Small Business devices support

[fabiolanza]

Hi,

I have a quite complex network requirement at home. Therefore, I purchased one SG350 L3 switch and I am looking forward to purchase a SG250 L2 switch and an ASA 5506-X firewall. However, I want to be sure that I will be able to register my products and keep receiving security patches and new versions of the IOS. I tried to register my SG350 but it seems to be impossible, as I am finding out that Cisco have their eyes closed for small and domestic users.

Having that said, would anyone be able to explain to me how Cisco licenses and device registration works? If I want to buy SmartNET not having purchased my switch via a certified Cisco Partner, would that be possible?

I realized that IOS releases for switches SG250,350 are public and available to be downloaded. However, ASA 5506-X IOS releases are not downloadable. Is it safe to assume that only the Small Business line provide free software updates?

With all this complexness for small users, I am starting to think that Cisco Small Business is not the solution I was hoping to be.

Thanks

[tfitch]

Hello,

The SG350, SG250, and ASA 5506-X products can be supported under SmartNet today. Certain products, but not all,  have extended limited lifetime warranty that allows for software updates under the warranty. This is not limited to the small business products.

If you did not purchased the device from a registered Cisco partner you will not have the licence to use the product. To add an unlicensed device to a SmartNet contract you would first need to have the device re-licensed and inspected.  It would be best to speak to your Cisco partner to discuss this, and also how to add the devices to your SmartNet contract.

Regards, Tim