How Long Does Cisco Support Firewalls and Other Hardware?
The backbone of your security measures, firewalls act as a barrier between internal systems and external threats.
And just like operating systems, the companies that create them only offer vital security updates for so long.
Without security updates for your firewall, you’re exposing your network to vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit.
Understandably, keeping up with end-of-support dates for firewalls and other hardware can be hard. Luckily, Cisco generally follows a predictable pattern with new product releases.
“Don’t wait until the last minute to replace your critical IT devices. Cisco releases these milestone dates to give organizations plenty of time to plan for upgrades. An unsupported network is a ticking time bomb. Defuse the situation before it blows up in your face.”
Cisco Support Timeline
One of the reasons we like working with Cisco equipment is that we are rarely surprised by unsupported equipment. Cisco reliably announces the end date of hardware or software support at least five years before stopping security updates — plenty of time to budget and plan for removing equipment before it becomes dangerous.
For example, for the ASA5506 series of firewalls, Cisco made the end-of-life announcement on Feb. 1, 2021, and the last date of support is Aug. 31, 2026.
Once that end-of-support date is announced, the device will hit six more milestones until it is considered obsolete and no longer supported.
Hardware Support Milestones
1. Announcement | Date Cisco tells the public when support is ending. |
2. End of Sale | The last day the device can be purchased. |
3. Last Ship Date | The last day the device can be shipped. |
4. End of Routine Failure Analysis | The last day you can get help from Cisco’s Technical Assistance Center for a faulty device. |
5. End of New Service | The last day you can buy more warranty/SMARTnet coverage for your device. |
6. End of Service Contract Renewal | The last day you are allowed to renew a contract that was purchased before the New Service end date. You still can renew an existing support contract until this date. |
7. Last Date of Support | The last day any new security patches are released. After this day, the product should be replaced. |
The most important date above is the last one. If you are responsible for your company’s replacement cycle, you can mostly ignore the other dates but you do not want to get caught running unsupported equipment after the “Last Date of Support.”
Many organizations continue to use equipment beyond the expected lifecycle period, but no company wants to be caught running equipment that is no longer actively supported.
Don’t wait until the last minute to replace your critical IT devices. Cisco releases these milestone dates to give organizations plenty of time to plan for upgrades.
An unsupported network is a ticking time bomb. Defuse the situation before it blows up in your face.
Need to Upgrade Your Cisco Devices?
If your organization has equipment close to its end-of-support date, we can help you upgrade. Contact us here to schedule a meeting to discuss your options.
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