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Cisco License

Traditionally, Cisco licensing offers lifetime license plans which you buy once and keep the license throughout the life of the hardware. If that hardware has been replaced, the license no more remains relevant, and the upcoming hardware will need to have its own license agreement. In the event of replacing the defective hardware under the RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) policy, you become eligible for a one-time transfer of the license you paid for to the new hardware which is an exceptional case and only applies to the exchange procedure under RMA policy and universally applies to all hardware devices.

The software program or utility you buy on top of the hardware needed to be licensed separately and require their own software support agreement. For instance, If you want to install the IPS (Intrusion Prevention System) program for your firewall, you’ll need a separate software license despite having a license for your firewall. The need for a separate software agreement leads to a situation where one single hardware will have two license agreements, one for the software updates and the other for the hardware crash or failure.

This lifetime licensing of ownership still bounds you to have a support agreement to experience the new updates. But what happens if you don’t have a support license or agreement but have the Cisco licensing? Considering the aforementioned example of IPS in this scenario, the core feature of the IPS module will continue to perform but the module will stop receiving the upcoming threat updates. It will leave you more prone to new variants of viruses that your system is not capable of identifying as a threat. You would also not be eligible to call Cisco support (TAC) and get assistance with the IPS software module.

Benefits of Cisco Online License Portal

Cisco’s online license portal allows you to experience a multitude of benefits. Some notable benefits include:

Cisco License with a Smart Account

Cisco smart license features Smart Account that allows you to centrally organize your licenses, hardware devices, and different license agreements you have subscribed for.

On-premise Cisco Smart Software Manager

Cisco Smart Software Manager (CSSM) is an interactive portal that allows you to activate and manage all of your Cisco licenses. This on-premise edition is available for security-sensitive clients who don’t want to rely on open-network to manage their licenses and support agreements.