The client is a top-tier ranked international commercial law firm. The firm depends on enterprise-grade hardware to keep its data secure and provide efficient communications with its clients. Like many organisations operating at this level, it requires solutions that meet strict vendor compliance and security standards, leaving no room for non-OEM or uncertified equipment within its infrastructure.
The challenge
The firm required a standard upgrade to one of its data centres but faced significant budget constraints.
- Budget constraints - the firm needed enterprise-grade hardware for its data centre upgrade but had limited budget available, pushing them towards lower-cost non-OEM alternatives.
- Vendor compliance risk - to stay within budget, the firm had begun considering non-OEM memory as an alternative. This carried risks around certification and security that were incompatible with the firm’s standards for a top-tier legal environment.
What we did
As an authorised Cisco Premier Partner with an environmental sustainability specialisation, Cistor stepped in as an intermediary, working closely with both the client and the vendor to find a solution that served all parties. With over ten years of vendor management experience, Cistor was confident it could navigate the deal to a positive outcome.
- Cisco Refresh recommendation - through lab testing and close consultation with the client, Cisco Refresh was agreed as the right solution, providing certified remanufactured hardware with no compromise on vendor compliance.
- Vendor negotiation - Cistor leveraged its vendor relationships and ten years of deal management experience to negotiate a blended solution price that kept the project firmly within the firm’s budget.
- Build management and pre-configuration - Cistor managed the full server build and pre-configured the equipment before delivery, saving the law firm time and internal resource on the project.
- Sustainability aligned - the Cisco Refresh approach replaced a potential non-OEM workaround with a certified, remanufactured solution, reducing environmental impact without sacrificing performance or compliance.
The result
Cistor secured a vendor-compliant Cisco Refresh solution for the law firm’s data centre upgrade, staying within budget through a successfully negotiated blended solution price. By managing the build and pre-configuring the servers, Cistor also saved the firm significant time and internal resource.
This is a summary of a published Cistor case study. The client’s name has been withheld in the original material for confidentiality.
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