Datasheet

Connect Directly to the Network Experts at Cisco
When a network problem is affecting business-critical systems, you want fast access
to technology experts with experience in diagnosing the toughest problems. Cisco
SMARTnet Service connects you directly to the Cisco TAC, staffed by Cisco professionals
certified in a broad range of Cisco foundational and advanced technologies. The Cisco
TAC employs a sophisticated system that automatically routes your service request to the
appropriate technology team and automatically escalates your case to the next level of
support if it is not resolved within a specified time frame.
TheCiscoTACisavailable24hoursaday,365daysayeararoundtheworld,withsupport
available in local languages. If your assigned TAC engineer changes for any reason before
your service request is resolved, a personal handoff is completed between all parties
to provide service continuity through issue resolution. You can interact with Cisco TAC
engineers in a way that is most convenient and useful for you, including email, telephone,
web-based collaboration, and even a state-of-art, face-to-face discussion using Cisco
WebEx
®
collaboration. Live chat is ready to help you through a service request submission,
and online video collaboration is the perfect option for a virtual troubleshooting session.
To confirm the right remediation action, Cisco engineers can test solutions in a laboratory
environment that simulates your network. These simulation labs are equipped with Cisco
device and technology solutions so that an engineer can accurately mirror a customer IT
configuration to make sure a proposed solution will solve your problem. Throughout a TAC
engagement the goal of every Cisco engineer is to use the best resources at hand to solve
your issues and empower your staff through active knowledge transfer.
Gain Critical Insight with Embedded Diagnostics
WiththeSmartCallHomefeatureoftheCiscoSMARTnetService,yougetproactive,
detailed diagnostics and real-time alerts on core network devices to help you identify and
resolve issues even more quickly, conserving valuable staff time and improving network
availability.SmartCallHomeisavailableoncallhome-capabledevices,suchastheCisco
Catalyst
®
6500SeriesSwitches.Devicesequippedwiththecallhometechnologycon-
tinuously monitor their own health and automatically notify you of potential issues
using encrypted, authenticated transmissions. If a serious problem arises, Smart Call
HomeautomaticallygeneratesaservicerequestwiththeCiscoTACthatisroutedtothe
right team for your particular problem. Cisco is adding the call home capability to many of
its current and new products over time. Visit www.cisco.com/go/smartcall to see the latest
list of call home-enabled Cisco products.
Extract More Value from Your Network with Online OS Updates
Protectyourinvestmentandextendthelifeofyournetworkwithanytime,onlineaccess
to the latest operating system software updates within your licensed feature set. Rather
thanpurchaseOSsoftwareupdatesindividually,asupportcontractsavesyoutimeand
moneybycoveringthecostofupdates,includingbothminorandmajorreleaseswithin
your licensed feature set. These updates enhance your existing equipment with the latest
features such as advanced security, regulatory compliance, and greater network capacity,
potentially adding years of service and improved performance to your network.
TheCiscoSMARTnetServiceincludesapersonalizedSoftwareAdvisor,availablethrough
the Cisco.com web portal, to keep you advised about which new software releases are
available for your Cisco network devices. Users download millions of copies of operating sys-
temandapplicationsoftwareeachmonth.However,onlyCiscocustomerswithsupport
contractsareauthorizedtoaccessthesoftware-relatedtoolsontheCisco.comportalto
helpidentifythelatestversionsofOSandapplicationsfortheirequipment,troubleshoot
software bugs, and migrate to the most current software features.
Facts About TAC Engineers
• Thousandsofexpertnetworkingtech-
nologistswithspecializedcertications
• Morethan500engineerswithCCIE
®
certification
• Averagemorethanveyearsoftechnical
support experience
• Computerscience/electricalengineering
degrees
© 1992–2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
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Data Sheet
“CiscoSmartCallHome
allowed me to fix a network
problem in about an hour that
would have typically taken
one of my staff two days to
troubleshoot.”
—MikeDeDecker,CCIE
WarnerPacificInsurance
Services
RatherthanpurchaseOSsoftware
updates individually, a support contract
saves you time and money by cover-
ing the cost of updates, including both
minorandmajorreleaseswithinyour
licensed feature set.