How Peabody Simplified Cisco Support and Reduced Costs by £50,000

Introduction

For organisations managing large and complex infrastructure estates, support renewals can often become a routine process. A contract reaches its renewal date, existing cover is reviewed, and the same support model is often carried forward with minimal change.

But this approach can leave organisations exposed to rising costs, unnecessary complexity and support arrangements that no longer reflect their operational needs.

Peabody, one of the UK’s leading housing associations, recognised an opportunity to take a smarter approach. With a large and diverse property portfolio, Peabody relies on resilient IT infrastructure to support both its workforce and the communities it serves. As the organisation approached the renewal of its Cisco estate, it needed a support model that would provide clarity, consistency and value without increasing risk.

The challenge: rising costs and fragmented support

As Peabody reviewed its Cisco support arrangements, several challenges became clear.

Manufacturer warranty support costs were rising. There was limited clarity around whether the existing support plan still matched the organisation’s actual requirements. Managing multiple support contracts and vendor relationships also added complexity for internal IT and procurement teams.

At the same time, Peabody wanted to improve service levels while keeping spend under control. This meant the renewal could not simply be treated as an administrative task. It needed to become a strategic opportunity to review the entire support model and identify where consolidation could deliver better outcomes.

A smarter approach to Cisco support renewal

Vohkus proactively engaged Peabody ahead of the Cisco renewal to analyse the true cost of manufacturer support across the estate.

Rather than defaulting to a like-for-like renewal, Vohkus carried out a detailed review of Cisco manufacturer warranty and support costs, assessed coverage requirements over a two-year period, and designed a consolidated support model aligned to Peabody’s operational needs.

This approach helped move the conversation away from simply renewing what was already in place. Instead, the focus shifted to what Peabody actually needed from its support environment, where unnecessary complexity could be removed, and how the organisation could gain better control over cost and service quality.

The solution: one contract, one support contact, better control

The result was a simplified support structure for Peabody’s Cisco estate.

Vohkus consolidated the entire Cisco estate into one contract, with support managed through a single point of contact. This helped streamline coordination, reduce internal workload and make issue resolution faster and easier to manage.

For Peabody, this meant fewer moving parts, clearer ownership and a more predictable support model. IT and procurement teams could spend less time managing fragmented supplier relationships and more time focusing on the needs of the organisation.

The outcome: £50,000 savings over two years

By reviewing the support model in detail and aligning coverage to real operational need, Vohkus helped Peabody achieve £50,000 in cost savings over a two-year period.

The benefits went beyond cost reduction. Peabody also gained improved service levels compared with the previous support model, simplified vendor management, better cost transparency and reduced workload for internal IT and procurement teams.

This demonstrates the value of treating infrastructure renewals as a strategic review point rather than a routine transaction. With the right partner, organisations can use renewal cycles to uncover savings, reduce complexity and improve the quality of support across their technology estate.

Why infrastructure support optimisation matters

For many organisations, manufacturer support models can become difficult to manage over time. Estates grow, contracts multiply, operational requirements change, and support coverage may no longer match the way the organisation actually uses its infrastructure.

This can lead to escalating warranty costs, fragmented vendor relationships, time-consuming renewal processes and reactive support models that do little to reduce cost or complexity.

A more strategic approach allows organisations to regain control. By reviewing the estate, understanding support requirements and consolidating where appropriate, IT leaders can build a support model that is simpler, more transparent and better aligned to the organisation’s needs.

Why Vohkus

Vohkus helps organisations move beyond transactional renewals by identifying opportunities to optimise manufacturer support models, consolidate complex infrastructure estates and deliver both financial savings and service improvement.

For Peabody, this meant transforming a routine Cisco renewal into a cost optimisation and service improvement initiative.

For other organisations approaching major infrastructure renewals, the opportunity is clear: before renewing like-for-like, take time to understand whether the current model is still the right one.

Approaching a major infrastructure renewal?

Vohkus can help analyse manufacturer support costs, review coverage requirements and identify where consolidation and optimisation could deliver savings without sacrificing service quality.