Level 4” support) that includes:

Troubleshooting
Integration
Interoperability
Performance
Break/fix support
Expert guidance for databases and software systems

Additional features include dedicated primary support engineers, support for custom code, tax, legal and regulatory updates and guaranteed response, communication and resolution SLAs.

A (not-so) brief history of third-party support

Third-party support for applications, ERP and databases from vendors such as Oracle and SAP has been a viable alternative to annual vendor maintenance and support contracts for years. That market was disrupted in 2005 as new business models and third-party support providers got started.

Some organizations jumped at the chance to reduce annual support expenses  and  gain better, broader coverage. Those early adopters of third-party software support paved the way for billions of dollars in total savings across thousands of organizations over two decades.

Third-party software maintenance and support services have grown in popularity in the last few years. There are many reasons for this acceleration of interest in third-party support — they all stem from the fundamental differences between vendor and third-party support.

Vendor support vs third-party support

Third-party support and vendor support share some similarities. Both help an organization minimize business disruption and maximize business value from the software applications it uses to run the business. Where they primarily differ is in their business model, scope of support and upgrade requirements. Here are the main differences between third-party support and vendor support:

Category	Vendor Support	Third-Party Support
Software lifecycle support	Will end support or significantly reduce the scope of support for certain products or releases.	Ability to fully support existing releases for up to 15 years or more from the contract start date.
Upgrades and migrations	Often requires upgrades or migrations to maintain full support or access new fixes.	Does not require upgrades, migrations, or re-platforming to maintain full support.
Customization support	Typically limited or no support for customizations.	Provides full support for existing customizations at no additional cost.
Response and resolution times	SLAs may exist but are generally not defined, and escalation is often required for faster handling and resolution.	Guaranteed SLAs and resolution times.
Coverage scope	Support coverage is dependent on the tier. Certain tiers do not provide broad coverage (i.e., Oracle Sustaining Support).	Broad coverage including performance support, bug fixes, root cause resolution, advisory services, interoperability and integration support, security services, and customization support.
Security and compliance support	Not always included, depending on the tier. Security and compliance support may not be included in some tiers.	Often includes proactive security services such as vulnerability analysis and mitigation guidance.
Cost structure	High ongoing maintenance costs with potential for vendor profit margins up to 90%+.	Significant cost savings on annual support fees, as well as a reduction in IT staff costs.
Managed services integration	Managed services are typically separate and are not included in support services.	Able to bundle support and managed services for unified service delivery and faster resolution.

Keep in mind that not all third-party support providers are the same. Our checklist outlines what you need to look for when selecting a third-party support provider, so you have the data you need to make the right support decision for your business.

Why do organizations switch to third-party software support from vendor support?

There are many reasons organizations favor third-party software support over vendor support. These reasons include cost savings, faster resolution times, the need to extend the life of their software releases beyond what the vendor can offer and greater flexibility.

Cost savings

Cost is one of the major differences between software vendor support and third-party support services. Most organizations that switch to third-party software support realize up to 50% savings on annual support fees. Additional costs, such as continuous upgrades, can be reduced or avoided, potentially yielding up to 90% in total annual savings. This includes the costs of supporting customizations (software vendors typically don’t cover them), overlay or self-support to cover gaps in vendor support, and forced upgrades or migrations just to stay on a fully supported release.

Faster resolution times

When mission-critical systems experience downtime, rapid support response times are crucial. Vendor support often cannot provide fast resolution times and clients are often directed to self-service portals to find the answer to their question, delaying resolution. Third-party support providers have expert engineers who are guaranteed to respond and resolve critical issues within a specific number of hours. This provides greater confidence and peace of mind for organizations.

The need to extend the life of software systems

Third-party software support can extend the life of software releases by providing support for many years, and even after the vendors stop providing full support. This allows organizations to maximize the lifespan of their technology investments and ensure minimal disruption to critical business processes.

Greater flexibility

Clients of third-party support for enterprise software, such as SAP, Oracle and VMware products, have more agility and freedom to pursue and fund innovation. When an organization is no longer bound to a vendor-driven roadmap, it can redirect budget and resources toward its own business priorities.

IT roadmaps: vendor-dictated or business-driven?

There was a time, perhaps a decade or two ago, when ERP applications from Oracle and SAP were gaining significant new functionality with every major release. The platforms were still growing into the full footprint of financials, operations, CRM, supply chain management and human capital management they intended to cover. Then they matured and stabilized while the functionality expansion slowed. These suites of applications are now working behind the scenes in organizations around the world and across most industries. They are the software workhorses of modern business.

Why are organizations expected to keep paying the same — or more — for annual support when the applications are no longer new, unstable or rapidly changing?

Because the vendors haven’t let licensees off the hook. They continue to charge more and more for support while requiring the licensees to stay on current releases with continuous upgrades just to stay fully supported — even if it doesn’t provide meaningful updates and security patches. In “sustaining support,” support privileges are even further reduced, yet the annual cost remains the same, typically 22% of license fees plus annual uplifts.

While it’s true that staying on the vendor’s annual maintenance contract gives licensees the rights to future enhancements, what the software vendor decides to put into any particular release may or may not be important to them. This is what a vendor-dictated roadmap looks like. Continued investment in full support provides access to enhancements, but organizations have limited control over their direction or relevance.

Key takeaways

Third-party support provides an enhanced support and services experience that can be more comprehensive than software vendor support. It reduces costs immediately, avoids unnecessary disruptions and allows greater freedom to pursue business innovation priorities.

Get the facts about third-party support

Want to learn more? Read our comprehensive guide to learn how third-party software support helps organizations gain the service, savings and strategic flexibility needed to follow a business-driven IT roadmap.

