CISCO MAINTENANCE · MULTI-LINE TPM
Cisco Maintenance — networking, compute and security from a single source
We service the complete Cisco hardware range vendor-independently: Catalyst and Nexus switching, ASR/ISR routing, UCS compute, ASA and Firepower firewalls and MDS SAN switches. Also after Cisco SMARTnet expiration and after EoSL. 30 to 60 percent below Cisco list. Typical TPM topics at the network layer: optic and transceiver replacements (most frequent hardware defect after PSU), linecard/module hot-swap for zero-downtime swaps, and config backup of switch/routing settings before every intervention.
7
Product categories
14+
Product lines
5
Detail pages
30–60 %
Savings vs. Cisco SMARTnet / Solution Support
Short answer
TechCare Solutions provides vendor-independent Cisco maintenance for 14+ product lines, including Catalyst, Nexus, MDS · SAN-Switching, ASR · Aggregation: SLAs up to 24×7×4, original spare parts from our DACH depot and 30–60 % below Cisco SMARTnet / Solution Support, including after end of service life (EOSL). One contract covers Cisco together with 31 other manufacturers, with a fixed-price quote within 48 hours.
Multi-vendor maintenance contract · Third-party maintenance providers
What we cover in Cisco hardware
7 categories · 14 product lines · 6 with EOSL · 14 detail pages
Switching · Data center
2 lines EOSL · 1Routing
2 lines EOSL · 1Compute · UCS
4 linesHyperconverged (HCI)
1 lineWireless
2 lines EOSL · 1Security
2 lines EOSL · 2| Category | Product line | Models | EOSL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switching · Campus | Catalyst | 2960-S/X · 3560-X · 3750-X · 3850 · 4500/4500-X · 6500/6800 · 9200 · 9300/9300X · 9350 · 9400 · 9500/9500X · 9600 | yes |
| Switching · Data center | Nexus | Nexus 2000-FEX · 5500/5600 · 7000/7700 · 9300 (EX/FX/GX/GX2) · 9500 · 9800 · 3000-Serie | yes |
| Switching · Data center | MDS · SAN-Switching | MDS 9132T/9148T/9148V · 9220i · 9396T/9396V · 9700-Serie | no |
| Routing | ASR · Aggregation | ASR 1001-X/1001-HX · 1002-HX · 1006 · 1009-X · 9001 · 9006 · 9904 · Catalyst 8500 | no |
| Routing | ISR · Branch | ISR 1100 · 4321 · 4331 · 4351 · 4451 · 4461 · Catalyst 8200/8300 · ältere ISR G2 (1900/2900/3900) | yes |
| Compute · UCS | UCS B-Series | B200 · B260 · B420 · B480-Blade-Server | no |
| Compute · UCS | UCS C-Series | C220 · C240 · C225/C245 · C480 (M4 bis M8) | no |
| Compute · UCS | UCS X-Series | X9508-Chassis mit X210c M6/M7/M8 · X215c M8 · X410c · X440p PCIe-Node | no |
| Compute · UCS | Fabric Interconnect | FI 6248 · 6296 · 6332 · 6454 · 64108 · 6536 | no |
| Hyperconverged (HCI) | HyperFlex | HX220c · HX240c · HX-Edge · HyperFlex Mini · ältere HX2xx-Generationen | no |
| Wireless | Aironet / Catalyst 9800 / Wireless Controller | Aironet 1700/2700/3700/4800 · Catalyst 9100-Serie (9105 bis 9178, Wi-Fi 6E/7) · Wireless Controller 5520/9800 | yes |
| Wireless | Meraki MR / MX / MS | Meraki MR Access Points · MX Security Appliances · MS Switches | no |
| Security | ASA Firewalls | ASA 5505/5510/5520/5540 · ASA 5500-X-Serie | yes |
| Security | Firepower | Firepower 1000 · 2100 · 3100 · 4100/4200 · 9300 · Secure Firewall 1200 | yes |
Detail pages for key product lines
These product lines have their own maintenance detail page with model overview, EOSL table and FAQ. All other lines are also covered — see portfolio below.
