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Back in 2014, CXtec started the “Defend Your Investment” program. The program originally rewarded customers with toy Army men, after purchasing a equal2new® product to signify the advantage organizations have by defending their investment with pre-owned hardware. The Army men have since greeted jeeps, tanks, helicopters, ships, motorcycles and wooden gliders. Pre-owned equipment is an integral piece of maximizing value in a technology investment. Businesses should be rethinking their approach to network hardware as they can save 40% to 90% on network hardware. Here are some things to consider.

Shiny new Cisco equipment is appealing, but it is also pricey and could be overkill. Meanwhile, refurbished network equipment has many benefits you might be overlooking.

"More power" was something Captain Kirk had requested from Mr. Scott on numerous occasions in some form or fashion. "More" is one of many eternal human quests. Bigger, better, faster, now. Power over Ethernet is no different.

We aren't answering a distress call from Outpost 4 or trying to escape a Tholian web, that’s unfortunately true, but we are looking to find enough power so that our devices can operate effectively or in many cases at all.

So what’s the deal with Power over Ethernet or PoE?

Recently, there has been a lot of buzz around the HPE/Aruba M series of switches. Katie Taisey's curiosity led her to look and see what customers would receive from the M version of switches as compared to the F versions of the same switches.

In her latest blog post, Taisey looks specifically at the 2930F 48 POE+ (JL256A) versus the 2930M 48 POE+ (JL322A). The twist? Are you a gamer? Think of the 2930F as Fortnite and the 2930M as PUBG.

Last month it was Catalyst 9000 switches, and this month its routers. Yes, my project engineering staff have had a surprising amount of inquiries regarding routers.

Have you seen the buzz around the Cisco 8540 wireless controller? The 8540 controller is an impressive unit, featuring Cisco DNA and SD-ACCESS wireless - but with a price to match. Most customers in your shoes do not need DNA and SD-ACCESS wireless. In some cases, buyers don’t even know what this functionality is. If this is the case for you, there are alternative devices that won’t break the bank.

My project engineering staff has been getting more and more information requests for Cisco’s new line of Catalyst 9000 switches, especially the 9300 switch. That has me wondering why.

One of the hottest topics on the minds of our customers for 2018 continues to be their wireless infrastructure. As WLAN 802.11ac wave 2 devices becoming mainstream, Cisco has placed a stake in the ground claiming to be the “value leader.”

I had a customer ask for pricing on a high-end router recently. The sticker shock threw them into a panic. Have you ever been here? You’re looking for reliable network hardware equipment, but the price resembles your house payment. Now is the time to take a step back and evaluate what your true needs are.

In general, there are three types of switching solutions: standalone, stacked, and chassis. As the middle child, I’m biased towards a stacked switching solution – my reasons may be skewed, but even within the stacking world there is stacking and then there is true stacking. One of the major benefits to all stacking is simplified management. Before stacking came along, you had to daisy chain multiple switches together and configure them separately by logging in with a different IP address one by one.

People in the industry have been talking, tweeting and writing about the demise of the venerable Catalyst 6500 chassis family for years. 

But don’t worry, the King is not dead.

HPE/Aruba’s 802.11AC Wave 2 access points offer extra features - multi-user MIMO and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) being some of the most notable, but also allows users to take advantage of the new IEEE 802.3bz standard for multi-gig Ethernet.

Our team had the opportunity to exhibit at last week’s Gartner IT Financial, Procurement & Asset Management Summit. The summit featured a very engaged audience – everyone there was looking to improve their technology strategies in some fashion. Here are several of the major recurring themes we saw addressed at the summit.

When considering adding switches to your edge, many people often assume stackables are the only way to go. However, there is another option - a chassis solution. We take the time every day to help recommend what may be best for anyone's unique network. In the Cisco world, you may be considering a member from the 3750 or 3850 family, but don’t forget the 6509E chassis is always an option.