Cisco Datacenter Networking Datacenter Networking 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

Nexus 7000/7700 · EOSL 2022-04-30
Nexus 5500/5600 · EOSL 2024-05-31
Nexus 9300/9500 (legacy) · EOSL 2023-02-19

Which Cisco Datacenter Networking models we service

Nexus 9000 series (current): Nexus 9300-EX/FX/FX2/FX3 · 9500 (modular: 9504, 9508, 9516)
Nexus 7000/7700 series: Nexus 7004 · 7009 · 7010 · 7018 · 7700 series
Nexus 5000 series (older): Nexus 5500 · 5600 · 56128P
MDS 9000 series (FC-SAN): MDS 9148S · 9148T · 9396S · 9396T · 9700 (modular)
ASR Aggregation-Router: ASR 1000 series (1001, 1002, 1004, 1006, 1009-X) · ASR 9000 series
ISR Branch-Router: ISR 4000 series (4221, 4321, 4331, 4351, 4431, 4451, 4461) · ISR G3
UCS Fabric Interconnect: FI 6248 · 6296 · 6332 · 6332-16UP · 6454 · 64108

EOSL status of major generations

Generation	Released	End of vendor support	TechCare TPM
Nexus 5500/5600	2010-2014	2022-2024	Recommended
Nexus 7000 (1. Gen)	2008-2012	2022	Recommended
Nexus 9000 EX	2014+	2024+	Supported
MDS 9148 (älter)	2009	2020	Recommended
MDS 9148S/T	2014+	2024+	Supported
ASR 1002	2009-2014	2024	Recommended
ISR 4221/4321 (1. Gen)	2014-2016	2024+	Supported
FI 6248/6296	2011-2013	2023	Recommended

Why TPM maintenance instead of Cisco SMARTnet (Datacenter)

Cisco SMARTnet is the most expensive maintenance contract in the market for data center segment. On Nexus 5500/5600, Nexus 7000 1st generation, MDS 9148, ASR 1002 and Fabric Interconnect 6248/6296 SMARTnet is offered at terms suggesting hardware refresh or no longer renewed.

We service all Cisco data center lines with OEM original parts. NX-OS, IOS-XE and SAN-OS continue to work as part of the hardware. Smart Licensing as separate cloud subscription stays with Cisco.

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 Datacenter Networking

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 Datacenter Networking maintenance

Which Cisco data center hardware do you service?: We service Nexus 9000, Nexus 7000/7700, Nexus 5500/5600 (also EOSL), MDS 9000 series, ASR 1000/9000 aggregation routers, ISR 4000/G3 branch routers and UCS Fabric Interconnect.
What does TPM cost compared to Cisco SMARTnet?: 30 to 60 percent savings vs. SMARTnet, up to 70 percent on EOSL models. For a Nexus 9504 with 24×7×4, TechCare is roughly 55–60% below the Cisco price.
Can you service older Nexus 5500/7000 1st generation?: Yes. Nexus 5500/5600 (released 2010-2014, EOSL 2022-2024) and Nexus 7000 1st generation (2008-2012, EOSL 2022) are still productive in many DACH enterprise data centers.
What about NX-OS, IOS-XE and Smart Licensing?: NX-OS (Nexus, MDS), IOS-XE (ASR, ISR) and SAN-OS (older MDS) are operating systems and part of the hardware. Smart Licensing is a separate cloud subscription via Cisco.
MDS FC-SAN — what SLA do you recommend?: For MDS FC-SAN switches we generally recommend 24×7×4, because a SAN switch failure typically affects entire storage connectivity for multiple servers. For Nexus data center spines also. For ISR branch routers 5×9 NBD often suffices.
Are Cisco-branded optics (SFP, QSFP) available?: Yes. We stock Cisco-branded optics of all generations. For Cisco-signed optics requirement in newer NX-OS/IOS-XE we ensure compatibility.