Another price adjustment is coming for Cisco customers. The company plans to raise list prices on software and select hardware products starting Nov. 7, according to CRN, potentially affecting purchases already moving through the sales pipeline.
The changes primarily target networking and security software, with average increases expected in the mid-single-digit percentage range. Specific hardware products and their price adjustments have not been disclosed, while Splunk technology is excluded. The announcement gives Cisco’s distributors, resellers, and managed service providers a short window to review customer quotes, assess potential cost increases, and prepare for pricing conversations.
Cisco targets networking and security software in price adjustment
Tim Coogan, Cisco’s senior vice president of global partner sales, informed distributors of the upcoming changes ahead of the company’s 2026 Partner Summit in Vancouver, held Oct. 26–28.
According to CRN, Coogan described the adjustments as a portfolio rebalancing intended to align pricing with market conditions and continued investment in innovation. Cisco’s recent product announcements include new Webex AI agents and collaboration tools.
Most of the increases will affect networking and security software, averaging in the mid-single-digit percentage range. A limited selection of hardware will also become more expensive, although the specific products have not been identified.
Partners with dedicated Cisco practices, such as C Spire’s secure networking specialization, should check affected software within proposed customer solutions.
The move follows earlier pricing and contract adjustments during 2026, as Cisco and other technology vendors navigate rising component costs and volatile memory supply conditions.
The upcoming increases are not uniform across Cisco’s portfolio, meaning customers and partners will need to confirm which products are affected before estimating additional costs. For customers addressing network readiness gaps for AI, partners should reassess the cost of proposed upgrades.
Updated pricing puts pending deals under review
The Nov. 7 effective date leaves Cisco’s channel partners with less than two weeks to prepare for the new list prices.
Product-level changes became available through Cisco’s list price catalog and SalesConnect on Oct. 24, according to CRN. The new prices will go live in Cisco Commerce Workspace on Nov. 7.
Cisco also intends to maintain its standard price protection policies. However, partners will need to confirm how those protections apply to individual transactions, particularly quotes awaiting approval or orders expected to close after the new pricing takes effect.
While Cisco’s list prices are changing, the final amounts customers pay may vary depending on negotiated discounts, contracts, and applicable price protections.
What Cisco partners should check before Nov. 7
For Cisco distributors, resellers, and managed service providers, the upcoming increases could complicate deals already moving through the sales pipeline. Even a mid-single-digit software price adjustment may affect customer budgets and partner margins, depending on the products, discounts, and contract terms involved.
With less than two weeks before the changes take effect, partners should prioritize three areas:
- Review active quotes and pending deals. Identify proposals awaiting customer approval, check their expiration dates, and confirm which transactions qualify for Cisco’s existing price protection policies.
- Reassess product costs and margins. Review product-level changes in Cisco’s list price catalog and SalesConnect, then confirm how they affect proposed configurations and expected margins. Check transaction pricing with Cisco or your distributor rather than assuming a uniform increase across all products.
- Prepare customers for possible adjustments. Contact customers with pending purchases or upcoming renewals, explain which changes are confirmed, and coordinate with Cisco account managers or distributors where pricing remains unclear.
For partners managing multiple customer proposals, the practical task is to distinguish deals that need revised pricing from those covered by existing terms or protections. A closing date after Nov. 7 alone should not be treated as proof that a quote must change.
Where a partner has committed to a fixed customer price, a higher acquisition cost could reduce the expected margin. Sales and procurement teams should confirm supplier pricing and customer commitments before issuing revised proposals or promising that existing prices will hold.
Customer conversations should then focus on the affected products, any confirmed budget change, and the options available under the transaction’s terms. That gives customers a clearer purchasing decision without creating unnecessary urgency around products or deals that may be unaffected.
Also read: Cisco’s price increases aren’t the only cost pressures channel partners may face. AI infrastructure demand could keep memory, server, and storage prices volatile into 2027, making accurate quotes and flexible hardware refresh plans even more important.