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Advice from our team.

Plain-language guides on network hardware, ITAD, data destruction, data centers and running IT well.

Articles by topic58 guides
Network hardware37
ITAD9
Data centers4
Managed IT4
Hardware and buyback4
Written by the team that does the work.

Cisco Catalyst 9200 Switches: 9200, 9200L and 9200CX Buyer's Guide

9200, 9200L or 9200CX? PoE budgets, uplinks and stack kits explained.

Cisco Catalyst 9300 and 9500 Switches: A Campus Buyer's Guide

9300, 9300X or 9500? Licenses, uplink modules and 2960-X upgrades.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Switches and UCS: Leaf, Spine and Fabric Parts

Nexus 9300 leaf and spine models compared, plus the UCS 2408 IO module.

Cisco SFP Transceivers: Choosing SFP, SFP+, SFP28 and QSFP28 Optics

Match Cisco 1G to 100G optics to fiber type, distance and port.

Cisco Routers: Catalyst 8200, 8300, ISR 1000 and ASR 920 Compared

Catalyst 8200, 8300, ISR 1000 or ASR 920? Ports, slots and speeds.

Cisco Meraki and Wireless: MR44, MR46, MX85, Catalyst 9120 and IP Phones

Meraki MR44 vs MR46, the MX85, Catalyst 9120 APs and the 7821 phone.

Juniper Networking Equipment: A Buyer's Guide to EX, QFX, MX and SRX

Juniper EX, QFX, MX and SRX explained, plus airflow, used gear and buyback.

Juniper EX Switches: Comparing EX2300, EX3400, EX4100, EX4300 and EX4400

EX2300 to EX4400 compared by ports, PoE budget, multigigabit and uplinks.

Juniper QFX Switches: 10G, 25G and 100G Top-of-Rack Options Compared

QFX5110, QFX5120 and QFX5200 compared, plus AFO vs AFI airflow.

Juniper MX Routers: MX204, MX304, MPC7E Line Cards and Routing Engines

MX204 vs MX304, plus MPC7E cards and routing engines for MX chassis.

Juniper SRX Firewalls: How to Size a Branch or Data Center Firewall

Size an SRX firewall: SRX300 vs SRX4600 and what SRX4600-AC means.

Juniper Power Supplies and Optics: Matching Replacements for EX, QFX and MX

Match Juniper PSUs by wattage, AC or DC and airflow, plus 25G SFP28 optics.

Ciena 6500 WaveLogic Cards: WL3n, WL3e, WLAi and WL5e Part Numbers Explained

Decode 6500 coherent MOTR, OTR and OCLD cards from WL3n to WL5e, with every part number.

Ciena 6500 OTN Cards: OTN Flex MOTR, OTR, OCI and Packet Interface Parts

Which 6500 client and OTN card fits your 10G, 40G or 100G ports, with every part number.

Ciena 6500 Photonic Modules: Amplifiers, ROADM, Protection and Shelf Parts

Amplifier, ROADM, protection, shelf processor and fan parts for the 6500 and RLS line systems.

Ciena Transceivers: QSFP28, QSFP-DD, CFP2 and SFP+ Part Numbers Explained

Ciena 160-series optics by form factor, rate and reach, with every part number we supply.

Ciena Packet Platforms and Legacy Modules: 3916, 5140, 5164, CN 4200 and Z-Series

Ciena 3916, 5140 and 5164 boxes plus CN 4200 and Z-Series spares, with every part number.

Calix Broadband Equipment: A Buyer's Guide to E7, C7, GigaPoint and GigaSpire

E7 and C7 shelves, GigaPoint ONTs, GigaSpire Wi-Fi and PON optics, new or used.

Calix E7 Line Cards: GPON, VDSL2, Control Cards and Fan Trays for E7-2 and E7-20

GPON, Ethernet and VDSL2 cards, control cards and fan trays for E7-2 and E7-20 shelves.

Calix C7 Cards: RAP2, RSCE, COMBO2, EGW and Fan Tray Spares

RAP2, RSCE, COMBO2 and EGW cards plus fan trays to keep legacy C7 shelves running.

Calix GigaPoint ONT Guide: GP1100X, GP1101X, GP4200 Series, GigaPro and Legacy ONTs

GigaPoint ONTs and ONUs, the GigaPro business appliance and legacy 700GE and 800G ONTs.

Calix GigaSpire Model Guide: u4, u6, u6x, u6t, Wi-Fi 7 and GigaHub Systems

Decode GigaSpire u4, u6, u6x, u6t and Wi-Fi 7 models, plus the GigaHub 812G-1 gateway.

Calix PON Optics: GPON B+, XGS-PON N1 and N2, SFP-DD and ONT Sticks

GPON and XGS-PON OLT optics, SFP-DD and Multi-PON modules, and ONT sticks for GigaSpire.

Adtran Telecom Equipment: A Buyer's Guide to Total Access, NetVanta and ONTs

Adtran product lines explained, plus how to choose, keep legacy gear running and buy new or used.

