Room3.04Floor 3 Network and firewall
Cisco support and hardware
New Cisco switches, Wi-Fi, firewalls and Meraki gear quoted in writing, installed by our own technicians and supported afterwards. We also take over Cisco networks someone else set up.
- Registered Cisco partner
- New gear quoted in writing
- Installed and supported by our team
- Existing Cisco networks taken over
One Cisco partner for the hardware and the support
IT Support Hub is a registered Cisco partner serving offices across Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan and the rest of the GTA. One team quotes your Cisco switches, access points and firewalls, orders them new through Cisco’s authorized channel, installs them, and answers the phone when something on the network stops working.
Buying hardware from one company and support from another often leaves gaps. Nobody owns the licences, the renewal dates or the configuration notes, and every problem starts with a conversation about whose fault it is. When the same people size the switch, configure it and support it, those gaps close.
Cisco is one of three network brands we install and support. If your office runs Fortinet FortiGate or Ubiquiti UniFi instead, our network and firewall support page covers those.
Cisco support for the network you already have
You do not need to buy hardware from us to get help. We support Cisco Catalyst and Meraki networks as they are, including ones set up by a previous provider who left no notes.
The first job is always the same: find out what you have, what software it runs and when its support ends.
What we handle
- Outages and slowdowns: switch ports, VLANs, loops, uplinks and Wi-Fi that drops in one corner of the office
- Software upgrades on Catalyst switches and Cisco firewalls, scheduled outside working hours
- Meraki dashboard administration: networks, Wi-Fi, alerts, admin access and licensing
- VPN and remote access on Cisco firewalls and Meraki MX appliances
- Moves and changes: new desks, phones, printers, cameras and access points
- Documentation: a current network diagram, address plan, admin accounts and serial numbers
Help desk calls about the network are part of our managed IT plan, and an outage reaches a technician through the 24/7 emergency line. Cisco work outside a plan is billed hourly or quoted as a fixed project.
Buying Cisco hardware through us
Send us a list of part numbers, a quote from someone else, or a plain description of your office, and we come back with a written quote. Every item is new, bought through Cisco’s authorized channel, and listed with its licence and support options so you can compare one quote with another line by line.
What happens between the quote and install day
- We check the fit: port count, power for phones, cameras and access points, uplink speeds, and room for the next few years.
- The quote lists hardware, licences and support contracts separately, with the expected lead time for each part.
- Once you approve it, we order the equipment and set up licensing in your company’s own Cisco account, so the licences belong to you.
- Larger orders are configured and tested before install day, which keeps the switch-over short.
- You get the documentation: what was installed, how it is set up, and when each licence and contract renews.
Lead times vary by model. If a part is backordered, we tell you on the quote and suggest an equivalent that is in stock rather than leaving you waiting.
How to get the best price on Cisco gear
The cheapest line on a quote is not always the cheapest network. Cisco pricing depends as much on licences and support terms as on the hardware itself, so we quote competitively and show every part separately. These are the things that actually lower the total, and we look at each one when we quote.
- Size for the next few years, not the next decade. Count the ports, power and uplinks you will use. A 48-port switch where a 24-port one would do is money spent on empty sockets.
- Buy the licence tier you will use. Catalyst 9000 switches and every Meraki device need a licence or subscription, and the higher tiers add features many offices never turn on.
- Line up the renewal dates. Meraki licences and Cisco support contracts can be set to renew on one date each year, which is easier to budget and harder to miss.
- Quote the project, not just the boxes. Hardware and installation priced together show the real cost of the job, and stop a cheap part from turning into an expensive install.
- Bring us in early on larger projects. Cisco sometimes offers project pricing when a partner registers the opportunity before it goes out for quotes.
- Compare like for like. A much lower price can mean a used unit, a different licence tier or no support contract at all.
Already holding a quote from another supplier? Send it over. We will price the same parts and point out anything that looks oversized or missing.
Why the authorized channel matters
Cisco gear sold online at a steep discount is often used, refurbished outside Cisco, or meant for another market. It may power on and work, but Cisco treats it differently. Before you save a few hundred dollars on a switch, check what you give up: the warranty, a support contract, and a licence you are allowed to use.
Cisco’s own relicensing program page spells it out. Used and secondary-market equipment is not covered by the standard Cisco warranty. It cannot be placed under a support contract until Cisco has inspected it and the software has been relicensed, and Cisco software licences do not pass to a new owner unless Cisco’s licence transfer policy allows it.
Everything we supply is new and comes through Cisco’s authorized channel. It carries the standard warranty and qualifies for Cisco support contracts from the day it arrives.
