Cisco Smart Care Service

Transcription

1 About Cisco Smart Care Cisco Smart Partner Q&A

2 Care Managed About Cisco Smart Q. What is Cisco Smart? Cisco Smart is a unique, proactive services platform that allows Cisco Certified to build upon Cisco networking expertise, methodologies, technical tools, and service infrastructure to create new, personalized services for their customers. The service provides partners with the capabilities needed to offer the networklevel insight, traditional maintenance, and proactive network services their small and medium-sized business (SMB) and midsize customers require; it also helps partners differentiate their business in the commercial marketplace. With the core capabilities of Cisco Smart Care Service, partners can provide their customers with: Remote monitoring and repair of Cisco devices and software applications* Proactive health checks and periodic assessments of Cisco network foundation, voice, and security technologies to identify potential issues Technical support for all Cisco hardware and software in the network with a single networkwide maintenance contract Next business day (NBD) advance replacement of Cisco devices with an option to upgrade individual devices to 4-hour coverage (onsite service not included) Proactive notifications to simplify the updating of Cisco devices Assessment and preparation services to simplify the addition of new technologies and applications over time Disaster recovery services to back up the customer s routers, switches, and security solutions to a remote location and easily restore the network in the event of a disaster For the end customer, Cisco Smart is a comprehensive networkwide service that offers proactive network monitoring, health checkups, diagnostics, and software repairs in addition to technical support for their entire Cisco network in a single contract. Service is delivered through a local Cisco Certified Partner that works with Cisco to provide a superior service experience. Purchasing Cisco Smart from a Cisco Certified Partner is a way for SMB and midsize customers to verify that their network is secure, reliable, and functioning optimally so that they can improve their employee productivity, increase customer responsiveness, and get the most from their technology investments. Cisco Smart gives customers greater visibility into network performance and greatly reduces the time and effort necessary to help ensure that their networks are running efficiently. Cisco Smart brings together the complementary strengths of Cisco and our qualified partners to deliver a consistently excellent service experience. This joint service offering combines Cisco s networking expertise and best practices together with local partners business knowledge, in-depth understanding of customer needs, and personalized service offerings. * See Table 1 in the section for a list of eligible devices and software applications covered by Cisco Smart. Q. What is included for partners in Cisco Smart? Cisco Smart includes: Dashboard visibility into a customer s network to remotely monitor performance and correct potential problems Periodic assessment and repair services to identify potential network health and security issues Single-use network health and security assessments to provide assessments as a one-time professional service or to demonstrate the value of the annual service to prospective customers 1

3 Care Managed Assess and prepare services to simplify the addition of new technologies and applications over time Next-business-day (NBD) advance hardware replacement to the end user for the entire network, with the option to upgrade individual devices to premium 4-hour coverage (onsite service not included) Customizable alert services to send or text notifications of any issue in customer networks Proactive notifications of any end-of-life Cisco devices in customer networks Disaster recovery services to remotely back up customer network configurations Partner access to the Cisco Center (TAC) for escalations ( take all calls from the customer and are required to address level 0 and level 1 calls.) Software updates and maintenance releases for qualified Cisco applications Cisco IOS Software support, including maintenance releases and patches, minor releases and major releases, and access to Cisco. com and the Cisco Smart portal and tools A single, network-level service contract covering all qualified Cisco devices in the customer s network (See Table 1 in the section for a list of eligible devices and software applications covered by Cisco Smart.) Q. How does Cisco define network coverage? Network coverage means that the customer covers Cisco devices** in the network with a single service contract that includes proactive network health checkups, remote monitoring, diagnostics, and software repairs in addition to technical support delivered through their local Cisco Smart Certified Partner. The customer gets the same high level of service across the network. Since this service is designed to serve the needs of small and medium-sized customers, coverage is limited to SMB-class products that those businesses typically purchase. The customer may not purchase Cisco Smart if some of their network equipment is not SMB-class. ** Most SMB-class and some enterprise-class Cisco products are eligible to be covered by Cisco Smart. For more information about eligible products, see Table 1 in the section. Q. If a customer already has another Cisco service contract on some devices, such as Service or Shared Support, can they get Cisco Smart? Yes. The customer can choose to cover their entire Cisco network with Cisco Smart, even if they currently have Cisco SMARTnet, Shared Support, or another Cisco service. Cisco Smart will be applied to the uncovered products, and at the renewal time for the other service contracts, they will be converted to Cisco Smart Care Service. For more information, see the Pricing section. Q. Why should partners sell Cisco Smart? Cisco Smart helps partners expand their business opportunities by providing a proactive services platform on which they can build the next generation of personalized services that promote higher profit margins, recurrent revenue, and long-lasting customer relationships. Cisco Smart Care platform enables partners to: Improve profitability by transitioning to a service-led model, which can result in higher profit margins and predictable, recurring revenue. Differentiate their business by developing personalized services for small and midsize customers. Increase customer loyalty by combining the complementary service advantages of Cisco and the partner to deliver an exceptional service experience to customers. 2

4 Care Managed Grow their service business through a collaborative go-to-market strategy with Cisco. Benefit from a simpler way of doing business with Cisco. Q. Why should customers buy Cisco Smart? Cisco Smart provides customers the following benefits: The opportunity to choose the level and type of network coverage to best support the size and complexity of their business Increased network visibility with the information partners need to efficiently manage and continually improve customer networks Ongoing monitoring and periodic assessments of network health, availability, and security to protect and optimize essential network applications, communications, and business operations so problems can be addressed before they affect business functionality Enhanced business continuity through disaster recovery capabilities that remotely back up network routing, switching, and security configurations, allowing the quick restoration of the network to its prior working order in the event of a disaster A single service contract that covers all Cisco devices to simplify contract management and maintenance requirements Combined strengths of Cisco, the industry leader in networking, with a local value-add reseller provides SMB and midsize customers with network care and improvement planning to keep the network efficient and secure Q. Who is the target customer for Cisco Smart? The Cisco Smart is designed for SMB and midsize businesses with between 5 and 105 Cisco network devices on their network (IP phones and software licenses are covered but not counted as devices). Target customers primarily or exclusively use Cisco networking devices and lack sufficient in-house resources with networking expertise, or have qualified IT staff but choose to save time and effort maintaining and optimizing their network to help ensure higher network security, availability, and performance. Customers whose networks are not within the Cisco Smart supported devices or include any excluded product family at the contract s inception are not eligible for the service. For more information about eligible devices and device weighting, see the Pricing section. Q. Is there a limit to the number of network users Cisco Smart can support on any one network? Cisco Smart is sold based on the number and class of devices on the network. The lower limit of 5 devices is equivalent to about 50 network users; the upper limit of 105 devices is equivalent to a network with about 600 active users. Note: The estimate of 50 to 600 network users range represents the number of active, concurrent users on the network. In some industries, such as manufacturing or healthcare, many employees only occasionally access the network, so the number of employees in a business could be much higher. Q. Is Cisco Smart a good option for businesses that want to add voice to their network? Yes. Successful IP voice implementation requires more than simply deploying an IP call processing solution and IP phones. A company needs a network that prioritizes voice services, provides the necessary bandwidth and processing resources, and is protected from common networking issues that have negligible effects on other services but that significantly impact voice quality. With the Cisco Smart, a qualified Cisco partner backed by extensive tools and in-depth training from Cisco provides a comprehensive analysis to determine whether the network meets these requirements before the customer invests in IP voice technologies. The assessment tools include voice traffic injection capabilities and detailed measurements of the delay, jitter, and loss in the customer network. The assessment also provides a mean opinion score (MOS) for the customer network the industry-standard scoring criteria for IP voice circuits. 3

5 Care Managed Through this evaluation, the Cisco partner provides detailed information about everything the network requires (including any devices or links that must be replaced and any operating systems that must be upgraded) to successfully support IP voice and helps create a smoother, more successful implementation. According to a 2005 Cisco survey of companies with IP voice solutions, nearly 90 percent of customers that performed a presales assessment of their network s voice capabilities reported that they were pleased with the solution. Alternatively, approximately 80 percent of those companies that did not perform such assessments were dissatisfied. Q. How is Cisco Smart different from other services? Unlike traditional maintenance services, Cisco Smart provides you with a proactive services platform that provides tools to deliver both traditional maintenance and proactive services, including: Q. What options does a customer have for hardware replacement (example, NBD, 4-hour, 2-hour)? How will customers with current 2-hour contracts be supported until their existing contracts expire? The base-level Cisco Smart contract provides NBD hardware replacement. also have the flexibility to upgrade individual devices to a premium 4-hour hardware replacement option. (Note: The 4-hour option does not include onsite service.) If customers with an existing 2-hour contract purchase Cisco Smart, their existing Cisco SMARTnet contracts will be honored for the duration of that contract. As each device s contract expires, it will be automatically migrated to the Cisco Smart and the pricing adjusted when applicable. Therefore, a customer that has a current 2-hour Cisco SMARTnet contract will still be able to get that hardware replacement level until their current Cisco SMARTnet contract expires. Proactive remote monitoring for visibility into the health, security, and availability of the network Q. What steps are taken to help ensure that network data sent to Cisco is secure? Assessment and repair services Customizable alert services A network appliance or software application on the network continuously collects data about the health of the network. This data is sent to Cisco Disaster recovery capabilities over a secure HTTPS connection and is analyzed. Cisco communicates Technical support to the partner for level 2+ issues ( take all calls from the customer and are required to address level 0 and level 1 calls.) network performance and security assessments to the customer and authorized partner over a secure HTTPS connection. Q. How does Cisco use information from customer networks? NBD advance hardware replacement for Cisco devices, with the option to upgrade individual devices to 4-hour coverage (onsite service not included) Cisco uses device information from customer networks to provide the customer and the customer s authorized partner with the information they need to assess the health, security, and availability of the network Simplified addition of new technologies and applications over time with assessment and preparation services and make repairs. Cisco also uses this information to improve future software and hardware offerings. Neither Cisco nor the partner has A single contract that covers all qualified Cisco devices on access to the data that passes through the network. the network 4

6 Care Managed Q. Can the Smart Care dashboard alert/notification be integrated with our existing network management platform (for example, What s Up Gold, Solarwinds, and so on) using something like Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) alert notification? Cisco Smart includes a customizable / text message alerting feature. This feature can be customized to integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) platforms and troubleticket systems that support case input capability. Q. What are the disaster recovery capabilities in the Cisco Smart? Cisco Smart includes service capabilities partners can use to help their customers ensure business continuance in the event of a major outage. The Cisco Smart Care appliance automatically backs up configuration information for all of the customer s Cisco routers, switches, and security devices running Cisco Catalyst OS, Cisco IOS Software, and Cisco Security Device Manager. At the customers discretion, this information can be stored at the partner location or another off-site location, allowing partners to quickly restore the customer s network to its prior working order in the event of a major disaster. Cisco Smart Q. What new service capabilities are available in Cisco Smart Care Service? enhances Cisco Smart with several new capabilities to make the service easier to use and generate even more value to Cisco partners and their customers. New capabilities in include: The ability to offer one-time network health, security, and voice assessments as a professional service both to generate revenues on a per-project basis and to demonstrate the value of the annual service to prospective customers Enhanced voice readiness assessments that support traffic injection to accurately measure jitter, delay, and loss in customer networks, and provide an MOS The ability to upgrade individual devices in the customer network from NBD advance replacement coverage to premium 4-hour parts replacement (onsite service not included) Failsafe capabilities to allow engineers to remotely interact with and debug customer network devices manually using Telnet or Secure Shell (SSH) Protocol, if necessary Customizable /text message alert notifications that notify partners of any issues in a customer network and can integrate with CRM and trouble-ticket systems that support -based case input Enhanced security assessment capabilities that evaluate customer networks against 80 rules from the U.S. National Security Agency for security best practices, as well as 30 rules for security best practices from the Cisco TAC Disaster recovery capabilities to remotely back up the configuration of Cisco routers, switches, and security devices running Cisco Catalyst OS, Cisco IOS Software, and Cisco Security Device Manager and restore the customer network to its prior working order in the event of a major disaster Enhanced localization of Cisco Smart, with availability in Spanish as of May 2008 and support for additional languages planned for the future 5

