Cisco Meraki

Great for a large range of businesses

Comments: Overall we are pleased with our Meraki purchase and installation. We used a system integrator to obtain it but looking back we could have saved some money doing it ourselves but the quick onboarding and initial setup by the integrator ensured we got running quickly

Pros:

Meraki is a cloud based product that controls on premises and remote hardware. The hardware is top of the line and includes all the functions you would expect from an exterprise offering. Given the broad number of options and the cloud based always updating nature of this product if fill many needs and be adopted by most organizations.

Cons:

Some of the navigation takes some getting used to and I wish it would flow more but there are so many features that building a fluid navigation gets tough, even for Cisco. The graphing could also be better and offer additional options when you need more details but generally it will fill most needs.

A good solution for SMB

Comments: It's been good for the most part. It takes a while to find things as I came from a Cisco only shop but it is usable by people who have no network experience if you need someone like that to be able to vlan a port or something like that.

Pros:

It is easier to install and maintain than most similar products. You can easily establish vpn's between owned devices with dynamic ip addresses.

Cons:

Ran into an issue recently where you can not define access for Software VPN clients to networks that are vpn connected that are not Meraki.

Cisco Meraki - Subscription based WIFI

Pros:

Ease of setup, Very reliable WIFI solution. Configuration are all saved in the cloud.

Cons:

Cost of annual licensing. If customer choose not to renew, the product will be unusable

Meraki, Good for medium tier businesses

Comments: Very solid overall, haven't had many complaints with them, end of the day it's Cisco and that at alone has large benefits and also similar downsides.

Pros:

Very easy to user interface and mobile ability is great.

Cons:

Like anything with Cisco it's expensive and this is the mid tier option for business users, if you want anything more specialized, you're going to have to pay up higher.

Expensive but overall worth it

Pros:

Ability to manage devices from anywhere. Creating and copying configs among other devices is simple and convenient.

Cons:

Cost is a little high compared to other similar products.

Cisco Meraki - The best solution for network management with a small team!

Comments: When we first began upgrading our outdated infrastructure, we decided on Meraki. As we continued from our MDF and worked our way out, the benefits of a full Meraki network became even more apparent. Our Meraki dashboard is our lifeline for knowing what is going on across our network from power outages to wireless health and bandwidth utilization. I love that we are also able to allow access to outside vendors and internal staff in a secure way with only the access the need and nothing more. The VPN client has allowed me to get my entire network up remotely after major power outages. I can't recommend Cisco Meraki enough for anybody who needs the flexibility and simple but secure anywhere/anytime access to their network. Cisco Meraki is a true enterprise level network solution that you can feel confident about deploying without having needing high level network engineering on staff or contract.

Pros:

Cisco Meraki allows us complete visibility into our network at all times. I can manage 95% of my network tasks from anywhere at any time. This has allowed us to keep network management in-house with a 3 person IT team for a large campus environment with almost 1,000 users daily. Adding new devices is simple and the support is immediate and on point. I do not have to wait for a response and escalation. The agent who responds first is the one who resolves the issue in a professional and friendly manner.

Cons:

The annual license renewal is costly. If you decide to co-term your licensing, it is not immediately obvious what the yearly licensing costs will be so it is important to consider this factor when forecasting your budget. For us, using Meraki offsets the cost of MSPs or another FTE for a network admin role so it is well worth the annual license costs to have the peace of mind that your network is always up to date and accessible to you from anywhere on any device.

Consistent, Secure and Bug free!

Comments: Very smooth; commercial grade; everything is tightly knit together and just works! Easy to create VPNs, VLANs and add users.

Pros:

Automation of updates and remote management

Cons:

Licensing fees (although we're aware of Meraki Go model which is license free)

Cisco Meraki Products Review

Comments: In the Meraki Ecosystem, I have extensive experience working with MX Firewalls, MS Switches, and MR Access Points. These products boast ease of deployment and management, featuring user-friendly interfaces. However, it's worth noting that in the MX Firewalls, certain features such as NAT(Static and Dynamic) and Link Aggregation are lacking. This limitation has posed challenges for me in network design and deployment scenarios.

Pros:

I appreciated the ease of deployment and management of Meraki Products, user monitoring, and user-friendly interfaces.

Cons:

Some features such as NAT(Static and Dynamic) and Link Aggregation are lacking in Meraki MX Firewalls. This limitation has posed challenges for me in network design and deployment scenarios.

