What is Cisco Hardware?

Cisco is a global supplier of all things technology. Be it voice, networking, or cybersecurity, Cisco has something for every business. 

In technology, hardware describes the physical components of a network or computing device such as the CPU, switch, router, and anything you can physically touch. On the other side of things; software refers to any set of instructions that can be stored and run by the hardware, be it a game, editing tools, or more complex scripts. Cisco provides both hardware and software solutions at a corporate enterprise and small business level.  

Cisco Hardware can be condensed into three major categories, and a fourth experimental category: 

Data 

These are products that are used in data transmission across a network and include: 

• Datacentre products, including Nexus Switches  
• Routers, including the 800 Series, Integrated Services Router, Network Convergence System (NCS) 6000, and Carrier Routing System  
• Security appliances, including the ASA, ASA-X, ASA-CX, ASA with FirePOWER, PIX 500 series, Cisco Security Manager, Email Security Appliance (ESA), Web Security Appliance (WSA), and Content Security Management Appliance (SMA) 
• Catalyst switches 

• Teleworker/Remote Connectivity products such as Cisco LAN2LAN Personal Office for ISDN, and VPN 3000 Concentrators 
• Cisco Wireless LAN products like Access Points, PCI/PCMCIA/USB Wireless LAN Adaptors, Wireless LAN Controllers (WLC), Wireless LAN Solutions Engines (WLSE), Wireless Control System (WCS), Location Appliances, and long-range antennas 

Telephony Products 

This includes all physical products linked to telecommunications, be it video or voice. 

• Collaboration Systems such as Cisco TelePresence and Cisco WebEx boards 

• IP Telephony (VoIP), Servers and Appliances 
• Cisco Unified IP Phones  

Servers & Application Appliances 

These are items that perform server-balancing, resource management, and network traffic control tasks 

• Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure  

• Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) 
• Unified Computing and Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS), virtual server platform 
• Cisco Application Control Engine (ACE) 
• Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers  
• Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers  

• Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects 

Experimental 

These are items that have an incredibly niche market and mainly focus on developing space communication. 

• CLEO (Cisco Low Earth Orbit Router) – a router developed and integrated into the UK-DMC Disaster Monitoring Constellation Satellite  

• IRIS (Internet Routing In Space) – a further development on the CLEO technology that created internet connection for in-space projects from the Intelsat control tower 

Where can I get Cisco Hardware? 

You can obtain Cisco hardware through their certified retailers. These are organisations that have obtained the relevant certifications appropriate to their partnership level and are licensed by Cisco to retail their products, saving you from the perils of the grey market. 

Here at Chulo, part of the Ampito Group, we are a Cisco Premier partner, meaning we have passed all the appropriate certifications and established ourselves as a knowledgeable and proficient entity in the hardware market. We specialise in second-user hardware that has been refurbished to its full capacity via the Cisco Refresh program, giving our customers the ability to maximise their IT budgets with up to 75% off the retail price as-new. In addition to our partnership with Cisco, which gives us access to the full Cisco Refresh inventory, we have over 30 years of IT experience and can match your network with budget-friendly solutions to tick all your networks boxes. 

Browse our online store or contact a Chulo specialist for quotes and advice tailored to your requirements.