7 Care Q. Do sales go through Encover in all countries? Managed Q. Where is Cisco Smart available? Currently, Smart Care is generally available in Europe, the United States, and Canada and will be available globally in phases. Refer to the Theater Availability table at smartcare/theater_availability.html for updates on availability. Q. What components of the Cisco Smart platform will be localized? The intention is to localize the support experience for partners and customers. Cisco is currently working with its local contacts and functional groups to determine the optimized feasible localization solution for each market. The service is available in English and Spanish as of May The roadmap includes plans to roll out additional languages in the future. Table 1. Supported by Cisco Smart Technology In some countries, sales will go through distributors. The distributor list for these countries continues to be developed. Currently, the following countries will have sales go through distributors: Argentina, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Q. What products does Cisco Smart support? Cisco Smart supports a broad range of SMB-class products, which are organized into six technology groups. (See Table 1.) This list is continually updated as Cisco introduces new products into this market segment. For the most up-to-date product list, review the Smart Supported Devices document at Go to Smart Care Resources, and look under the Tools section. Routers Cisco SOHO 70 Series Routers; Cisco SOHO 90 Series Secure Broadband Routers; Cisco 800 and 1600 Series Routers; Cisco 1700 Series Modular Access Routers; Cisco 1800, 2800, and 3800 Series Integrated Routers; Cisco 2500 Series Access Servers; Cisco 2600 and 3600 Series Multiservice Platforms; Cisco 3200 Series Wireless and Mobile Routers; Cisco 3700 Series Multiservice Access Routers; Cisco SN 5400 Series Storage Routers; and Cisco 7200 Series VPN Routers Switches Cisco Catalyst Express 500 Series Switches; Cisco Catalyst 2900, 2940, 2950, 2955, 2960, 2970, 3550, 3560, 3750, 4000, 4500, 4900, 5000, and 6500 Series Switches; and Cisco Catalyst 3500 XL Series Switches Voice Technologies Security Technologies Wireless Technologies Cisco CallManager Series, Cisco CallManager Express Series, Cisco MCS Series, Cisco MeetingPlace Express, Cisco IPCC Express, Cisco Unity Series, Cisco Unity Express Series, Cisco Unity Connection Series, Cisco Unity Server Series, Cisco Unity Software Series; Cisco IP Phone Series Cisco ASA Series, Cisco PIX 500 Series Cisco Aironet 1000 Series Lightweight Access Point; Cisco Aironet 1100 Series Access Point; Cisco Aironet 1130 AG, 1200, 1230 AG, 1240 AG Access Point; Cisco Aironet 1300 Series; Cisco Aironet 1300 Series Wireless Bridge: Cisco Aironet 1400 Wireless Bridge; Cisco Aironet 1500 Series Outdoor Mesh Access Point; and Cisco Aironet access points 6

8 Care Managed Q. Why are some products excluded from Cisco Smart Care Service? Since this service is designed for small to midsize businesses, coverage is limited to products that those companies typically purchase. Cisco has included products that are commonly used by businesses of all sizes, such as Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches. However, most enterprise-class products are excluded from this service. For more specific information about what products are included, see the product list in Table 1. Q. What devices are excluded? ly, any device detected will be added to the customer s contract, will be eligible for entitlement, and will be considered during the quarterly pricing reviews. It is reasonable to anticipate that customers will have devices in their networks that might need to be excluded from the Cisco Smart contract. Reasons for the exclusions may include, but are not limited to: Cisco or partner-provided test, lab, or demo gear Service provider-owned gear The partner may request that these devices be excluded from the Cisco Smart contract through the Service Support Center (SSC). The request will be reviewed by a Cisco Smart administrator, and, if approved, excluded devices will be marked on the inventory as excluded and, if appropriate, removed from the Cisco Smart contract. There is no need to request exclusions for the following devices: The Smart Care appliance Devices no longer in the Smart Care inventory Third-party devices Personal computers network cover that product with another service and cover the rest of their network with Cisco Smart? No. If a customer has a nonqualifying product on the network, that customer is not eligible for Cisco Smart. Q. Will older Cisco devices be supported, for example, a Cisco 2503 Router? This depends on the device. When an end-of-support notice is issued, affected devices will no longer be covered. Talk to your Cisco service account manager about replacement strategies. Q. If a customer purchases a nonqualifying Cisco product, what happens to the network-level support contract? If a customer purchases a nonqualifying Cisco product, then that customer will no longer be eligible for Cisco Smart and will have to transition to a different service coverage. Cisco wants to help ensure that customers will be able to continue to get the highquality service they signed up for, and Cisco Smart is not designed to provide support on enterprise-class products. Partner Q. What qualifications do partners need to sell and support Cisco Smart? At a minimum, you must be a Cisco Select, Premier, Silver, or Gold Certified Partner and must have passed the Cisco Smart exam. If you meet these requirements, you can sell and support Cisco Smart for small and medium-sized networks that contain basic Cisco routing, switching, security, and storage technology products. For networks with basic or advanced voice technology products, you must also hold an Express Unified Communications Specialization or Advanced Unified Communications Specialization, respectively. Additionally, you must be able to provide 8x5 support Q. Can a customer that has a nonqualifying product on their 7 to your customers.

9 Care Managed Q. May Global Service Alliance (GSA) and Regional Service Q. How do increased specialization/certification levels affect my Alliance (RSA) partners offer Cisco Smart? registration with Smart Care? GSA and RSA partners can qualify to offer Cisco Smart Based on the eligibility requirements for Smart Care at if they meet the minimum partner eligibility requirements. If a GSA or web/partners/services/programs/smartcare/offer.html, if your company RSA partner chooses to offer Cisco Smart, the GSA or acquires one of the higher specializations that make you eligible for a RSA benefits will not be applied to Cisco Smart. Cisco higher Cisco Smart Care access level, your Cisco Smart Care access Smart does not include rebates or discounts; GSA and level will be automatically increased. This will allow you to support and RSA partners will not be able to apply the strategic alliance benefits they sell Cisco Smart Care for more complex customer networks. receive to Cisco Smart. Q. Is there a Smart Care specialization or certification? Q. What if it says I am not qualified to register? Yes, there is a Smart Care specialization as well as an SMB Select There are specific eligibility criteria that your partner company needs certification. For more information on the SMB Select certification, visit to have before registering for the Cisco Smart Care program. Visit the program homepage at programs/smartcare/offer.html to review those criteria. If you think that your company meets the criteria, visit the Partner Self-Service tool at Q. How can I familiarize myself with Cisco Smart? to validate if the appropriate certifications/specializations are in place. You can go to for details on Cisco Smart. This site includes data sheets; at-a-glance documents; A second reason could be that your partner company does not reside in a demo overview of the program and all of the tools; overviews of the one of the countries in which the Cisco Smart Care program is currently network health, security, and voice assessments; and much more. The generally available. Visit the Partner Self-Service tool to validate your Offer the Service section of the Website will guide you through a fivephase decision-making process to get you started with offering Cisco company s address information, and refer to the Theater Availability table at Smart, from building your value proposition to delivering theater_availability.html for updates on availability. the service to customers. Interactive tools such as the Financial Q. What if the portal does not recognize/show all the Modeling tool and LabOps allow you to go through various scenarios certifications/specializations my company has? that will help you make more informed decisions. If you have just recently acquired a new certification or specialization, Q. Where should I go when deciding to offer Cisco Smart Care it might not yet have been updated on your profile. To verify, visit the Service? Partner Self-Service tool at The Offer the Service section on the Smart Care Website ( GETLOG/welcome.do to view your certifications and specializations and com/go/smartcare) will take you through a five-phase decision-making to report any issues. 8 process. The five phases are: Understanding the Smart Care value proposition Building your business case

10 Care Managed Building your service offering Incorporating into your business model Selling and delivering Smart Included in these five phases are the relevant documentation and tools to guide you through the decision-making stage. Q. How do I become eligible to register for Cisco Smart? Each geographic region may have additional requirements, but the following are the general steps to register for Cisco Smart : Step 1: Review Minimum Partner Eligibility Requirements 1. Confirm theater availability for your partner location 2. Hold a Select, Premier, Silver or Gold Cisco partner certification 3. Agree to provide technical support (8x5 business hours self-certify) 4. Complete live or online training (self-certify) 5. Pass the Cisco Smart online test (free to partners; one person from partnership needs to pass) Step 2: Get Trained and Take the Online Test: The Cisco Smart e-learning contains several role-based training paths (including owner/manager, account manager, systems engineer, and sales operations/administrative). It is available to you at no cost. To view the entire range of training offered, visit the Cisco Smart Care e-learning site at asp?url= Partner eligibility to participate in the Cisco Smart program requires a partner sales or systems engineer, or equivalent, to pass the Cisco Smart online eligibility test. This test is focused on the installation, configuration, and use of the Cisco Smart delivery tools. Only one member of your partner organization is required to pass the test to meet eligibility. The test must be passed before your organization can successfully register for the Cisco Smart program. Testing URL: There are two different tests associated with the systems engineering training path modules. The systems engineer or equivalent only needs to pass the test that matches their partner organization service level. (See notes following each test title.) The tests are: Cisco Smart Care Base + Voice: Pass this test to sell level 3 and level 4 of Smart Care (unified communications) Cisco Smart Care Base: Pass this test to sell level 1 and level 2 of Smart Care (foundation technology and security). Step 3: Register to Begin Offering Cisco Smart When your systems engineer has passed the online test and you meet the other eligibility requirements described in step 1, you may register to offer Cisco Smart Care by filling out a simple registration form. Note: You must wait 72 hours after your systems engineer (or equivalent) has passed the test before attempting to register for Cisco Smart. Step 4: Sign Up for Smart Care Quoting and Ordering Service After being accepted in the Cisco Smart program, you will be invited by to register with the Cisco Smart quoting and ordering service. Step 5: Begin Selling Smart Care Now that you are officially registered to start offering Cisco Smart Care Service, you can begin using all of the online marketing, selling, and delivery tools through the Cisco Smart Care control panel. 9

11 Care Managed Q. What is the URL to register for Cisco Smart? The URL is All requirements must be met before you can register. Q. What if I cannot get to the Cisco Smart Care portal page? Visit to verify that you have a valid Cisco.com user ID for logging into the portal. Q. What if my Cisco.com user ID is not working? It might not exist, in which case you will need to create one at Or you might need to reset the password by sending an to [email protected]. Q. Why does it say my Cisco.com user ID is no longer associated with the partner company? Your Cisco.com user ID might no longer be associated with the company with which you were originally registered for Cisco Smart Care Service. If you have switched companies recently or if you believe this message had been received in error, visit the Partner Self-Service tool at to correct the information. Q. Does everyone from the partner organization need to sign up and create a separate Cisco Smart Care account? Every user should have a separate Cisco.com user ID and should be registered on the Cisco Smart Care portal by the designated Smart Care administrator at your company. Q. If I am already registered, how do I become a registered user for my company? You will need to contact the designated Smart Care administrator at you company to get access. Q. Do I need to select a preferred distributor when registering? Why? Can I choose any distributor? Two-tier resellers are required to select a preferred distributor upon registration. The distributors selected will receive commissions from the partners sales transactions. Q. Does everyone from the partner organization have to complete the Cisco Smart Care registration click-to-accept terms? No, only the person authorized to accept the Cisco terms and conditions will be required to sign at the time of registration. Q. When registering, it says I need to self-certify that I am capable of providing 8x5 business hours technical support. What does this mean? This is a requirement to sell Cisco Smart. You should only check this box if you are able to provide 8x5 business hours technical support to customers. Q. If I acquire new certifications or specializations, when should I expect to get an regarding my change of access level? After a partner s profile has been updated with the newly acquired specialization in the Partner Self-Service tool at WWChannels/GETLOG/welcome.do, the next time that someone from your company logs into the Cisco Smart Care portal, the access level will be automatically increased. You will receive an notifying you of this change. Q. Why would I have trouble registering for Cisco Smart Care Service if I meet the minimum eligibility? The majority of issues with registration involve partner certifications levels per the Partner Self-Service tool. You can verify that you have the right certification or specialization level to qualify by visiting cisco.com/wwchannels/getlog/welcome.do. 10

