Cistor named as supplier on Crown Commercial Service’s TePas 2
Hardware leasing v Hardware as a Service: What’s the difference and how can they be more sustainable?
With the introduction of our new Sustainable Hardware as a Service offering, we thought we’d breakdown the different types of IT ownership models that are available. Our quick overview should give you a basic understanding of each of the models. But for more information, please get in touch with a member of the team.
Outright Ownership
The one that most IT teams are familiar with. You buy your kit directly from a vendor such as Cisco or through a partner. And take ownership for the maintenance, upgrades and decommissioning yourself.
From a finance perspective, owning the asset means that it is classed as a capital expenditure. Overtime the value of hardware will depreciate and will become more expensive to maintain.
This model is great for businesses that want complete control of their hardware and have teams in place to run updates and maintenance. However, the upfront costs associated with purchasing hardware, as well as those associated with ongoing maintenance can lead to businesses looking at alternative models of ownership.
Hardware Leasing
In this instance there is a financial agreement in place with another company to supply you with the hardware. Think of it as renting your routers and switches, as opposed to owning them outright. At the end of the agreement, the equipment typically goes back to the leasing company, although some lenders will offer you the option of purchasing the equipment via a balloon payment.
Leasing often comes with options to wrap support and maintenance into the contract, if this isn’t the case then you will need the resource in place to do this yourself.
This model allows businesses to access hardware without the need for a large upfront cost as payments are spread. However, as a there is a financial transaction taking place on a physical asset, this can still have capital expenditure implications.
Hardware as a Service
The Hardware as a Service (HaaS) model differs from leasing in that you are consuming the hardware as part of a service. In a similar model to how businesses consume software (SaaS) or cloud (IaaS), you are paying for access to the hardware, meaning the ownership of the product remains with the business you are taking it from.
Like leasing, obtaining the networking hardware you need for your business becomes easier as there are no upfront costs. At the end of the services, the hardware then goes back to the supplier.
As this is a service, the supplier is responsible for the upgrading, maintenance and support of the hardware. If something breaks, they will be on the hook to replace it for you. Because they are taking hardware back out of other businesses, this could mean that the kit you receive isn’t always brand new and has been through a remanufacturing process instead.
From a finance perspective, this is now an operational cost as you don’t own the hardware and no financial transaction takes place for the asset directly. This makes this model of ownership great for customers who offer consumable services to their customers and are looking to mirror this operational model themselves, or who are looking to reduce the number of fixed assets that they own.
Building on the HaaS model, we developed our Sustainable Hardware as a Service. We own the asset and provide fully managed shipping and “white glove” product recovery services. This is backed with Cisco’s full manufacturer warranty and Smartnet support. Covered throughout the period of the service. However, we’ve designed the solution in a way that embeds both sustainability and customer value at its core.
We take a customer’s Cisco requirements and analyse the solution to identify opportunities. Then blend in Cisco Refresh, Cisco’s fully certified remanufactured equipment. This approach gives you access to the latest and great new equipment with the traditional value achieved from remanufacturing. This means you are reducing your Carbon impact via a cost-efficient solution that doesn’t come with any technical trade off.
We then provide a financial wrapper using Cisco Capital’s Green Pay solution. Cisco Green Pay is an award winning financial solution that ensures Cisco products are sent back to Cisco as part of the service lifecycle. And supporting Cisco’s world leading sustainability objectives for 100% product takeback.
Finally, through our detailed product research, you gain access to comprehensive ESG and carbon impact metrics throughout the product lifecycle. From day one you have visibility on the role that remanufactured IT is having in helping your business achieve it’s ESG commitments.
EcoVadis Platinum 2025: Top 1% Sustainability Ranking
What EcoVadis Platinum 2025 Means
The EcoVadis Platinum 2025 award recognises companies with outstanding sustainability performance. Many organisations use this certification to check how their suppliers meet environmental and ethical standards.
Our Assessment with Colt Technology Services
One of our long-term clients, Colt Technology Services, asked us to complete an EcoVadis Platinum assessment. This gave them an independent way to review our sustainability practices.
