Gartner Research

Know When It's Time to Replace Enterprise Network Equipment

Published: 04 March 2015

Summary

Network managers must find a balance between maximizing installed equipment lifetime and jeopardizing network availability. To prioritize investments and minimize outages, they must understand factors that affect product life and events that trigger a replacement, then set a strategy for support.

Included in Full Research

  • Key Challenges
  • Set a Policy for Network Equipment Upgrades
    • Four Key Factors That Determine Useful Life
  • Establish Product-Specific Replacement Plans and Support-Level Requirements for the Different Classes of Equipment Within the Network
    • Is the Network Equipment Still Meeting Functional and Performance Requirements?
    • What Impact Will a Failure Have on This Network Element?
    • Is the Device Restricted to Internal Networks or Is It Exposed to the Internet?
    • Is It Part of a System or Does It Operate Stand-Alone?
    • Is There Increasing Risk of Hardware Component Failure?
    • How Stable Is the Deployment?

Analysts:

Mark Fabbi Danilo Ciscato

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