Park Place Technologies today launched “Rack in Peace,” a three-part Halloween video series that stages a mock funeral for three widely deployed pieces of IT infrastructure reaching end of service life (EOSL) on Oct. 31, 2026: the Cisco Meraki MX84 security appliance, the Veritas NetBackup 5340 appliance, and the Cisco Catalyst 3650 switch.
Each video follows a grieving procession of mourners delivering tearful eulogies for a device whose OEM support is ending. Each time the grief peaks, a Park Place field engineer steps in with a calm, practical reminder: the hardware is still running, and Park Place still supports it.
The videos debut one per day on Park Place’s social media channels from Oct. 28 through Oct. 30, ending the day before all three devices pass their OEM end-of-support date.
THE SCHEDULE
• Oct. 28 – Cisco Meraki MX84. The branch security appliance, sold by Cisco until 2021, reaches its end-of-support date on Oct. 31, 2026.
• Oct. 29 – Veritas NetBackup 5340. The backup appliance, which Veritas stopped selling in September 2021, leaves vendor support on Oct. 31, 2026.
• Oct. 30 – Cisco Catalyst 3650. The access switch found in wiring closets across many enterprise campuses reaches its last date of Cisco support on Oct. 31, 2026.
WHY IT MATTERS
When OEM support ends, many organizations feel pressure to replace hardware that still meets their needs, often on the OEM’s timeline rather than their own. Third-party maintenance gives IT teams a way to keep stable, proven equipment in service while they plan upgrades around budget and business priorities.
Organizations running any of the three devices can find EOSL details and coverage information in Park Place’s EOSL library at parkplacetechnologies.com/eosl, or contact Park Place to discuss support for hardware past its OEM end-of-support date.
The “Rack in Peace” video series is available on Park Place Technologies’ LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and X channels using #RackInPeace.
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This entry was posted on October 28, 2026 at 8:58 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Park Place Technologies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Park Place Technologies Holds “Halloween Funeral” for Three Retiring Data Center Devices
Park Place Technologies today launched “Rack in Peace,” a three-part Halloween video series that stages a mock funeral for three widely deployed pieces of IT infrastructure reaching end of service life (EOSL) on Oct. 31, 2026: the Cisco Meraki MX84 security appliance, the Veritas NetBackup 5340 appliance, and the Cisco Catalyst 3650 switch.
Each video follows a grieving procession of mourners delivering tearful eulogies for a device whose OEM support is ending. Each time the grief peaks, a Park Place field engineer steps in with a calm, practical reminder: the hardware is still running, and Park Place still supports it.
The videos debut one per day on Park Place’s social media channels from Oct. 28 through Oct. 30, ending the day before all three devices pass their OEM end-of-support date.
THE SCHEDULE
• Oct. 28 – Cisco Meraki MX84. The branch security appliance, sold by Cisco until 2021, reaches its end-of-support date on Oct. 31, 2026.
• Oct. 29 – Veritas NetBackup 5340. The backup appliance, which Veritas stopped selling in September 2021, leaves vendor support on Oct. 31, 2026.
• Oct. 30 – Cisco Catalyst 3650. The access switch found in wiring closets across many enterprise campuses reaches its last date of Cisco support on Oct. 31, 2026.
WHY IT MATTERS
When OEM support ends, many organizations feel pressure to replace hardware that still meets their needs, often on the OEM’s timeline rather than their own. Third-party maintenance gives IT teams a way to keep stable, proven equipment in service while they plan upgrades around budget and business priorities.
Organizations running any of the three devices can find EOSL details and coverage information in Park Place’s EOSL library at parkplacetechnologies.com/eosl, or contact Park Place to discuss support for hardware past its OEM end-of-support date.
The “Rack in Peace” video series is available on Park Place Technologies’ LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and X channels using #RackInPeace.
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This entry was posted on October 28, 2026 at 8:58 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Park Place Technologies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.