What
is SMARTnet?
Why would I need this?
How is
SMARTnet sold?
What
is SMB Support Assistant?
What
is SMARTnet Software Only?
What is
SMARTnet?
What
is SMARTnet Onsite?
What
length is the service contract?
Are
the WIC cards and modules etc installed in
the product covered by the maintenance contract?
How does
Advance Replacement work?
Can I
buy SMARTnet on a product that is older than
12 months?
What
does SMARTnet provide over the standard Cisco
Warranties?
How can
I contact the Cisco TAC?
How long will it take for me to get a SMARTnet maintenance contract once I purchase it online?
What
is SMARTnet?
SMARTnet is a hardware
and software maintenance contract for Cisco
equipment, supplied directly from Cisco. The
contract may be sold by authorised Cisco Partners,
and is normally an annual contract; longer
term contracts are available, please contact us for
more details.
Why would I need this?
If Cisco products are
important to your business you need SMARTnet.
If your Cisco product is Internet facing,
it is vital that you update the software when
new versions are released, this protects you
from software bugs and security holes.
If you are using Cisco products to connect
remote sites over a VPN, what would be the
cost to your business should one of the boxes
fail? With SMARTnet, your downtime can be
limited to 4 hours (or 2 hours if 4 hours
is too long - please contact us).
A SMARTnet contract entitles you to telephone
support from Cisco`s Experts at the Technical
Assistance Centre (TAC), according to Cisco,
over 95% of all calls received by the TAC
help customers handle complex network operation
and management issues such as:
- Advanced software configuration
- Interoperability and
upgrade questions
- Hardware and software
information
How is
SMARTnet sold? SMARTnet
is available as:
- SMB Support Assistant
- Software Only
- SMARTnet
- SMARTnet Onsite
When you purchase a SMARTnet
contract from ITHSC, we will request various
details from you regarding the equipment to
be covered. These are:
- Site Details - Where
the covered equipment resides
- Contact Name and Telephone
Number
- Cisco Product and Serial
Number of item to cover
- Any Modules or cards
that are installed.
We will verify the contract
with Cisco, to ensure that you have the correct
product and that cover is available at your
location, then the contract will go live within
two weeks. What
is SMB Support Assistant?
SMB Support assistant
can be described as SMARTnet lite, it provides
assistance and support targeted at the needs
of Small and Medium business.
- Online Network Management
Tools designed specifically for SMB`s.
- Provides support for
Routing, Switching, Wireless, Security,
Voice and VPN.
- Provides minor software
updates as necessary.
- 24 x 7 Fault Reporting,
SMB TAC Engineers will respond within one
business day.
- Next Business Day Hardware
Replacement where available, otherwise Same
Day Ship.
SMB Support Assistant provides
an easy, affordable way to help businesses
quickly resolve routine problems that can
arise when using Cisco SMB class products.
What
is SMARTnet Software Only?
With SMARTnet Software
only (CON-SW part numbers) you get:
- 24 hour x 7 days a week
x 365 days a year access to Cisco Technical
Assistance Centre (TAC)
- Major and maintenance
releases of Cisco IOS software
- 24 hour x 7 days a week
x 365 days a year access to Cisco.com
The minimum SMARTnet contract
entitles you to obtain and legally install
the latest software upgrades for your covered
device. This is essential if your Cisco hardware
is important to your business or is connected
in any way to the Internet, as the software
upgrades will fix bugs and security holes.
We are aware that IOS upgrades can be downloaded
from various sites on the Internet, but doubt
if they will be the latest version, and could
possibly have been modified.
Also included is telephone
support from the Cisco Technical Assistance
Centre and increased access to Cisco.com,
this provides you with wealth of expertise,
both online and via the telephone.
What is
SMARTnet?
SMARTnet provides all
of the benefits of SMARTnet Software only,
but includes hardware replacement should your
equipment develop any faults.
So, with SMARTnet you get:
- 24 hour x 7 days a week
x 365 days a year access to Cisco Technical
Assistance Centre (TAC)
- Major and maintenance
releases of Cisco IOS software
- 24 hour x 7 days a week
x 365 days a year access to Cisco.com
- Advance Replacement
of Hardware within an agreed time period.
What
is SMARTnet Onsite?
SMARTnet Onsite provides
all of the above, but additionally an Engineer
will be dispatched to install
the replacement equipment.
With SMARTnet Onsite you get:
- 24 hour x 7 days a week
x 365 days a year access to Cisco Technical
Assistance Centre (TAC)
- Major and maintenance
releases of Cisco IOS software
- 24 hour x 7 days a week
x 365 days a year access to Cisco.com
- Onsite Maintenance Engineer
with Replacement of Hardware within an agreed
time period.
What
length is the service contract?
The contracts
are usually for a period of twelve (12) months,
however multiple year contracts are also available.
Are
the WIC cards and modules etc installed in
the product covered by the maintenance contract?
Yes. They are all covered
by a single contact, in fact Cisco need to
know exactly which cards are installed so
that they can send out the correct hardware
when an advance replacement is effected. How does
Advance Replacement work?Should
you experience a fault with contracted hardware,
your first point of contact will the Cisco
TAC (Technical Assistance Centre) who will
decide if the problem is Hardware, Configuration
or IOS software issue. If the hardware is
at fault, a replacement will be sent within
the contractual period, this is termed an
advance replacement. The faulty hardware must
then be returned to Cisco. Can I
buy SMARTnet on a product that is older than
12 months? Cisco
Terms and conditions state that cover should
be purchased within the first 90 days from
product purchase; however any product that is still under warranty can usually be covered, please ask
Cisco may require proof that the product is
in fact in working order at the time of contract
purchase. We may request a signed letter
stating that the equipment is in full working
order, Cisco will reserve the right to perform
an inspection of the equipment, which may
incur a charge.
Cisco cannot support products
that have reached end of life more that two
years ago. What
does SMARTnet provide over the standard Cisco
Warranties? SMARTnet
provides the following features over the standard
Cisco Warranties:
- Minor and major releases
for operating system software upon request.
- Cisco.com password access
(where available) for Tech Tips and configuration
information.
- TAC Support with higher
priority; warranty customers are limited
to Priority 4 (P4); no TAC support on 1-year
warranty
- 24 x 7 access to TAC
engineers.
- Advance replacement of
parts by the next business day or earlier
depending on SMARTnet plan. Warranty parts
replacement can take from 5-10 business
days.
- Optional on-site field
engineer for parts replacement and installation.
How can
I contact the Cisco TAC?
The Cisco
TAC can be contacted 24 hours a day at:
How long will it take for me to get a SMARTnet maintenance contract once I purchase it online?
In 90% of cases, we can supply contracts in 24 hours.
We need the following information to register contracts:
Company or individual that the contract is to be registered to. This must match the Company or individual name on your CCO login for Cisco to approve the association.
We will register the equipment at the Installation address, and Cisco will require the full address details, like this:
Street:
Town:
County/State:
Post or Zip Code:
Country:
Cisco have a number of address checking systems, and if the installtion address that you provide is not known to Cisco, they will not permit the contract to be created.
For example, in the UK, the address must be the same as will be found on the royal mail address check web site.
Cisco will not permit Contracts to be registered to PO Box Addresses.
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