12 Care Managed Q. If my company s attorney has questions about a certain clause in the terms and conditions, to whom should these questions be directed? Cisco or Encover? For questions around the terms and conditions for Cisco or Encover, contact the SSC by calling (GO CISCO) or open a case at Q. Where do I go to get training for Cisco Smart? The e-learning can be accessed through the Smart Care partnerfacing site ( and the Cisco Smart Care Acceleration Website ( smartcare/accelerate/). You may also access the e-learning through the Partner Education Connection (PEC) at management/lms_trainevtinfo.asp?usermode=0&eventid= Q. Is there a fee for accessing the online training? No. The online training is free to all Cisco partners. Q. How do I complete the Cisco Smart Care training? Is it Web based? In person? Do I have to pass a written test? You may access training in two ways: (1) Complete the training online at your own pace. (2) There may be live trainings offered by the Cisco channel sales team. The training should be completed to prepare for the required online test to become a Cisco Smart registered partner. Q. What type of Web-based training is available to me? There are four role-based learning paths available for partners. They are as follows: For Owner/Managers: 30 minutes Lesson 1: Cisco Smart Overview: 20 minutes Lesson 2: : 10 minutes For Account Managers: 1 hour 15 minutes Lesson 1: Cisco Smart Overview: 20 minutes Lesson 3: Quoting and Ordering: 34 minutes Lesson 5: Using the Cisco Smart Tools: 17 minutes For Systems Engineers: 2 hours 36 minutes Lesson 1: Cisco Smart Overview: 20 minutes Lesson 2: : 10 minutes Lesson 3: Quoting and Ordering: 48 minutes Lesson 4: Managing Cisco Smart Contracts: 14 minutes Lesson 5: Using the Cisco Smart Tools: 56 minutes Lesson 6: Cisco Smart Support Model: 7 minutes Administrators/Operations: 2 hours Lesson 1: Cisco Smart Overview: 20 minutes Lesson 2: : 10 minutes Lesson 3: Quoting and Ordering: 48 minutes Lesson 4: Managing Cisco Smart Contracts: 14 minutes Lesson 5: Using the Cisco Smart Tools: 25 minutes Lesson 6: Cisco Smart Support Model: 7 minutes 11

13 Care Managed Q. Do I need to take the partner test before or after signing up for Cisco Smart? Before you can register to offer Smart Care, one person from your staff needs to take and pass the appropriate online test. The online test is based on the sales or systems engineer learning path content (see above). Q. There are two different Cisco Smart tests. How do I know which test to take? When you go to the URL to take the test, you will have two choices, either Smart Care Base or Smart Care Base + Voice. If your company is Express or Advanced UC Specialized and can support level 3 and 4 Smart Care contracts, you will have access to the voice tools and should take the Base + Voice test. Q. Is there a fee for taking the test? No. The Cisco Smart online test is free to partners. Only one partner, sales or systems engineer or equivalent, needs to pass the exam. Q. How long does the test take? The test should take no more than 60 minutes to complete. The test will time out and score the test at 60 minutes. Q. What score do I need to get to pass the test? The passing score for the Cisco Smart online test is 70 percent correct. Q. How long before I can retake the test if I do not pass it on the first try? There is a 48-hour wait period between the time the test taker can take the test and retake the test. Q. How often do I have to take the test to stay eligible (for example, once, annually)? You or your sales or systems engineer (or equivalent) only needs to take the test one time. If the sales or systems engineer leaves your organization, you will need to have another sales or systems engineer pass the exam. Q. Does everyone who accesses Cisco Smart Care and delivers the service need to pass the test, or just one person: the sales or systems engineer (or equivalent)? Only one person at a given partner company is required to pass the appropriate Cisco Smart Care test. Q. How long does it take between the time I take the Smart eligibility test and when I can register for Cisco Smart Care? must wait 72 hours after passing the test before attempting to complete Cisco Smart Care registration. Q. I am having a problem launching the e-learning. What could the problem be? You may need to turn off the pop-up blocker in the browser. For example, in Internet Explorer go to tools --> Pop-up Blockers --> Turn off Pop-up Blockers. Also, if you have a toolbar for Yahoo or Google, you will need to disable to pop-up blocker in there as well. After this has been done, try launching the e-learning again. Q. I am having a problem going through the e-learning. What should I do? Use the following link to find help: peclms/lang-en/management/lms_theatercontent.aspx?pagename= CiscoOnlineSupport.html&PageType=Jump&ShowSideBar=0. If you are unable to find the answer, open a case using the link on the bottom of the page. 12

14 Care Managed Q. The exam is not available or is buggy. What can I do? Contact the SSC by calling or open a case at Q. What if I do not pass the test, how often can I take it? If you do not pass the test the first time, you must wait 48 hours to retake the test. There is no limit to the number of retakes. Q. What is the quoting and ordering process through distribution? The quoting and ordering process is the same for 2-tier and 1-tier partners. All partners use the Cisco Smart network appliance and portal to discover the devices on the customer network. They request the initial quote through the Cisco Smart portal. Once the quote is ready, you view the quote using the Encover online tool, where you can download the quote, wrap your own valueadded services around it, and present it to your customers for approval. Once you are ready to order, you can select a payment option using the Encover online tool. Q. What processes exist for checking currently uncovered equipment? The Cisco Smart inventory process detects all the devices on the network, including those of other manufacturers. Uncovered Cisco equipment will be discovered. All devices will be sent through a scrubbing process to validate and make sure all Cisco devices are included for entitlement and billing purposes. Q. If the customer pays monthly, will Cisco recognize per month or 12 months up front? Monthly payments are between Encover, the outsourcer, and the reseller. Cisco will collect revenue for one year. However, as with all service transactions, Cisco will recognize revenue as we deliver the service in monthly increments. Q. What types of SKUs are used for Cisco Smart? Cisco Smart will use a dollar-based SKU for invoicing and a $0 SKU for product (hardware and software) mapping to determine Cisco Smart eligibility and provide a framework for quote to contract creation. Q. Who is Encover? Encover is a business process outsourcer that Cisco has hired to manage the quoting and ordering process for Cisco Smart. Q. What is the role of Encover? As a business process outsourcer who acts on behalf of Cisco, Encover bills partners and provides business capabilities that Cisco does not have today. Outsourcing billing to Encover allows Cisco to: Invoice partners without a purchase order Implement auto-renewals Offer flexible payment options Use one process for all types of partners (1-tier and 2-tier) Q. Why do I need to sign up twice, once with Cisco Smart Care Service and once with Encover? When you register with Cisco, eligibility to sell the Smart is determined, and access to the Smart Care portal and tools is granted. A separate registration with Encover is required to gain access to its portal to actually buy contracts, because Encover is acting as a business 13

15 Care Managed process outsourcer for all Smart Care quotes. Your registration with Encover will allow you to get login and password credentials and set you up with the necessary financial relationship with Encover to buy Smart Care contracts by accepting Encover s terms and conditions. Q. How long does the Encover registration process take? After you go through the registration process on the Cisco Smart Care portal, registration with Encover is also required. A notification is sent by Encover to you within two days informing you that you can now register with Encover. You will receive login credentials using the notification and are requested to complete and confirm any additional information required for billing and invoicing. Q. What is the URL to register for Encover? The URL is However, you cannot register until you receive the notification inviting you to register, as mentioned above. Q. Does everyone who will create and request quotes need to have a separate Encover account? Anyone who gets added to the partner profile will also have an account automatically set up at Encover. Q. If I registered with Cisco Smart Care (and was accepted), but I have not yet received notification to register with Encover, how do I sign up with Encover? You will need to go to to register with Encover. Q. Does everyone from my organization need to agree to the Encover terms and conditions? No, only the person authorized to accept the Encover terms and conditions will be required to at the time of registration. Q. If I am having trouble registering for Encover, what could be the problem? We suggest you verify that the URL was entered correctly (if not using the link from within the partner registration notification). If there are still problems, call or send an to [email protected]. Q. How do I change my profile in Encover? To change a profile at Encover, you may use the Change Profile button on the Encover online tool. Also, any changes that are made to the company or user profile in the Cisco Smart Care portal will be synched up in the Encover online tool. Pricing Framework Q. How is Cisco Smart priced? Cost is determined by two factors: (1) the number of devices on the network (categorized across 10 fixed pricing bands) and (2) the types of applications and devices that reside on the network. The number of devices on the network is a combination of those automatically discovered and inventoried along with any manual additions made by you. This may increase over time because of the weekly discovery process. Q. Can an end customer purchase directly from Cisco? No. Cisco Smart is only available through Cisco Certified. Q. Does Cisco set the customer price for Cisco Smart? No. You establish the price to each customer depending on the level and type of services the customer and you agree on. 14

16 Care Managed Q. How is the Cisco Smart price to the customer determined? You pay Cisco a price for using this proactive services platform, based on the devices and applications in the customer s entire network. You then establish the price to the customer, taking into account each customer s unique requirements and the value-added services you are providing. For instance, the price to the customer may take into account not only Cisco devices and applications on the customer s network, but also the frequency of assessments and additional services that you provide. Q. If a customer already has another Cisco service contract, such as Cisco SMARTnet or Shared Support, on some devices, can they purchase Cisco Smart? Or do they have to wait until their current service contract expires? Customers can choose to cover their entire Cisco network with Cisco Smart, even if they currently have Cisco SMARTnet, Shared Support, or another Cisco service. For the initial Cisco Smart price determination, devices already covered by another service would be excluded from the price charged to the partner. Then when the other service contracts expire, those devices would automatically be covered by the Cisco Smart contract, and the price to the partner for the Smart would be adjusted at that time. It is anticipated that the partner would adjust their price to the customer as well. Q. How is the Cisco Smart priced relative to Cisco SMARTnet? The Cisco Smart and Cisco SMARTnet are very different offers and share only some elements in common. Cisco expects the types of services that a partner ultimately wraps around Cisco Smart to make it a dramatically different offer that encompasses more consultative services. Cisco Smart assumes the partner is providing engineers to manage the tools platform, plus nonmaintenance services such as assessments and monitoring. Therefore, the total costs considered as well as the value delivered are very different and make it very difficult to make a comparison. Cisco Smart pricing is based on the number of devices on the network and the types of technologies and applications on the network. Answering those two factors will determine the networkwide service price to be in one of 40 different total price points. Cisco SMARTnet, in contrast, has a discrete service price for each individual device and application on the network. The price of Cisco SMARTnet is based on the sum of the prices for each covered device and application on the network. Since the required coverage model and the pricing calculation are so different, Cisco Smart pricing does not have a direct correlation to Cisco SMARTnet pricing. Cisco Smart Price to Partner Q. How is the Cisco Smart price to the partner determined? The price to you is determined by two factors: the number of devices on the network and the types of applications and devices that reside on the network. You can simply and quickly determine what their cost will be by asking a few questions and running the Cisco Smart discovery tool on the customer s network. The discovery tool will locate most of the devices on the network and automatically add them to the service contract, reducing the operational costs associated with contract ordering and administration. To simplify pricing, there are 10 pricing bands that cover eligible networks, which can have as few as 5 device counts and as many as 105 Cisco device counts (IP phones are covered, but do not count as devices). Plus, there are four technology price levels, as shown in Table 2. This means that the partner s price changes only when the number of devices in the customer s network crosses into a new price band or a 15