Learn more

FAQs

How does third-party support differ from in-house IT support?

The primary differences between third-party support and in-house IT support are with specialized expertise, scope and cost structure:

Specialized expertise: While both in-house IT support and third-party support can have specialized expertise, third-party support often offers hundreds of enterprise software experts from around the globe, with depth of knowledge that includes supporting older releases, customizations and cybersecurity expertise. In-house IT teams may lack the expertise to support older releases or niche systems as well as deep cybersecurity knowledge.
Scope: In-house support teams are often responsible for both day-to-day IT maintenance and managing innovation initiatives, but may not have the expertise or bandwidth to provide all the capabilities needed for ongoing compliance and operations. In contrast, third-party support not only manages day-to-day IT maintenance, but it also includes a greater scope of services than in-house support, including tax, legal and regulatory updates, interoperability solutions, security solutions, advisory services and support for customizations. By outsourcing IT maintenance to third-party support, in-house support teams gain the bandwidth, time and resources to devote to innovation initiatives.
Cost structure: Recruiting, training and retaining an in-house IT support team is often much more expensive than outsourcing IT support to a third-party. Third-party support also offers a predictable service model, which typically reduces ongoing support costs, unlike in-house IT support where costs rise as new employees and systems are added. Third-party support doesn’t replace internal IT support. It augments it and allows internal teams to focus their efforts on business priorities instead of “keeping the IT lights on.”

Will we lose our relationship with our existing ERP vendor if we switch to third-party software support?

No, you won’t lose your relationship with your existing ERP vendor if you choose to move to third-party support. You retain your existing licenses and maintain your relationship with the vendor. Third-party support simply replaces your vendor’s support services while allowing you to continue using your current software release. This approach helps you maintain flexibility in your IT roadmap, extend the useful life of your existing, stable systems and reduce costs — without unnecessary upgrades or disruption.

If we switch to third-party support, can we still upgrade or migrate our system in the future?

Yes, you can still upgrade or migrate your existing system after you switch to third-party support. Third-party support allows you to defer upgrades or migrations while you plan future transformation on your own timeline. It creates greater flexibility in your organization’s IT strategy and reduces the pressure to undertake costly or premature migrations that don’t align with business priorities. Rimini Support™ offers archiving services to help you safely store your rightful entitlements for later implementation as your business needs evolve.

What should we consider when choosing third-party IT support services?

If you’re seeking an alternative to your ERP vendor’s support services and considering third-party support services, look for the following qualifications:

Full support for your existing release beyond vendor end-of-support dates: Your provider should offer a rolling 15-year commitment to supporting existing software releases and include tax, legal and regulatory updates to help keep your ERP systems up to date and compliant.
A dedicated Primary Support Engineer (PSE): You should have direct access to a PSE based in your time zone, available 24/7/365 and able to provide support in your preferred language.
Quality support experience: Your chosen support provider should enable seamless, person-to-person handoffs between engineers — not just through call notes — while preserving case priority levels and providing frequent progress updates to keep you informed on your case resolution.
Guaranteed SLAs: Your provider should offer guaranteed response SLAs, so you aren’t waiting for days for an initial response to your issue. Ideally, they should also offer guaranteed resolution times for critical cases. Rimini Support™ offers guaranteed response and resolution times, including a 10-minute response SLA for P1 cases with updates every 2 hours and a 4-hour resolution SLA for P1 cases (Resolution can be a solution, a workaround or an action plan).
Support cost savings: You should be able to significantly reduce support costs compared to vendor support. With Rimini Support™, for example, clients can achieve potential savings of up to 90% off TCO, helping free up budget for innovation. Calculate your potential maintenance savings.
Unified support and managed services: Your ERP support provider should offer integrated support and managed services. This unified approach enables deeper knowledge of your environment for faster, more seamless service and issue resolution.
Patented and proprietary AI tools and processes for faster resolution: The provider you choose should be able to offer AI-powered support tools and processes that help resolve issues faster. Rimini Support™ includes patented and proprietary AI support tools and processes to match your case with the best-fit engineer based on dozens of vectors, all within seconds. Our unique, in-house-built technology detects signals to proactively assist clients, reducing cases that develop urgency and lowering business risk.

Take a look at our third-party support provider checklist to see what else you should consider when evaluating providers.

Can third-party IT support improve my organization’s cybersecurity?

Yes, third-party support can help improve your organization’s cybersecurity, even if your existing support provider does not include patches or security services for the product version in their support services. Most vendors do not offer any security services or patches for products that have reached end of support, so if your product version is no longer supported by the vendor, then your system is not protected against vulnerabilities and security threats. For example, Oracle customers who currently have Oracle Sustaining Support do not receive new security patches or new critical updates. They only receive access to fixes released before the product entered Sustaining Support.

Rimini Street includes proactive security protection as part of our third-party software maintenance services. We offer:

Continuous monitoring and threat assessment to help protect your environment from known and unknown vulnerabilities
Hardening guidance to help mitigate security risks across your products we support
Monthly or quarterly security vulnerability analysis reports (SVARs), which identify specific product vulnerabilities and provide guidance for threat mitigation
The ability to open a support ticket for immediate assistance in identifying active security threats, neutralizing them and implementing preventative actions

We also offer add-on security services to further strengthen your security posture across your entire enterprise application and IT landscape, including hypervisors, ERP, databases and much more. Through Rimini Protect™, our comprehensive suite of security solutions, we offer managed security services, Advanced Database Security, Advanced Application and Middleware Security services, Advanced Hypervisor Security services and more. With Rimini Street, your systems remain protected without reliance on vendor security patches. Learn more about Rimini Protect™.

What is Third-Party Support?