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Saving Money (Cautiously) with Open Source Solutions

August 21, 2011 By Michael O'Coners 1 Comment

So there’s a fisherman, a Microsoft guy, an open source guy, and a preacher sitting in a boat. The fisherman looks over to the Microsoft guy and asks “Can I save money by going with open source?” The Microsoft guy answers defiantly “No. And the good news is our licensing model is far more complex and expensive.” With a perplexed look on his face the fisherman turns to the open source guy and asks the same. In a proud tone he responds “Yes. And the good news is our licensing model is free as is the software but you’ll have to hire a full-time Linux geek to support it.” Now even more confused the fisherman scratches his head and sighs “Neither one of those plans sounds good. What do you have to say preacher?” The preacher responds “Can you pass me the bait? The fish are hungry”. I know. I know. You were hoping for a punch line. Suffice it to say I’m no comedian but I do have the answer to the fisherman’s question if you are now intrigued.

For the purpose of this post open source is defined as software provided free of charge by the authors of the software code. Typically developed in collaboration with the Internet community this code is freely available and can be modified and distributed per the Open Source Initiative (OSI). In contrast proprietary software code is closed to the public and customers pay for the software. There are many advantages to either and over the years open source has gained lots of traction in business environments.

This leads us to this post, which not only proves I am not a comedian but also, and more importantly, begs to answer the question “Is open source a fit for my company?”

The short answer is “yes” it can be a fit – but use caution. There are many factors to consider. What role is the software playing? What kind of support do you need? Do you have somebody (employee or partner) who can support it? Will the end user be comfortable with the software?

Let’s start with some examples of how open source can fit.

Example 1 – GIMP

On occasion I like to work with graphic design and tweaking images for the web. The de facto standard today for image editing is Adobe Photoshop. Knowing this I head out to Adobe’s website to look at pricing. Ouch! Close to $700 for the latest Photoshop CS5. Hmmm….. No thanks. This is something I do every now and then and don’t make a living out of it. After searching around a while I find a comparable open source solution called GIMP. After a test drive I was thoroughly impressed. It did everything I needed. And for free! GIMP is an incredible tool that saved me money and I’d recommend it. As you can see in this example GIMP fit my needs just fine.

Example 2 – OpenOffice

A small company with a tight budget wants to order Microsoft Office products for Word and Excel use. However, spending $4000 ($400 x 10 users) is not in the budget. This is where open source products like OpenOffice come in handy. You can open Word, Excel, and Power Point files in OpenOffice and save in the same desired file types to share with other Word/Excel/PowerPoint users. The catch here is Microsoft Outlook. If you are using Microsoft Exchange you will more than likely want Outlook as well to ensure full functionality. You could still purchase Outlook licensing only and go with OpenOffice for the rest of the Office suite. It’s still money saved.

Example 3 – DNS and Web Server

Open source operating systems run very well on old hardware and don’t require the system resources a Microsoft 2008 R2 server would cost. For this example let’s look at building a company web server and DNS server on an Ubuntu (Linux) platform vs. Microsoft operating system. This example applies to two customer projects we’ve run into recently where the budget is tight but business must move forward so alternative solutions are required. For one project we needed a tertiary DNS server. For the other a web server to host a new web site with light traffic. Let’s compare the two solutions we came up with.

   Windows-Based  Open Source (Linux | Ubuntu)
 Server  $3,000  $0 (recycled old server)
 Operating System License  $800  $0
 Services  $750  $750
     
 Total Cost  $4,550  $750

As you can see in the table above we not only achieved a significant savings (with open source) but we also achieved a win with our Green Initiative by reusing equipment rather than recycling.

The previous three examples showed ways in which open source can be effective at saving you money while completing business objectives. But use caution. Just as proprietary software has disadvantages so does open source. From my experience, the biggest area of concern when switching to open source is when savings on software licensing get diverted to services thus ending in a wash or worse yet, a loss.

Let’s take a look at the fourth example.