17 Care Table 2. Pricing Framework Four Pricing Levels Based on Number and Complexity of Devices on the Network Managed Advanced Voice Technologies: IPCC Express, Cisco CallManager, Cisco Unity, Cisco MeetingPlace Express Voice Technologies: Cisco CallManager Express, Cisco Unity Express, IP Phones (Not in Device Count) [Reserved for Future Functionality] Routing, Switching, Basic Security: 800, 1600, 1700, 1800, 2600, 2800, 3200, 3600, 3700, 3800, 5400, 7200, SOHO 70, SOHO 90, 500, 2900, 2940, 2950, 2960, 2970, 3550, 3560, 3750, 3900, 400*,4500, 5000, 6500, PIX, AP1xxx Security and Storage Technologies: ASA 5505, 5510, VPN 3000, MDS9000, IPS Service (Future) new type of technology is added. So, most minor additions to a network will not result in a price increase, unless the number of devices crosses into the next band of pricing. Q. What is device count weighting? Why do some devices count as more than one device? Many complex, high-value devices can replace multiple, simpler devices. To help ensure that Cisco Smart is priced fairly, the device counts for these complex devices are weighted using a device multiplier. Level 1 Pricing Level 1 The weights and product families are shown in Table 3. Level 2 Pricing Level 2 Level 3 Pricing Level 3 Table 3. Device Series Level 4 Pricing Level 4 Device Weighting for Cisco Smart Basic Routers and Switches 1 Cisco 5400 Series Router Cisco Catalyst 4000 Series Switch Cisco Catalyst 4500 Series Switch Cisco Catalyst 5000 Series Switch Cisco 7200 Series Router Cisco UBR 7200 Series Router Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switch Weighting Factor 5 10 Cisco Access Points

18 Care Managed Q. How are the Cisco Smart Care network client and the Cisco Smart Care network appliance priced? Can they be purchased as standalone products? The Cisco Smart Care network client and the Cisco Smart Care network appliance are part of the service offering and are not available for a standalone purchase. The cost of either the software client or hardware appliance is built into the price of the annually renewable contract. Q. Do Cisco Unified Communications phones count as devices? No. Phones are covered, but are not counted in the number of devices. One goal of the Cisco Smart is to simplify network-level pricing. By eliminating the number of phones and the number of users, Cisco makes it easy for you to determine your cost for each network you support. Q. By Cisco product line, what percentage of Cisco commercial products is covered? What are the major products that are excluded from Cisco Smart? All SMB-class products are included. Cisco recognizes that many non-smb-class products are used by small and medium enterprises. More than 95 percent of those commercial class products are eligible for Cisco Smart coverage. In some cases, there may be a time lag between when a new commercial product is launched and when it is available for the full suite of service in Cisco Smart. Q. Is there a separate cost for the hardware appliance? Why isn t the service less expensive if the partner takes the software client? The hardware appliance is included in the price of the service. A core design criteria for this service is simplicity. By including the appliance in the cost of the service, you only need to perform one transaction. Further, the choice of a software or hardware network appliance is not intended to be a core differentiator for this service. Q. Does the customer have to pay for the service on an annual basis? Can monthly billing be an option? You may work with your customers on a suitable payment schedule. You may be able to negotiate a financing arrangement with Encover, Cisco s business process outsourcer, if you want to offer this option to your customers. Q. Is invoicing done monthly, quarterly, or yearly? Invoicing is done monthly or annually. However, the quarterly true-up process potentially drives a quarterly invoice for incremental expenses. Q. How is the price adjusted if the customer buys additional equipment during the year? The device count is adjusted to reflect the additional equipment that the customer purchases. At the next quarterly inventory assessment, the price will be adjusted, effective from the date the equipment was added. If the device count does not go above the upper limit on the current price band and the technology level remains the same, there will be no price increase to you. Q. If devices are covered under a preexisting Cisco SMARTnet contract, how are terms and renewal handled upon expiration? Are customers forced to renew their Cisco SMARTnet contracts for a limited time? Do they know what the price will be ahead of time? If there is a preexisting contract, the product will be marked as do not renew in the Cyber system. When the device is up for renewal, it will be discovered during the Cisco Smart Care true-up process, and the product will be covered for the remaining period of the Cisco Smart contract. There is no pricing impact until the Cisco Smart application determines the device is active and no longer covered under the previous Cisco SMARTnet contract. The device count change is communicated to the partners, who can share the resulting pricing adjustment information with their customer. 17

19 Care Managed Q. What happens to the price if the customer retires some Cisco included within the Smart Care customer network or if a customer has equipment during the year and has fewer devices? existing contracts covering a specific device. The price will be adjusted downward at the time of the annual renewal. Q. I signed up for Cisco Smart Care, but have not yet signed up Q. How do renewals work? with Encover. Can I still request a quote from within the Cisco Smart Care portal? The Cisco Smart is automatically renewed every year, unless the customer cancels. You can request an estimate, but you must sign up with and accept the Encover terms and conditions to view your final quotes on the Q. Are multiyear contracts and discounts available? Encover portal. No. Since the service renews automatically, multiyear contracts (and Q. Do I need to complete the onscreen questionnaire and update discounts) are not needed to drive renewals. the estimate before I can request a quote? Q. Do all partners pay the same price (for example, 1-tier, 2-tier)? Yes, you should review the questionnaire and answer any relevant Yes, all partners pay the same price for the Cisco Smart questions on your customers network. This will help ensure that the platform. correct network complexity is being detected and your customer receives the right level of support. Q. If the customers reduce the number of devices on their network, does Cisco adjust the price of their service midyear/ Final Encover Quote midcontract? Q. If I log into the Encover quoting and ordering tool, but do not At present, Cisco Smart contracts are not renegotiated for see where I can create a new quote, how should I proceed? a device count decrease until the annual renewal period. Cisco does not In the Encover portal, you can view the final quotes for which you accommodate midyear or midcontract true-downs. selected request a final quote from within the Cisco Smart Care portal. You will not be able to create additional quotes within the Encover portal: Initial Price Estimate they are viewable and orderable there but need to be generated from Q. What is the difference between an estimate and a quote? within the Cisco Smart Care portal. The price estimate was put in place to allow partners to quickly get a Q. Does the pricing on the estimate or quote reflect what I am price to the customer while selling the program. After you and your supposed to charge customers or what I am being charged by customer have agreed to move forward with purchasing the service, Cisco? then you will need to request a final quote. The customer data is then sent to Cisco for further data scrubbing and validations. The final quote The pricing in the estimate or quote reflects what Cisco will be charging that is received may differ from the initial estimate. Some examples our partners. might be that a given device is at its end of support and will not be 18

20 Care Managed Q. How do I download a quote from Encover so I can add my own value-added services and share it with my customers? To download a quote, log onto the Encover online tool at encoveronline.com/cisco-smartcare-service/partner. When the quote detail is onscreen, there is a download button in the toolbar at the top of the page. Q. How can I make changes to a pending quote? If the changes needed are related to device information (additions or exclusions) or address information, go back to the Cisco Smart Care portal. If you would like to make changes such as increasing the contract level, contact Encover using the Change Request button. Q. Once I submit change requests with Encover for a quote, how long will it take to get revised quotes? When change requests are sent, you should receive responses within two business days from Encover. How long before the quote is revised depends on the nature of the request. Q. If I decide not to purchase the quote I requested, how can I cancel the request? Select the Decline button on the Quote detail page. Each quote is only valid for 60 days, so it will expire on its own if no action is taken to purchase the quote. Ordering Q. I requested a quote a while ago and am ready to purchase the quote. However, when I log onto Encover, the quote is not found. What happened to the quote? When the quote is ready in the Encover online tool, an notification is sent to you indicating that the quote is ready. If this notification has not yet been received, then it is possible that the device data is still being validated. Log onto the Cisco Smart Care portal to see if any devices still have an unverified status. If the notification has been received, contact Encover at or SMBHelp@ encover.com for more information. If the quote was generated more than 60 days ago, it might not be visible because it has expired. Q. I am trying to buy a quote, but the system will not take the credit card information. What should I do? Contact the SSC by calling or open a case at Billing and Payment Q. What are the billing/payment terms available? If you choose to pay on an annual basis, the following payment options are available: purchase order, check, electronic funds transfer (EFT), direct debit, and credit card. If you choose to pay on a monthly basis, the following payment options are available: EFT, direct debit, and credit card. Q. What if I want to bill in a different currency? Send an to [email protected] or call Your partner profile currency can be changed such that it will apply to all of your quotes. Q. What if there is an error on my bill? Whom should I contact? For any billing questions, contact Encover at or [email protected]. Q. Our customer has turned off the appliance. Do we still need to make our monthly payments? Yes. Your payments must be made according to the agreed-on schedule. 19

21 Care Managed Q. We are having trouble collecting payments from our customer. Are we still obligated to make our payments to Encover? Yes. You are still obligated to provide payments on time per your agreed upon contract with Encover. Quarterly True-Ups/Annual Renewals Q. How are we notified when a payment is due? You will receive a notification that the end of the quarter is coming up. This will be an indication to expect an invoice in the mail from Encover if a price band or technology level has been crossed during that quarter. Q. How do annual renewals work? The Cisco Smart is automatically renewed every year unless the customer cancels. Contract Creation Q. Why do I have to fill out a customer network questionnaire? What is it for? The customer network questionnaire is used to further refine the customer network complexity that has been discovered by the Cisco Smart Care appliance. The results of the questionnaire will help you to modify the contract type that is appropriate for your customer. Q. Can I order more than one Smart contract for the same customer? No. The terms and conditions of Cisco Smart Care indicate that each customer should only have one Smart contract. Contract Updates Q. How can a new device get added to an existing Smart Care contract? After a new device has been plugged into the network, you have two options. The first option is that you may run the discovery and inventory services manually in order to add the device onto the Cisco Smart contract. The other option is that the automatic weekly discovery will detect the device after it is plugged in and send an alert. You should log in to run the inventory service and provide the device passwords. After this is completed, the devices will be added to the Cisco Smart Care contract. Q. What happens if customers upgrade from lower-end devices to higher-end devices? When customers upgrade to higher-end devices, the service contract will need to be upgraded to a higher contract level. will be notified when their contracts have been upgraded and when they have access to more services in the Smart Care control panel. At the end of the contract quarter, partners will receive an invoice from the business process outsourcer for this technology level change and for any device weight band changes that were made during the quarter. Q. My customer has removed a device from the network. How do we remove this from the service contract so they will not be billed for it? You will either need to run the Cisco Smart Care discovery service proactively, or the Cisco Mandated Discovery service will run weekly to detect that the device has been unplugged. Once this has been detected, the device will show up as Missing on the device inventory page. You must confirm that the device should really be removed from the contract by selecting that device and using the delete functionality. Then click the Submit Changes button so that the device will be removed from the Cisco Smart contract. 20

22 Care Managed Q. I want to make changes to one of my customer s Cisco Smart contracts. How do I get into the contract to make changes? In order to make contract changes, you need to log into the Cisco Smart Care portal at Select the customer for which you want to make changes and search for what you want to change. Location changes, device additions, and device terminations can all be managed from the Cisco Smart Care portal. Q. When changes are made to an existing contract, when will billing be affected? Dates of when devices are added onto existing Cisco Smart Care Service contracts are tracked. This information will be used during the quarterly true-ups. If changes have occurred during a particular quarter, this information will be gathered and used to calculate if any price bands have been crossed. If price bands have been crossed, partners will receive a true-up invoice at the end of the contract quarter from the business process outsourcer. Q. My customer called and said they want to switch to another partner. What happens to the Cisco Smart contract the customer has through us? Do I need to go remove the appliance? In order to process switching partners on an existing Cisco Smart Care Service contract, contact the SSC by calling or open a case at The SSC will work with the appropriate Cisco Smart contacts to initiate the cancellation of the original contract. Customers will need to work with their new partners to complete a discovery and inventory and the creation of a new contract. New partners should not request for a final Cisco Smart quote until the old contract is cancelled, or else the system will find that there is existing coverage on customer devices. Contract Cancellations Q. How do I cancel a contract? If canceling a Cisco Smart contract is warranted, contact the SSC by calling or open a case at Q. What if I cannot get to the Cisco Smart Care portal page? What login and password should I be using? A user must have a Cisco.com user ID and password in order to access the Cisco Smart Care portal. Verify that you have a valid Cisco.com user ID. If you do not, obtain a Cisco.com user ID by visiting com/rpf/register/register.do. In addition, the user needs to be linked to the partner account in the Partner Self-Service tool. Verify this by visiting Q. I cannot remember my Cisco Smart login or password, or my Cisco.com user ID is not working. What should I do? First you need to verify that you have a valid Cisco.com user ID. If you do not, obtain a Cisco.com user ID by visiting RPF/register/register.do. If you are sure you have a valid Cisco.com user ID, you might need to reset your password by sending an to [email protected]. If you are still experiencing issues with your Cisco.com account, go to and follow the instructions on the bottom of the page. Q. I cannot remember my Encover login/password. What should I do? Send an to [email protected]. 21

