The most frequent question I get asked is...
"Why buy Cisco? Why not Linksys or D-Link or another much cheaper option?"
(Can you tell I resell Cisco Solutions?)
The old saying "You get what you pay for" holds true.
Enterprise companies such as Cisco and Avaya that make devices specifically for the Small and Medium Business include many of the same features and functionality in the enterprise class devices in their SMB Product Line. Those features include: (I won't bore you with the technical differences)
Enterprise Class Support - (Vendor Qualified Engineers to assist with problem resolution w/o calling your IT guy)
Long Term Support / Device replacement - (Device lifetimes are much longer than Linksys and d-link. What happens when you can't get support on a product you purchased a year ago because they aren't developing bug fixes for the firmware?)
Software updates including bug fixes and new features are included with support.
Fully manageable devices - (ability to determine when, what, why, where and how something happened)
Comply with industry protocol standards - (This is important for inter-operating with other devices)
Qualified Vendor Partners to assist with Design, Installation, Troubleshooting and Support
Broader range of configuration options provides flexibility for your growing business.
Some of you will say "Linksys is now owned by Cisco and they have Business Series Switches." This is true and they along with other manufactures such as NetGear are including functionality such as Quality of Service, Power over Ethernet, VLANs, etc. #1 factor to most businesses is cost. Ready my article on TCO. #2 factor should be support. What happens with "this" doesn't work? Will my equipment manufacturer be able to resolve the issue. With Cisco TAC, the answer is Yes. #3 factor should be features and functionality that do not limit my ability to react. Cisco SMB Product Line has more feature and functionality that the lower cost alternative. Summary Enterprise class devices cost more upfront but provide greater flexibility for business growth, more features, functionality and enterprise support agreements.
Aaron Magruder (816) 566-0017 NonStop Networks, LLC Kansas City Cisco Select Partner Network, Security and Unified Communications Solutions