Example 4 – Backup/Disaster Recovery

Caught with a dwindling budget a media company is forced to look at alternatives for technology solutions. Backups are critical but aren’t being performed. If they go with proprietary software they will need $2,000 in Symantec Backup Exec software.  The other option is to go with a great open source product called Bacula. The decision maker compares $2,000 to $0 and goes with Bacula. Remember when I mentioned earlier to be careful that software costs get diverted to services? Well in this case this is what happened. The staff spent two weeks trying to figure out Bacula and ultimately had to call in a partner who knows Bacula. The time spent by the staff cost an estimated $4,000. Add in the $900 charged by the technology partner to properly configure Bacula and you have a total project cost of $4,900 with a net loss of $2,900. Bacula is a great software application but just like any software deployment use caution. In this case the staff felt they could learn the product without support but ultimately needed to contact a partner familiar with it. Had a system failure occurred in that two week window this could have been an even bigger loss.

So going back to the fisherman’s question…. I answer with confidence and a bit of caution “Yes. You can save money with open source. Just use caution in your decision and look at all the angles. Now hand me a worm so we can fish.”

More Information:

Open Source Initiative
http://www.opensource.org/

GIMP
http://www.gimp.org/

OpenOffice
http://www.openoffice.org/

Ubuntu
http://www.ubuntu.com/

Bacula
http://www.bacula.org/

Filed Under: Open Source Tagged With: ,

Solving the Solarwinds SCP and SFTP Server Unhandled Exception Error

August 15, 2011 By Michael O'Coners Leave a Comment

 

If you’ve ever installed the Solarwinds SCP and SFTP server on a Microsoft Windows 2008 R2 server you may have encountered the Unhandled Exception error. After successfully installing the SCP server you may encounter this error when you click “OK” after modifying the SCP server configuration. Figure 1 shows the screen shot. This error applies to the Solarwinds SFTP/SCP version 1.0.0.15.

Figure 1.

You will also notice that when you test user authentication it fails and is unable to authenticate.

The fix to this is quite simple.

  1. Make sure the SCP server is not running.
  2. From the program menu in Windows 2008 R2 right click the “Solarwinds SFTP and SCP Server” and select “Properties”.
  3. Click the “Compatibility” tab
  4. Select the checkbox next to “Run this program in compatibility mode for” (Figure 2.)
  5. Select “Windows Server 2003 (Service Pack 1) (Figure 2.)
  6. Click OK
  7. Launch and test the Solarwinds SCP server. You should be fixed.

Figure 2.

What is SCP?

SCP (Secure Copy) is a network protocol which support file transfers between hosts on a network. SCP uses secure shell (SSH) for data transfer and utilizes the same mechanisms for authentication and confidentiality of the data in transit. SCP runs over TCP port 22 by default since it uses SSH.

More Information:

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_copy

Download Solarwinds Free SCP/SFTP server (top link)
http://www.solarwinds.com/search/scp-server-download.aspx

Windows-based WinSCP client
http://www.winscp.net

Microsoft Compatibility Features
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc754992(WS.10).aspx

Filed Under: Solarwinds Tagged With: , ,

How to Enable IMAP in Unity Connection 8

August 5, 2011 By Michael O'Coners 1 Comment

 

It took me several Unity Connection installs to remember where to enable IMAP. So for those of you out there who can remember IP addresses from five years ago but can’t recall a relatively simple location for enabling IMAP, this post is for you. I’ll keep it short and sweet.

IMAP access to Unity Connection’s mailstore is enabled through Class of Service. Class of Service is basically a group of permissions and features a user is allowed (or not allowed) to use. The Cisco Unified Presence Client, for example, is often configured to use this IMAP connection as shown in Figure 1. There are other uses for enabling IMAP but that’s beyond the scope of this post.

Figure 1.

 

In the example above the Voicemail user account is authenticated to Microsoft Active Directory (LDAP). I can’t stress enough how important it is to integrate all Cisco Unified Communications products with an LDAP source. It makes end user management far less complicated.

The following instructions apply to Unity Connection 8.5

So let’s get started.

Here are the shortcut instructions:

Unity Connection -> Class of Service -> select your Class of Service -> enable IMAP.

More detailed instructions:

Step 1:
Log in to your Unity Connection management interface.

Step 2:
Expand “Class of Service” then click “Class of Service” (Figure 2).

Figure 2.

 

Step 3:
Select your Class of Service you want to enable. For this example I’m selecting the default CoS applied to the “voicemailusertemplate” template (Figure 3).

Figure 3.

