Management

What You Should Know About Cisco Enterprise Agreements

These umbrella contracts are a good way to consolidate your Cisco licensing agreements. Here’s how it works.

Zak Lieberman is a Cisco business development specialist at CDW.

Cisco continues to perform well against its competitors. As of February 2025, the company reported revenue of “$14 billion, representing a 9% year-over-year increase and exceeding analyst expectations of $13.87 billion.

One reason for the company’s success is the breadth and depth of its technology portfolio: Cisco has options for organizations of every size and for almost every need.

Because Cisco offers solutions for collaboration, security, data center, cloud and networking, many organizations have a range of licensing agreements with the company covering a hodgepodge of tech categories. It can get confusing, unwieldy and expensive. Cisco Enterprise Agreements (also known as EAs) provide companies with powerful, customized solutions that help drive improved business outcomes.

Here are a few ways that Cisco EAs help IT leaders effectively consolidate their existing Cisco contract under a single EA.

FIND OUT: How CDW’s custom technology support can help solve daily challenges.

What are the advantages of a Cisco EA?

Cisco technology now covers six portfolios: Networking infrastructure, applications infrastructure, collaboration, security, provider connectivity and services. As a result, individual licensing can become very complex. Companies must manage multiple start and end dates, service-level agreements and payment structures.

A Cisco EA allows organizations to consolidate agreements across multiple portfolios under a single structure that lasts three to five years. The model creates predictable costs and usually lowers overall spending, while businesses gain access to all of Cisco’s service options. The minimum contract value for a Cisco EA is $100,000 per licensing year. Most organizations that choose Cisco have between 100 and 250 users and leverage EAs to both streamline solution deployment and provide access to Cisco technology across any technology platform.

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For example, under the networking infrastructure portfolio, EAs provide access to solutions such as Cisco DNA Software, Cisco Meraki and Cisco data center networking. Under the connectivity portfolio, companies can leverage network automation with the Cisco Crosswork Network Services Orchestrator and the Cisco Evolved Programmable Network Manager.

The security portfolio, meanwhile, includes Cisco Duo and Identity Services Engine for zero trust, Cisco Umbrella and Cloudlock for cloud security, and Cisco Secure Email and Secure Endpoint for platform protection and response.

How Can A Cisco EA Help Navigate a Suite of Solutions and Services?

CDW’s team of Cisco experts can help businesses make the most of their EAs. Currently, CDW manages more than 4,000 EAs, including 2,300 multiarchitecture EAs representing $2.5 billion worth of agreements. The benefits of working with CDW’s CX teams include:

Understanding what you have. Your business may have one-off purchases made by someone in your IT department that don’t fall under the master EA. For example, if you have an old Cisco desk phone or outdated network switch, you could be paying for technology you don’t need that’s not part of your EA. Chances are, you don’t even know about it.
Identifying what you need. CDW teams can also help identify the services and solutions your IT environment needs. For example, if a security assessment of your current network landscape identifies issues with access and authentication, Cisco Duo and ISE may be an option to consider.
Managing your EA. Once you’re on an EA, any hardware or software you purchase falls under it, even if the solutions are outside the portfolios you’re currently using. We can help ensure you always have complete visibility into what’s currently in your EA, how much it costs and when contracts are up for renewal.

With Cisco EAs, companies get access to the complete suite of Cisco technologies and services, all under a single, simplified agreement. And with our help, businesses are better prepared to discover gaps in current technology coverage, determine where EAs best serve organizational goals and decide which combination of Cisco solutions will best meet evolving needs. Let’s have a conversation.

This article is part of BizTech's AgilITy blog series.