Cisco
Catalyst
2960-S/X · 3560-X · 3750-X · 3850 · 4500/4500-X · 6500/6800 · 9200 · 9300/9300X · 9350 · 9400 · 9500/9500X · 9600
Detail page & FAQ Cisco
Nexus + 4more lines
Nexus 2000-FEX · 5500/5600 · 7000/7700 · 9300 (EX/FX/GX/GX2) · 9500 · 9800 · 3000-Serie · MDS · SAN-Switching · ASR · Aggregation · ISR · Branch · Fabric Interconnect
Detail page & FAQ Cisco
UCS B-Series + 3more lines
B200 · B260 · B420 · B480-Blade-Server · UCS C-Series · UCS X-Series · HyperFlex
Detail page & FAQ Cisco
Aironet / Catalyst 9800 / Wireless Controller + 1more line
Aironet 1700/2700/3700/4800 · Catalyst 9100-Serie (9105 bis 9178, Wi-Fi 6E/7) · Wireless Controller 5520/9800 · Meraki MR / MX / MS
Detail page & FAQ Cisco
ASA Firewalls + 1more line
ASA 5505/5510/5520/5540 · ASA 5500-X-Serie · Firepower
Detail page & FAQ Cisco product portfolio at a glance
We service all product lines — including older generations long past end-of-service-life. Every line with OEM original parts, German-speaking service and SLA up to 24×7×4.
Switching · Campus
Catalyst
Details2960-S/X · 3560-X · 3750-X · 3850 · 4500/4500-X · 6500/6800 · 9200 · 9300/9300X · 9350 · 9400 · 9500/9500X · 9600
Complete Catalyst family including EOL models like 3850, 4500 and 6500/6800.
Switching · Data center
Routing
ASR · Aggregation
DetailsASR 1001-X/1001-HX · 1002-HX · 1006 · 1009-X · 9001 · 9006 · 9904 · Catalyst 8500
Aggregation routers for service providers and large enterprise.
ISR · Branch
DetailsISR 1100 · 4321 · 4331 · 4351 · 4451 · 4461 · Catalyst 8200/8300 · ältere ISR G2 (1900/2900/3900)
Branch and edge routers. ISR G2 partly reaching EoSL.
Compute · UCS
Hyperconverged (HCI)
HyperFlex
DetailsHX220c · HX240c · HX-Edge · HyperFlex Mini · ältere HX2xx-Generationen
HCI platform on UCS hardware base. Hardware maintenance separate from HyperFlex software subscription, which stays with Cisco.
Wireless
Aironet / Catalyst 9800 / Wireless Controller
DetailsAironet 1700/2700/3700/4800 · Catalyst 9100-Serie (9105 bis 9178, Wi-Fi 6E/7) · Wireless Controller 5520/9800
Enterprise WLAN — access points and wireless controllers. Multiple Aironet generations reaching EoSL.
Meraki MR / MX / MS
DetailsMeraki MR Access Points · MX Security Appliances · MS Switches
Cloud-managed networking. Hardware maintenance possible; cloud dashboard subscription stays with Cisco.
Security
ASA Firewalls
DetailsASA 5505/5510/5520/5540 · ASA 5500-X-Serie
Classic Cisco firewalls. Older 5500 and 5500-X generations reaching EoSL.
Firepower
DetailsFirepower 1000 · 2100 · 3100 · 4100/4200 · 9300 · Secure Firewall 1200
Next-gen firewalls — hardware maintenance separate from threat subscription.
Cisco SMARTnet / Solution Support vs. TechCare TPM
How does TPM compare to the OEM contract?
You save 43–47% per yearCisco SMARTnet / Solution Support vs. TechCare TPM · example calculation
SMARTnet / Solution Support
TechCare TPM
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.
Stays with Cisco
- 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
Why Cisco maintenance via TechCare instead of Cisco SMARTnet / Solution Support
Cisco SMARTnet is above-average expensive compared to other OEMs — especially for older switch, router and UCS generations. A typical DACH environment has a mix of current Catalyst 9300/9500 (campus), Nexus 5K/7K in the data center, a UCS compute platform for virtualization and a number of ASA firewalls or Firepower boxes. Plus some ASR aggregation routers. That quickly results in three or four separate Cisco contracts.
We bundle networking, compute and security into one contract. OEM parts (linecards, supervisor modules, SFP/QSFP optics, UCS memory and disk modules, Fabric Interconnect modules). Important: Cisco maintenance is hardware maintenance — IOS/NX-OS licenses, DNA subscriptions, Firepower threat feeds run separately via Cisco. We make that distinction transparently and advise honestly.
