Posts Tagged ‘refurbished’
Sunday, May 31st, 2009
If you have used, broken, or no longer needed I.T. equipment, you may be tempted to toss it in the trash bin outside and watch it be hauled away. But there are two important reasons to refrain from doing that: one, you’re throwing away money; and two, adding more lead-based equipment to a landfill isn’t good for the environment.
If you’re a company that wants to go green, here are some important steps to take to reduce your company’s carbon footprint.
First and foremost, don’t throw away I.T. equipment! There are reliable alternative hardware providers like MULTI-LINK Communications (MLCP) that will accept your old equipment (even if it’s broken) for a trade-in credit, or will even sell your used equipment (like a Cisco 7905 IP phone) on consignment whether or not your buy anything from them at all. Let MLCP refurbish and try to sell your equipment and all you have to do is cash the check once it sells. Not only will someone else struggling to afford the right I.T. equipment for their company benefit, but so will you financially, and so will generations to come with fewer landfills.
You can also remind staff, vendors, customers, etc. to reduce paper waste by simply adding “Please consider the environment before printing this email” to the bottom of every email sent internally and externally from your staff. Sometimes, people just need a reminder to think before hitting that print button and saving paper not only saves trees, but also reduces supply costs.
Offering a recycling program at work will encourage to bring recyclables from home and not only eliminate how much recyclable material goes into residential trash, but the money can be used to donate to a local school, buy a new microwave for the break room, or given away to the employee (or team) of the month who brings in the most recycling.
Going green doesn’t have to be expensive. It can actually save you money, encourage respect for the environment with your staff, and keep the planet healthy for generations to come.
Tags: business owners, going green, I.T. hardware, landfills, refurbished
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Thursday, May 28th, 2009
When it comes to I.T. hardware, and the expenses involved to start-up or upgrade, an investment recapture strategy is important. What are the components of a valuable strategy, and how much can it save you?
Purchasing a new system or component can be expensive and often, businesses hold off on doing so because of the expense. But there are ways to reduce the expenses.
1. Purchase refurbished equipment from a reliable alternate provider.
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure– especially if it’s been refurbished to like-new standards. A good alternate provider is in the business of buying back equipment that other people need to get rid of when they upgrade or liquidate and if they offer trade-in credit, most likely have an impressive surplus of used equipment in their storage facility. Alternate providers discount this refurbished equipment not only because it’s used, but because they need the space. They’ve already made money on the sale that happened with the trade-in, so refurbishing and reselling is icing on the cake. Take advantage of that! Refurbished equipment often sells for less than 20% of the price of the same product new!
2. Consider buying new or refurbished equipment that is no longer being manufactured. Once equipment is end-of-lifed, the manufacturer stops selling it. So for example, if your Cisco 1600 Series WIC-1B-U melts down, Cisco isn’t going to sell you a new one. Instead, they may suggest you upgrade your entire system to what they’re currently producing. You don’t need to fall into that trap. Replacing broken parts is an important part of any Investment Recapture Strategy, so find a provider that will continue to supply new or refurbished equipment long after the product stops being made.
3. Lease your equipment. Consider leasing to own, or simply leasing until you put away enough to pay for the upgrade. Especially if you aren’t certain if a growth trend will continue. Leasing makes downsizing easy should it come to that.
4. Take advantage of trade-in credit. Buying from an alternate provider that accepts used equipment for trade-in is no different than trading in your car. You no longer need it, and you might as well apply the value to your new purchase. Since finding a customer to buy your old equipment is time-consuming to do yourself, let someone else take the old stuff off your hands.
5. Know that you can liquidate completely if necessary. No one wants to be pessimistic, but the reality is, businesses encounter tough times. Find an alternate provider that will sell your equipment on consignment. Knowing you can sell it means money in your pocket.
