How to avoid the dangers of the Grey Market when buying Cisco products?

Unauthorized resellers and counterfeiters take advantage of Cisco's name, often at the expense of the end user.

A high percentage of Cisco hardware purchased from the secondary market is illegal, in that it’s counterfeit or stolen. Although it might look identical to the real deal, this equipment can cause a swathe of problems in regards to network stability and also security. In addition to this, there’s a high chance that hardware purchased from unauthorized channels won’t be eligible for Cisco software licenses, warranty or support. If something goes wrong with this equipment, you could be out of pocket, and suffering from network downtime.

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