Networking-specific TPM topics: In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) for zero-downtime swaps of linecards and supervisor/routing modules, planned optic/transceiver replacement (the most common network defect after power supply), and traffic mirroring before every hardware change for clean BGP/OSPF convergence without forensic gaps.
1
Contract for all Cisco lines
30–60 %
Savings on current models
bis 70 %
Savings on EOSL models
48 h
Fixed-price quote
When does support for your Cisco models end? Every date is in the independent EOSL database: Cisco EOSL dates on EOSL365.de.
FAQ on Cisco maintenance
Do you service Cisco UCS compute in addition to switching?
Yes, the complete UCS platform: B-Series blades (B200, B260, B420, B480 in M4/M5/M6/M7), C-Series rack servers (C220, C240, C480), X-Series with X9508 chassis and X210c/X410c nodes plus all Fabric Interconnects (6248, 6296, 6332, 6454, 6536). UCS Manager remains functional independently of hardware maintenance.
What about Cisco licenses and DNA subscriptions?
Software licenses (IOS, IOS-XE, NX-OS) and DNA subscriptions plus Firepower threat feeds 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 components with Cisco.
Can you also service ASA and Firepower firewalls?
Yes, at hardware level. Classic ASA 5505/5510/5520/5540 (often EoSL) and ASA 5500-X series plus Firepower 1000/2100/4100/9300 we service. Threat intelligence subscriptions, IPS signatures and URL filter feeds stay with Cisco — hardware defects (PSUs, fans, modules, linecards) we cover.
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. For a mix install (switching + UCS + ASA) total savings are typically 35 to 55 percent.
Can you service EoSL Cisco hardware — Catalyst 3850, Nexus 5500, ASR 1000?
Yes. Catalyst 3850, 6500/6800, Nexus 5500, ASR 1000 series, ISR G2 and older ASA 5500 are all EoSL and still in production in many DACH data centers. We stock linecards, supervisor modules, SFPs, PSUs and fans.
Do you also service Cisco MDS for SAN switching?
Yes. MDS 9100/9200/9300/9700 series as Fibre Channel SAN switches we service fully. Hardware maintenance runs analogous to Catalyst/Nexus, FC-specific topics (NPV mode, zoning) are software-side.
What does the Cisco warranty cover — and what comes after it?
The Cisco warranty depends on the product: many Catalyst switches have a limited lifetime hardware warranty, other devices only 90 days to one year. TAC support and fixed response times are not included; for that Cisco sells SMARTnet. In Germany we provide hardware maintenance with original spare parts and fixed response times, also for devices past end of support. Alternative to Cisco SMARTnet
Can I buy Cisco support without a SMARTnet contract?
Yes. Instead of buying Cisco support as SMARTnet from the vendor, you can get hardware support as third-party maintenance (Cisco TPM) from us: part replacement, on-site engineers and diagnosis for Catalyst, Nexus, UCS, ASA and MDS. Software updates remain tied to your Cisco licences.
How fast do we get a quote for a mixed Cisco landscape?
Within 48 hours after receiving your inventory list. Format doesn't matter — Cisco Smart Account export, Excel or inventory list with PIDs and serials.
What is Cisco third party maintenance (3rd party maintenance)?
Cisco third party maintenance (TPM, also 3rd party maintenance) means an independent provider such as TechCare covers spare parts and fault resolution for your Catalyst, Nexus, ISR/ASR and UCS hardware instead of Cisco SMARTnet. Same SLA tiers up to 24×7×4, parts from stock, EOSL models included — typically 30–60 % below the vendor contract, up to 70 % on EOSL models.
Service performance
Real actuals Q1 2026 — straight from our ITIL ticketing.
99,2 %
Tickets resolved within agreed response time
2,4 h
Avg. first response on 4h SLA tier
88 %
First-time fix on initial dispatch
97 %
Spare part on site within 4 h, DACH depots
Related topics
Core service
Hardware maintenance in detail
How we set up TPM: contract, SLA tiers up to 24×7×4, engineer pool, spare parts strategy — the service behind the vendor hubs.
View service Compliance
Audit documentation in the contract pack
DORA, NIS2, KRITIS, BAIT, TISAX, ISO 27001 — what the auditor checks, what TechCare delivers automatically with the contract.
View audit topics Practice
Real references
Three templates from European customers 2024–25 — how the migration from OEM to TPM ran in reality.
View cases