 

Step 4:
Check the “Allow Users to Access Voice Mail Using an IMAP Client and/or Single Inbox” along with desired allowances. I’ve chosen the default (Figure 4).

Figure 4.

 

Click Save.

Conclusion:
That’s all there is too it. If you have firewalls in between your IMAP clients and your Unity Connection servers ensure you open up IMAP.

Additional Information:

To determine which users are in a particular Class of Service go to “Class of Service” then click “Class of Service Membership”. As shown in Figure 5 select the Class of Service or find by user then click “Find”.

 Figure 5.

Configuring IMAP Settings in Unity Connection 8.x
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/8x/administration/guide/8xcucsag175.html#wp1056156

System Administration Guide for Unity Connection 8.x
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/8x/administration/guide/8xcucsagx.html

Filed Under: Cisco, Unity Connection Tagged With: , ,

Quick Comparison of the Cisco 3750 Line of Switches

July 31, 2011 By Michael O'Coners 1 Comment

Updated 9/26/2011

I’m often asked by service providers and other customers with high availability services what the differences are between Cisco’s highly successful line of 3750 series switches. Here’s my brief overview of the biggest differences between the 3750 V2, 3750-E, and the 3750-X.

This document does not cover the 3750 (V1) which is the predecessor to the 3750 V2. Also note that this is not an exhaustive comparison list. For more in depth comparisons visit Cisco’s website. Helpful links are provided at the end of this article.

Comparison Chart for 3750 V2, 3750-E, and 3750-x

FEATURE 3750 V2 3750-E 3750-X
StackPower     YES
IEEE 802.3af PoE YES YES YES
IEEE 802.3at PoE+ (30W across all ports in 1U)     YES
Dual Redundant Modular Power Supplies     YES
Network Modules     YES
StackWise YES YES YES
StackWise Plus (64 Gbps backplane up to 9 switches)   YES YES
10GB Fiber   YES YES
10GB Copper     YES
Backwards Compatible YES YES YES
Enhanced Limited Lifetime Warranty (LLW)     YES
EnergyWise YES YES YES
USB Ports (Storage and Console) – My favorite     YES

 

10/100/1000 Port Availability

The 3750V2 series does not have a 10/100/1000 model. All port configurations are either 24-port 10/100 or 48-port 10/100. Gigabit is only offered through 2 or 4 SFP ports. Perhaps backplane speed or forwarding rate made Cisco make a u-turn on this – I’m not sure. The 3750V1 series offered a wide variety of 10/100/1000 port options. If you want 10/100/1000 port density then skip over the 3750V2 series and go with the 3750-E or 3750-x series.

 StackPower

Cisco StackPower combines all the individual power supplies installed in the switches and creates a pool of power, directing that power where it is needed. Up to four switches can be configured in a StackPower stack. StackPower cables use their own special cables and connect in the same way as the popular StackWise cables. In addition to redundancy I personally like the “green” effect of the 3750-X StackPower (read here).

IEEE 802.3af

Cisco supports this across all 3750 platforms that have PoE capabilities.

IEEE 802.3at

802.3at provides 30W of power per port. Wow…. Soon we will power far more than just IP phones and wireless access points. Wouldn’t it be cool to charge your smart phone or tablet over an available Ethernet port? Just always keep in mind as you rely more on PoE you need to put more thought into power consumption, backup power, and additional cooling in your data closets. Typically this is the most forgotten area when deploying PoE technology such as IP phones. You don’t want those switches sitting on a power strip when 24 or more end users are relying on that switch to power their phones.

Dual Redundant Power Module Supplies

The 3750-X supports two hot swappable power supplies. The switch ships with one power supply by default. The second power supply can be purchased at the time of the order or later. I’ve found that in 3750-X stacks going with one power supply works great when combined with StackPower. It saves money and reduces power consumption.

Network Modules

There are four network modules for the 3750-X. Each provides a combination of GbE or 10GbE interfaces. For upgrade protection and scalability we often find ourselves deploying the four port network modules that support either four GbE or two 10GbE. This allows a customer to utilize existing GbE connectivity and later upgrade to 10GbE.

The 3750-E supports the TwinGig SFP converter. This enables an upgrade path from 1GbE to 10GbE.

