A Smart Alternative to Cisco SMARTnet Maintenance

Cisco SMARTnet maintenance (or “SmartNet Total Care)” is the brand name for the company’s support offering. As with so many other OEMs, their definition is somewhat of a moving target.

Most recently, SMARTnet and SmartNet Total Care combined, and now the name is (once again, or still) SMARTnet. It could also be SmartNetOn Site if you prefer some add-ons. And if you want to get nitpicky, documentation dated 2014 and prior spells it SMARTnet, but in 2015 changes to Smart Net. There is also Smart Assist, which is not so much support as a consultative service for driving SMARTnet more deeply into the IT organization.

Confused yet?

On top of this confusion, as soon as Cisco senses a client is considering other support options beyond what they offer, they will begin spouting false information to create FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) in the service that TPMs provide. They may raise points that customers can’t be sure where our parts are sourced and how they’ll perform, or that we will claim to be able to install software updates on your equipment.

The marketing gurus in charge of this tangled naming scheme and the FUD slinging sales teams may disagree, but we believe IT maintenance is best when it’s the most straightforward. The quality of your SMARTnet maintenance contract isn’t dependent on a spiffy moniker that changes every few years. Clients benefit from service packages they can easily understand and customize to their own needs. For that, plus monitoring and management of your network— look to Park Place Technologies.

Alternative Cisco Maintenance Contracts

Where to Start?

With Cisco’s SMARTnet, clients may be limited to what support they provide. At Park Place, we specialize in customized support solutions based on our portfolio of offerings. How do we know what is best? We start with…

An objective recommendation for support. With the high cost of Cisco SMARTnet support and the broad levels of support, are you sure you’re paying for the support you truly need? Park Place Technologies offers a free ClearView™ Assessment – An objective recommendation for which hardware to keep on OEM support (sometimes SmartNet is the best choice for support), move to TPM support, and consider for Netsure+. On average, we can find a way to economize your support by 30-40%.

Sometimes, SMARTnet Is the Smart Choice

We’ll be the first to admit, sometimes our products and services aren’t the best option based on your IT infrastructure. While we’re almost certain that we will be able to impact your support in one way or another, some of your equipment may be best maintained by using Cisco SMARTnet. Especially if your hardware is heavily dependent on subscription services and/or software updates that are only available with an Cisco support contract and migrating the remainder of equipment to Park Place Technologies’ network maintenance program.  This approach will result in significant cost savings without degradation, and in most cases, the network maintenance services option will provide a far superior experience.

Support that Outsmarts SMARTnet

Most likely, you will have some Cisco equipment in your IT estate that is a good candidate for Park Place Hardware Maintenance. Our Cisco SMARTnet alternative is affordably priced 40% to 70% below Cisco’s SMARTnet maintenance. And for the cost, clients know exactly what they’re getting:

• A standard contract that includes everything clients need. Park Place offers the best standard contract in the industry. It includes comprehensive hardware, software, and network device configuration support; remote monitoring; and certified spare parts with on-site installation. Support can be provided via telephone or online, and there’s never an escalation procedure or severity level assessment to speak with a Level 3 engineer. What’s more, every client gains a Level 3 account engineer, who is responsible for every on-site task, from the free, up-front systems analysis to any break/fix call.
• A selection of SLAs to match equipment’s criticality level and the IT budget. The only choice clients need to make is the support level best suited to the equipment’s role in the environment, whether that’s mission critical, business hours, or next-day support. SLAs can be set independently for each piece of server, storage, or networking equipment to create a customized, affordable Cisco maintenance solution.
• Multi-vendor capabilities and full data center coverage options. For clients that want their work days to go even more smoothly, Park Place has answers. As a global, multi-vendor IT support provider, we can cover a whole data center or multi-site IT organization. Even when some equipment has an existing Cisco or other OEM warranty or service agreement, we don’t mind. With our “One Contract / One Contact” program, we’ll still take the service call, identify the OEM’s commitment, manage the response, and back-fill anything they won’t cover. The result for clients is a one-stop IT maintenance shop. What could be simpler?
• No end of support life dates or other fine print. Park Place isn’t interested in excluding services that client need. That’s why we never rescind or downgrade support on equipment, no matter how old. If it’s got a purpose in your environment, you’ve got a support partner in Park Place. We are available for questions, normal repairs, and complex troubleshooting. And we even incorporate up to four days of extra engineering time for proactive and non-break/fix tasks. There’s very little Park Place won’t do to keep your IT equipment operating at peak performance.

Next Gen Networks Deserve Next Gen Support

Park Place offers a robust portfolio of network management and monitoring tools and services to help you optimize your networking estate beyond SmartNet support.

• Support with your spare parts. By coupling your entitled spares with Park Place’s global footprint of stocking locations, services, and highly skilled engineers, NetsSure+ gives you access to a service performance not available via traditional maintenance programs.
• Monitoring software that does more. Discover, monitor, and optimize your network across different devices and networks with Entuity™ Software. The Entuity network monitoring tool automates network discovery and uses intuitive workflows that make it easy to see when something has gone wrong. Responsive dashboards allow you to take a high-level view to gauge your network health or drill down to the component level to fix network problems quickly and efficiently.
• Automated support for your network. With the industry’s only fully-automated maintenance service you can streamline the hardware support process and boost Uptime across your data center. Automate the process of identifying hardware events, opening tickets, and triaging issues through ParkView Hardware Monitoring™.
• Reduce the complexity of network management. Leverage our tools, team, and experience using ParkView Network Management™. This service, delivered by our Enterprise Operations Center (EOC), streamlines network management processes by simplifying management of hybrid environments, supporting new technologies and ensuring outstanding end-user experiences.

Personalized Service from Top Engineers

Just as important as our straightforward maintenance are our top-flight engineers. Park place has invested in talented, experienced, and certified customer support personnel, so clients can be confident in getting the assistance and guidance they need. Third party maintenance is not a downgrade from Cisco SMARTnet; it is an improvement on it. One that is more personalized, tailored, and easy to understand.

Smarter doesn’t always mean more complex. Park Place can help take the confusion out of supporting your unique networking infrastructure by creating a plan best for you – all while saving you money and minimizing risks. If you’re interested in discovering how you can put our portfolio to work in your data center, reach out to us!