The Rebrand That Changed More Than the Name
In 2023, Cisco renamed DNA Center to Catalyst Center — part of a broader consolidation of its networking portfolio under the Catalyst brand that also saw Catalyst switches, Catalyst wireless, and the broader enterprise networking platform unified under a single brand identity. For enterprises mid-contract, the rebrand raised an immediate question: does renaming DNA Center to Catalyst Center also change the licensing terms, the tier structure, or the commercial commitments already in place? The answer is nuanced, commercially significant, and — characteristically for Cisco — not clearly communicated in vendor-facing documentation.
This guide covers the Catalyst Centre tier structure, perpetual versus subscription licensing, add-on module costs, and what the rebrand means commercially for enterprises mid-contract. For the ELA context in which Catalyst Centre licences are often structured, see our Cisco ELA guide. For Smart Licensing management of Catalyst Centre deployments, see our Cisco Smart Licensing guide. For Cisco advisory services covering Catalyst Centre commercial reviews, see our Cisco advisory page.
Catalyst Centre Licensing Tiers: Essentials, Advantage, Premier
Catalyst Centre (formerly DNA Center) licences are structured in three subscription tiers, applied per network device managed by the platform. The tier determines which software capabilities are available for each managed device — and a device running on a lower tier cannot access features that require a higher tier, even if the Catalyst Centre appliance itself is licensed at a higher level.
| Tier | Key Capabilities | Typical Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | Basic device management, network provisioning, software image management (SWIM), basic telemetry | Organisations wanting centralised management without advanced analytics or segmentation |
| Advantage | Essentials + SD-Access segmentation, AI Network Analytics, application QoS, encrypted traffic analytics, assurance dashboards | Enterprises deploying SD-Access or requiring AI-driven network visibility and troubleshooting |
| Premier | Advantage + group-based policy (Cisco TrustSec integration), advanced security analytics, Cisco AI Endpoint Analytics, integration with Cisco ISE for full zero-trust enforcement | Enterprises implementing zero-trust network access with identity-based segmentation across campus and branch |
The per-device licensing model means that a campus network with 500 Catalyst 9300 switches licensed at Advantage tier generates a larger Catalyst Centre licence obligation than the same switches at Essentials — and any feature activation at Advantage tier on a device licensed only at Essentials creates a compliance gap visible through Smart Licensing telemetry.
Perpetual vs Subscription: The Commercial Decision
Catalyst Centre licences are available as both perpetual (with an annual software support contract) and subscription. The perpetual model was the dominant purchasing pattern for DNA Center licences before 2022 — enterprises bought perpetual per-device licences outright and paid an annual support fee for software updates and TAC access. The subscription model aligns with Cisco's broader push toward recurring revenue and is the only option available through the ELA structure.
For enterprises evaluating standalone (non-ELA) Catalyst Centre licensing, the perpetual-versus-subscription decision hinges on deployment horizon and feature velocity. Perpetual licences provide cost certainty over a long deployment lifecycle but lock in the tier at purchase — moving from Essentials to Advantage perpetual requires purchasing an upgrade licence, not just adjusting a subscription tier. Subscription licences are more flexible for organisations whose SD-Access or zero-trust deployment plans are evolving, but carry the recurring cost of annual renewal at then-current pricing if the subscription is not locked into a multi-year agreement.
What Changed Commercially in the Rebrand
The DNA Center to Catalyst Center rebrand was not purely cosmetic. Cisco used the rebrand as the occasion to introduce changes to the feature allocation between tiers — some capabilities previously included in DNA Center Advantage were moved to Premier in the Catalyst Center tier structure, and some new AI-driven analytics capabilities were introduced exclusively at Premier tier. For enterprises mid-contract on DNA Center Advantage licences, the practical question is whether their renewal maps directly to Catalyst Center Advantage at equivalent capability — or whether features they were using under DNA Center Advantage now require a Premier tier upgrade.
Cisco's official position is that existing DNA Center licence commitments are honoured through the contract term and renewed at equivalent Catalyst Center tiers. In practice, account teams use the rebrand conversation as an opportunity to upsell from Advantage to Premier by emphasising the new Premier-exclusive capabilities. Enterprises approaching DNA Center contract renewal should conduct a feature-mapping exercise — confirming which capabilities they actually use, which tier those capabilities sit in under the new Catalyst Center structure, and whether the renewal proposal matches that mapping or adds unnecessary tier uplift.
DNA Center Contract Coming Up for Renewal? Review the Tier Mapping First.
Our Cisco advisory team conducts Catalyst Centre renewal reviews — mapping your current DNA Center feature usage to the Catalyst Center tier structure, identifying unnecessary uplift proposals, and benchmarking renewal pricing against our Cisco deal database.
Book a Catalyst Centre Review →Add-On Module Costs and True-Up Considerations
Beyond the three base tiers, Catalyst Centre includes several add-on modules that are priced separately and are frequently not included in standard ELA scoping. Cisco AI Network Analytics (available as an add-on above Essentials) provides predictive network insights and anomaly detection using Cisco's cloud-based AI platform — and requires cloud connectivity, which some enterprises cannot enable due to security policy. Cisco DNA Spaces (now Cisco Spaces) provides location analytics using existing Wi-Fi infrastructure — a separate subscription priced per access point. And Cisco ThousandEyes integration — network path intelligence from the internet perspective — is a separate subscription that integrates with Catalyst Centre dashboards but is not included in any Catalyst Centre tier.
For true-up purposes in an ELA context, add-on modules activated on managed devices that are not included in the ELA scope create compliance exposure equivalent to activating a higher base tier without the appropriate licence. Smart Licensing telemetry will record the feature activation — and the true-up process will surface the gap. Conduct an add-on module inventory as part of any pre-true-up ELA health check. To discuss Catalyst Centre licensing in the context of your Cisco ELA, book a call with our advisory team.