The process was valuable. It gave us clear feedback on what we do well and where we can improve. It also allowed us to compare our results with other companies in our industry.
Our EcoVadis Platinum 2025 Results
We scored 92/100 in the EcoVadis Platinum 2025 ranking. This placed us in the top 1% of companies worldwide. This result shows our strong commitment to responsible procurement, reducing environmental impact, and meeting the highest ethical standards.
Moving Forward with Sustainability
We will build on this success. By setting new sustainability goals and working with our partners, we aim to improve even further. The recognition is not just an award. It is a benchmark that drives us to do better every year.
1%
Cistor are within the top 1% of all companies globally who participate in these assessments.
Getting Started with Remanufactured IT
Research from Gartner predicts that 80% of hardware vendors product portfolios will come from circular initiatives by 2030, up from 20% in 2023. This means you’ll be getting more of the latest and greatest tech and networking hardware without needing to buy new every time.
Which is where remanufacturing comes in.
80%
of hardware vendors product portfolios will come from circular initiatives by 2030
What is Remanufactured IT?
Put simply, remanufactured IT refers to preowned equipment that manufacturers or specialists restore to like-new condition. These products often come with the same warranties and guarantees as new items. Choosing remanufactured IT helps you save money, reduce your environmental impact, and enjoy the same level of performance as brand-new equipment.
Cisco’s Refresh programme is a great example of this. Cisco receives used technology, such as switches that customers have returned, and rigorously tests each item to ensure full functionality and identify any defects.
Technicians replace any worn components and securely delete all stored data. As a result, you receive hardware that meets the same strict manufacturing standards as brand-new equipment. Similar to buying a certified used car from an approved dealership, the hardware comes in like-new condition with the full manufacturer’s warranty and any applicable software licenses.
OK, got it. Why would I use it in my Network infrastructure over new though?
There are many reasons why your company should use remanufactured IT. Here are a few of the most important:
Cost
Let’s not beat around the bush, buying remanufactured IT is cheaper. We typically find our customers save between 20-30% by buying Cisco authorised Refresh through us. At a time when businesses are under pressure to reduce costs, this makes it the ideal way for IT departments to do so, without having to compromise on performance or piece of mind.
Supply Chain
IT hardware goes through a long and winding journey from raw materials to your network. This makes it vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, which can cause delays and headaches. Remanufactured IT skips some of these steps, so it's less likely to be affected by supply chain issues.
The Cisco Catalyst 9000 range is a perfect example of how remanufactured IT can solve supply chain issues. When Cisco struggled to source components during Chipogeden. Lead times for new products extended daily. But thanks to our Intelligent Supply Chain offering. We were able to help our customers get as good-as-new CAT9K hardware in just a few weeks.
It’s twice as nice for the environment
Utilising remanufactured IT is great for the environment for two reasons. Firstly, hardware such as switches is often so well produced that it is difficult to recycle. By utilising hardware that has already gone into circulation, you’re extending it’s life span and reducing the amount of e-waste you are creating.
Secondly, by choosing remanufactured hardware you are avoiding the production of a new bit of kit. Meaning there’s less of an impact on your Scope Three emissions and the environment as a whole!
In fact in a study carried out with our customers, Colt, we found that by using remanufactured IT in a five year period they avoided:
22.6 tonnes of ewaste avoided
1,012 tCO2e saved
That’s the equivalent of three Boeing 747 jets!
Interested? We thought you might be
Introducing remanufactured hardware into your IT network can seem daunting. We offer network discovery sessions for anyone considering it. We’ll look at your current infrastructure and work with you to identify the best places to start, sharing supply chain insight along the way.
Sustainable IT Adoption: Overcoming the Barriers
Gartner predicts that by 2030, 80% of hardware vendors’ product portfolios will link to circular initiatives, up from only 20% in 2023. With this shift on the horizon, it is vital to understand the barriers that slow sustainable IT adoption and what companies like Cisco can do to overcome them.