23 Care Managed Q. I do not have access to the correct tools in the Cisco Smart Care portal. What could be the problem? If your company does not have the appropriate certification/ specialization, you will not be able to access the respective services. If you are sure your company has the correct certifications/specializations, visit to make sure they show up in your partner profile. Q. My certification/specialization has lapsed, and I no longer have access to certain Cisco Smart capabilities. What should I do? How will this affect my ability to service my existing contracts? You need to renew your certification/specialization to regain access to those capabilities. Temporary exceptions can be requested for continuity. If your certification expires, you will be given 90 days to regain the certification. If it is not renewed in those 90 days, then you will lose the ability to sell any new Cisco Smart contracts for new customers. You will still be able to support the existing customer contracts, but the contracts will not auto-renew at the respective anniversary dates. If your specializations expire, you will also be given 90 days to regain them. If the necessary specializations are not renewed, then you will be downgraded in access level and will not be able to sell the contract types that were associated with the higher specialization. If you have existing contracts at the higher level, you will continue to be able to support them, but the contracts will not auto-renew at the end of the year. Q. How do I assign administrative rights to another user at my company? First, if you have administrative privileges, log in to the Cisco Smart Care portal at After you log in, in the left column, find the Administration section and then select User. Next, select the user who needs more administrative rights and then click Edit. Change the access type on the profile page of that user. Q. What is Encover, and why do I need a separate login to order service? Encover is acting as a business process outsourcer for all Cisco Smart quotes. A separate registration with Encover is required to gain access to its portal to actually buy contracts. Your registration with Encover will allow you to get login and password credentials and set up the necessary financial relationship with Encover to buy Cisco Smart contracts by accepting its terms and conditions. Q. We have just increased our specialization and should have access to sell voice (CNL3 or CNL4 contracts). How long will it take before these tools are turned on for us? When you log into the Cisco Smart Care portal, if the specialization has been associated with your partner profile, then it will automatically increase your access level. You should receive an notification letting you know that this has happened within 24 hours. If you do not receive an , go to the Partner Self-Service tool at cisco.com/wwchannels/getlog/welcome.do to check if your new specialization shows up there. Q. My customer is having trouble viewing the customer dashboard in the Cisco Smart Care portal. What could be the problem? Confirm that you have set up the customer s Cisco.com user ID in the User Management screen by navigating to Customer name -> Administration -> Users. The customer must have a valid Cisco.com user ID to access the Smart Care portal. 22

24 Care Managed provide a snapshot of the financial business benefits partners might experience by offering Cisco Smart Care. Q. What does Cisco provide to help partners to be more successful in selling and supporting Cisco Smart? LabOps demonstrates common Cisco Smart tasks partners might perform in a real-world customer environment. Cisco provides numerous resources, including Steps to Success, training, and demand generation tools: Q. How does Steps to Success work? Steps to Success provides Cisco partners with a step-by-step resource for selling and delivering service and support throughout the network lifecycle. It is based on proven Cisco research and development, as well as on knowledge gathered from successful Cisco solution engagements. The Steps to Success portal is divided into technology areas, with each technology related to a Cisco Lifecycle phase (prepare, plan, design, implement, operate, or optimize). Within each phase, partners can view specific tasks and download associated resources. You can also perform content searches, browse process flows, and customize Training includes a comprehensive suite of training resources delivered through a combination of instructor-led training, e-learning, and supporting documentation. content and news. Cisco Campaign Builder for Demand Generation provides partners with the ability to created impactful direct mail, , banner ads, flyers, and advertising. can customize the materials with their name and logo. If Campaign Builder is not available in your area, source files will be made available to you. To access Campaign Builder, go to then search Q. What are the Cisco Smart performance metrics? Cisco Smart is aligned with the worldwide Cisco Channel s and Specializations to help ensure simplicity for the partner. Following is the impact on existing metrics: Smart Care. Attach rate: The attach rate is a partner-level metric for the service attached to a new product at the point of sale. There will be no change My Marketing Cisco for custom collateral enables partners to the attach rate at the time of contract migration. As new products to take boilerplate versions of customer data sheets, assessment are added to the network, they are covered automatically, which will overviews, presentations, and other marketing collateral; place them increase your attach rate metric. in premade neutral templates; add content around their own services; and upload their logo, photos, and charts to create customized collateral at the touch of a button. You can download a low- or highresolution version at no cost or can opt to have your new collateral printed and shipped for a fee. To access the My Marketing Renewal rate: The renewal rate is a partner-level metric that is calculated at the time of service renewal. Therefore, 100 percent of the products added to the network will be included in your renewal rate when the annual contract is renewed. Cisco, go to Service requests and RMA metrics are calculated at the program Financial Modeling tool creates customizable scenarios that will level, and therefore the Cisco Smart would have no effect on other program service request/rma metrics. 23

25 Care Managed Following are some new performance metrics for Cisco Smart Care : Operational excellence indicators (reports) for Cisco Smart Care Service partners are available with the PMC at CustAdv/PP/smIntroduction.do. Renewal rate and customer satisfaction (CSAT) metrics will be available in the PMC Q. If a partner sells a product without service to a Cisco Smart customer, will that negatively impact the partner metrics? No. Cisco Smart is a network-level service; all products are covered. When the product is added to the network, the system will discover the product, and the product will be covered in your metrics according to the business rules of the service. Q. Will partner Cisco Smart sales qualify for rebates and discounts in other programs? No. Cisco Smart bookings will not be included in any rebate calculations. You will benefit from the attach rate and return rate metrics for your other programs, but the booking dollars will not be used for the calculation. Q. Will Cisco TAC cases and RMAs count against Cisco Shared Support metrics? How do attach rate and return rate count toward metrics? Attach rate, conversion rate (where applicable), and renewal rate are measured at the partner level. As a result, partners that are in programs such as or Pay for Performance will benefit on their sales metrics. At the same time, delivery metrics such as the service request and RMA request are measured at the program level. As a result, there will be no impact on other service program performance metrics as a result of Cisco Smart support. Q. How are phones handled from a metrics perspective in the Cisco Smart? Phones are included in the attach rate, conversion rate, and renewal rate calculations in PMC metrics. For the partner performance metrics, the phones have 0.25 weight. The same weight will be applied for the phones that are covered under the Cisco Smart. Under Cisco Smart, the partner does not pay for service on the phones, although they are covered. Q. What is the role of the distributor? Cisco is working with our distributors to give them options on how and when they want to participate. Distributors will be able to earn a commission by participating in marketing activities designed to increase the number and capabilities of partners who offer Cisco Smart Care Service. These distributors may also choose to place orders for this service and earn additional revenue. Three options are available to distributors: Commissioned participation: Distributor performs all marketing activities but does not participate in the sale. Revenue participation: Distributor performs all marketing activities and places the orders for the service in order to realize revenue. No engagement: Distributor chooses not to participate at this time. A business process outsourcer will handle the point of sale in the short term. Q. How does Cisco protect the confidentiality of sensitive customer information? Cisco has access only to the device information needed to perform its services and never has access to the information that passes through the customer s network. Cisco keeps only the information about 24

26 Care Managed customer networks necessary to fulfill its service obligations. Information used for assess, repair and prepare services is held in temporary memory and discarded immediately following the service. Q. What are the roles and responsibilities of the Cisco compared to those of the partner? See the contract for details. Q. What information is gathered during the discovery and inventory? The following information is gathered during the discovery and inventory: IP address Device name Configuration info Product ID Serial number Card Q. What is the difference between the discovery and inventory processes? The discovery process discovers what devices are installed on the customer network and under which IP address. The inventory process requires the partner and customer to enter the device-level passwords. This allows for much more information to be extracted from each device. Only after the inventory process is run will the device be included in the other services offered under a Cisco Smart contract. Q. Are existing devices that are covered by other partners visible in discovery and inventory? Devices with existing coverage are displayed in the Network Inventory page. Additionally, partners will be able to view these devices on the final quote at Encover. Note: The devices will be displayed in the Existing Coverage section and will not be included in the network weight calculation. Q. Where do we get the passwords needed for each device in order to complete the inventory process? You will need to work with your customers system administrators to determine the device passwords. Q. My Discovery Process button says Enter instead of Run. What is wrong? How do I start a new discovery? This occurs when you exited your browser without closing out of the previous session first. Click the Enter button and use the Terminate Session feature. Then run the discovery again. Q. What if I am having problems running the discovery on a customer s network? There are a variety of options for obtaining assistance with Cisco Smart technical issues. Review the support matrix in Table 4 to find online and telephone-based support information. Q. I lost my connection when running the discovery. Do I have to start over again? No. You do not have to start over again. You can continue from the point where you were in the discovery automated program (known as a wizard). It will continue to run if the service was already instantiated by following through the steps in the wizard. 25

27 Care Table 4. Cisco Smart Support Matrix Managed Q. The discovery process is taking a very long time to complete. What can be causing this? Is there a way to speed this up? There are a number of reasons why a service might take a long time: Size of the network Number of devices in the network Network latency issues Unavailable devices An issue with the software client One possible remedy is to narrow the size of the network and search for specific IP addresses or specific IP address ranges. However, if the client appears to be working normally and the network size is not large, contact the Cisco TAC for additional support. 26

28 Care Managed Q. I have run a discovery, but I am sure there are devices on the network that did not show up. How do I make sure these devices are added to the contract and are covered? Can I still create the inventory? You can add those missing devices manually. First, go to the Cisco Smart Care portal. Choose the customer for which you want to add the device, click Discovered Devices, click the button that says Add by IP Address, and enter the required information. Q. Can I download and/or export inventory data? This is not a feature at this time. Q. Can I upload and/or import inventory data manually? This is not a feature at this time. Q. Discovery and inventory have detected a device that is not owned by my customer and should not be included for contract pricing. How do we exclude that device? Log onto the Cisco Smart Care portal at smartcare/. Navigate on the left side of the page to the correct customer, then select Discovered Devices. Here you can submit a device for manual exclusion by checking the box next to the device and adding a reason code. Q. Why does inventory not identify devices? Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) should be enabled on the network. Read only would be preferred as read-write opens more security issues. For security purposes, if you are enabling SNMP, you should set the community string to something other than public (which would then need to be specified during discovery). Also, if there are any IPS or IDS systems in place, you will get alerts from the discovery action. Q. What protocols are used during discovery and inventory? Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) and SNMP are used during discovery. Inventory uses Telnet, SSH, SNMP, and HTTP/HTTPS. Q. What ports are used for each protocol? ICMP uses port 8; SNMP uses UDP port 161, Telnet port 23, SSH port 22, HTTP port 80, HTTPS port 443. Q. What version/s of SNMP does the client utilize? SNMP 1 and SNMP 2. Q. How many times does the appliance ping a device during a discovery? In the current engine, the device is pinged twice as long as a reply is received from the device; otherwise, the client will ping the device two more times. So, a total of two ping requests if the device is alive, and if a device is not alive, it will be pinged four times. Q. Is the timeout configurable? No. Q. What MIB objects are gathered during discovery? All routers, switches, and other network devices are queried for sysobjectid only. Windows servers (with SNMP enabled) are queried for enterprises MIB. The sysobjectid is short for System Object Identifier and is an industry standard SNMP data element that network equipment manufacturers support when providing SNMP in operating systems. The sysobjectid includes a unique IANA Enterprise Number value assigned to each network equipment manufacturer. The manufacturer assigns the unique hardware model value to each product they manufacture. Cisco s IANA Enterprise Number is 9. 27

