Cisco DNA Licenses: Essentials, Advantage, Premier
The Cisco DNA (Digital Network Architecture) licensing model has been mandatory for Catalyst 9000 switches since IOS-XE 16.12. Three tiers (Essentials, Advantage, and Premier) can be combined with two Network tiers (Essentials and Advantage). A complete 2026 guide to the model, pricing, and avoiding unnecessary costs.
License structure
- Network Essentials (NE): foundation — L2/L3, VLAN, QoS
- Network Advantage (NA): adds BGP, MPLS, OSPF, and VXLAN
- DNA Essentials: basic telemetry and ThousandEyes
- DNA Advantage: Assurance, SD-Access, ETA, and PoE analytics
- DNA Premier: AI Endpoint Analytics and Advanced Wireless
Available combinations
- NE + DNA Essentials: standard SMB deployment
- NE + DNA Advantage: SMB requiring Assurance
- NA + DNA Essentials: mid-market organization requiring advanced routing but limited SDN
- NA + DNA Advantage: mid-market organization using SD-Access — standard recommendation
- NA + DNA Premier: large enterprises with an AI-powered strategy
Terms and pricing (indicative, excluding VAT, per switch)
- Catalyst 9200 NE, 3 years: included
- Catalyst 9200 NA, 3 years: €490
- Catalyst 9200 DNA Essentials, 3 years: €290
- Catalyst 9300 NE, 3 years: included
- Catalyst 9300 NA, 3 years: €890
- Catalyst 9300 DNA Advantage, 3 years: €1 890
- Catalyst 9500 NA included for 3 years
- Catalyst 9500 DNA Advantage, 3 years: €4 890
Smart Licensing: mandatory
Since 2020, Cisco has promoted Smart Licensing (Cisco Smart Software Manager — CSSM):
- The license is assigned to the Smart Account, not the switch
- Usage is reported automatically to CSSM cloud
- Air-gap mode is available with SSM Satellite (on-prem)
- License consumption is visible in real time
What NOT to do
- Purchase DNA Premier if you do not use SD-Access or AI Analytics
- Fail to renew: DNA features are disabled after expiration
- Mix NE on some switches and NA on others within a stack: the lowest license tier applies
- Rely on the 90-day evaluation license for production (no support or updates)
Typical use cases
SMB with 50 users
2× Catalyst 9200-48P + included NE + DNA Essentials = 2×€2190 + 2×€290 = €4 960 excluding VAT over 3 years.
Mid-market organization with 500 users
10× Catalyst 9300-48U + NA + DNA Advantage = 10×€5890 + 10×€890 + 10×€1890 = €86 700 excluding VAT over 3 years.
Renewal: 75-100% of the initial price
After 3 years, renewing a DNA Advantage license costs approximately 85% of the initial price. Include this expense in the original budget to avoid unexpected costs.
Order from OPTINOC
OPTINOC recommends the right license mix for your requirements. Licenses are pre-activated on delivered switches. OPTINOC manages renewals to ensure no deadline is missed. License quotes provided within 2 hours.