As 2026 approaches, many organisations are beginning to feel the pressure of rising maintenance costs, evolving device lifecycles, and increasingly complex network demands. For companies relying on Cisco hardware - from Meraki access points to Catalyst switches and firewalls - the coming year will require more deliberate planning than usual.

In this article, we share one essential tip to help you navigate 2026 smoothly, along with a practical breakdown of what this means for your business.

The Essential Tip for 2026: Start Planning Your Cisco Strategy Earlier Than You Think

The networks that serve your business today won’t remain static. Costs change, support policies evolve, and hardware eventually reaches its end-of-support stage. Entering 2026, these shifts will accelerate - and the companies that plan early will be the ones least affected.

Why?
Because three major changes are converging at the same time: SMARTnet price increases, Meraki EoSL timelines, and the growing strain on internal IT manpower. Together, they’ll influence how effectively your network can run.

SMARTnet Costs Are Rising Faster Than Before

Many IT teams already know that Cisco SMARTnet has been increasing year-over-year. In 2026, these adjustments may become even more noticeable, especially for companies supporting a large hardware estate. Higher maintenance costs mean a tighter OPEX budget and less room to fund innovation, upgrades, or digital transformation projects.

For many Singapore businesses, this creates a difficult trade-off: stay with the OEM contract at higher cost, or explore alternatives that still maintain service quality.

At AddOn, we work with companies to design support models that remain reliable but more economical. Our team of Cisco-trained engineers handles troubleshooting, remote support, on-site intervention, and preventive monitoring - allowing businesses to maintain high network performance without the rising financial strain.

Meraki EoSL in Mid-2026: What It Means for Your Devices

Several Cisco Meraki models are expected to reach End-of-Support Life in 2026. When a device hits EoSL, firmware updates stop, replacement units are no longer guaranteed, and security risks may gradually increase. Companies using Meraki equipment purchased around 2018–2020 should pay particular attention to this timeline.

The biggest challenge is not the EoSL event itself - it’s dealing with it without enough lead time. A last-minute refresh can disrupt operations, stretch budgets, and introduce supply-chain delays.

AddOn helps businesses avoid that scenario by assessing their Meraki environment early, identifying the devices approaching EoSL, and advising whether a refresh or an extended support model makes more sense. When a refresh is needed, our team also supports the migration, installation, and configuration of new devices.

Internal IT Teams Are Becoming More Overloaded

With cybersecurity risks growing and network uptime becoming more business-critical, IT teams are already stretched thin. Expect this pressure to intensify in 2026. Routine maintenance, faults, firmware management, and incident response will demand more time - and delays can impact performance.

This is where external support becomes valuable. AddOn provides 24/7 remote assistance, on-site response when needed, dedicated engineers for Cisco environments, and even fully managed network operations. By offloading daily maintenance tasks to AddOn, internal IT teams regain their bandwidth for strategic initiatives instead of firefighting issues.

How AddOn Supports Your Cisco Environment

As a Cisco Partner, AddOn provides end-to-end support for businesses relying on Cisco hardware - from Meraki to Catalyst to Cisco security appliances. Our engineers are trained on Cisco technologies and handle everything from day-to-day troubleshooting to long-term network planning.

We assist with remote and on-site support, proactive monitoring, firmware and configuration management, and hardware lifecycle guidance. When devices approach EoSL or when SMARTnet renewals become costly, our team helps you evaluate the best path forward, whether that means extended support, optimisation, or a planned refresh.

The goal is simple: keep your network running reliably, securely, and cost-efficiently, regardless of the changes coming in 2026.

How Your Business Can Prepare - Starting Now

Preparing for 2026 doesn’t require dramatic changes. It simply means evaluating your current infrastructure with more intention. Here are three steps we strongly recommend:

1. Conduct a full network health check.
Identify ageing hardware, Meraki models approaching EoSL, and devices that may need support adjustments.

2. Review your SMARTnet commitments.
Look at renewal timelines, expected cost changes, and the hardware that may be nearing end-of-life coverage.

3. Map out your refresh strategy early.
Planning 6–12 months ahead gives you more flexibility with procurement, budgeting, and scheduling installation windows.

These steps give your organisation a clearer picture of what 2026 will require - without last-minute surprises.

Get a Complimentary Network Health Assessment

If your organisation relies on Cisco devices, now is the perfect time to prepare for the hardware and support changes ahead. AddOn offers a free Network Health Assessment to help you:

• Identify devices nearing EoSL

• Evaluate current maintenance costs

• Plan refresh or extended support timelines

• Optimise your network environment

• Strengthen resilience going into 2026

Contact our team to schedule your assessment and start planning your Cisco strategy with confidence.