Network Got You Down? A Support Contract Can Help
Posted by Anthony Pagliaro on Tue, May 15, 2012 @ 12:00 PM
Due to increasing demands on your current technology, it's time to make sure you're not straining your network, but instead minimizing the amount of downtime that occurs. This article came from Cisco's Small Business Blog.
The right service plan can maximize network uptime and minimize lost revenues
New products and technologies, increasing mobility among employees, the need for round-the-clock access to company data and resources—these are just some of the factors driving small businesses’s growing dependence on their networks. This makes network downtime costly for any small business. According to Infonetics Research, unplanned network downtime costs companies an average of 3.6 percent revenue per year. And that doesn’t include the incalculable cost of damage to your business’s reputation caused by the downtime.
To minimize network downtime and ensure your network is available for employees to connect, collaborate, and communicate with customers and partners as well as each other, you may want to consider a support contract. A service plan will not only help protect your company’s technology investment, but it can also help save lost revenue and customers.
Get the most out of your investment
If you’re just embarking on building a small business network or adding solutions to better secure your data and enhance employee productivity, you want to make sure your network is performing at the optimal level. A support plan can help ensure that your network runs smoothly and at peak performance while also making your business more efficient.
A service contract like Cisco Small Business Support Service delivers essential support so you get the most out of your technology investment. Small Business Support Service provides quick resolution to network problems with such features as next-business-day hardware replacement and access to technical expertise via phone and online. In addition, the Cisco support plan includes software updates, which help ensure the operational health of your network.
Complement your internal IT staff
If you rely on your network to run your business 24/7 and a network issue affects business-critical systems, you need to resolve the problem—and fast. A support plan, such as Cisco SMARTnet Service, can complement your in-house technical staff to resolve complicated problems quickly and get your business up and running again.
The SMARTnet Service provides fast access to network specialists who have experience in diagnosing the toughest problems. The plan also provides software updates as well as flexible hardware replacement options, including 2-hour, 4-hour, and next business day, depending on your needs. In addition, you get access to an online knowledgebase, communities, and tools for troubleshooting assistance.
Networks are critical to connecting your company to customers and those customers to your products and services. A technical issue that results in network downtime can cost your business revenue and customers. A support plan can help minimize downtime which in turn can help your company save money and serve customers better.
How has network downtime cost your small business?