Network Hardware Resale Offers Relief for Cisco Product Delays Using Alternative Sourcing and Equipment Substitutions

SANTA BARBARA, CA, August 12, 2010 (Press-News.org) Secondary Market Leader Reduces Equipment Costs and Eases OEM Delivery Delays with Inventory of Long-Lead-Time Products and Comparable Gear

• Delays in OEM equipment deliveries of more than three months are more commonplace due to persistent component shortages. In contrast, a large variety of the most in-demand current- and previous-generation Cisco equipment is readily available on the secondary market for immediate delivery.

• Network Hardware Resale (NHR), the leading provider of pre-owned and new networking equipment, has assembled a list of the most popular Cisco products that are experiencing long supply chain delays while offering alternate sourcing (e.g., buying pre-owned or surplus-new supply) or leveraging replacements for current generation Cisco networking equipment. As a result, NHR continues to meet critical demand for hard-to-source products, all of which can be shipped overnight.

• A variety of previous-generation Cisco routers and switches offer comparable performance to the latest-generation gear, which gives budget-constrained organizations highly economical, viable options for meeting a wide range of networking requirements.

Top Five Replacements: Maximum Value with No Performance Trade-Offs

1. Replace Cisco's Catalyst 2960G-48TC-L Fast Ethernet Switch with Cisco's Catalyst 2950G-48-EI

• Cisco's 2950G is the predecessor to the 2960G with some of the same features and capabilities, yet it can be purchased on the secondary market for up to 90 percent off the price of the newer 2960G models.

• Cisco currently is experienced lengthy delivery delays for the new 2960G. However, pre-owned 2960G models are readily available on the secondary market.

2. Replace Cisco's 3845 Integrated Services Router + NM-1T3/E3 with the Previous Generation Cisco 7204VXR Router

• Introduced about seven years ago but still listed as a current-generation product, the Cisco 7204VXR delivers comparable performance to Cisco's 3845 router but can be purchased on the secondary market for up to 90 percent less than the cost of the new gear.

• Both routers boast a broad range of usefulness for enterprises and service provider applications. Over the years, the 7204VXR has retained strong popularity, partly due to the fact that it has greater modularity and configuration flexibility than the 3845.

3. Replace Cisco's 3825 Integrated Services Router with the Previous-Gen Cisco 3745
• Ideally suited for branch offices and SMEs with high connectivity needs, Cisco's 3745 is a previous-generation product that performs similarly to the upgraded 3825 for most applications.

While the 3745 has reached end-of-sale status, it should be covered under Cisco support for at least another five years.

• Additionally, the secondary market now offers alternative maintenance options that are much more economical than Cisco's SMARTnet and provide an extra layer of protection for end-of-life equipment.

• Cisco's 3745 accepts cards from the 3825, providing smaller companies with a much more affordable growth path as networking needs dictate.

• There are large quantities of Cisco 3745s available on the secondary market following a concerted effort by Cisco to upgrade customers to the newer platform. As a result, Cisco 3745s can be purchased for more than half the cost of the latest-generation gear.

4. Replace Cisco's Catalyst 2960G-24TC-L Gigabit Ethernet Switch with Cisco's Catalyst 2970G-24T-E or 2970G-24TS-E

• The Catalyst 2970 is a highly viable substitution for the newer Catalyst 2960 Series, which has been plagued by delivery lead times of 11 weeks or more. For organizations seeking immediate availability, the 2970 can be found in large quantities on the secondary market.

• While performance is comparable, the biggest difference between the two Catalyst switches is how the ports are configured. With the latest generation equipment, the 24-port configuration includes 20 gigabit ports plus four shared ports for fiber optic or 10/100 configurations. The previous-generation 2970, however, provides 24 gigabit ports plus an additional four fiber optic slots for a total of 28 ports, which provides increased connectivity options for up to 84 percent less than its successor.

5. Replace Cisco's 7962G IP Phones with 7960G IP Phones; Replace Cisco's 7942G IP Phones with 7940G IP Phones

• Both the 7960 and 7940 phones are mid-range IP phones that are still considered current production yet have been replaced in the market with the newer 7962 and 7942 models. Essentially, the only difference between the older and newer models is the screen resolution, which is improved on the latest-generation equipment.

• Priced at half their newer counterparts, the older models offer significant savings to organizations deploying hundreds of Cisco IP phones. Even the newer models can be readily found on the secondary market, with pre-owned 7942G and 7962G phones available at discounted prices.

Supporting Quotes

Mike Sheldon, CEO for Network Hardware:

• "Today's IT organizations are operating on smaller budgets while network demands continue to increase. The secondary market provides substantial savings on the latest Cisco equipment as well as unprecedented discounts on older models without any trade-offs on performance or reliability."

• "Increasingly, companies are finding prolonged OEM delivery lead times unacceptable, especially when they find that vast quantities of popular products and comparable equipment are available on the secondary market for overnight delivery."

• "In replacing Cisco's 3845 with the 7204, customers can purchase a current-generation product at one-third the price of the latest model and receive a router that really is a step above in terms of modularity and flexibility."

Resources

• Cisco Models Impacted by Delays and Available at NHR
http://www.networkhardware.com/instock/
• NetSure Alternative Maintenance
http://www.networkhardware.com/Maintenance/
• Procurement and Refurbishment Quality
http://www.networkhardware.com/Quality/

About Network Hardware Resale

Network Hardware Resale (NHR) is a leading provider of networking solutions that specialize in reducing IT costs. Based in Santa Barbara, Calif., the company is an independent reseller of pre-owned Cisco, Juniper and Foundry networking equipment as well as an authorized reseller and distributor of resilient, scalable equipment from Force10 Networks. NHR also offers cost-effective network management, asset management, alternative maintenance and technical support services. Founded in 1986, NHR provides global sales and technical support from its California, Dallas metro, New York City metro, Amsterdam, London and Singapore locations. Organizations worldwide purchase quality networking equipment from NHR, including Global 1000 companies, small and mid-sized enterprises, government entities, educational institutions, healthcare organizations and telecommunications service providers. For more information, visit http://www.networkhardware.com.