Meraki

Question 1

Why is Meraki a “hot” business?

Answer 1

As businesses have re-directed much of their traffic so it’s going to and from cloud providers instead, making MPLS suboptimal. Many network professionals look at MPLS and SD-WAN as an either-or proposition. There’s strong momentum behind SD-WANs, and it’s coming at MPLS’s expense. MPLS usage dropped 24% from 2019 to 2020; in that same time period, the number of enterprises using some form of SD-WAN spiked from 18% to 43%, and interest was further driven by the need to connect datacenters to home workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cisco Meraki with its out-of-band cloud architecture creates secure, scalable and easy-to-deploy networks that can be managed from anywhere. This can be done from almost any device using web-based Meraki Dashboard and Meraki Mobile App.

The beauty of Cisco Meraki isn’t in a single best in class product that leverages the power of SD-WAN. It is a best in class solution. This is often referred to as “Full Stack”.

The very first Meraki product was a cloud managed access point. Since then Meraki has become a scalable enterprise solution with variety of products interacting with each other. The more Meraki products you use on your network, the more outcomes you get.

https://gblogs.cisco.com/uki/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-cisco-meraki/

Question 2

How does Meraki licensing model work?

Answer 2

Meraki licensing is very simple. For every managed network device (think switch, access point, security appliance) you need a single Meraki Dashboard license so that you can manage the device. Technical support is already included in the license.

https://gblogs.cisco.com/uki/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-cisco-meraki/

Question 3

How do companies benefit from Meraki products?

Answer 3

**Example of testimonial:
**Wow, what a great product. We came from a environment where we have lot’s of sites, but not able to manage them centrally. Some of them have a MPLS connection, but most of the sites just have internet. By supplying a Meraki MX we can build SD-WAN connections, manage site remotely, easy have a DHCP-server in the cloud and more and more.

What do you like most about the product or service?
Central Managed. Able to send the device to a site, where they can just plug the device in. No need to travel. Firewall/DHCP integrations and working together with Cisco Umbrella

What do you dislike most about the product or service?
It’s pretty expensive for the hardware and you need to buy licenses to be able to use it. On the other hand, buying a MPLS connection is much more expensive.

Please explain the business problems or needs that prompted the purchase of this product or service.
We had lot’s of sites which we not able to manage. Now we have implemented the MX devices, we can manage the sites remotely, provide DCP, firewall options.

Why did you purchase this product or service?
Drive innovation
Improve business process agility
Create internal/operational efficiencies
Cost management

What were the key factors that drove your decision?
Product roadmap and future vision
Strong services expertise
Product functionality and performance
Breadth of services

Which other vendors did you consider in your evaluation?
SonicWall
Juniper
Barracuda

https://www.gartner.com/reviews/market/network-firewalls/vendor/cisco/product/meraki-mx-appliances/review/view/4372914

Question 4

What pain points does Meraki solve?

Answer 4

• Network Security (Firewall, Unified Threat Management, Sandboxing, Intrusion Prevention)
• Simplifying Management / Monitoring of Complex Networks (True single pane of glass)
• Flexible Scalability / Flexible Functionality (SD-WAN + Future proof eg. Smart Cameras)
• Lean IT Teams (Increase effectiveness without headcount)
• Troubleshooting (Remotely, quickly and effectively)
• Save Time (Focus on adding value not just running your network)
• Reduce Total Cost of Ownership (Quality, high performance, long lasting solutions)

Question 5

What are Meraki’s 9 core products?

Answer 5

1. Meraki Dashboard
   Cloud based dashboard for managing and monitoring every Meraki product
   Meraki App Marketplace, REST API
2. MX - Meraki Security Appliances (+ Z series teleworker devices + vMX Cloud Based Virtual MX)
   Routing, SD-WAN, Next-Gen Firewall, Unified Threat Management, Auto VPN, 4G Failover
3. MS - Meraki Switches
   Cloud managed switches, Multi GbE + Fiber, Virtual Stacking, L7 Visibilty
4. MR - Meraki Wireless Access Points
   Wi-Fi 6 Indoor and Outdoor Wireless Access Points
5. MG - Meraki Wireless Gateways
   Cellular wireless gateways for reliable 4G primary internet connectivity
6. MV - Meraki Security Cameras
   Cloud managed smart cameras, 3rd party applications
7. MT - Meraki IoT Sensors
   Internet of Things Sensors for: Temperature, Humidity, Open/Close and Water Leaks
8. SM - Meraki Systems Manager
   Mobile Device Management for all common Operating Systems (Software)
9. MI - Meraki Insight
   Application performance tracking (Software running on MX appliances)