Distrust in Used Technology
Many people still place all used IT equipment in the same category. They assume it is unreliable and risky because of its second-hand status. This perception is especially strong for mission-critical networking, communications infrastructure, or data storage systems, where downtime can be costly and damaging.
Because of this, cost savings from remanufactured technology are often ignored. Past negative experiences with unreliable second-hand equipment can lead to blanket policies that block anything except new products, which slows sustainable IT adoption.
This misunderstanding becomes a major barrier to progress. The reality is very different. Manufacturers such as HPE and Cisco use remanufactured equipment in critical infrastructure support contracts. When equipment fails, the replacement provided under the service agreement is often remanufactured and trusted.
Our Sustainable IT Group members have supplied remanufactured equipment to the Ministry of Defence, the NHS, universities, and councils. These organisations rely on it because it performs well, is known to be dependable, and often has a lower “dead on arrival” rate than brand-new products.
Why New Still Wins
Traditional product sales models reward volume. In consumer tech, brands like Apple and Microsoft profit from constant demand for the latest products. In enterprise IT, commission structures drive short upgrade cycles and prioritise revenue over sustainability, which can limit sustainable IT adoption.
Remanufactured technology can cost up to 20% less than new. It is also supplied with the same warranties and support because it is rebuilt within the original manufacturer’s circular economy programme.
At Cistor, we extend the life of our customers’ platforms through remanufactured technology. We integrate it into network upgrades and architecture designs. Every time we do, it reduces carbon emissions, conserves resources, and prevents e-waste — all of which support sustainable IT adoption.
Low Awareness Levels
Many organisations still do not understand the environmental impact of their IT systems or the benefits of sustainable alternatives. This lack of awareness is one of the biggest hurdles to sustainable IT adoption.
A 2021 Capgemini report found that:
Only 11% of organisations have measures to cut the carbon footprint of their networks and communication systems.
Just 23% of IT teams and 3% of procurement teams know about or apply sustainable IT initiatives.
Only 2% of supply chain and logistics teams use sustainable IT practices.
Networking and communications often take a back seat to end-user devices when sustainability is discussed. This slows sustainable IT adoption and leaves untapped opportunities to improve both performance and environmental impact.
Embracing the Change
With global supply chain challenges, higher costs, tight budgets, and the growing scarcity of natural resources, now is the time to embrace remanufactured technology.
Over the last 14 years, we have helped hundreds of customers make the switch. Companies like Colt have seen that it delivers best-in-class reliability and performance. It is better for the planet, for budgets, and for long-term resilience.
Why taking a sustainable approach to IT aligns with our core business strategy - in conversation with Keri Gilder, CEO, Colt Technology
Cistor has been working with Colt since 2015. In this Q&A CEO Keri Gilder takes us through the Sustainable IT approach they are taking.
Cistor: At Colt you place a real focus on sustainability through your CSR policies, particularly in areas such as energy consumption and emissions. How important for you as a business is remanufactured IT within that?
Keri Gilder: Sustainability matters across all levels of the organisation and is central to how Colt operates. As a global network provider, IT infrastructure is integral to what we do and it’s extremely important that we’re environmentally mindful of how we procure it.
I think there are two reasons why remanufactured IT is important to our strategy. Firstly, it helps us reduce the carbon emissions of our supply chain, which contributes to lowering our Scope 3 GHG footprint. Secondly, it plays a key role in our Zero Waste to Landfill aim. We want to ensure sustainability by design and remanufactured IT is an integral part of that. We have to think about circularity and designing out waste, and that includes considering upgradeability, repair, second use and spares. A circular economy is much more environmentally sound than the traditional linear model, so we aim to use resources for longer and purchase remanufactured IT to minimise virgin materials where possible. This leads to an indirect reduction in CO2 emissions and, importantly, prevents toxic materials from entering waste streams.
C: Colt is a global leader in networking and communications, and as such, your success goes hand-in-hand with the technical resilience and performance of the solutions you provide to your clients. The misperception though is that remanufactured equipment is less reliable – what has been your experience?