StackWise

StackWise technology allows a group of 3750 switches to be “stacked” together using StackWise cables. This stacking of switches basically combines them into one functional unit providing much higher levels of redundancy and capacity while providing investment protection. Since switches can be added to the stack you can “pay as you grow”. StackWise backplanes rates are 32Gbps and up to 9 switches can participate in a stack. Keep in mind these rates assume that all switches are connected with two cables. For example, if you connect two 3750s together with one StackWise cable you will only achieve a rate of 16Gbps.

StackWise Plus

Built on StackWise technology, StackWise Plus offers several improvements in speed and performance. StackWise Plus offers 64Gbps backplane across the StackWise cables (backplane). Up to nine switches can be in the stack. Performance is also enhanced with “local switching” of packets. With StackWise technology packets had to traverse the full ring regardless of destination. StackWise Plus eliminates this and once the packet finds its destination it no longer traverses the entire ring.

10GB Fiber

Supports various 10GB options

10GB Copper

The 10GB-T is hot swappable and can operate at either 10GbE or GbE.

Backwards Compatible

The 3750-X provides backwards compatibility with StackWise technology in other 3750 versions. Note, however, that performance is degraded to StackWise data rates of 32Gbps.

The 3750 V2 supports the 3750 (V1) and the 3750-E.
The 3750-E  supports the 3750 (V1|V2).
The 3750-X support the 3750 (V1|V2) and the 3750-E.

They all support connecting to each other with StackWise technology.

Enhanced Limited Lifetime Warranty

Cisco covers the 3750-X with an enhanced limited lifetime warranty (LLW) with next business day (NBD) advance hardware replacement and 90 day access to Cisco TAC support.

EnergyWise

Cisco EnergyWise is an innovative architecture, added to fixed configuration switches, promoting companywide sustainability by reducing energy consumption across an entire corporate infrastructure and affecting more than 50 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions created by worldwide building infrastructure, a much greater effect than the 2 percent generated by the IT industry. Cisco EnergyWise enables companies to measure the power consumption of network infrastructure and network-attached devices and manage power consumption with specific policies, reducing power consumption to realize increased cost savings, potentially affecting any powered device.

USB Ports (Storage and Console)

The USB console access is one of my favorites. Having a USB console allows access through your PC or laptop USB port using a USB cable. After installing a small Cisco application you can launch your terminal application of choice. Both Type-A and Type-B ports are supported. If you are looking for a way to find a use for all those old USB cables you just found it. But now what to do with all those blue console cables? Hmmm….

More Information

3750 V2
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps5023/index.html

3750-E
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps7077/index.html

3750-X
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10745/index.html

StackWise and StackWise Plus Technology
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps5718/ps5023/prod_white_paper09186a00801b096a.html

Go Green with Catalyst 3750-X
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps5718/ps10745/white_paper_1-27993052_Eprint.pdf

Filed Under: Cisco Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Cisco Approved SFPs, Third Party SFPs, and Hidden Commands

July 14, 2011 By Michael O'Coners 1 Comment

Whenever I find myself managing the implementation of a fiber project or anything that revolves around the use of SFPs (Small Form Factor Pluggable) I’m bombarded with questions regarding the difference between Cisco approved SFPs and third party SFPs (Cisco Compatible). Inevitably the discussion starts going down the slippery slope of vendor lock in and high-profit racketeering. I’m going to try to explain the differences and ways to circumvent “lock in”.

Cisco uses OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to make all their SFPs. This applies to memory as well but I’m going to focus on SFPs only. Cisco OEMs are apparently listed on some unpublished Approved Vendor List (AVL) so us common folks, including CCIEs like me, don’t get access to this information. If I’m wrong somebody out there correct me please. SFPs manufactured under the OEM model are packaged up in Cisco sealed bags and called “Cisco approved”.

Being Cisco approved means the SFPs have undergone rigorous testing with Cisco products and are guaranteed to have 100% compatibility and complete support.

Third party SFPs (aka Cisco Compatible) are manufactured by companies not on the Cisco AVL and thus are NOT Cisco approved. These manufacturers will offer 100% compatibility guarantees but Cisco will not support them. This is important to note. Cisco reserves the right to refuse service and/or support if the problem is determined to be related to third party SFPs or memory. I’ve heard other urban legends but I think the most important thing to remember is that you are at risk of losing some level of support with third party SFPs.

