Why buy Refurbished Networking Hardware?

Global IT Networks has been in the hardware business for nearly a decade now. Using this market experience we have put efforts to understand the various aspects that motivate customers to opt for refurbished/pre-owned/used networking hardware. Our UK Director Serge has observed that it is not just the price that motivates companies, there are other factors that contribute greatly while making this decision. He mentioned that in some cases organizations go for refurbished products because they want to, not because they are compelled to.

I tried to extend this thought and jotted down 3 points that I feel are important factors that our customers think of:


Price- As I mentioned earlier, price is an important factor. IT infrastructure costs can burn a hole in an organizations pocket if not done tactfully. Most of our customers have agreed that they split their needs as per their budget- the products which form a non-critical part are most likely bought in refurbished condition. An organization can save up to 70% of their revamp costs by opting for refurbished.

Availability- A major problem that most companies face in procuring IT hardware is of meeting deadlines. As a thumb rule, suppliers all over the world mention a lead time of 4 weeks in most quotes they provide. This causes an inconvenience when the requirement is urgent (most of them are!). While talking with our customers I realized that non-availability of particular brand new products makes IT Managers opt for refurbished hardware. We at Global IT Networks, provide refurbished products of Cisco, Nortel, Sun, Cabletron, 3Com, Juniper, Extreme, Lucent, Avaya, IBM and HP within a few days.

Quality Assurance- Refurbished hardware by definition warrants a certification of the product quality from the reseller. That being said, most tech-savvy organizations have started realizing the true merits of refurbished hardware. A close friend of mine who is an IT Manager in a software firm told me that all his vendors provide quality products. Global IT Networks has a testing facility where our engineers test the components for their performance. In case of any problem we also provide a replacement warranty of one year.


Umesh Kulkarni
Director-Sales
Global IT Networks
http://www.globalitnetworks.in/

Hardware resale industry’s growth in recent years

As long as I can remember, buying ‘used’ or ‘secondhand’ was always frowned upon as it was considered synonymous to ‘not working’. It was also assumed that a used product will be of inferior quality. There are even a lot of horror stories of organizations being ripped of by people selling inferior quality products and passing them off as refurbished.

However, in recent years the general outlook towards the reselling industry has changed. Organizations look at used networking equipment not only as a cost saving option but also a means to join the green revolution. We identify below reasons that have helped this change:

1) Cost:
Cost being the driving factor for organizations to invest in technology, used or refurbished networking hardware is where they can actually save money. Opting for used hardware companies can reduce their IT costs up to 90%. Buying used routers or switches can save the company thousands of dollars.

2) Ever increasing Quality:
Many online hardware resellers are gaining reputation for excellent customer service, better buy back offers and unbelievable discounts. And it is not unfounded. With the products getting better, the resellers are getting better products to offer.

3) Green Revolution:
Almost all the Fortune 500 companies are investing the greener technologies and promising ecofriendly business practices. A part of which is recycling used hardware and finding use of these equipments. Reusing network equipments avoids the scrapping of hardware.

4) Ready Availability:
Typically, brand new hardware has a lead time of months, as opposed to a couple of days in the case of used hardware. With huge stock holding most resellers are offering services like instant quote and immediate delivery upon confirmation. Global IT Networks has an extensive inventory in its two warehouses.

5) Customer Service:
Resellers are all over are switching to developed work processes to provide the customer better support. This includes offering best discounts, assuring quality products, arranging after sales support and respecting customer deadlines.

Umesh Kulkarni

Direct-Sales

Global IT Networks

http://www.globalitnetworks.in/

Cost cutting on IT Infrastructure

The recent economic downturn has made all IT companies think hard about their costs and so most IT managers are coming up with cost saving proposals. IT hardware sales too have seen a dip in profits and most IT companies are looking to cut costs. The manufacturing sector too has on an average reduced their expenditure on IT hardware in the last couple of quarters.

That being said, things in the networking hardware business have started to look better. With increased profitability, business houses are again looking forward to an IT infrastructure revamp. In the recent pasts our clients too have approached us with orders demanding very competitive pricing on the routers switches and other networking paraphernalia.

This has made Global IT Networks realize the true potential of our experience in the networking hardware business. We are in a unique position to offer our customers the best discounts on listed products- be it used or brand new.

Umesh Kulkarni

Director-Sales

http://www.globalitnetworks.in/