Cisco Catalyst & Nexus Network Maintenance
side by side.

TechCare TPM vs. SMARTnet / Solution Support. Cost range, EOSL advantages, migration path and DACH compliance at a glance — for IT leadership and procurement.

12–18 % OEM list-price share per year

50–70 % EOSL savings vs. OEM

5–10 % Multi-year discount (3–5 yrs)

One contract for all lines · Fixed price in 48 h techcaresolutions.de

Cost comparison

OEM list-price share approx. 12–18 % of list price per year (Solution Support 18–24 %)

Example Catalyst 9300-48P stack with 4-year SMARTnet 24×7×4: TechCare TPM roughly 43–47% below the OEM price.

EOSL hardware: On EOSL models (Catalyst 3850, 6500/6800, Nexus 5500, ASR 1000 series, ISR G2, ASA 5500) 50–70 % savings vs. SMARTnet — Cisco often refuses EOSL extensions entirely.

Multi-year contract: 3-year TPM contract: additional 5–10 % discount, 5-year contract: 10–15 %. Plus fixed-price lock against OEM list-price increases.

Active EOSL lines

Catalyst 3850 · EOSL 2025-10-31
Catalyst 9500 · EOSL 2031-04-30
Catalyst 9600 · EOSL 2030-04-30

Which Cisco Catalyst & Nexus models we service

Catalyst · Campus-Switches: 2960-S/X · 3560-X · 3750-X · 3850 · 4500/4500-X · 6500/6800 · 9200 · 9300 · 9400 · 9500 · 9600
Nexus · Datacenter-Switches: Nexus 2000-FEX · 5500/5600 · 7000/7700 · 9300 / 9500 · 3000 series
ASR · Aggregation Routers: ASR 1001-X · ASR 1002-HX · ASR 1006 · ASR 1009-X · ASR 9001 · ASR 9006 · ASR 9904
ISR · Branch Routers: ISR 1100 · ISR 4321 · ISR 4331 · ISR 4351 · ISR 4451 · ISR 4461 · older ISR G2 (1900/2900/3900)
UCS · Compute (Hardware-Layer): UCS B-Series · UCS C-Series · UCS X-Series Fabric · Fabric Interconnect 6248/6296/6332/6454
Sicherheit · Firewalls: ASA 5500-X · Firepower 1000/2100/4100 · older ASA 5505/5510/5520/5540

EOSL status of major generations

Generation	Released	End of vendor support	TechCare TPM
Catalyst 2960-X / 3560-X / 3750-X	2010–2013	2022–2025	Recommended
Catalyst 6500 / 6800	2006–2014	2025	Recommended
Nexus 5500 / 5600	2010/2014	2022/2025	Recommended
Nexus 7000 (M-Modules)	2008	2024	Recommended
ASR 1000 (1002-X / 1004 / 1006)	2008	2023	Recommended
ISR G2 (1900 / 2900 / 3900)	2010	2022–2024	Recommended

Why TPM maintenance instead of Cisco SMARTnet / Solution Support

Cisco SMARTnet is above-average expensive compared to other OEMs — especially for older switch and router generations like Catalyst 3850, Nexus 5500 or ASR 1000 series. Renewals become expensive, and the premium on end-of-support hardware jumps.

We understand Cisco hardware. We stock OEM parts (linecards, supervisor modules, SFP/SFP+/QSFP optics, PSUs, fans). Important: Cisco maintenance is hardware maintenance — IOS/NX-OS licenses and DNA subscriptions run separately via Cisco. We make that clear and advise where TPM makes sense and where it doesn't.

OEM vs. TechCare — where the switch pays off

The full OEM-vs-TPM matrix (spare parts, SLA tiers, language, sub-outsourcing, compliance docs, reporting) is the same for every Cisco line — see the Cisco battle card.

Stays with Cisco Catalyst & Nexus

IOS-XE / NX-OS / IOS software licenses
DNA Center / Smart Licensing subscriptions
Firepower threat-intelligence feeds + URL filters
Cisco TAC software tickets

Moves to TechCare

Hardware defects (memory, disk, PSU, mainboard, modules)
24×7×4 on-site SLA with German-speaking field service
Spare-parts logistics DACH + global hub network
Fixed-price contract in 48 h, one inventory — one contract

DACH compliance by design.

BAIT/MaRisk documentation package, DORA Art. 28 contract template, ISO 27001 and GDPR-compliant media handling apply identically to every Cisco line — details on the Cisco battle card.

Migration path from first contact to hand-over.

Same four steps for every Cisco line: inventory → fixed-price quote in 48 h → contract (BAIT/MaRisk/DORA hooks) → hand-over with spare-parts provisioning. Details on the Cisco battle card.

FAQ on Cisco Catalyst & Nexus maintenance

Which Cisco hardware do you service?: Catalyst (2960-X, 3560-X, 3750-X, 3850, 4500, 6500/6800, 9200, 9300, 9400, 9500, 9600), Nexus (2000, 5000 series, 7000, 9000), ASR 1000/9000, ISR 4000 / G2, UCS B/C/X series and ASA + Firepower firewalls.
What does TPM cost compared to Cisco SMARTnet?: For Cisco hardware we see 30 to 60 percent savings vs. SMARTnet, 50 to 70 percent on EoSL models. For a Catalyst 3850 with 24×7×4 contract, TechCare is roughly 55–60% below the Cisco price.
What happens to IOS/NX-OS licenses and DNA subscriptions?: Software licenses and DNA subscriptions run separately via Cisco — they are not part of hardware maintenance. Honest recommendation: where you need active DNA features, smart licensing or software TAC, keep these with Cisco. Hardware maintenance can be separated.
Can you service EoSL Cisco hardware?: Yes. Catalyst 3850, 6500/6800, Nexus 5500, ASR 1000 series, ISR G2 — these and similar EoSL models we cover fully. We stock linecards, supervisor modules, SFPs, PSUs and fans.
Which SLA levels for network hardware?: Parts Only with 4-hour shipping, 5×9 NBD, 24×7×4. For core switches (Nexus, Catalyst 9500/9600, ASR) we typically recommend 24×7×4 — failures there usually affect the entire site connection.
What about Smart Licensing and Cisco Smart Account?: Smart Licensing remains independent from hardware maintenance. Your Cisco Smart Account continues to work, licenses remain managed by Cisco directly. We handle hardware defects; license topics stay with Cisco or your Cisco partner.