From personal experience I’ve had plenty of customers using third party SFPs call in for other hardware problems and the SFPs go unnoticed. But if you are trying to bring up a fiber connection and it won’t come up and need help from Cisco you won’t get far. Keep this in mind if it’s your business or job on the line.

Herein lays the crux for much debate between vendor lock in and ensuring stable systems. I typically stay on the Cisco side (or any other vendor) on this issue for one primary reason. Cisco wants to ensure that any equipment a customer uses will be compatible with their systems and ensure a proper running network. If they allowed every SFP on the planet in their system by default I can’t imagine the endless support calls and finger pointing between Cisco and SFP manufacturers. Customers would get pissed off. If I were a customer I’d rather get pissed prior to purchase than during a massive network cutover.

Quite frankly I’d rather the “vendor lock in” camp fight the laptop manufacturers for not standardizing on a common power supply connecter. I don’t think anyone who’s ever owned a laptop hasn’t experienced the frustration of replacing a power supply. Is it really necessary to make every version of a laptop with a unique adapter? Buying vendor approved SFPs isn’t such a bad thing after you spend all weekend looking for a power adapter kit ;)

My recommendation is to always buy Cisco approved SFPs from a trusted partner. If your network is mission critical you need to ensure that there are no holes in your support. SFP problems aren’t very common for me. They either work or they don’t. But it’s not worth the risk in my humble opinion to sacrifice your support agreement.

However, in this tight economy it’s not always possible and our customers will demand third party SFPs to save some money. After expressing my concern and explaining the risks I’ll make it happen. However, there are more than just risks. The third party SFPs won’t work by default. Cisco-approved SFP modules have a serial EEPROM that contains the module serial number, the vendor name and ID, a unique security code, and cyclic redundancy check (CRC). When an SFP module is inserted in the switch, the switch software reads the EEPROM to verify the serial number, vendor name and vendor ID, and recomputes the security code and CRC. If the serial number, the vendor name or vendor ID, the security code, or CRC is invalid, the software generates this security error message and places the interface in an error-disabled state.

Here is a common log message indicating the hardware platform has detected an invalid SFP:
SYS-3-TRANSCEIVER_NOTAPPROVED:Transceiver on port Gx/x is not supported

These commands will differ from platform to platform.

Luckily there are some undocumented (and unsupported) commands to circumvent this issue.

From configuration mode enter the following commands. Note that since the first command is undocumented you can’t “tab” and “?” your way to the command. You can only type the full command in.

switch(config)# service unsupported-transceiver
switch(config)# no errdisable detect cause gbic-invalid

The first command will yield the following:

Switch(config)#service unsupported-transceiver
 Warning: When Cisco determines that a fault or defect can be traced to
 the use of third-party transceivers installed by a customer or reseller,
 then, at Cisco’s discretion, Cisco may withhold support under warranty or
 a Cisco support program. In the course of providing support for a Cisco
 networking product Cisco may require that the end user install Cisco
 transceivers if Cisco determines that removing third-party parts will
 assist Cisco in diagnosing the cause of a support issue.

The above command should make it clear that you run the risk of losing support. I’ve used the above commands on Cisco 3750, 3560, and 2960 platforms.

Ultimately it’s the decision of the customer to make the call. Only they can ultimately decide risk versus reward. It’s our job as technology partners to explain the advantages and disadvantages of either approach.

Here are some reference links for additional information:

Third Party Policy:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/prod_warranty09186a00800b5594.html

SFP Invalid Error:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/modules/ps4999/products_tech_note09186a00807a30d6.shtml

Filed Under: Cisco Tagged With: , , ,

Beware the Difference: Cisco New and Everything Else

July 14, 2011 By Michael O'Coners 1 Comment

Many years ago buying Cisco equipment wasn’t complicated. You had the option of buying new or used. Today, however, it has become more complex and much more risky. When buying Cisco you can go with new, NIB, Cisco refurbished, third party refurbished, and used. Here an overview of each:

New:
Product is new in unopened box and genuine. Product should be sourced from an authorized Cisco distributor but often time’s end users and unauthorized Cisco partners will acquire new through another Cisco partner or a used equipment reseller. Buyers beware and keep in mind Cisco’s software licensing policy. The Cisco IOS software license only carries to the end user. If the company purchasing the new equipment is considered the end user the software licenses will not transfer to you when you buy from them. As always consider the seller carefully.

