Cisco Software Support (SWSS) - Service Cisco Identity Services Engine

Experience end-to-end protection for your Cisco software investments with Cisco Software Support Service (SWSS). This single, comprehensive offering delivers maintenance, updates, and upgrade entitlement across Cisco software applications, including Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE). Designed to maximize business value, reduce operating costs, and safeguard your deployment, SWSS helps you stay current with the latest security patches, features, and compatibility across your Cisco software stack. With SWSS, you gain predictable support, streamlined license management, and access to crucial software upgrades that keep your network secure, compliant, and efficient.

• End-to-end software maintenance: SWSS ensures ongoing support for your Cisco software applications, covering installation, performance, and reliability improvements so your systems run smoothly with minimal downtime.
• Updates and upgrade entitlement: Stay on the latest software releases with entitlement to patches, minor updates, and eligible major upgrades, helping you benefits from new capabilities and security enhancements without additional licensing complexity.
• Cost efficiency and value protection: By consolidating maintenance and upgrade rights into a single offer, SWSS reduces total cost of ownership and extends the life of your Cisco Identity Services Engine and related products.
• Security and compliance focus: Regular software updates include security patches and compliance-driven enhancements, helping you meet industry requirements and defend against evolving threats.
• Centralized support and accessibility: SWSS provides streamlined access to Cisco's software support ecosystem, enabling faster issue resolution and easier management of entitlements through the Cisco portal.

Technical Details of Cisco Software Support (SWSS) for Cisco Identity Services Engine

• What’s included: software maintenance, updates, and upgrade entitlement for Cisco software applications, including Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and compatible components.
• Support scope: end-to-end coverage across the software lifecycle, from patch delivery to upgrade eligibility and ongoing compatibility testing.
• Upgrade rights: entitlement to new minor and major releases within the contract terms, enabling you to adopt improvements and new features as they become available.
• Security and reliability: access to security patches, bug fixes, and reliability updates designed to protect your deployment and keep it in line with evolving best practices.
• Portal access: entitlements and software updates are managed through Cisco’s support and download portals, simplifying license management and deployment planning.

How to install Cisco Software Support (SWSS) for Cisco Identity Services Engine

• Verify eligibility and purchase: Confirm that your Cisco Identity Services Engine environment is covered under SWSS and complete the purchase or renewal process through your Cisco account or authorized partner.
• Access the Cisco portal: Log in to the Cisco Software Download Center and navigate to SWSS entitlements to view available updates, patches, and upgrade options.
• Plan a safe upgrade path: Review release notes for the latest minor and major versions, check compatibility with your existing hardware and ISE configuration, and schedule the upgrade during a planned maintenance window.
• Download and apply updates: Retrieve the approved software packages and apply updates following Cisco’s documented procedures, ensuring proper backups and rollback plans are in place.
• Validate and document: After installation, validate system health, authentication policies, and integration points; confirm that the new release is functioning as expected and record entitlement usage for future planning.

Frequently asked questions

• Q: What exactly is Cisco SWSS? A: Cisco Software Support Service (SWSS) is a single, comprehensive offer that provides maintenance, updates, and upgrade entitlement for Cisco software applications. It is designed to protect your software investments, ensure access to the latest releases, and streamline software support across your Cisco ecosystem, including the Cisco Identity Services Engine.
• Q: What benefits does SWSS offer for ISE deployments? A: SWSS helps keep your ISE deployment up to date with security patches and feature updates, reduces operational risk through timely maintenance, and provides upgrade rights to compatible new releases. This translates to improved security, reliability, and performance of identity and access services in your network.
• Q: How are updates delivered and managed? A: Updates and upgrade entitlements are managed through Cisco’s official support and download portals. After purchasing SWSS, you can access current and upcoming software packages, plan upgrades, and apply them in accordance with Cisco’s guidance and your maintenance window schedule.
• Q: Can SWSS be renewed or extended? A: Yes. SWSS is designed as a renewal-friendly program that allows ongoing maintenance, updates, and upgrade entitlement as long as the contract terms are met. Renewal helps ensure continuous access to new releases and security patches for your Cisco software stack.
• Q: Does SWSS cover security updates specifically? A: Yes. Security patches and related reliability improvements are part of SWSS, helping you maintain robust protection against vulnerabilities and ensuring your Cisco Identity Services Engine remains compliant with current security standards.