Reuse, Renew, Repair and when all else fails, Buy Used!
There is nothing quite like the rush you get when you buy something new. Knowing that you are the first and only person to own it is a great feeling. When you purchase a new cisco switch or router, that same feeling applies. However, that rush of excitement you feel opening the brand new box and check out your beautiful new firewall is short lived, and frankly the thousands of dollars more that you will spend to get that feeling is not really worth it. Is it?
As much as I would love to tell you that it is worth it, the truth is, buying new equipment has the propensity to be wasteful while simultaneously breaking your budget.
To be clear, I am not saying that every IT buyer and purchasing manager buys new Cisco equipment simply because it is enjoyable. It is common knowledge that when an End of Life (EoL) announcement comes out, IT directors are scrambling to replace the “outdated” equipment with its new replacement, because they are told that it is necessary. I am here to tell you that replacing equipment that has been dubbed “legacy” by Cisco is not always necessary. In fact, replacing the routers, switches and firewalls that you are currently running with new units, is never mandatory.
In a time where everyone is pushing for green practices, it is important to explore all of your options when revamping your network, and those options are numerous.
First and foremost, it is important for you to know that equipment you are currently running in your network is not obsolete until it no longer works for you. Meaning, you do not have to upgrade your system out of fear that it will no longer be supported by the OEM. That is what 3rd party maintenance contracts are for. Think about it. If the fear of not having access to maintenance when you need it was removed, would you really feel compelled to replace all of your perfectly working cisco firewalls and switches as soon as their End of Life (EoL) announcement was made?
I didn’t think so.
If the routers and switches you are running meet all of your networking needs, there is no need to replace them. When you run into issues with your Cisco equipment, your first thought should never be “oh it’s broken, throw it out and get a new one.” Instead, run some diagnostics on the unit. Does it need an upgrade? If so, it’s time to download that software upgrade and renew its’ life in the network. If the problem is not a software issue, and the switch is indeed broken, reach out and request a repair quote. Having your equipment repaired when a minor issue occurs, will save you thousands over buying new directly from the OEM.
If you end up with a completely broken switch or your network needs outgrow the capacity of your current hardware, it is time to look into upgrading. However, upgrading doesn’t necessarily mean buying new, it simply means buying new to you. Luckily, the secondary Cisco market is full of pre-owned routers ,servers and switches that will meet your networks’ ever growing needs at a fraction of the cost of purchasing new units directly from Cisco.
In short, don’t waste your precious time and money needlessly buying New Cisco Hardware. It is best to explore other options that are greener for your company as well as options that will save you from unnecessary spending. When you run out of renewing and repairing options, look to the secondary cisco market for sourcing equipment for upgrades. You will find all of the cisco switches, routers and firewalls to suite your network’s needs for thousands less than new.