Tags: cisco, I.T. hardware, new hardware, refurbished, reputable company, routers
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Monday, March 2nd, 2009
A Matter of Trust
Any business relationship is built fundamentally on trust. If you don’t trust the company you’re dealing with, you shouldn’t be dealing with them. And the notion couldn’t be more telling than when it comes to buying refurbished hardware. After all, you need your hardware to work and work well, you need it to be delivered on the day promised, and most importantly, you need to know that if something goes wrong with that router, or switch, or IP Phone, the company you bought it from will stand behind the product and replace it. In short, you have to trust that if you buy their product, they won’t leave you twisting in the wind.
The primary reason companies don’t buy used IT hardware, according to a survey conducted by Information Week, is because they don’t trust that it will work as well, or last as long as new products will. A lack of trust was the number one reason people throw thousands of dollars away every year on buying new equipment when the exact same product is available used. That’s how important ‘trust’ is.
So why trust us?
Here at MULTI-LINK, we’re worthy of your trust.
First, we’ve been in business since 1995. That’s almost fifteen years and we’ll be here for fifteen more. Without repeat business by customers who’ve had a positive experience with us, we couldn’t have made it this far.
Second, we work with the manufacturer’s biggest customers. Even companies that primarily buy direct from manufacturers like Foundry and Cisco come to us when in need of a secondary or alternative supplier. Sometimes the items they need are no longer being made or are available from the manufacturer. Other times, we can simply ship immediately when the manufacturer has a 6 – 8 week lead time. These companies frequently come back to us time and again.
Third, we stand by our equipment. Our rigorous testing standards and one-year warranty ensure that if something goes wrong—and we all know that on occasion it will—we won’t pretend we don’t know who you are. And we won’t hide behind a ‘Contact Us’ that’s devoid of a phone number. You can call us, email us, chat with us. We’re there to help because your problem is our problem.
Fourth, we’re big enough to deliver what we say we can. Although other companies may have good intentions, can they really swoop in when equipment fails and replace it quickly? We can. We maintain one of the largest on-site inventories of refurbished equipment in the nation and we can ship immediately.
One of our customers said it best:
“There is one and only one reason why we buy from MULTI-LINK – it’s called trust. Buying second user equipment can offer significant savings… if the gear you get arrives in a timely manner, if it is what you wanted, if it is cosmetically correct, if it actually works as specified, and if you get support when it doesn’t. Too many “ifs”, which is why we take no chances and we always try to work with people we trust. MULTI-LINK has rated #1 with us in this department for longer than ten years, and they are currently our only ISO9001-approved second user kit vendor. Any other vendors need to be approved one-by-one, deal-by-deal, before any orders are placed… with fingers crossed.”
It’s praise we’re proud of, and it’s praise we’ve earned. We’re looking forward to earning your trust too.
Tags: cisco, company, equipment, hardware, Multi-link, phone, products, refurbished, router, routers, switches, warranty
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Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
If you’re one of the many business owners who needs to tighten your belt to adjust to the downturn in the economy, purchasing refurbished equipment for your upgrade instead of buying new, or purchasing used hardware to accommodate a downsize may be the most cost-efficient option for you. Refurbished equipment is certainly less expensive for obvious reasons, but is it reliable? The fear of buying anything used is the question of reliability and ultimately, if a product doesn’t last or work the way it’s supposed to, the savings is quickly offset by lost time and additional hardware. So is it better to bite the bullet, pay significantly more, and buy new? Or is it safe to assume that refurbished hardware is reliable enough to deliver on its promise of savings?
The simple answer is… it depends. Like buying a ‘pre-owned’ car, some dealerships are much better than others. While most of us wouldn’t think twice about buying a year old BMW from a reputable BMW dealer, we might not purchase one from the independent car lot that just opened up down the street. The same logic applies to networking equipment and computer hardware for the same reasons. Finding a reputable company that not only does a high volume of business, but tests and warrants refurbished equipment will definitely dictate whether your experience is a pleasant one or not.
