Software Licensing Made Simple
Refreshing… Well for me it certainly has been. For years I’ve positioned Cisco’s networking technologies and solutions, our breadth of portfolio has empowered us to deliver against customers’ requirements, but such breadth can also create complexities, usually exasperated when layering different technologies to build a solution. So when I was introduced to Cisco ONE 18 months ago, I was thoroughly excited – and why? It simplified the solution process, improved the overall commercials and made our innovation more accessible for partners and customers.
Let’s take a look at how it all works then, consider this analogy: You’ve ordered and taken receipt of a new smartphone on a contract, whilst you own the device you buy apps, movies and other software. At the end of your 24month contract you order the latest and greatest device. The fantastic thing is you can download everything from your last device by logging into your Google Play or App Store account; you don’t have to buy everything again. Your software is permanent, perpetual and entitles you to all major and minor upgrades (ongoing innovation). This is exactly how Cisco ONE works, but for switches, access points, routers and servers. By bundling the device OS and other software together such as network management, security and energy management, you can unlock more value from your investment and tap into more capability at a very attractive price point. All that’s left to consider is how you buy it, with an upfront payment, on a subscription basis, through a fund, as an ELA or using Cisco Capital – there’s different strokes for different folks…
You can now take a requirement such as Mobility/BYOD then link it directly to the Cisco solution… In this context, Unified Access, then link that directly to a Cisco ONE license, which includes all the software and licensing required to fully deploy this solution. The great thing and a personal favourite of mine, you handpick the types of infrastructure you want and the Cisco ONE license enables the rest. That’s just one individual example but where this becomes unique in the market is that it extends across our DC Compute, Switching, Wireless, Routing and Catalyst switching portfolio. I’ve yet to come across any other offers in this space so intensely focused on customer value.
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