Cisco Meraki

Vorteile

Our company focused its eyes on Cisco Meraki for several important reasons such as: minimum infrastructure costs since the implementation does not require the physical installation of advanced equipment or data centers since all the infrastructure is in the cloud, this also eliminates maintenance costs that operationally demanded a considerable investment, secure and highly reliable wireless networks capable of supporting connections under the 802.11 ac standard in the order of Gbps, management from a single central platform and accessible from anywhere in the world.

Nachteile

The total dependence of the MR devices to the internet connection limits a little the management of our operative personnel that performs the repairs in all the zones, it is clear that for the cases where the internet connection fails, the local access to the access point is operative but when it is required to implement some access policy or special configurations in some points, the access through the central console by an administrator is obligatorily required.

Vorteile

Setup of an enterprise MDM was made easy with Meraki SM. The web administration portal was easy to use, and offered us all of the functionality we needed initially, as well as has provided us the opportunity to increase our use over time. The platform is well designed, simple to use, and responsive.

The app management solutions provided through SM are excellent, as well as the user/device options for license assignment and updating.

Nachteile

We have found the location mapping to be unreliable in Meraki SM, despite having our mobile devices all GPS enabled and configured to make location information available to the SM app. The location tracking tends to use cellular location based on IP addressing and tower locations rather than GPS coordinates provided by the device.

Policy pushing over the air is hit or miss, and it can take multiple attempts to get a client device to receive the revised policies.

The greatest restrictions of the Meraki MDM seem to lie with Apple not making as many centralized management options available as they should, since enterprise use of iOS doesn't seem to be on their list of priorities.

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Gründe für den Wechsel zu Cisco Meraki

Vorteile

This is a beautiful MDM solution that supports all platforms which is great. There are some features not found elsewhere that make it easy to integrate security functionality with Meraki’s networking stack. Want WPA2 enterprise with TLS? Systems manager makes this seamless.

Nachteile

Feature set prioritizes integration with Meraki stack. Features introduced by Apple or Microsoft at the OS level can take months if not years to finally be implemented. This can cause quite a lag as your user base upgrades. No real features to manage the patch level of devices aside from manually pushing updates each time. Licensing cost fluctuates frequently (it’s free, it’s paid, it’s mostly free but sometimes paid).

Vorteile

A single one-stop location for remote management of iOS and other mobile devices and other assets. In particular, monitoring and administrating iOS devices is challenging and this tool has saved countless hours in configuring and deploying and maintaining iPhones in our business.

Nachteile

The features for updating Apps from the App Store needs improvement.

Vorteile

The clean dashboard, ability to view connected devices, and just overall reliability.

Nachteile

So far nothing, all works good and is easy to manage.

Vorteile

I can't say enough that I love at Meraki. The ease of use of the dashboard or being able to make multiple changes on multiple switches across any of the sites within an organization. It cuts down on management tasks immensely.

Nachteile

I wish they had a blended consumer product that allowed tech savvy home users to be able to setup or protect their home networks without the annual licensing cost.

Vorteile

Ease of use, simplicity in it's design, tech support and warranty

Nachteile

It can be pricey and some customers don't have the budget.

Vorteile

Meraki has left a positive mark in our company due to its benefits and the experience that supports it, we have a large number of access points MR distributed in different areas of the city in parks, educational institutions, hospitals and each of them is monitored easily and remotely from the web; thanks to this we can analyze the capacity of connections, radio frequency channel in use, current wifi standard 802. 11 b/g/n/ac, also thanks to the power and stability in the signal emission of each MR we guarantee to the users a clean connection without interruptions that for some of the cases a stable connection is vital.

Nachteile

With the continuous expansion of our network also demands the inclusion of more MR devices, these are notoriously more expensive although comparing the cost/benefit ratio is worth the investment, however, one of the limitations for this type of network is its close dependence on the internet connection to perform advanced technical configurations on the devices, everything related to ACS configuration, MAC filtering (black or white list) as it does not allow such configurations locally limiting it to communication with the central administration.

Vorteile

We can easily configure, manage and monitor our free WIFI networks from a single panel 100% in the cloud, it is easy to add wireless access points to the central panel and exercise control, cisco Meraki allows me to regulate the bandwidth to provide, either by SSID, IP, among others, I can restrict access to specific pages, encrypt networks (AES, WPA, WPA-PSK, etc); our company provides a free service of WiFi Zones located in different parts of the city in parks, shopping malls and other common areas through access point MR18. The support provided is timely and efficient in any circumstance, they respond in a very short time to our requests; I like the advanced security features provided, last but not least, Cisco Meraki provides a very intuitive and modern user interface, in which you can navigate smoothly.

Nachteile

The purchase price of the equipment and licenses is expensive compared to other competing products but it is well worth the investment as the benefits are many.

Vorteile

There are several details for which Cisco Meraki has greatly facilitated our daily work in terms of installation, management and monitoring of access points deployed in remote sites of our customers and is the ease of implementation; it may sound routine but this work is as simple as plug and play, just physically connect the element and in a few minutes the autodiscovery function shows the element to be monitored and parameterized according to customer needs (SSID, Encryption, MAC Filtering, Content Policies, etc).

Nachteile

There are more benefits than negative points, although I can indicate that the implementation is expensive in its licensing, perhaps for small and medium organizations it would be complex due to the high cost of licenses and equipment.