Adtran TA5000 Modules: OLT Cards, Combo PON Optics and Switch Modules

TA5000 OLT, Combo PON optic and switch module guide with every part number we supply.

Adtran TA5000 Chassis Parts: Shelves, Controllers, Fans and Legacy Line Cards

TA5000 shelf, SCM, fan and legacy line card guide with every part number we supply.

Adtran Total Access 900: TA 900 and 900e Gateways, Generations and TDM Spares

TA 908e, 916e and 924e generations, Lifeline FXO models and TDM spares we supply.

Adtran ONT and NetVanta CPE: 400 Series ONTs, NTUs, Routers and PoE Switches

424 and 452 GPON ONTs, NetVanta 838T NTUs, routers and PoE switches we supply.

Adtran DSL Equipment: Outside Plant DSLAMs, SHDSL Units and Legacy Spares

TA 1148 DSLAMs, SHDSL and HDSL units and OPTI-6100 spares we supply.

Ericsson Radio Equipment: A Buyer's Guide to Radios, AIR, Basebands and MINI-LINK

How to pick Ericsson radios, basebands and site spares by part number and band.

Ericsson Remote Radio Units: Radio 2217, 4415, 4466, 8863 and More by Band

Match Ericsson Radio 22xx, 44xx and 88xx units by band, MIMO size and part number.

Ericsson RBS 6000 Spares: RUS, RRUS 32 and RBS 6501 Parts by Band

RUS, RRUS 32 and RBS 6501 spares for older Ericsson sites, sorted by band.

Ericsson AIR Antennas and RAN Compute: AIR 6449, AIR 6488 and Baseband 6651

AIR 6449, AIR 6488 and Baseband 6651: how they fit together and what to check.

Ericsson Site Power, Cooling and Mounting Hardware: PSU, PDU, BFU, Fans and Rails

PSUs, PDUs, fuse units, fans and rails that keep Ericsson sites on air.

Ericsson MINI-LINK Microwave and AXE Boards: MMU, RAU2 and Processor Board Parts

MINI-LINK modems and radios plus AXE and GEP boards for legacy networks.

Ciena Optical Networking Equipment

What Ciena optical networking equipment covers, which platforms matter and how to buy it smartly.

IT Equipment Lease Return: Avoiding Penalties and Data Risk

Plan your IT equipment lease return to avoid penalties and protect data with a clear, step-by-step process.

SSD Data Destruction Guide: Why SSDs Are Different

Why wiping fails on flash drives, and which methods actually remove your data from SSDs.

Migration and Decommissioning: Difference in Data Centers

Migration and decommissioning share a lot of vocabulary, from racks to downtime windows. Their goals are opposite.

How to Choose an ITAD Vendor

The certifications, data security checks and red flags that separate a safe ITAD partner from a liability.

HIPAA-Compliant Data Disposal for Healthcare

What it takes to protect PHI after devices retire, and how to build a secure, HIPAA-compliant ITAD process.

Data Center Decommissioning Mistakes

Five costly decommissioning mistakes, and how to avoid downtime, data exposure and lost asset value.

Chain of Custody in ITAD

How chain of custody tracks every retired asset from pickup to destruction, and how to evaluate a provider's process.

Managed IT Services vs. Break/Fix

Compare cost, uptime, security and scalability to find the right IT support model for your business.

Sustainable IT Asset Lifecycle

Build an IT asset lifecycle that cuts e-waste, recovers value and turns retirement into an advantage.

Refurbished vs. New Enterprise Hardware

Total cost of ownership, performance and when refurbished or new enterprise hardware makes the most sense.

Data Breach From Retired Hardware: The True Cost

The real financial, legal and reputational risk of retired hardware, and how to prevent a breach.

R2v3 Certification Explained

What R2v3 certification covers, why it matters in electronics recycling, and what to ask a certified vendor.

IT Buyback Value Explained

What decides the value of used IT equipment, and why buyback is worth more than the check.

Data Center Decommissioning Checklist: A Step-by-Step Guide

A step-by-step checklist to retire data center assets securely, avoid downtime and stay compliant.

NIST 800-88 vs. DoD Wipe

NIST 800-88 or DoD 5220.22-M? Which data destruction method fits HDDs, SSDs and modern storage.

The Invisible Liability: Re-Engineering IT from Cost Center to Strategic Risk Governance

Why IT belongs on the risk register, and how to treat it as governance instead of a cost center.

7 IT Asset Disposition Mistakes You’re Making (and How to Fix Them Before Your Next Audit)

Seven common ITAD mistakes that show up in audits, and how to fix each one before yours.

Data Center Liquidation Gone Wrong

Seven data center liquidation mistakes that cost companies millions, and how to avoid them.

Why IT Downtime Costs More Than You Think

Lost revenue is only the start. How to add up the true cost of an hour of IT downtime.

Refurbished vs Brand New IT Hardware: What’s Worth It?

When refurbished IT hardware saves money without adding risk, and when new is worth paying for.

Business IT Setup 101: What You Actually Need to Run Smoothly

The IT basics a growing business actually needs, from network and backup to security and support.

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