New In Open Box (NIB):
This is a common one to find on auction sites. These are Cisco products that have been opened but never used. Once a Cisco product has been opened and/or it’s seal broken it is no longer new. You can find good deals on these sometimes but buyer should always beware and consider the seller carefully.

Cisco Refurbished:
Product sourced from Cisco’s authorized refurbishing program. This is a great program to find Cisco approved refurbished equipment. You can often time find refurbished hardware at a fraction of the price and very often it looks like new. Here’s a link to more information: http://www.cisco.com/web/ordering/ciscocapital/refurbished/genuinecisco.html

 Third Party Refurbished:
Product undergoes a non-standardized process of “renewal” that varies in quality and legitimacy from one used hardware reseller to the next. This is not Cisco approved. I’ve worked with third-party refurbishing companies in the past. Typically they violate Cisco software licensing by downloading the latest IOS, install on the hardware, and then ensure everything “posts” OK on boot up. Some will even use Cisco-colored appliance paint to make them look new. They then slap a warranty on it and call it “refurbished”.  This works great for some but buyer beware the IOS running on the unit is violating Cisco license policy. Buyer should be aware of seller.

Used:
Equipment that has been used in some capacity and is considered as is. Used can cover all of the above. Always consider the seller. I prefer used with a known history.

When sourcing your Cisco equipment from anywhere but new, consider the following. Even when sourcing used Cisco equipment from reliable used equipment sources we still run across the following problems:

  • Equipment part numbers don’t match serial numbers. This is a big problem when trying to register Cisco Smartnets.
  • Internal equipment components don’t match up to model numbers.
    For instance, we received an ASA5520 firewall with an ASA5510 motherboard. Whereas (and I’m going by cloudy memory here) the ASA5520 has 3 working fans this particular unit only had two and the serial numbers didn’t match.
  • Equipment part numbers don’t match what was purchased.
    For instance, a Cisco wireless access point purchased as the model with an 802.11A and 802.11B/G radio arrives as the model number with 802.11B/G only. One could argue this is an inventory screw up but it occurs frequently when used equipment resellers don’t receive the correct part numbers or understand the part numbers.
  • Existing Smartnet information is still tied (locked) to another end user which makes it difficult to acquire a new Smartnet.

This leads me to Cisco “genuine”. If you hit the auction sites for Cisco equipment you will often see Cisco *genuine* noted on postings. This is caused by the influx of counterfeit Cisco equipment on the market. You heard it – counterfeit Cisco equipment. You know you’ve reached stardom when your product starts getting counterfeited on the black market. These are Cisco products that look like Cisco and function like Cisco but definitely aren’t. My best advice to avoid counterfeit is to buy from a reliable source.

As you can see there are many different types of conditions Cisco equipment can be purchased in. Here’s our advice for purchasing Cisco equipment.

  • Always buy from a trusted source when purchasing for critical network infrastructure.
  • Always buy from a trusted source when purchasing for your employer. I don’t advise putting the company you work for at risk. Don’t be the first guy to get fired for buying on the black market.
  • Buy from wherever you want for lab gear and certifications. Just always note the disclaimers that your software isn’t legal.

Here’s our list of recommended buying conditions.

  1. Buy new when possible and especially for mission critical applications or for your employer.
    If new exceeds your budget your partner should be willing to go to bat for you with Cisco. Although Miocon is an Advanced Unified Communications partner with Cisco we work for our customers, not Cisco. If the customer wants new gear but the cost is too high we go to Cisco for competitive pricing. If nothing else we moved to refurbished gear. Refurbished gear in the end is just like new from a support perspective. I wouldn’t be concerned about cosmetic issues unless buying refurbished phones.  
  2. Buy Cisco genuine refurbished.
    The closest you can get to Cisco new but without the price. Note that availability is always uncertain.
  3. Third party refurbished or used.
    Sometimes our clients need to go this route and that’s fine with me. We just ask you be careful choosing a seller. Look for long standing reputation and good reviews.

