Counterfeit Cisco, what the heck?
As the premiere provider of Cisco Lab Kits, we have obviously been a part of the networking world for quite some time. Twenty plus years have flown by quick! A few articles have been a buzz lately concerning counterfeit Cisco devices and we feel it is important to bring this to our customers’ attention. Yes, you heard that right, even Cisco isn’t immune to knock off devices at “too good to be true” prices. In fact, just over a year ago, Cisco seized over $626,880.00 in counterfeit equipment. What is pretty funny here is that before we even read the article, we said to ourselves, “Bet you that the 2960X is the biggest winner here”. We’ll just chalk that up to all the phishing scams we see for this model on a regular basis. A quick read through on a few articles and as we guessed, it sure was, among other devices.
So, this is where (If you purchase from us or anywhere else) we talk about the importance of purchasing from legitimate companies for your Cisco needs for educational purposes and especially for production use. According to multiple reports, these counterfeit devices are nearly identical to the real thing and someone who isn’t experienced would have a pretty hard time telling the difference at a glance. Imagine installing a switch into a live network with a bunch of security vulnerabilities or a backdoor snuck in there.
A good comparison here could probably be drawn to designer brands like Coach or Rolex. These are some of the most commonly knocked off products in the world because we all know they command a high price. You may be able to find an unbelievable deal on a Rolex from “that guy” on a random classified ad or at an auction, but if you later brought that in to get appraised, you would like not be thrilled to find out that you have an invalid serial number and some funny details. Of course, at that point, “that guy” would be long gone and you would be stuck with a paperweight. For this reason, most people looking to get a refurbished timepiece would usually go to an experienced jewelry store, for example.
At CertificationKits we have made it our business to build a reputation as a shop you can trust who also offers exceptional customer support. Everyone who works on any of the equipment at CertificationKits is certified. All the way from device resets to default through checking against field notice bugs, everything is handled by certified individuals that are qualified for the project. Of course, that makes even the smallest task more expensive for us, but that is the price of ensuring that we only offer quality, grade A, genuine products.
Speaking of testing, not only do we test down to the port level, but at the same time, we fully clean, repaint, perform any necessary upgrades and also check for the authenticity of what we are selling. We don’t just plug things in and see if it powers on, which is the case in many auction style sales. In some events where we are very aware of counterfeiting being commonplace, such as the 2960X, we simply just don’t offer that model at all to avoid that issue completely.
To further ensure things, we back everything with a standard one year warranty. We are so confident that we only offer quality products that we even offer the option to upgrade to a lifetime warranty on most products, so you are fully covered for the entire time that you own your devices.
We work diligently to ensure that we are bringing you legitimate and genuine products with the best warranty, service and fastest shipping possible.
If you get a chance, please check out our latest offerings for quality, legitimate Cisco Lab Kits!
