Cisco Hardware Reaching EOSL in 2023: What Now?

Cisco is the world’s leading network equipment manufacturer. So chances are your enterprise’s network relies on its equipment. So keeping track of end-of-sale (EOS) and end-of-service-life (EOSL) dates are important. 

Cisco typically announces the EOS and EOSL dates up to six months before the actual dates. This should give customers plenty of time to make the decision. However, EOS isn’t the end of support, as Cisco will continue to support the hardware until EOSL. 

This article lists the hardware models scheduled to reach EOSL and would not be supported by Cisco after that date. However, we’ll also discuss your options should you still use one of these equipment pieces in your organization’s network. 

Cisco Hardware EOSL Timeline

Cisco has updated its EOS policy for all its products, outlining EOS milestones. The company will formally announce the EOS date six months before the EOS date. This notification is typically published online and also includes the EOSL date. 

The policy and time duration for the milestones varies by product category. For hardware with service, the last support date is five years from the EOS date. Previously, Cisco has even continued support for some hardware for up to seven years. However, with the recent changes, they’ve standardized the duration to five years. 

Customers can add new services (purchased separately) up to one year after EOS. However, they can renew an existing service contract for up to five years in line with the support duration. 

They may supply the product for three months from the EOS date. However, production officially stops once the EOS date arrives. 

Read the latest Cisco EOS policy

Cisco Hardware Reaching EOSL in 2023

The dates for Cisco hardware EOSL are essentially based on their EOS announcements. Cisco ceases Technical Assistance Support (TAC) for hardware in five years. So after these dates, you won’t be able to initiate tickets on TAC and get help for maintenance or repair for the particular hardware. 

Here’s a list of all the Cisco hardware reaching EOSL in 2023:

What Are Your Options?

Once the equipment has reached EOSL, you’re left with a few options. Per its current policy, Cisco only continues service agreements and support for five years. 

Some OEMs continue to provide support for another year or two on premium rates as the equipment is considered legacy. Unfortunately, Cisco doesn’t offer any support once the equipment has reached the end of support. 

Remember that EOS or EOSL dates don’t mean the equipment will stop functioning. Of course, there are better, faster models to replace them, but they still might do the job. Nevertheless, you have three choices if you have Cisco hardware that will lose support in 2023. 

Refresh

The obvious and expensive solution is to replace the equipment with the latest model from the same manufacturer or another brand, whatever suits your needs best.

In an ideal world, that’s the best decision as it would end the worry of finding maintenance and support alternatives and give you better equipment. However, that may not be the ideal solution for every enterprise, as some may not have the budget. 

The case for refresh is strong, especially if the equipment has seen better days and is more likely to fail. On the other hand, if it continues to do its job without negatively impacting operations, a refresh would be another high expense you don’t necessarily need, bringing us to the next two options.

Self-Maintain

Should you decide to keep the equipment even after it has reached the end of Cisco support, you can maintain it yourself. While this option may seem economical, it’s not feasible (or possible) for many businesses. 

You need the right set of skills on your team to troubleshoot hardware issues. You’ll need a hardware engineer on your team who knows the device inside out and can fix it should it develop problems. 

Many enterprises may not have that expertise, and hiring an engineer to maintain a few switches or routers beyond EOSL is too expensive. So this option is only suitable for companies with onboard hardware engineers with the skills and knowledge to maintain the equipment. 

Third-Party Maintenance

If a refresh is unnecessary or expensive for you, and self-maintaining the equipment is out of the question, you can turn to third-party maintenance (TPM). A TPM provider has the expertise and the hardware to provide the necessary support for the aging equipment no longer supported by the OEM. 

Depending on the service level agreement (SLA), at the very least, you can expect short-term maintenance for the hardware. Even if the OEM offers support beyond EOSL, TPM support will likely be much cheaper. Since Cisco doesn’t provide maintenance beyond the end of the support date, the next best option is a TPM provider. 

OneCall for the Win!

If you want to extend the maintenance and support for Cisco equipment beyond the EOSL, look no further than OneCall.

With years of experience, readily available engineers, and guaranteed spare parts, OneCall is PivIT’s comprehensive hardware maintenance service that has your back. 

Opt for the Sparing Integrity Program to ensure spare hardware or its components are just a call away and somewhere near you.

Want to continue maintenance for Cisco equipment? Ask for a quote to find out more about how OneCall can help!