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Cisco Meraki Documentation

Subscription - Licensing Overview

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Overview

Subscription Licensing provides customers with a simple, flexible way to consume and manage Meraki solutions. Subscription licensing is available for new and renewing customers globally except in Brazil, India, Russia, Belarus, and China. This overview article aims to introduce the concept of Subscription Licensing and highlight its key features and benefits.

Note: for customers ordering WIFI7 in regions where Subscriptions is not available yet, you have the option of ordering term licensing in our legacy licensing models.

Flexible Terms

Customers can choose their licensing terms from 12 months up to 84 months, including customer determined start and end dates. This allows them to align their licensing needs with their network growth and planning strategies. 

Subscription Licensing SKUs

Subscription Licensing SKUs are hardware agnostic.  A single SKU can cover multiple hardware devices within a device model family, enabling smooth ordering and facilitating hardware upgrades without licensing changes.  

Claiming a Subscription

Subscription Licensing offers the advantage of a one-time license claim for each subscription. Updates made to the subscription are automatically reflected without requiring the claiming of additional license keys.  How to Claim a Subscription

Subscription License keys can only be claimed by an expired organization, an organization in a grace period, or a newly created organization (this includes ones created via Organization split). 

Subscription License keys cannot be claimed by organizations that are currently using active legacy (Co-term and PDL) licensing models.

All trials must either be expired or removed from the organization before claiming the Subscription License key. 

If you wish to convert an organization using Co-term or PDL Licensing to a Subscription Licensing model, open a case with support. This conversion is permanent.

Network to Subscription Binding

Subscription Licenses are associated with specific networks rather than the entire organization. This empowers customers to choose licenses that align with the unique requirements of each device within each network of a Dashboard organization for example you can have different MX tiers within one Organization under different subscriptions.  A network can only be bound to one subscription at a time. Multiple networks may be bound to the same subscription within the same Organization.  How to Bind a Network to a Subscription

Subscription Management Mode

Subscription Licensing offers the advantage of choosing a management mode for your Unified licenses in a Cisco Networking Subscription. Depending on your requirements, you can opt to manage your licenses and devices in cloud mode, hybrid mode, or on-premises mode. Selecting Management Mode for Unified Licenses - WIFI7

Cisco Networking Subscription Unified Licensing for WIFI 7 is the only licensing SKU that can go through this process.

Subscription Changes

Subscription Licensing provides the flexibility to adjust your Subscription mid-term.  Customers can seamlessly add, upgrade, and extend their existing subscriptions to meet evolving needs. Subscription - Licensing Changes

Subscription Renewals 

Subscription Licensing provides the flexibility to renew your Subscription. Customers can choose from two options, Automatic Renewals and Manual Renewal.  Subscription - Licensing Renewals 

Subscription Feature Tier Selection

Subscription Licensing provides customers with a simple, flexible way to consume and manage their solutions. This model is better aligned with customer outcomes to make it easier to consume their products while also meeting their growing business needs.  Customers can seamlessly upgrade their features tier. Subscription - Feature Tier Upgrade

Subscription Licensing Compliance

Compliance is enforced to networks and devices rather than entire organizations.  If there are more devices on a network than licensed, only the "out of compliance" devices will be affected, while the rest of the network remains operational. This ensures license compliance while allowing flexibility in device inventory management. Subscription - Licensing Compliance

With simplified license management, network-based licensing, device flexibility, and compliance enforcement, this licensing model empowers customers with greater control, flexibility, and scalability for their networks. By offering a comprehensive and customer-centric licensing solution, Cisco continues to deliver value to its customers, enabling them to optimize their network operations effectively.

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