Product Selection and Outsourcing

When recommending a router product, we generally steer away from platforms such as the
700 series. The limitations of the platform and the differences in command syntax generally add
to the total cost of ownership, and the price difference, with discounts, is generally not that significant
compared to IOS-based routers. Of course, when magnified over thousands of routers,
a $200 difference per unit is suddenly $200,000 or more. Corporate budgets might bristle at that
increase unless the consultant or designer can justify the extra expense with extra benefits.
One alternative that some companies choose is outsourcing their remote access platforms.
This generally appears as a lease, which can be advantageous to the accountants and can offload
the support and repair functions from the staff.