So as you can see purchasing Cisco equipment other than new takes some consideration to consider risk versus reward. In a nutshell, work with a trusted partner to ensure that not only are you getting the right equipment but also the best pricing for your budget.

To supplement this article here are some helpful links to additional information provided on Cisco’s website.

Cisco Genuine Refurbished Program
http://www.cisco.com/web/ordering/ciscocapital/refurbished/genuinecisco.html

Non-Entitlement to Cisco Warranty and Service Support of Non-Genuine Cisco Products
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/prod_warranty0900aecd8013f24e.pdf

Cisco Counterfeit
http://www.crn.com/news/channel-programs/226500266/cisco-counterfeiting-on-the-rise.htm;jsessionid=Uym4oYYnbbSsZ4qYt5fWKw**.ecappj01

What to Watch Out For
http://www.cisco.com/web/partners/program/other/brand-protection/protect.html

Filed Under: Cisco Tagged With: , , ,

Reducing Unnecessary Complexities

July 9, 2011 By Michael O'Coners Leave a Comment

Reduce Complexities

Daydreaming back to childhood when the only complicated decision was determining whether to play with my toys or ride my bike I see the sharp contrast between life as I know it now. Unlike the easy days of childhood, as the business owner of Miocon, I now find myself dealing with one complexity after another. Complexities and their challenges are meant to improve a person’s thinking ability, experience, and personal strengths. But too many unnecessary complexities can do quite the opposite and as a result slow you and your business down. In today’s highly competitive market and poor economic recovery, slowing down is not a good direction to find yourself in.

Reducing unnecessary complexity with technology and technology decisions can all start with five simple practices. All of which will be explained in greater depth in future posts. Understand that these practices are ongoing and as a business owner should always take a place in your day to day mindset.

  1. Know Your Information Assets
    Identifying and documenting your business assets as they relate to information technology is hands down the most crucial practice to follow but the most common to miss. If I asked 10 business owners where all their most critical business assets resided, how they are protected, and who has access to them I would, at best, have 1 give me some of the answers. As the owner of my own company, Miocon, I know where my assets are, how they are protected, and who has access. The answers may not always be what I want to hear or may lead to more financial investments but as a business owner I can’t take the risk. I know countless businesses out there that would basically shut down if a couple servers were lost. Imagine the livelihoods of many ending because of a hardware failure! It can happen. You don’t need to know technology to get these answers. Make this a priority. Knowing your information assets makes technology decisions much more clear. Clarity reduces unnecessary complexity.

    2.  

  2. Know Your Technology Environment
    Documentation is critical when it comes to safeguarding operations. Document your network infrastructure, server roles, disaster recovery, vendor contacts, maintenance contracts, ISP contacts, and everything related to your technology. If you are unhappy with your current technology provider or employee it can be very expensive to get a new one up to speed. If you have an employee or technology provider who is unwilling to provide this information or you have to fight with them every time you ask seriously consider getting a new one. It’s your information! Knowledge of your environment allows for much more educated decisions. Educated decisions reduce unnecessary complexity.

    3.  

  3. Know Your Asset Information is Protected
    Accidents and disasters inevitably happen. You’ve heard “If not now than when” right? No matter how good your technology provider is bad things can happen. Just the idea alone of a processor being able to process millions of transactions per second is hard to imagine. Couple that with thousands of other things doing millions of transactions per second and running millions of lines of code…. Well… you probably get it. That’s a lot of moving parts. Long story short is you need to ensure your information assets are backed up and tested on a regular basis. Always seriously consider where the data is backed up, how often, and if it actually works. Knowing your asset information is protected can lead to a better night’s sleep. Better sleep reduces unnecessary complexity.

    4.  

  4. Get a Second Opinion
    Odds are if you are working with a very large technology provider spread across many states and offering everything under the sun you need a second quote or more. After working with many I quickly learned the definition of overhead. We all need to make money in business but there’s always been a big difference between making a killing and making a living. Don’t be afraid to try smaller companies that possess excellent customer and vendor references. Very often you’ll find the smaller companies offer far superior customer service and a much more personable experience. Getting viewpoints from varying angles can either keep the honest people honest or help you avoid silver bullets. Either one reduces unnecessary complexity.

    5.  

