Old Network Switches May Be More Reliable Than New Kit

Despite vendors’ insistence that users should upgrade to new equipment, a second hand switch may actually be more reliable, says re-use specialist that launched a new support programme for old kit this week.

“The standard failure rate of new equipment from premier providers like Cisco, Foundry and Juniper is three to five percent,” said Glenn Fassett, general manager of international operations at Network Hardware Resale. “We offer a less than one percent technical failure rate.”

Vendors bully users into upgrades

It’s a good thing for the environment to use network hardware after its advertised life cycle, as it saves money, and also saves wasting the resources and embedded energy it takes to make new equipment.

NHR says network vendors exaggerate the dangers of using old equipment and close off official support in order to force users onto new hardware.

“Manufacturers and OEMs are using their end of life policies to emphasise the ‘risk’ factor and influence companies to conduct costly wholesale ‘rip and replace’ upgrades,”  Fassett told TechWeekEurope in an interview. “Customers are starting to realise that these policies can be another way of persuading them to invest unnecessary capital.”

In fact, it’s pretty easy to get Cisco-certified engineers and provide thorough diagnostics for older switches, said Fassett.

NHR has recently announced NetSure 4HR, a global four-hour hardware replacement service for second-user systems, available to customers in major cities throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

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