Excellent Solution for Firewall

Pros:

Cisco Meraki has reputable monitoring and firewall assistance.

Cons:

Cisco Meraki makes defined security without compromise.

The apple of networking

Pros:

Very easy to use and manage, cloud portal is good

Cons:

Expensive and not very customizable, but still worth

Meraki Firewalls

Pros:

It is very easy and intuitive to manage and support is always responsive and helpful

Cons:

A lot of the needed log information is missing from the customer portal - you need to contact support for it. Does not play very nice with third-party firewalls for site-to-site VPNs

Review

Comments: we solved the problem of unauthorized users on our network.

Pros:

I love how the firewall is very effective

Cons:

configuring it was a bit difficult for me

Empowering Network Management with Cisco Meraki

Comments: Cisco Meraki is a well-regarded network management solution, known for its cloud-based management, scalability, and advanced security features. Many users appreciate its easy setup and deployment process and its integration with other Cisco products.However, some users may find that the cost of Cisco Meraki is higher compared to other network management solutions, and that its customization options are limited. The interface and features of Cisco Meraki may also be complex, making it challenging for less experienced users to use. Additionally, as a cloud-based solution, Cisco Meraki requires a stable and reliable internet connection to function properly, which could be a concern for some users.In general, Cisco Meraki is a good option for organizations that need a comprehensive network management solution and are looking for advanced security features and real-time insights into network performance.

Pros:

Cloud-based management: Cisco Meraki is cloud-based, which makes it easier to manage networks remotely and provides real-time insights into network performance.Scalability: Cisco Meraki can scale to meet the needs of small businesses, large enterprises, and everything in between.Easy setup and deployment: Cisco Meraki has a straightforward setup and deployment process, which makes it easy to get up and running quickly.Integration with other Cisco products: Cisco Meraki integrates well with other Cisco products, such as Cisco security solutions and Cisco collaboration tools, providing a more seamless experience for users.Advanced security features: Cisco Meraki offers advanced security features, such as firewalls, VPNs, and wireless security, to help protect networks and data.Comprehensive reporting and analytics: Cisco Meraki provides detailed reporting and analytics, making it easier to understand network performance and identify potential issues.

Cons:

Cost: Cisco Meraki can be expensive compared to other network management solutions.Limited customization options: Some users may find that the customization options in Cisco Meraki are limited, making it difficult to tailor the solution to specific needs.Complexity: Some users may find the interface and features of Cisco Meraki to be complex, which could make it challenging to use for less experienced users.Dependence on cloud connectivity: As a cloud-based solution, Cisco Meraki requires a stable and reliable internet connection to function properly, which could be a concern for some users.Limited support for older hardware: Cisco Meraki may not support older hardware, which could be a concern for users with large fleets of older devices.

Meraki Firewall for all

Comments: In general we have done well.
We connect several offices with VPN and integrating more as we require is easy to do.
The management of the network and the use of the internet is good.
It has also remained stable and protected against threats that may come from the Internet.

Pros:

What we like the most is the ease of administration and the large number of functions that a single device contains. We don't worry about software updates and we are always getting new features or improvements. One of the last major ones was the use of SD-WAN and more recently the ability to support VPN Anyconnect.

Cons:

I think what we like the least is that sometimes from one computer to another the jumps of products are very drastic to support more users. The support (TAC) has also not been the best compared to what is received with Cisco products, there is still a lot to improve.

Cisco Meraki is Intelligent Simplicity

Comments: It has been one of the best experience ever. Switching from Blue (Cisco Traditional) or any other vendor to Green (Cisco Meraki) has been seamless. But then again, it will depend on your context.

Pros:

The ease of deployment. You can be up and running (with policies defined) withing minutes!

Cons:

Once configured, the policies takes about a minute or too to be take effect. I believe this depends on your own internet connectivity as well. Also, the native windows vpn client is buggy but it has announced that Cisco Anyconnect Client will soon be compatible with Cisco Meraki VPN Services!

Best Network Upgrades Done

Comments: Love all of Cisco Meraki lines of product, easy to use and deploy

Pros:

Easy to use, easy to deploy all of Meraki hardware, easy to manage, I really love al the meraki suites they have form MX, MR and MS line up

Cons:

PRicing is a issue once your license runs out you have a great Paperweight as you cant use it, another issue would be that its a cisco product and don't have lot of CISCO IOS components

Cloud management of equipment with Cisco Meraki.