  5. Maintain Your Systems
    Maintaining your systems is important for many reasons but for the sake of brevity I’ll focus on three aspects.

    1. Keep your systems up to date with patch management
      This will help keep your bugs and security risks down to a minimum as they relate to software vectors. Feature enhancements can also lead to increased productivity.
    2. Keep your software versions up to date
      By the first year of software release its typically safe to upgrade. By then there are patches and service packs released. Keeping software up to date often yields new feature enhancements for increased end user productivity.
    3. Stay reasonably current with all aspects of information technology
      Staying current provides you with more flexibility and adaptability as other new third party applications arise. Sometimes you can’t avoid the slow software vendors who require an older operating system. Keep in mind that software vendors having dependencies on older software might be cause for concern. If it’s 2011 and they still only run software on Windows 2003 server they may have issues with software development. Look for third party software companies who quickly provide upgrades for the latest operating systems and applications.

      4.  

    6. Systems that are properly maintained tend to be more stable, more secure, and more robust resulting in fewer outages. Fewer outages means less complexity.

Incorporating these practices into your daily mindset won’t make life as care free as childhood but they can reduce unwanted, and unnecessary, complexity in your life. Let’s face it. Life is complex as it is. Why add more to it?

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Miocon Networks Achieves Advanced Unified Communications Specialization from Cisco

June 28, 2011 By Michael O'Coners Leave a Comment

Miocon Networks Achieves Advanced Unified Communications Specialization from Cisco in the United States

Louisville, KY – March 17, 2011 – Miocon Networks (Miocon) announced today that it has achieved the Advanced Unified Communications Specialization from Cisco®. This specialization recognizes Miocon as having fulfilled the training requirements and program prerequisites to sell, deploy and support comprehensive Cisco Unified Communications solutions.

"As a leading provider of technology solutions, we are dedicated to helping businesses strategically plan, design, and implement technology solutions that achieve their business objectives." said Michael O’Coners, President and Owner of Miocon. "Becoming a Cisco Advanced Unified Communications Specialized Partner displays our commitment to providing the best solutions possible in Unified Communications."

"As a Cisco Advanced Unified Communications Specialized Partner, Miocon’s investment in the training required to provide integrated, collaborative and adaptive unified communications solutions rank them among the industry’s most qualified," said Richard McLeod, director of unified communications for worldwide channels at Cisco.

The Cisco Advanced Unified Communications Specialization is designed to help Cisco resale channel partners—whether small to medium-sized businesses or enterprise-scale organizations—meet a wide range of customer needs. It allows partners to focus on unified communications market opportunities that require advanced product knowledge and the ability to deploy solutions over multiple sites and geographies. Cisco Advanced Unified Communications Specialized Partners are specialists in building solutions based on the industry-leading Cisco Unified Communications portfolio. These products include Cisco Unified CallManager, Cisco Unity Connection, Cisco Unity voice messaging and unified messaging, and Cisco Unity Express, Cisco Unified Contact Center Express, Cisco Unified Videoconferencing and Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Express.

The Cisco Resale Channel Program provides partners with the training required to build sales, technical and Cisco Lifecycle Services skills, and then validates their skills through a third-party audit. Cisco resale partner certifications—Select, Premier, Silver and Gold—represent an increasing breadth of skills across key technologies and a partner’s ability to deliver integrated networking solutions. Cisco resale partner specializations—SMB, Express, Advanced and Master—reflect an increasing depth of sales, technical and service expertise in particular technologies. Achieving Cisco Advanced Unified Communications Specialization also provides Miocon with access to comprehensive sales, technical, and lifecycle services training and support available from Cisco.

About Miocon

Founded in 2004, Miocon provides strategic planning, design, and implementation services in synergy with customer business objectives. By understanding the business objectives first Miocon provides far superior "sales oriented" technology solutions that many businesses fall into. "You have to understand the business objectives and determine ways to fix the problems. Once this is accomplished the solution has a higher probability of success." states the President and Owner of Miocon, Michael O’Coners. Located in Louisville, KY, Miocon maintains a team of high-level engineers with proven experience from small business to Fortune 500 companies. For more information on Miocon, please visit www.gomiocon.com.

Cisco, the Cisco logo, Cisco Systems and MeetingPlace are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems Inc. in the United States and certain other countries.

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