SmartNet and FortiCare Network Support Contracts: Optimize Costs

Manufacturer Support Contracts: SmartNet, FortiCare and Alternatives

April 15, 2026·2 min read·269 words

Cisco SmartNet, FortiCare, Aruba Care and JuniperCare manufacturer support contracts: understand SLAs, select the right service level and negotiate effectively. Cost: 12-20% of the annual price before tax. A guide for CIO support decisions.

Support Levels

Cisco SmartNet

SNT: 8×5xNBD (Next Business Day): ~12% of the annual price before tax
SNTC: includes software updates
SP: 24×7×4h (H+4): ~18%
PSS: Premium Solution Support
Solution Support: for multi-vendor environments / SD-Access

Fortinet FortiCare

FortiCare 24×7: ~15% of the annual price before tax
FortiCare Advanced Services: +5%
FortiCare Premium RMA NBD or 4h
Includes firmware updates

Aruba Care

Foundation Care: basic support
4H Onsite Response
Next Business Day Onsite
Price: 10-18%, depending on the service level

JuniperCare

Core: 24×7 software support + RMA NBD
Premium: 4h onsite RMA
Price: 12-16%

What Support Includes

Firmware/software updates
TAC support (phone + portal)
RMA (replacement of defective hardware)
Access to the knowledge base
Bug fixes
Advance parts replacement (with a paid premium plan)

What Support Does NOT Cover

Deployment / installation
Migration
Architecture consulting
Non-critical cosmetic patches
Feature requests

Negotiation

Volume: 20-40% discount on multi-year contracts
Multi-product bundles
3-5-year commitment: -10-20%
Renewal: 10-20% lower with renegotiation
Invite competing bids from multiple resellers

TPM Alternative

Third-Party Maintenance: -40-60% vs manufacturer support
Park Place, Curvature, SmartBlade
Covers hardware RMA
No firmware coverage (an issue for security patches)
Suitable for stable, post-deployment equipment

When to Purchase Support

Always for critical infrastructure
Optional for lab/dev environments
Consider TPM for secondary sites
Budget: 12-20% of the annual price before tax

Order from OPTINOC

SmartNet + FortiCare + AruCare + JuniperCare from OPTINOC. Volume negotiation + alternative TPM. Quote within 2h.

Frequently Asked Questions

Le contrat SmartNet est-il obligatoire ?

Non, mais sans SmartNet vous n'avez pas accès aux mises à jour logicielles, au TAC Cisco, ni au remplacement matériel. Pour les équipements critiques, SmartNet est indispensable. Pour les équipements non critiques, le support tiers est une alternative.

Quel niveau de SLA choisir ?

8x5xNBD (remplacement jour ouvré suivant) suffit pour 80% des équipements. 24x7x4 (remplacement en 4h) pour les équipements critiques sans redondance. 24x7x2 pour les coeurs de réseau et datacenters. Ne surpayez pas un SLA 24x7 sur un switch d'accès redondé.

Comment réduire le coût du support constructeur ?

Négociez en volume (remise 20-30%). Downgradez le SLA des équipements non critiques. Passez en support tiers pour les équipements en End of Sale. Standardisez pour réduire le nombre de contrats. Le coût moyen peut être réduit de 30-40%.