Comments: When we have a problem with a fall in someone's equipment, we receive an email and SMS alerting them. Everything is easier and safer with cloud management. Cisco Meraki support when we needed it was quick, thoughtful and efficient to solve the problem.

Pros:

With Cisco Meraki we are able to manage switches and access points in the cloud and from anywhere. The platform has a clean, friendly and easy to use graphic interface. With the white menu everything is nice to make the settings. At Cisco Meraki we have complete management with site plans and the status of all equipment in real time.

Cons:

We have been using it for a few years and I do not have anything negative to comment on so far because the management and Cisco Meraki equipment have a lot of quality and security and do not give errors and problems.

Feature galore!

Pros:

We use this product mainly for phones and it's amazingly feature-rich in that regard. Every piece of information I could ever want is available on the dashboard once the software is installed. The ability to use Apple DEP is amazing, as our phones automatically install MSM as soon as they are activated, right out the box. Setting up DEP is a hassle at first, but completely worth it as it takes away all other steps of configuration. As soon as a phone is ordered through Apple or a certified reseller, it will have MSM out of the box. You can even use MSM to install other pieces of software such as time trackers, CRM software, etc. It's a fantastic tool. Once installed you can get GPS coord, public IP address, storage stats, WiFi stats, ICCID, IMEI, MAC address, encryption and jailbreak status, and much more. You can send messages to the phone (Why are you at McDonald's and not work?), you can remotly disable password protection (or add it) and, obviously, you can remotely wipe the phone. MSM does everything our old mobile device management software did and MUCH more for aroudn the same cost.

Cons:

Setting up Apple DEP is a pain. Adding MSM to exsiting phones is a time consuming process and, unless you wipe the phone, you only get some of the features by just installing the app from the app store. The user would also be able to remove the software.

Easy use, configuration and implementation

Comments: Cisco Meraki a powerful solution to obtain a stable and reliable network and adaptable to the characteristics of each company that needs a powerful network, excellent levels of security and with optimal cloud-based centralized management.

Pros:

It provides ease of configuration, easy cloud management and a high level of security. It allows to obtain a high performance, connection without interruptions and a stable speed of connection. It offers access to the best security portfolio, traffic analysis and reliable solutions.

Cons:

Its cost is significantly high compared to similar solutions, the benefits offered by its implementation must be considered.

Great Product with Many features

Pros:

I've used Meraki for APs, Switches, Firewall and MDM. Also tested cameras. The tools are extremely capable and give admins so many options.

Cons:

Some features like the Topology Map are not exactly reliable.

Easy to use systems manager

Pros:

Meraki Systems Manager is designed to be easy to use. From setup time to adding endpoints, everything is easy and quick. It easily helps to track and, if necessary, remotely wipe lost devices. I also like the geofence feature as it sends notifications whenever a device leaves the geofenced region.

Cons:

Though there has been some improvement in recent years, the system still contains some bugs. The mobile apps really need to be updated, especially the iOS app.

Meraki - easy to use for the Network administrator

Comments: Overall, I would choose Meraki again. The costs are evened out by not needing to have a network engineer on staff if you have a good understanding of your network. Not for the enterprise, but small to medium business with a Network Administrator would benefit greatly with all the features you get with their products.

Pros:

I didn't have to use CLI to make any configurations. The GUI is very intuitive and easy to navigate. The built-in net flow allowed me to catch a ransomware attack by providing me the data usage and source/destination information. Quickly isolated the offending device and got it unplugged.

Cons:

Price. You purchase the hardware, then also have to license each device. This makes for a pretty expensive network appliance over time.

Great for Cloud Management

Comments: Overall good and reliable. Very stable, even with the lacking ssl vpn.

Pros:

This is a one of the better cloud based platforms for networking and management. There is a lot of insights available within the dashboard

Cons:

This equipment becomes worthless without a license. Still no SSL client VPN. It seems like the licensing cost is getting higher and higher each year.

It works in the background

Comments: Overall, this is a great product for ensuring the security on your devices.

Pros:

I use this software primarily on my phone and I enjoy that it just operates in the background without disrupting anything.

Cons:

I don't like that it takes up memory space and operating space on your phone. My phone does not have expandable memory capacity and it slows down your phone a tad (but may be unnoticeable for some).

not the best choice for iOS

Pros:

works reasonably well, lots of customization

Cons:

finite control of iOS devices is a bit confusing and doesn't work as seamlessly as alternatives