Cisco Networking Subscription: What Changes for Catalyst and Meraki Customers - and What It Means for Your Budget

The short answer: Cisco’s Networking Subscription is a new commercial framework that separates what used to be bundled (hardware, management platform access, TAC support, IOS updates, and hardware replacement) into distinct recurring subscription line items. The most important thing to understand is what it excludes: the base Networking Subscription does not include RMA benefits. Hardware replacement is now a separate, paid add-on. For Catalyst customers, more of the operating experience is being tied to subscription status. For Meraki customers, the familiar all-in-one license model is being restructured. And for everyone, the long-term risk is a framework where the hardware still works but the commercial structure around it requires ongoing payment to remain fully operational. Cisco’s Networking Subscription datasheet was updated this week and is Cisco’s newer framework for tying together network hardware, software access, management platforms, TAC support, OS updates, digital insights, and optional hardware replacement services.

Historically, most Meraki users, a Meraki license included cloud management, TAC support, software updates, and hardware replacement.  For Catalyst users, you got the hardware, managed it locally, and if you wanted TAC, software updates, and hardware replacement, you bought SMARTnet.

Cisco Networking Subscription begins to combine these worlds.

It introduces a more unified Cisco model where subscriptions can include Cisco Switching, Wireless, WAN, and Meraki licenses. It also supports newer “unified hardware” that may be managed in the cloud, on-premises, or in a mixed mode, depending on customer preference.  So regardless whether Meraki or Catalyst, the hardware will own basic packet forwarding, but automation, intelligence, visibility, management model, features (wifi controller, layer 3, etc.), software access, support, and RMA options all become recurring subscriptions.  On the surface, it would seem that not paying for services you dont intend to use will lower overall costs, but the reality is there will be more lines, more FUD, more confusion, and more recurring costs.

What Cisco Networking Subscription includes

Cisco says Networking Subscription includes support benefits consistent with Cisco Support – Basic. That includes:

• 24x7 TAC access

• IOS updates

• Digital insights

But Cisco also says the subscription excludes any RMA benefits. That is the most important sentence in the data sheet.  It means customers should no longer assume that “subscription” automatically means “hardware replacement coverage.” Cisco is separating support access from hardware replacement.

What it means for Cisco products

For switching specifically, Cisco says on-device OS functionality continues to operate if the license expires. But access to platforms such as Meraki Dashboard and Catalyst Center requires an active subscription. If the license expires or the device was never licensed, management, monitoring, and subscription-based support are restricted.  So, not a big change.

For customers used to traditional Catalyst hardware, that is an important shift. The hardware still functions, but more of the operating experience is being attached to subscription status.

What it means for Meraki products

For Meraki customers, the change is more psychological and commercial.

Meraki customers have historically thought in terms of an active license providing the Meraki experience: dashboard, firmware updates, support, and a hardware replacement path. Meraki’s own licensing FAQ still says a Meraki license includes enterprise-class support.

But Cisco Networking Subscription introduces a clearer distinction between:

Subscription/support entitlement
and
RMA benefits or upgraded replacement service

That does not necessarily mean Meraki warranty replacement disappears. Meraki still has warranty and RMA processes. But Cisco is making a stronger distinction between standard warranty handling and paid contractual RMA service levels. Meraki’s support process explains that contractual RMAs, such as RMA Upgrade or Meraki Now, have confirmed shipping times, while standard warranty RMA timing is not the same type of guaranteed service.

What this means for customers today

Today, the biggest risk is misunderstanding.  A customer may believe they are buying “support,” but Cisco’s model now requires more precise questions:

Does the subscription include TAC?
Yes, at the Basic level.

Does it include OS updates?
Cisco says yes.

Does it include management platform access?
Yes, while active, depending on the deployment model.

Does it include RMA?
Cisco says no, not in the base Networking Subscription.

Does it include faster replacement or onsite service?
Only if the customer buys RMA Upgrade, Standard, Signature, or another eligible support option.

What this may mean 5–7 years from now

Long term, Cisco Networking Subscription may change the customer’s lifecycle experience.  The biggest threat is being truely tied to the OEM's determination of whether a particular switch is sufficient to support your technical needs.  Historically, both Meraki and Catalyst access switches could remain useful for many years, literally decades, after purchase.

A more subscription-centered offering means a more subscription-centered lifecycle.  The move further removes the benefits of a perpetual capital asset  to a subscription-based liability.  This could create a new version of “forced upgrade,” where the hardware still works but the commercial framework around it no longer supports the customer’s preferred operating model. 

Five to seven years from now, customers may face more decisions like:  The hardware still works, but a subscription required to manage the switch locally is no longer sold.

That is the biggest concern.

Why this matters

Cisco has long used End-of-Sale and End-of-Support to turn functional access-layer hardware into perceived risk. The newer Cisco Networking Subscription model does not replace that strategy. It expands it. By separating subscription access, TAC, software updates, RMA benefits, automation, intelligence, visibility, management model, and features (wifi controller, layer 3, etc.), Cisco creates more recurring-revenue touchpoints and more ways for customers to feel exposed unless they remain inside Cisco’s framework.

That matters because budget, risk, and lifecycle decisions will increasingly depend on the fine print.  Cisco is trying to "bare metal" its hardware where the "value" comes from subscriptions layered on top of the metal.  If the price of the hardware fell dramatically and the cost to manage a single switch with mulitiple license subscriptions  was relatively the same as it is (or was) buying a switch with a perpetual license, then this is a nothing burger..  But, whats more likley to happen is billions of dollars being wasted on unused and uneeded subscriptions, that force the customer to refresh everything in a shorter amount of time.

We may not have a choice in 5 years, but you do today.  Secondary market hardware with perpetual licensing and perpetual feature sets will save organizations billions during the upcoming decades.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Cisco Networking Subscription?

Cisco Networking Subscription is Cisco's updated commercial framework for tying together network hardware, software access, management, TAC support, OS updates, digital insights, and optional hardware replacement services into a unified subscription model. 

Does Cisco Networking Subscription include RMA or hardware replacement?

No. This is the most significant change. The base Cisco Networking Subscription explicitly excludes RMA benefits. Hardware replacement is not included in the base subscription. Customers who want contractual hardware replacement must purchase RMA Upgrade, Standard, Signature, or another eligible Cisco support option separately. Historically, Meraki licensing included a hardware replacement path. Cisco Networking Subscription separates these two things.

What does Cisco Networking Subscription mean for Meraki customers?

For Meraki customers, the change restructures the familiar all-in-one Meraki license model. Historically, a Meraki license included dashboard management, firmware updates, TAC support, and a hardware replacement path. Cisco Networking Subscription introduces a clearer separation between subscription and support entitlement on one hand, and RMA benefits on the other. Standard warranty handling and paid contractual RMA service levels (Meraki Now, RMA Upgrade) are now more explicitly distinct. Meraki customers should confirm their specific RMA coverage under the new framework before assuming hardware replacement is included.

What is the long-term risk of Cisco Networking Subscription?

The most significant long-term risk is lifecycle lock-in. Cisco Networking Subscription moves more of the network operating experience from perpetual capital assets to recurring subscription liabilities. Five to seven years from now, customers may find that hardware still functions but a subscription required to manage it locally, receive software updates, or obtain TAC support is no longer sold for that hardware generation. This creates a new version of forced refresh — not because the hardware failed, but because the commercial framework no longer supports the customer's preferred operating model. Organizations that want to avoid this exposure should evaluate secondary market hardware with perpetual licensing and perpetual feature sets as an alternative.