Cisco products we supply and support
Most offices of 5 to 250 people run on a handful of Cisco product lines. The right choice depends less on the logo than on who will manage the network day to day: an in-house IT person who is comfortable on a command line, or an office that wants everything visible in one web dashboard.
| Product line | Good for | Managed from |
|---|---|---|
| Catalyst 1200 and 1300 switches | Small offices that want dependable switching without an ongoing licence. They replace the Cisco Business 250 and 350 series. | Web interface on each switch |
| Catalyst 9000 switches | Larger offices, core switching, stacking and faster uplinks | Command line or Cisco’s management software |
| Meraki switches, access points and MX appliances | Offices that want one cloud dashboard for the whole network, including more than one site | Meraki dashboard in a web browser |
| Cisco and Meraki wireless access points | Office Wi-Fi, guest networks, boardrooms and warehouse floors | Meraki dashboard or a Cisco wireless controller |
| Cisco Secure Firewall and Meraki MX | The edge of the network: firewall rules, VPN for remote staff and intrusion prevention | Cisco firewall management or the Meraki dashboard |
| Cisco routers | Offices with several internet lines or site links that need more routing than a firewall offers | Command line |
We also look after older Cisco equipment that is still in service, such as Catalyst 2960 switches and ASA firewalls, and help you plan their replacement before support ends. Running the Catalyst 1000 series? Our notes on Catalyst 1000 support cover that range.
Cisco licences, support contracts and renewals
A good share of Cisco cost and risk sits in paperwork: device licences, Meraki subscriptions and support contracts such as Smart Net Total Care. We keep track of what you own, when each piece renews and what happens if it lapses, and we quote renewals well before the date instead of after a warning email.
A lapse matters more for some products than others. Meraki’s own licensing documentation says an organization that falls out of licence compliance gets a 30-day grace period, after which its devices stop passing client traffic. A lapsed Cisco support contract does not switch the hardware off, but it ends the replacement parts and software updates that came with the contract.
If a contract has already lapsed, we check what Cisco needs to bring the equipment back under cover and quote that, so you can decide whether renewing or replacing makes more sense.
Planning around Cisco end-of-life dates
Cisco announces an end-of-sale date for each model, followed later by a last date of support, after which there are no more software fixes or repairs under contract. We check your serial numbers against those notices and give you a short list: what is fine, what to budget for next year, and what to replace now.
Replacing on your own schedule costs less than replacing after a failure, when the only switch in stock is the expensive one. Our guide to planning a network refresh covers the budgeting side. Cisco projects are quoted at a fixed price before work starts, with hardware and licences listed separately.
- Cisco switch replacement for an office up to 50 staffFixed quote
- Move from older Cisco gear to MerakiFixed quote
- Wi-Fi refresh with Cisco or Meraki access pointsFixed quote
- Cisco firewall replacement with VPN and multi-factor sign-inFixed quote
- Review of an inherited Cisco networkFixed quote
- Licence and support contract clean-up on one renewal dateFixed quote
Cisco and network guides
Want to read up before you call? These guides cover the questions that come up most often on Cisco networks, from splitting an office into VLANs to choosing and setting up a firewall. They are written for office managers and in-house IT staff rather than network engineers.
Questions people ask
Are you an authorized Cisco reseller?
Yes. IT Support Hub is a registered Cisco partner, and the Cisco hardware we supply is new and bought through Cisco's authorized channel. That keeps the standard warranty in place and makes the equipment eligible for Cisco support contracts from day one.
Can you support Cisco equipment we bought somewhere else?
Yes. We support Cisco Catalyst, Meraki and Cisco firewall equipment as installed, wherever it came from. We start by checking the models, software versions and support status, and we tell you plainly if anything is already past its last date of support.
How do I get a quote for Cisco hardware?
Send us part numbers, an existing quote or a description of what you need, through the ticket form or by email to info@itsupporthub.ca. The written quote lists hardware, licences and support contracts separately, with the expected lead time for each part.
Is Meraki or Catalyst better for a small office?
It depends on who manages the network. Meraki runs everything from one web dashboard and suits offices without a network specialist, but every device needs an active licence. Catalyst 1200 and 1300 switches need no ongoing licence and suit offices with IT staff who prefer to configure each switch directly.
What happens if a Meraki licence expires?
Meraki gives a 30-day grace period after an organization falls out of licence compliance. After that, the devices stop passing traffic until licences are renewed or added. For the Meraki networks we manage, we quote renewals well before the date so it does not come to that.
Can you renew our Cisco support contract?
Yes. We quote renewals of Cisco support contracts such as Smart Net Total Care, and can line them up with your other renewal dates so everything renews together. If a contract has already lapsed, we check what Cisco needs to bring the equipment back under cover.
Tell us what’s going on
Pick how urgent it is and leave a way to reach you. The help desk replies by phone or email. If work has stopped, call 647-812-3775 instead.
Something broken, or something to plan?
For anything urgent, call. A technician answers the emergency line 24/7. For everything else, open a ticket and tell us what is going on.