There are three things you should look for in the company you plan to buy refurbished equipment from:
First, find out how long they’ve been in business. Longevity usually means more experience and solid business practices.
Second, look for specifics on the number of times a product is tested, and how long the used products remain under warranty. Good companies will guarantee a used product for the same length of time that the manufacturer guarantees the same product new. Some even offer better warranties than the manufacturer.
Third, ask the company if they have the product in stock or not. If a company maintains a large inventory, and doesn’t have to hunt down, test, and refurbish a product after you’ve ordered it, that means faster lead times and you’ll end up with the product in your hand much more quickly.
If you follow those tips for finding the right company, you can feel much more comfortable in knowing that the hardware you’ve purchased will be delivered on time, in good condition, and will last at least as long as the manufacturer expected the same product would last if you purchased it new. These companies exist, but so do the less reliable, fly-by-night companies. Do your research. It’ll pay off in the long run.
Tags: bmw, business longevy, business owners, business practices, car lot, company, computer warranties, dealer, downturn, economy, equipment, goodness, guarantees, hardware, high volume, IT, length of time, logic, longevity, networkingindependent car, pre owned car, products, refurbished, reliability, reputable simple answer, specifics, stock, warrants, warranty
Posted in Purchasing Tips | Comments Off
Thursday, January 15th, 2009
Growth is good, but sometimes it happens more quickly than we expect causing all kinds of problems. If you suddenly have more orders than you’re equipped to handle, it’s likely you’ll encounter issues with lead times, personnel, and even your IT equipment. Because sudden growth is often a reaction to external circumstances going on in the market and outside of your control, it may catch you off guard. Upgrading could be the key to handling the additional orders quickly and efficiently.
The first thing you need to do in this situation is hire additional staff to manage the extra workload. Because you’re playing ‘catch up,’ we suggest hiring a temp that’s available for hire in case you decide that this growth spurt is a long term trend. Not all companies allow you to hire their temps. Others charge outrageous fees – and the employee you’re hiring doesn’t see a penny of that. Be sure to check into this first before finding the personnel company you want to work with.
Second, if you can’t produce your product more quickly, spring for quicker shipping. Don’t make your customers wait for you to produce the product they believe you have in stock, and then wait even longer for ground shipping. Pay the difference for overnight shipping yourself. The gain of a happy customer will far outweigh the nominal fee your shipping company will charge you to ship more quickly.
Third, upgrade your IT network. More online sales are lost because of poorly designed websites and slow load times than anything else. If they love your product, but hate dealing with your website, they’re gone. Even if it means upgrading to refurbished IT equipment from the current equipment you bought new, it’s worth it to have the right hardware to handle your infrastructure. Just be sure to find a reputable refurbished hardware company to work with. How do you know if it’s reputable? Easy. Find a company that offers at least a six month warranty on used equipment (a one year warranty is even better), maintains its own inventory, offers a trade-in credit on the routers and switches you no longer need, and encourages you to call and speak to a customer service rep (some companies hide their phone number or take it off their site altogether to discourage you from talking to them – stay away from those).
Tags: company, current term trend, equipment, external circumstances, goodness, ground shipping, growth spurt, happy customer, hardware, infrastructure, IT, lead times, marketing, pennies, personneloutrageous fees, phone, products, refurbished, router, routers, shipping company, slow load times, stock, switches, warranty, workload
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Saturday, January 10th, 2009
We’ve all been there. You need new IT hardware and you’ve found exactly what you want to buy, but by the time this company—which you’ve never worked with before—on your approved vendor list, it’ll be 2010. So what can you do?
Consider using an IT hardware company that’s already on your list even if they don’t offer the product you need on their site. Many companies that deal refurbished computer and telephony equipment have access to the same retailers you do. They can act as a ‘middle supplier’ purchasing the product and reselling it to you for a very nominal fee. Because the IT supplier is already on your approved vendor list, you can complete the transaction quickly and if your supplier typically offers a one-year warranty on the products it sells, the supplier may extend the same warranty on this product (even if the original company doesn’t).
