As the product manager for the flagship enterprise switching platform for campus core deployments: the Cisco Catalyst 6500 and 6800 product families, I frequently speak with key technology executives who drive business outcomes for customers across the world.

I was recently asked about the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model for the next-generation Cisco Catalyst 6800 Supervisor Engine 6T (Sup6T).

Before I answer the question, it's important to note that a typical, fully configured 6800 system consists of the chassis, supervisor engine, line card(s), optics, software and the SmartNet license, power supplies and cables for the chassis along with some accessories.

Understanding that, let's look at two TCO models for the next-generation Cisco Catalyst 6800 Supervisor Engine 6T so that that question can be answered properly:

1) The Cisco Catalyst 6800 Supervisor Engine 6T offers a 20% TCO advantage (approximately$20,000 list price) with respect to the current fully configured Cisco Catalyst 6800 Supervisor Engine 2T.

But what is driving the 20% savings? The answer to that lies in the feature-rich design of the Cisco Catalyst 6800 Supervisor Engine 6T. It comes with eight 10GE ports on the supervisor itself, which means that fewer line cards are needed to achieve the equivalent port density of the Cisco Catalyst 6800 Supervisor Engine 2T.

2) Second, the next-generation Cisco Catalyst 6800 Supervisor Engine 6T offers an attractive bundle C6807-XL-S6T-BUN priced at$38,000. This offers a whopping 42% savings (approximately$28K in USD list price) with respect to the a-la-carte Cisco Catalyst 6800 Supervisor Engine 6T configuration. The Cisco Catalyst 6800 Supervisor Engine 6T bundle price gets you a 6807-XL chassis, two power supplies, one Sup6T (with standard tables), one Fan Tray and one IP Services license, similar to what you would get with the existing Sup2T bundle.

A simple way to visualize this bundle is that the customer effectively pays the price for the IP Services license and a discounted Sup6T. The 6807-XL chassis, power supplies and accessories are then included for free in this bundle.
It's not just the price saving. The Cisco Catalyst 6800 Supervisor Engine 6T offers advantages such as higher port density, 40GE readiness, faster processor, greater on-board memory, 440G/slot on the 6807-XL chassis and 3500+ advanced network services with Day 1 maturity of code.

Given its rich features and advanced capabilities, the next-generation Cisco Catalyst 6800 Supervisor Engine 6T is optimally positioned to provide tremendous ROI. This makes Cisco Catalyst 6800 Supervisor Engine 6T the optimal choice to address trends such as: the Internet of Things, mobility, flexible workspaces and Big Data in the next-generation campus.
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