Network managers are turning to the secondary equipment market for used Cisco equipment as an extra measure of protection from disasters and downtime. The daunting task of ensuring uninterrupted access to networks with fully-redundant Cisco equipment con-figurations has proven beyond the reach of budget-constrained IT departments.

As a result many companies have resorted to protecting only Cisco routers and switches at the network core, leaving the edge and remote offices vulnerable in the event of a major disaster or mundane outage. The risks far outweigh the rewards in this scenario as a simple equipment failure at a remote site can cause a devastating ripple effect throughout the entire organization.

In an effort to improve company-wide preparedness for disasters of any kind, growing numbers of organizations are embracing more cost-effective refurbished Cisco equipment sourcing and flexible sparing solutions. It pays to have a backup plan for computer networking equipment procurement and today’s secondary market providers offer a variety of used networking equipment options for helping companies safeguard their networks.

Firewalls At Fire Sale Prices

Buying quality used and refurbished IT equipment adds up to significant cost savings when compared to buying brand new at retail or even discounted prices. Most pre-owned computer equipment on the market today is only there because of corporate IT replacement policies and contracts. And increasingly common is the fact that many businesses are being obliged to close their doors or downsize due to economic conditions-basically forcing them to liquidate their perfectly maintained IT equipment at fire sale prices. Vary rarely does IT equipment end up on the second hand market because it is damaged or past its useful life cycle.

Proven To Be Just As Reliable

When buying IT equipment made by an industry leading manufacturer-such as Cisco-it’s clear that certain quality and reliability standards have been established. A used Cisco firewall or Cisco router is probably much more dependable than even a brand new second-tier manufacturer’s comparable IT equipment. There’s a reason IT professionals all over the world depend on Cisco equipment – it has been proven in the field to be reliable in a versatile range of installations and conditions. Really, not much changes just because the equipment has been previously owned.