KG: Technical resilience and high performance are a priority for Colt and we won’t put these at risk. We’ve never experienced any problems with the remanufactured equipment we have from Cistor (part of the Circularity First Group). In fact, we’ve created a proactive, resilient supply chain which allows for savings both in terms of cost and carbon. The equipment also comes with a warranty, so we know that we’re receiving reliable items.
C: What benefits do you see from working with a company like Cistor?
KG: Our businesses have been working together since 2015. And in that time, we’ve purchased more than 33,000 units. And prevented more than 40,000kg of eWaste using Refresh technology in place of new.
Working with Cistor ensures we receive an authorised remanufactured product whilst preventing the need for virgin materials and reducing the carbon impact. The remanufactured IT market can be challenging and as an authorised reseller, the quality guarantee from Cistor gives us welcome peace of mind. Cistor has helped us create a resilient supply chain through its proactive approach to sourcing items we need, planning for the future and keeping stock for us. This means we never run out of supplies, helping us provide a seamless service to our customers.
C: In your opinion, what needs to happen for the wider tech industry to adopt similar mainstream sustainable IT practices?
KG: We need to grow awareness of how ethically important sustainable IT practices are, of the economic benefits they can bring and the next steps we can take as an industry. Education is key. If technology leaders know more about the circular economy and the solutions available, such as remanufactured IT, they can make more informed, sustainable decisions around supply chains and equipment usage.
Collaboration and communication are also important. We need to work together to drive real change and become a sustainable industry. Remembering the aim of benefitting our planet however best we can. Sharing best practice, ideas and recommendations are great ways we can work across our sector to have a positive environmental impact.
The sector needs to work together with manufacturers to bring further control and transparency of the second-hand market. We need to educate – new doesn’t necessarily mean better – and we need to change behaviours to build a holistic view of how products are designed and operated. Only then can we understand how we’re impacting the planet today and mitigate our impact in the future.
Extending the lifespan of equipment and how we deal with items at the end of their life is very important. We have to remove all precious metals and useable components and recirculate them back into the manufacturing process. A streamlined and consistent framework for governance, reporting and measurement would also help. Alongside exploring alternative ways such as blockchain as a tool for monitoring serial numbers, chain of custody, inventory, track and trace, verification of products, triggers and controls.
Sustainable IT is more than simply the reuse and recycling of equipment. We need to be looking at the deployment of more energy efficient products, green cloud solutions, virtualisation, IoT and AI technologies to reduce the carbon footprint of our whole operation. It’s imperative that we look at the full value chain and begin to decarbonise through smarter purchasing choices. We also need to improve employee and industry awareness on sustainable IT practices. That’s good for the planet, good for our business and good for our customers carbon reduction plans.
Cisco Data Centre Network: Considerations in 2025
At Cistor, we continue to see significant demand for Cisco Data Centre Network solutions—especially in hybrid and managed cloud environments. These networks remain crucial for organizations that require a balance between modern cloud flexibility and legacy infrastructure control. This blog explores the current state of enterprise-scale Data Centre Network architecture and highlights the top three solutions businesses are investing in today.
Cisco Data Centre Network Solutions Shaped by Innovation and Acquisition
Over the past decade, three primary solutions have emerged in the Data Centre Network space: Cisco ACI, VMware NSX-T, and Pensando Smart NICs.
Cisco ACI was born from the acquisition of Insieme Networks. This full-stack solution is now a staple in enterprise networking. VMware NSX-T, originally developed by Nicira, offers a flexible overlay architecture that works across different hardware vendors. Lastly, Pensando, now part of AMD, introduces Smart NIC-based SDN, bringing innovation closer to the workload.
Cisco ACI: A Proven Data Centre Network Architecture
Cisco ACI offers a robust Data Centre Network architecture that includes switches, controllers, and software. Using a Spine-Leaf Clos topology, ACI provides high-speed connectivity between workloads. The architecture supports Layer 2 and Layer 3 overlays, micro-segmentation, and consistent policy management across private, public, and hybrid clouds.