29 Care Managed Q. Is Cisco Smart capable of importing IP address information from a spreadsheet or other network management workstations? This is supported and can be added. Talk to your Cisco service account manager or your Smart Care administrator. Q. For Cisco devices that are not in the supported device list, what kind of information is collected? sysobjectid for profiling. Q. What information is available on third-party products? sysobjectid for profiling. Q. Why do I get a There are no inventory run devices/devices that support the service message? You will need to check the list of supported devices and services supported for the device in the partner dashboard under Support. The inventory service for the devices must be completed before running any other services. Q. What is discovery doing in the network? Discovery uses ICMP and SNMP to determine if there is an entity at the IP addresses specified. Q. What is inventory doing in the network? The process varies depending on the device type, but during inventory, the following commands are typically being run on the routers and switches: show version show system show module show inventory Show diag show flash show bootflash Q. How are phones discovered? How are they getting classified as the appropriate phone type? The IP addresses of the phones are discovered during the discovery operation. Since SNMP is not supported by phones, phone type will not be identified. The user has to select device type (phone type) while adding to the inventory. After phones are added to the inventory, phones will be available for inventory operation. The following information is collected from phones using HTTP during inventory: Host name App load ID (as OS release) Version Hardware revision Serial number (as processor board ID) Model number (as PID) MAC address Interface info Q. Does Cisco Smart capture any network traffic (actual data) for any of the reports? No, Cisco Smart does not read packet contents. It only cares about traffic to calculate percentage utilization for LAN/WAN analysis. 28

30 Care Managed Q. How can Cisco Smart help partners and customers verify that the network is secure, reliable, and functioning optimally? perform periodic assessments of the customer s network health and availability to proactively identify potential issues and help ensure that all qualified Cisco devices are configured optimally, according to Cisco best practices. The customer has dashboard visibility into the performance of the network. Graphical displays show the status of security, voice, and overall network health, allowing the customer to foresee potential problems and you, the partner, to make remote repairs, as needed. get the same dashboard information as your customer, plus the more detailed information you need to make recommendations to your customer with confidence. Q. What assessments are available? Three types of assessment services are available: Assess and Repair Assess and Prepare Single-Use Network Health and Security Assessment The Assess and Repair service encompasses a thorough evaluation of every Cisco router, switch, and other device in the network to help ensure that all device ports and routing protocols are configured optimally, according to Cisco best practices. The assessment also verifies security configurations against 30 rules for security best practices from the Cisco TAC and 80 rules for security best practices from the U.S. National Security Agency. Depending on the customer s requirements, partners may offer a basic network health assessment and/or security assessment. The Assess and Prepare services are a prepurchase assessment to determine the network s readiness to add advanced technologies, such as voice over IP (VoIP). The Single-Use Network Health and Security Assessment allows partners to offer a single-use network health assessment to provide assessments as a one-time professional service and to demonstrate the value of the annual service to prospective customers. can purchase a single-use assessment for basic network health and security, or basic network health, security, and voice performance, and monitor a prospective customer s network for up to 60 days. These onetime assessments generate project-based revenues, while providing a powerful sales tool to highlight the value of the annual service. By pointing out the security vulnerabilities, uncovered devices, and other issues in the customer s actual network, partners can demonstrate exactly the kind of network visibility and peace of mind the customer will realize with the full service. Q. How can a voice assessment be used? The primary use of the voice assessment is to help a business prepare for the addition of VoIP technologies to the network. Using the Cisco Smart Care voice assessment tools, partners can provide a comprehensive analysis to determine whether the customer s network meets the bandwidth, quality-of-service, processing power, and other requirements necessary to effectively deliver voice services before they invest in IP voice technologies. The assessment provides automated tools to perform voice traffic injection on the customer network and measure the delay, jitter, and loss. The tool also provides an MOS score. Through this comprehensive evaluation, partners can provide detailed information about everything the network might require (including any devices or links that must be replaced and any operating systems that must be upgraded) to successfully support IP voice and help ensure a smooth, successful implementation. 29

31 Care Managed Q. What can a security assessment reveal? Security assessments examine the configuration of the network in multiple areas, including: Password encryption and management to prevent unauthorized access to network devices Flood management to help ensure that distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks cannot overrun network devices and paralyze the network Access control to help ensure that unauthorized users cannot gain control of the network devices Security of remote network management services operating over the Internet or other untrusted networks Logging of network and security events Secure IP routing Unnecessary services that might be running on network devices that could be exploited by attackers If a security assessment reveals that the network is not configured optimally, partners can alert their customer to the problem and remediate it, often remotely. This enables partners to help their customers proactively address potential security flaws before they cause damage. Q. How does Cisco Smart help me assess whether my customer s network is highly available? have access to assessment tools that allow them to conduct a thorough evaluation of every Cisco router, switch, and other device in the network to help ensure that all device ports and routing protocols are configured optimally and that all devices are available. The availability dashboard provides a percentage of aggregated uptime and downtime, as well as information about the devices that are the top contributors to downtime. If availability issues exist, partners can alert their customer to the problem and remediate it, often remotely. Q. What discovery information is available through Cisco Smart? After the discovery service is run, the report shows all the network devices discovered on the customer s network, including third-party devices. The IP address, type of device, and configuration details are shown. can also enter the location of each device to speed parts replacement in the future, if needed. Q. Is the customer s client access information secure? Yes. To enable partners to run the Cisco Smart Care discovery and other services, your customer must provide client access information. This information is encrypted and then passed over HTTPS to the software or hardware appliance client on the customer s network. The client is the only place that device access information is stored. Q. How often are assessments done? The frequency of ongoing health and security assessments is determined by you and your customer, after a discussion of your customer s needs. Q. If the Assess and Repair assessment report reveals potential problems, how can these be resolved? When the assessment is finished, the report will show any supported devices that have issues. can view details about these issues, as well as a list of recommended repairs. You can fix many Cisco IOS Software configuration issues by selecting the fix these vulnerabilities option on the report in the Web portal and then review the results of these actions. 30

32 Care Managed Q. Can fixes be backed out? A backup version of the previous configuration is maintained during the active session; if necessary, you can revert to the original configuration during that session. However, after the session is ended, you cannot restore the original configuration. Q. Does the Cisco Smart provide any means to make manual remote repairs outside of preconfigured assess and repair services? Cisco Smart includes a failsafe feature that supports manual interaction with and remote repair of network devices using Telnet or SSH. (Hardware or Software Client) Q. What is the Cisco Smart Care network appliance? The Cisco Smart Care network appliance is a hardware-based or Windows software-based client that resides on the customer network to enable the proactive services capabilities of the Cisco Smart Care Service. The appliance collects an inventory of the customer s Cisco devices, continuously collecting data about the health of the network. Through this appliance, you can conduct periodic network health and security assessments, expedite fixes remotely, and perform readiness assessments to gauge the network s ability to support new technologies such as advanced security solutions and Cisco Unified Communications IP voice systems. Q. Are the software client and the hardware-based network appliance available as a package for customers wanting to cover both? A single network will require either a software-based or a hardwarebased network appliance. There will be only one appliance running on a single network; as a result, there is no need to package hardware and software together. Q. What is the difference between the software client and the hardware client or appliance? The software client is a Windows-based application that must be downloaded and installed on a standard Windows XP device, such as a laptop or a Windows 2003 server. It is designed to be primarily a presales tool. In addition to installation, users must go through the registration process. The hardware client is software that is preinstalled on a Linux machine and delivered to you to install at the customer site after there is a contract. After it is placed on the customer s network, it is ready for the registration process. Q. Can Cisco or partners see the data that passes a customer s network? No. Neither you nor Cisco can see the information that is passing over the customer s network. You and Cisco can see information about what devices are on the network and their health, security, and availability. The network appliance is the only place this data is retained, and all sensitive data, such as device access passwords, are stored on the appliance, not at Cisco. Q. How does the information collected by the network appliance flow to Cisco and partners? The network appliance collects data on a scheduled basis about all the supported devices in the network and securely communicates that information to Cisco. Then Cisco uses its extensive knowledge base to analyze the data. Cisco proactively notifies you about any identified risks or issues and, in many cases, provides a specific fix, as well as the ability to remotely apply that fix to a device in the customer network. Q. What information does the customer receive? Customers have access to a snapshot of the overall health, availability, and security of all the devices in the network through an easy-touse service dashboard. The portal also provides alerts about any identified issues, as well as reports and analyses of network health and availability trends. 31

33 Care Managed Q. What information does the appliance monitor in the customer network? The appliance continually monitors every device in the network to provide: Inventory and configuration, including type of device, IP address, serial number, and detailed configuration information Availability of each device, including a percentage of aggregated uptime and downtime, as well as information about the devices that are the top contributors to downtime The status of security devices on the network The status of Cisco VoIP solutions on the network Basic stability and performance of core network devices Q. What impact will the appliance have on the network performance? The appliance monitoring should have minimal impact on network performance. Customers and partners can determine the schedule and frequency of ongoing monitoring, as well as network health and security assessments. Software Client Q. What are the system requirements for installing the software client? Any contemporary PC that is capable of running Windows XP and has at least 1 GB of free disk space should be sufficient. Q. Do I have to add customer opportunities before I can download and install the software client? The software client may be downloaded and installed at any time. However, a customer must be registered within the Smart Care portal before the software client may be run against the network. Q. What is the difference between assigning the client and enabling the client? Assigning the client is the first step and maps a specific client to a specific customer. Enabling that client allows it to start performing services for that customer. Q. When I installed the software client, I entered my customer s information, but it does not seem to be working. Is there something else I need to do to configure the software client for my customer s network? You need to help ensure that the software client has been assigned to the customer s network. You must log into the Smart Care portal and then navigate to the Administration -> Assessment Appliances menu option in the left navigation window. Here you will be able to create a site for the given customer. Q. When installing the software client, does client name refer to my customer, or does it refer to the software client? What can or cannot go into each of these fields, including character or space limitations? Client name just refers to the Cisco.com ID of the customer. It is not a required field. Q. Can I have a software client assigned to more than one customer? You may have only one client per customer and only one customer per client. If a client has multiple sites, the remote networks must be reachable from a single client. When doing a discovery, make sure that the range of the network includes remote sites. Q. After I have installed and enabled the software client for one customer site, can it be reconfigured to use on another customer site? How do I do this? Yes. The software client can be reconfigured to be used on another customer site. You can accomplish this by logging into the Smart Care 32

34 Care Managed portal. Under the Administration -> Assessment Appliances menu option, a client may be unassigned from one customer s site and assigned to the second customer s site. Hardware Appliance Q. How do I order the hardware appliance? After a contract has been ordered and created for your customer, you will have the option under the Administration -> Assessment Appliances menu to order a hardware appliance for your customer s site. Within this ordering process, you will select the shipping address and the type of power cord. You will receive an order acknowledgement and shipment notifications as the order is processed. Q. What are the system requirements for installing the hardware appliance? This is not applicable. The hardware appliance is provided by Cisco. You are not allowed to install the software on a different machine. Q. Where can I have the hardware appliance shipped? The hardware appliance may be shipped to any of your customer s address locations that have been entered under the customer s Smart Care profile or to the registered partner address. Q. Who can install the hardware appliance? Any of your users who have administrative privileges can install the hardware appliance. Q. Who owns the hardware appliance after it is installed at the customer site? Cisco actually owns the hardware device; however, the partner is responsible for it since they install it on the end customer s network. Q. Where do I place the appliance in my customer s network? The hardware appliance should be placed somewhere in the customer network where it can access (ping, SNMP, Telnet, HTTP, HTTPS, and so on) all the devices in the network. As for physical location, a rack mount is provided so it can be rack-mounted with the other Cisco equipment. Q. What is the link that forms between the appliance and Cisco? The link between the appliance and Cisco is a secure HTTPS connection. Q. How much bandwidth is Smart Care using when it is not running a service? Traffic between client and server will be minimal for an average-sized network and under normal operation conditions. Below are typical figures for client polling the server. Duration of 20 minutes no major activity: Avg. packets/sec Avg. packet size 204 bytes Total bytes 347,403 Avg. bytes/sec 289 Avg. MBit/sec Note: Minimum bandwidth used is 289 bytes/sec (~0.3 Kbytes/sec). The following are the figures for running discovery and inventory for a medium network with a one subnet having more then 130 discovered devices and more than 70 inventoried devices. Duration of 28 minutes with a discovery and inventory service running: Avg. packets/sec Avg. packet size 346 bytes Total bytes 2,392,075 Avg. bytes/sec Avg. MBit/sec Note: Approximate max bandwidth used is 1500 bytes/sec (~1.5 KBytes/sec).

