How technical support of equipment from foreign vendors works

After foreign vendors left the Russian market in 2022, many companies faced the issue of equipment support. Network equipment developer Cisco on March 3, 2022 announcedthat it would stop supplying its products to Russia and stopped warranty service. Storage manufacturer NetApp on March 10, 2022 suspendedoperation in Russia. Russian companies have lost access to the portal, which is necessary for updates and work with documentation. Computer hardware developer Dell on August 27 announcedthat it would cease operations with Russian companies.The company’s operations in Russia have been suspended.

In this article we understand all the options for getting technical support for a Russian company.

Technical support directly from vendors

Now access to the services of foreign vendors is closed for Russian legal entities. Access cannot be obtained with the help of a VPN. Even if an employee is abroad, a company registered in Russia is denied access. .

It makes no sense to address vendors directly. When addressing any problem, the vendor first of all asks for the serial number of the equipment and an upload with the configuration file, where the location of the system installation and the serial number of the equipment are specified – support will not be provided to the system with Russian roots.

Self-solving IT infrastructure problems

Solving problems on your own can be difficult – some situations can be solved by the company itself, but technically complex issues most likely cannot be fixed on your own. Most often companies need a supply of spare parts to replace failed elements of the system, or expertise on those issues, which the organization does not have.

If the company has experienced specialists with great expertise, they will be able to solve localized problems. A customer who has been using vendors’ equipment for many years and knows it better than a third-party company can solve emerging issues with high expertise if they have had time to build it up.

One of the options for self-service IT infrastructure is to find the ZIP, leave it in stock, and protect yourself from breakdowns. In case of equipment failure, it can be promptly replaced. The disadvantages of this approach are obvious: in order to have an option to replace any equipment, spare parts are needed in a large assortment, and proper operation is possible only if there is an extremely experienced engineer in the team. The option of buying equipment on the black market is the least reliable due to the lack of guarantees.

Some companies order equipment of vendors from China. The main disadvantages: almost complete lack of support from Chinese vendors and unreliability in terms of quality – the customer may receive used or non-working equipment. The main disadvantages are the following

Private initiatives

In 2022, small startups offering their services to replace the functions of vendors have started to emerge. These are private initiatives, such as the proposals on “Habra”: specialists who used to work for vendors are now offering consultations on a freelance basis, with their help it is possible to close a local problem. Also, right after the departure of vendors, small companies founded by engineers with experience in Cisco, Dell, and NetApp appeared. They provide freelance consulting.

Another possible option for solving problems that have arisen is word of mouth and networking in an established community, but it’s still difficult to get access to ZIP, especially for new hardware, through forums. A large long-standing community can help with consulting: exchange experience, share screenshots and even ready code.

Partner Professional Support

The most comprehensive offer is to get technical support through vendor partners. Companies that have direct access to official vendor portals have a clear advantage to successfully assist customers. Not only basic support is provided, but also help with complex and ambiguous cases.

If we talk about corporate support and quality assurance, it should be a company that has its own experience in operating vendors’ hardware and software. Expertise and previous experience can be used as a reference and proof of competence: the company providing technical support should have experienced engineers who can ensure the realization of the conditions specified in the SLA.