For example, let’s say MULTI-LINK Communications Products (MLCP) is on your approved vendor list. You’ve worked with MLCP in the past and have been happy with the refurbished equipment you’ve purchased from them, but this time, you’d like to buy a brand new telephony system. You’ve found one from another company, but getting that company on your approved vendor list – or worse yet, go through the arduous process of getting them to accept your Pos—is time consuming. Call MLCP and tell them the situation. MLCP can purchase the product from the original company and sell it to you for a small fee. In addition, if the original company offers only a three month warranty on the new product, MLCP will extend their standard one-year warranty on the product which could save big dollars in the long run.
Don’t be afraid to come up with creative solutions. The folks at MULTI-LINK are happy to help you find the product you need even if they don’t advertise it themselves. Give them a call. When they promise excellent customer service, at MLCP, they mean it.
Tags: communications creative solutions, company, equipment, excellent customer service, hardware, link communications, Multi-link, products, refurbished, telephony, telephony system, vendor list, warranty
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Monday, January 5th, 2009
When we first set up the company, we really didn’t know what our needs were going to be. Would we be wildly successful or would we fail in our first year? Not knowing makes it difficult to plan and we didn’t want to buy a bunch of computer hardware and telephone systems that were way beyond our reach. We didn’t have the money. Luckily, we went with the Cisco Unified IP Phones 797XG/GE. We thought it would be best to start small and then expand if the time ever came to do so. Thank goodness it did.
Last week, we purchased the Cisco Unified IP Phone Expansion Module 7914 which extends the capabilities of the phone system we already had (apparently it also works with the Cisco Unified IP Phones 79GXG/G-GE) by adding fourteen buttons and an LCD display. The best thing about adding the expansion module is that we could choose which phones actually needed it (our part-time bookkeeper didn’t need it at all), so we again, we had control over how much we spent and weren’t put in a position to buy a bunch of fancy stuff we didn’t need.
Long story short, my advice to new business owners is to look at IT hardware purchases realistically. While it’s always nice to dream about where you want to be once you’ve increased sales and started to grow, the reality of now is more important. And mistakes you make now (like wasting money on an architecture that handles way more than your current needs entail) can make or break you in your first year. Be smart. Upgrading later on isn’t as difficult as you’d imagine it is and some companies even offer refurbished equipment at huge discounts making the upgrade down the road easy and affordable—should you get there. And I hope you do.
Tags: archecture, architecture, bookkeeper, business owners, capabilities, cisco, computer hardware, expansion module, goodness, hardware, hardware purchases, ip phone, ip phones, IT, lcd display, mistake, money, new business, part time, phone, refurbished, s, telephone systems, wasting money, weren
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Friday, November 21st, 2008
The internet is the most powerful tool a business can have today. And you either use that tool correctly, or you don’t. The second can be deadly. In a day and age when it seems everyone has a website and is clamoring to be on Google’s first page, how do you know if the marketing dollars you’re spending online are equating to more sales and bigger profits? Unless you’re using the proper system and IT hardware that supports that system, you don’t.
According to William Gurley’s article on cnet news, “When analyzing an Internet business, there is a single metric, or tool, that represents a leveraged power similar to that of the lever or pulley. This metric, conversion rate, measures the number of visitors who come to a particular Web site within a particular period divided into the number of people who take action on that site (purchase, register and so on). Though this number may seem rudimentary or simplistic, a deeper analysis will reveal that conversion rate measures many aspects of a Web site, and that a strong conversion rate offers true leverage to the site owner.”
Most small, and large, businesses would benefit from higher-performing IT hardware but assume they can’t afford it. After all, upgrading or installing a new hardware system can be expensive and most business owners put it off, choosing to settle with an underperforming system that no longer meets the business’ expanding needs. But it doesn’t need to be this way.