35 Care Managed Recommended bandwidth required along with other SMB traffic is 256 Kbps. Q. What about redundancy for the appliance? The appliance has a backup capability so that should it fail, you can restore the information and appliance to its previous state. See the Cisco Smart Partner User Guide for more information. Also, Q. What type of Cisco TAC am I entitled to as a Cisco Smart Care Service partner? Level 2+ support. Q. What hours is the Cisco TAC available to offer me support? The Cisco TAC is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to the partner. partners should back up appliances from time to time manually. Q. How does Cisco CallManager work in Cisco Smart Care? Q. How does the appliance integrate with third-party Cisco CallManager is software and is not counted as a device in NMS systems? Cisco Smart Care. However, the MCS server used to deploy Cisco At this time, the appliance does not integrate with the NMS products. However it is being investigated. Customer Network Q. If the customer discovers a network problem, whom should the customer contact? The customer calls you, and you do the initial troubleshooting. You are responsible for resolving level 0 and level 1 service requests. If you are CallManager is counted as one device. (A non-mcs server or third-party service is not counted.) Q. Because Cisco CallManager is based on a number of servers, some of them for backup, how is the device counted in pricing? MCS servers and backup servers are counted as devices, so that if a problem occurs with primary or secondary servers, they are covered under the network-level coverage. unable to resolve the customer s issue, you are the entitled party and will open a service request with the Cisco TAC on behalf of the customer. Q. Can my customers call Cisco directly for technical support if I am unable to answer their questions? No. You are the entitled party and the only party authorized to contact Cisco for technical support. Q. How is the Unified Communication Software Subscription (UCSS) service purchased by partners and customers through Cisco Smart Care? Cisco Certified and our mutual customers may purchase UCSS and combine it with their Cisco Smart Care contract through a process that is similar to how they purchase ESW with UCSS contracts today. For more information, read the Cisco Smart Care UCSS policy. Q. How do I get in touch with the Cisco TAC for backup support with customer issues? After you complete level 0 and level 1 support, if you need Cisco TAC support, you can contact the Cisco TAC by phone or Web using the normal process. Data Q. What data is gathered over the network by Smart Care? The customer network information that is collected, stored, and analyzed in connection with the network appliance (hardware) or network client (software) includes the following: configurations 34

36 Care Managed (including running configurations and startup configurations), product identification numbers, serial numbers, hostnames, equipment locations, IP addresses, system contacts, equipment models, feature sets, software versions, hardware versions, installed memory, installed flash, boot versions, chassis series, exceptions to such information (for example, duplicate hostname, duplicate IP address, devices running an interim release image), slot IDs, card types, card families, firmware versions, and other network and inventory information as deemed appropriate by Cisco. Q. What information is stored on the network appliance (hardware) or network client (software) and does not go to Cisco? Information such as logins, passwords, and configuration files is stored only on the network appliance or network client and is not transmitted to Cisco. Q. How do I get confirmation on what I am sending to Cisco? You do not receive confirmations from Smart Care. However, if you would like to see what s going on, you can log onto the network appliance and enable traces (> trace enable) and then run an inventory. You will be able to see in the traces what commands are being run and what variables are being sent to Cisco. Go into > trace view and then select the day and device you would like to see. Within the trace you can see the commands run and then, at the end, which variables are being filled. Be aware that turning on a trace consumes some overhead and can affect performance. Application Q. Are device serial numbers visible from the portal? Serial numbers are listed in the inventory report. The serial number is derived from the electronic information we can get from the device. This derived serial number typically matches the serial number that is physically on the device. Older models such as the Cisco 2500 and Cisco 2600 have a different electronic serial number from what is physically on the device. Q. How do I fix an appliance boot failure when the console is connected to a Telnet port that is not active? It fails with a prompt grub>. You will need to either power-cycle the appliance while connected to the terminal server line or unplug the serial cable, power-cycle, wait for 30 seconds, and reconnect the cable. Alternatively, use a PC for the console session. Q. Why does hardware registration fail? Use a static IP assigned using the conf ip command. Reboot using the reload command. When you use the register command, make sure the Cisco.com ID is set up as partner administrator or partner user at the partner portal. Also, no spaces are allowed in the client name or in site name. The Website tools.cisco.com must be reachable using port 443 (normal HTTPS port) from the appliance. Q. Do I have to add a customer before installing the client? Adding a customer with a unique login name is recommended, but is optional. When registering the software or the hardware client, specify the customer login name (same as customer s Cisco.com ID), and it will automatically associate the customer with the client and add the site. This avoids a few extra steps. Q. Why doesn t anything happen when I click a button, or why don t I see a button? For example, when assigning a device to a customer, I click and nothing happens, or when unassigning the appliance, there is a Close button instead of OK and Cancel buttons. Internet Explorer 6 is the only browser currently supported and recommended. For the application to work, turn off pop-up blockers including, any Yahoo! or Google toolbars. 35

37 Care Managed Q. Why are services grayed out for customers? The network appliance must be assigned and enabled, and a valid contract must be in place for services to be available. Q. I do not see the Administrator menu in the left navigation pane, which is used to add customers, request tokens, or assign clients. How can I authorize other users in my organization (such as a network engineer) to access the Administrator menu? The partner administrator is the person who originally registered for Smart Care. So, the partner administrator is the individual who will see the Administrator menu. If another individual in the organization needs access to the Administrator menu, that individual will need to register as well. Unfortunately, a partner user cannot be deleted permanently unless a request that the user be deleted is submitted through support. Q. What s the user ID/password for the network appliance? What is the enable password? The default user ID: cisco Password: cisco Enable password: admin You can (and should) change this access information. Q. Do I need customer login information before installing at the customer site? Before installation, it is recommended, but not required, that you have customer login. Q. Should I add customer information in the dashboard before installing the client? Adding a customer with a unique login name is recommended but is optional. When registering the software or the hardware client, you can specify the customer login name (same as customer s Cisco.com ID), and it will automatically associate the customer with the client and add the site. This avoids a few extra steps. The customer Login Name field in the partner dashboard is matched against the customer login name entered in the network appliance or network client during registration. If an exact match is found, the client is assigned, and a site is created for the customer. Q. What is the correct response to Client reinstallation failed error message 1628: Failed to complete installation on Windows when installing software client (CNAC)? This is a bug with Install Shield. The solution is: 1. Go into task manager (Ctrl-Alt-Del) and kill any msiexec.exe processes. 2. Clean the windows temp directories. (for example, c:\windows\temp). 3. Reboot. 4. Restart the installation. Q. Can I register the appliance in their lab and move the appliance to the customer network? Yes. However, the hardware client needs a new IP address based on the customer network (conf ip command) and a reboot (reload command). Q. Why do I get an error message saying cannot update client tables registration files? This is a known issue. You will need to assign a static IP and reboot the appliance. Q. How do I assign and enable a client? After a client is successfully registered, it appears under Administrator in the partner dashboard. Add a site to the customer by clicking the Add Site button, choosing the customer, and entering a site name, like city name or location. Then click the Assign/Unassign button to assign the 36

38 Care Managed client to the customer. When you are finished, the status of the client is shown as Assigned. At the far right, click View and choose Enable and click Save. Q. What should I do when the network appliance status displays, Appliance Status: Operation queued in server for remote client processing and then it just stays in that state and does not complete? Eventually partners get a Timeout: Client Failed to respond message. Make sure you can ping the devices. To do this, check the network to determine if the device is reachable by CLI (Telnet/SSH) or HTTP/ HTTPS (in case of the application). If the device is reachable, then escalate this problem to support (the partner or Cisco). Q. What s the difference between customer site and location? Site is where the network appliance is installed. Locations are addresses where the devices are located. In the device inventory, the locations can be viewed and updated. Q. Why do I have problems printing reports? Printing Smart Care reports is limited. It is a known problem that printing in portrait mode cuts off part of the report. As a workaround, print in landscape mode. Q. What do the services do in the network? To understand this information, go to the partner portal or Smart Care Acceleration Website ( accelerate/). Review the Cisco Smart Partner User Guide. Q. How do I delete my customer information from Cisco? See the section customer Administration>Users>Deleting Users in the Cisco Smart Partner User Guide in the partner portal or Acceleration Website ( accelerate/). In short, to erase customer network data on the appliance and in the portal, use the unregister command on the network appliance. The unregister command removes the association between the network appliance and the user. Then manually delete the customer from Smart Care. Q. What happens when I delete a customer from the Cisco Smart Care control panel? When you delete a customer, sensitive information such as username, password, community string, and so on is deleted from the Cisco Smart Care client. After a customer is deleted, the customer data is no longer accessible to any user (partner as well as Smart Care administrator) from the Smart control panel. The customer data is soft deleted (not hard deleted). Soft delete means the data is not physically deleted, but certain attributes are changed (for example, the status is changed to inactive) so that the data will not be available to users (including the Smart Care administrator) from the application. Authorized users such as database administrators can access the data in the database. Hard delete means the data is physically deleted/purged and will not be accessible to anyone, including database administrators. Specifically, soft-deleted information includes customer information (name, address, contact details), customer contract information (contract number, type, status, effective dates), customer user information, products and pricing information for customer quotes, network name, IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, serial number, model name, series name, hardware version, manufacturer, firmware version, software version, assembly number, and assembly revision. Specifically, hard-deleted information includes device-specific information and username and encrypted password to log into the device (these never leave the customer network). 37

39 Care Managed The following customer information is accessible in other systems even after soft deleting the customer in Smart Care: customer quotes in Encover (quoting database), customer quotes and contract details in CIBER (contract database), customer information in Cisco CA Address (CAAS), and customer information in ERP (ordering tool). Q. How often does the appliance/client ping Cisco? The appliance/client pings Cisco every 10 seconds when there is activity and every 30 seconds when there is no activity. Q. What are the duties of the partner administrators in comparison to the partner users? The difference between the two is that the partner user can do the same as the partner administrator, except the administrator can also control partner access and change partner details. Q. Are there different user privileges for the client network? There are different partner users. The partner administrator has full privileges within the Cisco Smart Care control panel, and the user who has limited abilities does not see the administration links. Q. How and where are passwords stored? The username and passwords that you provide are stored in the network appliance and are encrypted in 32-bit custom encryption. The username, passwords, and SNMP community strings are stored only in the appliance database and are also encrypted. This information is not stored in Cisco (that is, the Smart Care server) and will be used to run services that you initiate. Q. What are the services provided in security assess and repair? Review the details in the Cisco Smart Partner User Guide in the section Operating the Cisco Smart Care Application > Customer Relations > Smart Care. Q. What s the difference between assess and repair and assess and prepare for voice? Review the details in the Cisco Smart Partner User Guide in the section Operating the Cisco Smart Care Application > Customer Relations > Smart Care. Q. What are some of the services provided in voice assess and repair? Review the details in the Cisco Smart Partner User Guide in the section Operating the Cisco Smart Care Application > Customer Relations > Smart Care. Q. What happens in the syslog service? What prerequisites are needed? Review the details in the Cisco Smart Partner User Guide in the section Operating the Cisco Smart Care Application > Customer Relations > Smart Care. Q. What is the availability service, and when will the device have less than 100 percent availability? The availability service is calculated from uptime. If the device has never failed from initial installation, the availability will be 100 percent. Q. What version of transparent LAN services (TLS) is used? Smart Care uses TLS/Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Version 3. Q. How do I make my logo appear on my customer s dashboard? How can I brand my Smart Care portal? Go to the Administration page and select Profile Configuration. That dashboard has a partner branding section. 38

