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UK Supplier of Cisco SMARTnetITHSC
20 Carlton Road, Oxford
OX2 7SA, United Kingdom
 
 
American Supplier of Cisco SMARTnetITHSC
1901 60th Place E.
Suite L3517, Bradenton,
Florida 34203, USA
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ITHSC Cisco SMARTnet specialists
Global suppliers of Cisco SMARTnet - with the lowest price guaranteed
SMARTnet FAQ SMARTnet FAQ
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:

  UK Tel: 0800 960 547
Europe Tel: +32 2 704 5555 euro-tac@cisco.com
  Fax: +32 2 704 5555
France (from the UK) Tel: 0800 907 594
North America Tel: 1-800-553-2447 tac@cisco.com
408-526-7209
Asia-Pacific Tel: 61-2-8448-7107 asiapac-tac@cisco.com
Australia Tel: 1-800-805-227 asiapac-tac@cisco.com

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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