In this section, you will learn about the differences between warranties and service contracts and how service contracts can dramatically reduce the impact of network downtime.

As you read through the following differences between warranties and service contracts, there is one key point to keep in mind. A service contract is more proactive in that it aims at preventing problems as opposed to reacting once a problem has already occurred.

There is a common misperception that currently exists in the marketplace that warranties and service contracts provide similar features and benefits. There are significant differences between having a Cisco warranty on a piece of hardware versus covering that same piece of hardware under a service contract. There are many features covered under service contracts that are not covered under many Cisco warranties.