40 Care Q. How can the results of the assessments be accessed? Q. Who opens the service request? Managed A Web portal gives you and your customer visibility into the ongoing health, availability, and security of all the devices in your customer s network, as well as analyses of network health, availability trends, and alerts about any identified issues. You receive detailed reports and fixes as well as high-level status reports. The customer only receives highlevel dashboard views; however, you can make the detailed assessment report available to your customer. Q. What information is available to customers? To partners? The customer receives only high-level dashboard visibility into the health, availability, and security of their network, while you have visibility into the dashboard, plus more detailed information about identified issues and recommended fixes. This approach provides customers with the high-level network status they want and you with the detailed information you need to understand and remediate issues. Q. Why don t the customer reports contain the same information as the partner reports? The target customer for Cisco Smart typically has a limited IT staff and wants to rely on a trusted advisor to resolve network issues and protect their network investment. This type of customer wants access to high-level reports about the health, availability, and security of their network without being overwhelmed by the details. Q. If the customer discovers a network problem, whom do they contact? The customer must contact their Cisco partner; as that partner, you will do the initial troubleshooting. You are responsible for resolving level 0 and 1 service requests. If you are unable to resolve the customer s issue, you need to open a service request with the Cisco TAC. The partner is the entitled party and opens the service request with the Cisco TAC on behalf of the customer. Q. What support does Cisco provide? Cisco takes calls from partners for first level and above to support you when you cannot resolve an issue by yourself. Q. What is the definition for service request levels 0 through 3? Definition of service request levels: Level 0: Procedural Log an end-customer call and assign it to the correct resource or technology team, noting symptoms, affected hardware, and software version. Verify support entitlement and service level. Provide initial problem categorization. Answer general questions using prescripted text. Provide references directing customers to available tools or documentation on Cisco.com. Level 1: Basic Provide general product information (presales and postsales). Provide hardware and software configuration, installation, and feature set upgrade support for mature products. Resolve obvious hardware problems. Resolve known problems through documentation available on Cisco.com or other local resources. Provide basic internetworking troubleshooting expertise. Provide basic support on the standard software protocols and features. 39

41 Care Managed Collect captured network traces and diagnostic data. Provide regular problem resolution status reports to the end user. Filter nontechnical problems from technical problems. Perform base problem determination and collect relevant technical information. Level 2: Advanced Resolve the majority of complex configuration problems by troubleshooting and problem simulation (for example, recreates). Resolve most software or hardware problems. Determine product defects. Define an action plan for troubleshooting/resolution. Use external analyzing tools when appropriate. Provide analysis of traces and diagnostic data when appropriate. Best interoperability and compatibility for new software and hardware releases prior to being deployed into production network. Perform lab simulation and problem duplication. Perform lab testing before deployment of possible fix. Generate workarounds for hardware and software bugs (where present or alternate functionalities allow it) and troubleshooting bugs that were not diagnosed or resolved during level 1 support. Provide contact with complete steps to reproduce a problem in event of escalation to level 3 support. Level 3: Expert Resolve problems reported to the Cisco TAC for the first time for which no documentation exists relating to the problem on Cisco.com or any other format. Resolve problems associated with previously unidentified bugs that have not yet been published on Cisco.com. Generate workarounds for hardware and software bugs and troubleshoot bugs that require a specialized expertise level beyond level 1 or level 2 support. Issue reproduction with complex lab simulations. Provide or interface with product and/or software development engineering support for resolution of product defects. Identify interoperability issues that might be caused by third-party software/hardware. Q. How do I get in touch with the Cisco TAC for backup support with customer issues? After you complete level 0 and level 1 support, you might need additional Cisco TAC support. The best way to contact the Cisco TAC is by phone or Web. You can find worldwide contact information for the Cisco TAC at After you complete level 0 and level 1 support, you need Cisco TAC support. You can contact the Cisco TAC by phone or Web using the normal process. Q. What type of Cisco TAC am I entitled to as a Cisco Smart Care Service partner? Level 2+ support. Q. What hours is the Cisco TAC available to offer support? The Cisco TAC is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Q. What happens if Cisco hardware needs to be replaced? You open a service request with the Cisco TAC. After the need for a Cisco replacement part has been confirmed, the Cisco TAC will send the replacement part directly to the customer using next-business-day delivery. The replacement part can be installed by either the customer or you, depending on your individualized service agreement. 40

42 Care Managed Q. What options does a customer have for hardware replacement (example, NBD, 4-hour, 2-hour)? How will customers with current 2-hour contracts be supported until their existing contracts expire? The base-level Cisco Smart contract provides NBD hardware replacement. also have the flexibility, however, to upgrade individual devices to premium 4-hour hardware replacement coverage. (Note: The 4-hour option does not include onsite service.) If customers with an existing 2-hour contract purchase Cisco Smart Care Service, their existing Cisco SMARTnet contracts will be honored for the duration of that contract. As each device s contract expires, it will be automatically migrated to the Cisco Smart and the pricing adjusted when applicable. Therefore, a customer that has a current 2-hour Cisco SMARTnet contract will still be able to get that hardware replacement level until their current Cisco SMARTnet contract expires. Q. With base-level NBD coverage, are parts always delivered the next day? Replacements will be delivered the next business day in locations where that service is available. In remote or less accessible locations, delivery will be made on a best-effort basis. Q. Who is responsible for returning defective parts that have been replaced? The customer is responsible for returning the defective part to Cisco after the replacement has been received. Cisco SMARTnet Q. How does Cisco Smart compare to Cisco SMARTnet? With Cisco Smart, customers receive proactive network health checkups, remote monitoring, diagnostics, and software repairs in addition to technical support for their entire Cisco network delivered through their local Cisco Certified Partner. With Cisco SMARTnet, customers have direct, anytime access to Cisco engineers and award-winning Cisco service tools for technical support, flexible device-level coverage, and various hardware replacement service level options, but do not receive any dashboard visibility into the health and security of their network, nor do they have a partner doing remote monitoring as part of their overall service. Cisco Smart provides both proactive and reactive services, whereas Cisco SMARTnet currently delivers only reactive service. With Cisco Smart, customers receive proactive monitoring, assessments, and remote repairs in addition to technical support and next-business-day advance replacement. Collaborative Q. How does Cisco Smart fit into Cisco s collaborative services? Cisco Smart is part of Cisco s family of Collaborative, which combine the strength of Cisco and our Certified to deliver a superior service experience. Q. How do the partner requirements to support Cisco Smart Care Service differ from those of Cisco SMARTnet? The requirements are summarized in Table 5. 41

43 Care Managed Shared Support Q. How does Cisco Smart compare to the Shared Support program? Cisco Smart differs from Shared Support in five key ways. 1. Cisco Smart, which is part of the Collaborative family, is delivered jointly by the partner and Cisco as part of a customized solution developed by the partner for each customer. Unlike in the Shared Support Program, in the Collaborative model Cisco shares accountability for service delivery. 2. The Smart Care-based service offered to the customer is co-branded and combines the complementary service strengths of Cisco and the partner into one cohesive service that best addresses customer needs. With Cisco playing a greater risk-sharing role in service delivery, customers gain greater assurance from Cisco for their investments in Cisco technology. 3. The Smart provides the network-level intelligence and tools that a customer needs to proactively plan, build, and run their networks to receive optimal performance. This includes readiness assessments and recommendations for adding Advanced Technologies to their networks; analysis, status and recommendations on all individual network devices; and other services. 4. can differentiate their companies by leveraging the Smart proactive services platform to develop personalized services for small and medium sized businesses as well as midmarket customers. 5. The Smart Care services platform tools help partners more costeffectively deliver technical support. Plus, partners can access the Cisco TAC for help with level 2 or higher calls. Q. How can a partner make more profit with Cisco Smart Care Service than through services offered as part of the Shared Support program? The Cisco family of Collaborative provides opportunities for the partner to grow their business and increase profitability by leveraging Cisco s investments in service capabilities and intellectual capital. And since Cisco Smart Care service is not sold directly to customers by Cisco, it provides partners with the opportunity to bring differentiated and higher value service offerings to market. /Monitor Director Q. How is Cisco Smart positioned against Cisco Monitor Manager? Cisco Smart is a complete, proactive services platform that you can use to create your own personalized services offering. allow partners (or end users) to develop and deploy a remote management service, but it lacks ongoing technical support from Cisco. Table 6 compares the two offerings. 42

44 Care Managed Table 6. Cisco Smart Compared to What Where Hosted? Number of Network users/devices Key Differentiator (impacts servicelevel agreement [SLA]) Network Devices Monitored Delivery Model Long Term Vision Cisco Smart Care Service Network Operations Center (NOC) hosted by Cisco 50 to 600 users/5 to 105 devices Failure events reported upon scheduled scan (as frequently as every 5 minutes) Routers, Switches, and Firewalls Collaborative service, delivered as an ASP model Both solutions coexist in the same customer network Partner-Hosted Network Operations Center (NOC) 5 to 250 users/1 to 70 devices Failure events reported in real time Routers, Switches, Firewalls and End-points (access points, phones) Product, delivered as software Both solutions coexist in the same customer network Purchaser Partner Partner or End User Technical Support Included? Yes. Includes advance hardware replacement, and technical support for all Cisco hardware and software on a customer s network. Service No. Requires partner or Cisco brand technical service separately Q. What is the difference between Cisco Smart and the Service? The differences between Cisco Smart and Remote Management are listed in Table 7. Table 7. Cisco Smart Compared Remote Management Service What Cisco Smart Care Service Service Where Hosted? NOC hosted by Cisco NOC hosted by Cisco Number of Network users and devices Key Differentiator (impacts SLA) Network Devices Monitored Delivery Model 50 to 600 users; 5 to 105 devices Failure events reported upon scheduled scan (as frequently as every 5 minutes) Routers, Switches, Firewalls Collaborative Service, delivered as an ASP model More than 500 users or devices Cisco delivered full remote management service (monitoring + incident, problem, change, release, configuration management, and reporting) Cisco Unified CallManager, Cisco Unity, Cisco Unified Contact Center, Cisco Unified Communications Express products, routers, switches, gateways, security Service, delivered as a managed service Purchaser Partner Partner or Customer Maintenance Model Yes. Includes advance hardware replacement and technical support for all Cisco hardware and software on a customer s network. No. Cisco SMARTnet is required on Cisco devices before you can add this service. 43

45 Care Managed Q. Which partners would likely use and Monitor Director? with a systems-integration focus that are inclined to develop and host their own managed service for small business segment based on a Cisco product and partners that want to offer a real-time monitoring service for small businesses with SLAs requiring instantaneous alert notifications for fault conditions. Q. Which partners would likely offer Cisco Smart? whose principals have primarily a sales focus and are inclined to use a Cisco services platform rather than create and host their own NOC and partners that would like to use a Cisco services platform (NOC hosted by Cisco) even though they use their own 24x7 NOC. Q. Which partners would likely offer Resale remote management service? with a systems-integration focus that are inclined to expand their portfolio without developing and hosting their own managed service for Cisco products and a desire to offer a real-time monitoring and management service with SLAs requiring incident monitoring, incident management, problem management, change/release management, configuration management, and reporting. Q. Why would customers choose one service over the others? Customers might base their decision on the importance of their network to their business continuity and their company s degree of IT selfsufficiency (Table 9). They will also need to take into consideration the number of users the service can support (Table 10). The partner will ultimately make the decision based on their business model, resource allocation, and desired delivery of technical remote services. Table 9. Cisco Commercial Portfolio Positioning Table 10. Cisco Smart Compared to Cisco Brand Resale 44

46 Care Q. Does the Strengthen Your Core program apply to Cisco Smart Care? No. Strengthen Your Core is an incentive program for U.S. partners and targets very specific network discovery activities and tools. This program is well suited for partners who are looking to execute a customer network discovery. Smart Care, however, is an integrated services platform and infrastructure that provides the ability for partners to build and enhance their services practices and offer unique services based on their customers needs. Smart Care offers many benefits such as discovery and inventory, proactive monitoring, the ability to remotely perform security and voice assessment and repair, auto attach and renewal capabilities, simplified contract management and much more. In addition, there is currently an introductory promotion for Smart Care called Quick Start. For additional details visit partner/services/smartcare/quickstart/. Q. Does the Cisco Opportunity Incentive Program (OIP) include Smart Care? Cisco OIP provides deal protection and financial incentives to partners when a new sales opportunity is registered in the program. However, OIP does not apply to Smart Care opportunities as the Smart program does not include any discounts or rebates. If a partner you are working with encounters a customer where a separate deal has been registered for OIP, there is no direct conflict to sell the Smart. The Smart Care sale would be considered a service-only deal and considered a different opportunity all together. Managed 45

47 Care Managed Managed Q. What is the difference between Cisco Smart and a fully managed service? Cisco Smart includes spare parts, technical support, network monitoring, proactive notifications, and network health and security checks. Although it provides some basic monitoring, it is not a network management product or service. It is designed to enable Cisco partners to provide a personalized, proactive service to their SMB and midsize customers. 46