Hardware can be surprisingly affordable if you buy it refurbished at discounted prices. The problem is knowing where to look for the great deals, and how to avoid the companies that are eager to sell you a lemon. Finding a long-standing, reputable company that buys and sells used hardware is the key. And honestly, it wasn’t that difficult. Our online search quickly produced the leader of refurbished Cisco hardware – a company called MULTI-LINK Communications Products. MLCP caught our attention right off the bat for several reasons. First, they offer quotes online and allow you to speak to a customer service rep over the phone. Beware of companies that discourage you from calling them either by making their phone number difficult to find, or suggesting you purchase a used piece of equipment in a single, online transaction. Second, MLCP offers a one-year warranty on refurbished hardware. For example, MLCP offers the 7606-AC-BUN, also known as the 7606 Chassis with a one-year warranty. Cisco’s website offered this product new with only a 90-day warranty. Longer than the manufacturer’s warranty? Nice, Multi-Link, nice. Third, MLCP has an on-site inventory. Be careful about purchasing from companies that don’t. They promise you equipment, then have to go search for it. Everything MLCP sells has already been tested upon receipt at their factory and refurbished to factory standards.
All in all, we suggest you listen to the experts. It’s not enough to simply be ‘online.’ Seeing returns from marketing dollars spent on the internet is involved and unfortunately, complicated. But with the right system and hardware – refurbished included – you can crack those secrets and make more of your online business than you thought possible. And that’s a very good thing.
Tags: business owners, cisco, communications products, conversion rate, google, great deals, hardware, hardware system, internet business, leverage, link communications, marketing, metric conversion, Multi-link, new hardware, phone, profits, pulley, refurbished, reputable company, william gurley
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Saturday, November 15th, 2008
Let’s face it — upgrading hardware to accommodate a now under-performing IT system can be a real hassle. First, brand new hardware is expensive. And with the way technology now advances so quickly, you may need to replace it again in only a few years – even shorter if your business grows even more quickly than you predicted and you outgrow the new hardware system. So what should you do?
Unfortunately, because of those issues, many business owners decide not to upgrade. They stick with the old – the hardware that they know is not conducive to their needs – simply because they don’t want to risk losing money on investing in new. Bad idea. That’s like betting on a horse you know will lose simply because you aren’t sure which of the others will win.
Upgrading hardware systems is necessary, but there are ways to do it without incurring exorbitant expenses. Buying refurbished hardware is a cost-effective way to upgrade your systems, and it’s not as risky as you might think.
With the current economic downturns, some businesses need to downsize. Others need to upgrade but don’t have the cashflow they did only six months ago. Many of these companies are turning to alternate hardware providers for their IT system needs, companies like MULTI-LINK Communications Products.
MLCP is the leading provider of refurbished Cisco equipment. Not only will MLCP locate the refurbished components you need, they’ll help you discover exactly what those components are since most of us are far from hardware experts. In addition, MLCP offers generous trade-in credit on the hardware you’re currently using, which saves you money on both ends – by purchasing refurbished pieces at discounted rates and selling what you don’t need at the same time.
The initial cost savings is obvious, but what about long term? How do you know that refurbished equipment will last? If images of driving a used, barely running old sedan off a used car lot are rolling through your mind right now, push them aside. Refurbished hardware is nothing like a used car. MULTI-LINK uses a thorough, dual-testing method to ensure that all the equipment is sells is up to factory specifications. Products are tested once upon receipt at their factory, and then again after being refurbished, before they’re shipped. To alleviate their customers’ concerns, MLCP offers a standard one-year warranty on all of their new and refurbished products. For some products, this is four times longer than the warranty Cisco provides on the same products new!
The point? Don’t force your company to suffer along until you can afford an upgrade of all new equipment. Buying refurbished, especially from a reliable, long-standing company like MLCP, can give you what you need now, without the risk and without putting you in the red.
Tags: cisco, hardware, IT, Multi-link, refurbished
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1 Year Warranty
