XSi's Blog: The Alternative in IT Maintenance & Services

8 things to look for when choosing Alternative Cisco SMARTnet Vendors

There are many reasons why entities should search for vendors, other than Cisco, that can support their Cisco equipment:

• Cisco SMARTnet price is too expensive
• Cumbersome Support (Not speaking to a technician fast enough)
• Language barrier (Cisco recently outsourced its Tier 1 support outside of the U.S.)
• Service Level Agreements (SLA) not being met for legacy gear
• Usable equipment has reached Cisco’s End-of-Support (EOS)
• Cisco does not support the equipment it privately labels for IBM, Dell and others
• Lack of multi-vendor support for computer systems, storage and other devices
• Lacking flexibility for monthly billing, adding and deleting items within the contract

One, if not all, of these reasons can lead to the search for a more competitive vendor that can still meet service levels, but has the flexibility and especially value additions to provide maintenance on Cisco Software and Hardware.

When Cisco settled an antitrust lawsuit with Multiven (an independent network maintenance company who charged that Cisco forced customers to buy its SMARTnet service plan in order to get bug fixes and software updates) in August of 2010, it paved the way for all Cisco equipment users to buy Cisco SMARTnet Maintenance from independent maintenance organizations and escalated demand in the marketplace.

So when choosing an alternative vendor to Cisco the (8) things, in order, you should consider are:

1. The extent of its Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) - does the vendor employ a large number of W-2 Cisco Certified Engineers at its TAC at all levels of Cisco Certification including CCIE/CCSP/CCDP/CCNA/CCNP

2.  Under one contract with one TAC number, can the vendor provide and manage:

• Original Cisco SMARTnet
• Warranty Chain Management
• Alternative SMARTnet for current and EOL/EOS equipment
• Support on HP, IBM, Oracle/Sun, and Dell “branded” Cisco products
• Depot Repair Services

3. Its TAC must be able to facilitate the transfer of software patches and updates coming directly to you from Cisco via email or download from your Cisco.com account

4. It should be able to provide coverage for “all” Cisco equipment including data, voice & unified communications, security, SAN hardware and software

5. Check to see its policy on replacement hardware. Does it send just a part or the complete unit (router or switch)?

6. While most will provide payment flexibility, including monthly payment in arrears, this type of financial arrangement may not allow smaller maintainers enough financing to properly spare

7. Contract Flexibilities (such as co-terminus adds and deletes in a prorated manner during the period of performance)

8. For government customers, the vendor should have all its SMARTnet related SKU’s on its GSA Schedule

In addition to employing more than 325 Cisco Certified Engineers at our Cisco Authorized Partner Technical Assistance Center, XSi is a vendor that provides all eight of these qualifying services for maintenance of Cisco equipment.

For a complimentary Audit & Annual Savings Report to compare your Cisco SMARTnet contract, please click here.