With seven years of maturity, ACI remains a trusted platform. Its ability to support bare metal workloads and native zero-trust security makes it a preferred choice. That said, it may not be ideal for smaller environments or businesses seeking vendor-neutral solutions.
NSX-T vs ACI: Key Differences in Cisco Data Centre Networking
One of the key differentiators between NSX-T and Cisco ACI lies in hardware dependency. NSX-T is hardware agnostic and works with network fabrics from vendors such as Arista, Juniper, and HPE. Its SDN overlay includes switching, routing, security, micro-segmentation, and load balancing (via the AVI Networks acquisition).
While NSX-T offers vendor flexibility and integrates tightly with VMware hypervisors, it lacks native support for bare metal workloads. Cisco ACI maintains an advantage in environments with legacy systems and storage requirements.
Broadcom's Acquisition of VMware: A Cloud of Uncertainty
The upcoming Broadcom acquisition of VMware brings significant uncertainty to the Data Centre Network ecosystem. Broadcom has a history of maximizing profit by cutting costs and raising prices. While some believe this acquisition will strengthen Broadcom’s software portfolio, others are cautious about its long-term impact on innovation and support.
Pensando: A Smart NIC Alternative for Cisco Data Centre Networks
Pensando offers a new approach to Cisco Data Centre Network design with Smart NICs. These devices implement switching, routing, and policy enforcement directly on the NIC. Benefits include reduced reliance on expensive hardware and faster policy execution near the workload.
Despite the promise, many IT teams—including ours—are still learning how to integrate Pensando effectively. As adoption grows, we expect more clarity and best practices to emerge.
Our Cisco Data Centre Network Recommendations
At Cistor, we tailor every recommendation through a thorough Network Discovery process based on individual customer requirements. While Pensando continues to evolve and VMware’s future remains uncertain under Broadcom, we remain focused on Cisco ACI as our primary investment in enterprise-scale solutions.
As one of the largest Circular Economy Partners to Cisco in Europe, we’re delighted to have been awarded the recently launched Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialisation.
As one of the largest Circular Economy Partners to Cisco in Europe, we’re delighted to achieve the recently launched Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialisation.
Our team members completed Cisco’s specialist training and passed an exam designed to strengthen our role in supporting Cisco’s sustainability pledge for product returns.
What This Certification Confirms
We help customers meet their sustainability goals by supplying authorised remanufactured IT through Cisco’s takeback and reuse programme.
We partner with Cisco Sustainability and our customers to keep technology in use for longer. This includes returning, reusing, and redeploying equipment in line with circular economy principles.
We actively contribute to Cisco’s sustainability pledge.
The Take Back Initiative ensures technology is used for its full life cycle.
This achievement also recognises our significant role in Cisco’s global initiative to responsibly repurpose or recycle end-of-use equipment. This ensures that existing technology stays in use for as long as possible.
Fourteen Years of Partnership
Over the last fourteen years, Cistor has partnered with Cisco to extend the life of technology. As a key strategic circular economy partner in Cisco’s Refresh programme, we have used Cisco Refresh technology in contracts worldwide. This includes work with banks, the London Stock Exchange, international service providers, government departments, universities, businesses, and mobile technology companies.
Changing Conversations Around IT and Sustainability
More organisations are now examining their environmental and social impact. The conversations we have with clients are changing. Of course, technology must deliver continuity, security, cost efficiency, and resilience to supply chain challenges. However, the biggest shift we see is that organisations now ask how IT can align with wider business sustainability goals such as reducing eWaste, supporting the circular economy, and protecting finite resources.
Our Sustainability IT Consultancy helps organisations create this alignment.
Cisco Refresh gives customers confidence that their technology comes with the same warranties, licences, and SmartNet support as new equipment. In addition, by using technology that already exists, our clients reduce eWaste and cut climate impact. They avoid the need to purchase brand-new equipment, which helps both their budget and the planet
