Here's a common misconception we sometimes hear: There's no point for a small business to buy Cisco, because they can't afford the support needed to run the equipment properly.
While perhaps that was true some years ago, it's most certainly not true today! As part of their campaign to bring in more small-to-medium sized businesses, Cisco offers their Small Business Support Service specifically for smaller organizations.
The Small Business Support Service brings service comparable to what's offered to larger companies, but scaled down to fit smaller businesses and small-business equipment. Through the Cisco SBSS, you can get the most from your Cisco networking equipment and see superior ROI on your investment in Cisco hardware.
Five Great Features Of The Cisco Small Business Support Service
First, it's important to realize that the SBSS is not simply a warranty. You get the same basic warranty protections on your Cisco hardware with or without the SBSS. The Support Service contract handles everything beyond simple hardware failure\replacement scenarios.
1 - Extended service periods.
On most Cisco products, you only get one year of warranty protection and services. The SBSS can extend that out to three years, or even further. This by itself can significantly increase the lifespan of your hardware investments.
2 - Rapid parts replacement.
Traditional warranty services carry the usual time frames involved for parts replacement - usually a week to ten days. But could your business afford to be without key network hardware for a week? With the SBSS, you can reduce that time to next-day service, or advance parts shipment ahead of potential failures.
3 - 24/7/365 access to experts.
Traditional support is only available during regular business hours, and only handles purely technical matters. With the SBSS, you have full access to Cisco's expertise. Their agents can talk you through virtually any configuration issue, or even take over direct control from their end to analyze your system and give recommendations for optimal setup.
Unless you happen to have a true networking guru already on-staff, the Small Business Support Service will help you get far better utility from your network than an everyday IT worker could.
4 - Guaranteed software updates.
Rather than having to install updates manually, or pay for major new OS revisions, the SBSS guarantees you get every update, patch, and upgrade that comes out during your support period. This helps keep your network protected against the latest intrusion methods, as long as ensuring full software compatibility between all your Cisco products.
5 - Increase up time.
All this adds up to huge gains in the single most crucial statistic for any network: Its up time. Cisco's experts can help you configure your network to prevent outages, work with you in the case of any technical hiccups, and get replacement parts to you far faster than under traditional warranty support.
This, in turn, will benefit both your employees and your customers. Employees will have better productivity, and less frustration from network troubles. Your customers will see a smooth-sailing ship, free of problems or outages causing delays that they can't afford.
6 - Refurbished support.
Many don't realize this, but Cisco sells certified refurbished hardware through a select group of business partners, while still backing those pieces with service coverage identical to new hardware. You can buy Cisco on a budget with fully-certified refurbished pieces, yet still enjoy all the support benefits they offer.
Cisco Small Business Support Services: Pay A Little, Get A Lot
We highly recommend any Cisco customer take advantage of Cisco's extended support services. They can vastly increase the effectiveness of your network, decrease downtime, and bring big gains to the long-term ROI of your Cisco hardware.
So if you're a small business that thinks Cisco is out of reach, give Hummingbird Networks a call. We can build a perfect custom network out of new or certified pre-owned Cisco equipment, while guaranteeing you get all the support and service your small business needs!