Vorteile

Ease of deployment was minimal. Gear to ship and have users install

Nachteile

Cost was too high to the overall features

Vorteile

Remote Management and Bandwidth Control for users in seperate networks at enterprise and hospitality.

Nachteile

It was a Little expensive compared to othes but it is sometimes worth the money because of the features and reliability that it provides.

Vorteile

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.

Nachteile

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.

Vorteile

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.

Nachteile

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.

Vorteile

It has a decent feature set - including remote management of profiles and security features, For both Macs and iOS. The ability to completely lock down and erase the entire device has been nice in a few extreme situations.

The UI is intuitive and easy to use with LOTS of information about the devices being managed.

Nachteile

Initially we enjoyed the fact that we were given a relatively high if not unlimited (I cannot recall) now, we are billed per device. Which is fine. But the process to obtain the licenses is absolutely ridiculous, takes way too long and they do not allow for our account for an upgrade process. IE client has 20 computers enrolled, and they replace all of them, well you have to get another 20 licenses (paying for 40 computers) and then remove the old computes when they are phased out. Then decrease the license count. There is zero flexibility here, and the vendor was borderline indignant when it was pointed out how this is a problem in the real world.

Vorteile

The tracking of devices worked well always was able to tell where devices were located at based on the IP of the device.

Nachteile

The updating of apps and controlling apps was difficult and did not find it very intuitive.

Vorteile

Integration with Meraki Dashboard, free for up to 100 devices which makes it ideal for smaller businesses. Also the ability to remotely end tasks, remote command line, RDP web client, screenshots and useful statistics make this a valuable solution when managing desktops, servers and mobile devices.

Nachteile

Nothing really, sometimes devices take a few minutes to update in the dashboard but I don't have any complaints about the product. It is updated regularly like most Meraki products and gets better the longer you use it.

Vorteile

-Aggregation of MDM policies across iOS, macOS, Android, and Windows platforms make it really easy to deploy the same setting, such as screen lock, to multiple platforms without drilling the per-platform settings
-Supports all iOS MDM settings and is quick to implement new ones as Apple introduces them
-Tagging system is incredibly useful to identify and organize different devices - this is unique to Meraki
-Although we don't have Meraki networking products - they can all be managed from the same dashboard
-Just like most MDM platforms, it offers easy web-based device registration, and syncs with Apple VPP and School Manager

Nachteile

-Web management dashboard has a steep learning curve and is not very intuitive - a task like deploying a new app to devices involves three or four different management pages
-Pricing is comparable, if not a bit more expensive than other iOS MDMs, but its cross-platform support makes up for this

Vorteile

The ability to maintain and manage your networks from anywhere is a real advantage and the access control and ability to resolve issues fast is a real bonus. I cannot recommend this infrastructure solution enough.

Nachteile

The licensing can be confusing and additions to equipment will move dates about which you should be aware of. Once you understand that dates will move about, it makes it easier, but there should be more warnings.

Vorteile

easy to spin up remote systems, all cloud managed and deployed. Plug and Play setup, as well with templated usage, you can deploy in a matter of minutes

Nachteile

MX firewalls don't provide enough MANUAL OVERRIDES which would be useful. Not as robust as old IOS firewalls for that specific reason.

Vorteile

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.

Nachteile

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.

Vorteile

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.

Nachteile

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

Vorteile

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

Nachteile

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.

Vorteile

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

Nachteile

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).

Vorteile

works reasonably well, lots of customization

Nachteile

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

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Vorteile

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.

Nachteile

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.

Vorteile

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

Nachteile

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

Vorteile

Easy to set up and has been easy to maintain over the years

Nachteile

The licenses are expensive and you have this blended license things when you add more to your account.

Vorteile

Automation of updates and remote management

Nachteile

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

Vorteile

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

Nachteile

Cost is a little high compared to other similar products.

Vorteile

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

Nachteile

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.

Vorteile

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

Nachteile

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.

Vorteile

Very easy to user interface and mobile ability is great.

Nachteile

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.

Vorteile

Cloud config is obviously huge. Being able to have a site set up and ready to go in the cloud before anything is plugged in make acquisitions and new stores so easy to stand up. Most new features are software based so it's only getting better.

Nachteile

Pricing could be easier to understand. There are some features that a more advanced network might need but it works great for us. It definitely should have better monitoring built in.

Vorteile

Really good for AP deployment and monitoring

Nachteile

Appliances can be really expensive like for example the MR44

Vorteile

Cisco Meraki has reputable monitoring and firewall assistance.

Nachteile

Cisco Meraki makes defined security without compromise.

Vorteile

Meraki has been a product that we have been using for quite some time to manage our iOS and some of our Android devices. For the purposes that we use an MDM which is primarily just the pushing of apps and ensuring that specific settings are on, it does just that. The UI has been overhauled from its previous outdated design making it easier on the eyes.

Nachteile

They have recently changed the usage agreement which now does not include the first 100 devices for free. Since this change, they no longer allow for devices to be added or removed but do allow the management of pre-existing devices. However, due to our usage case and the pricing we have begun migrating away from Meraki.

Vorteile

Cisco Meraki has allowed us to evolve our network infrastructure and the way we interact with this, there are clear details that make this a highly balanced, sustainable and accessible network, due to its on cloud environment has reduced locative, operational and maintenance costs associated with the equipment installed on these sites; aspects to highlight within the Meraki environment I can mention their equipment (Access Point) in our case, these are robust equipment, resistant to different outdoor environments, easy configuration (plug and play) and administration in the remote console, in addition, provides a wide range of data and metrics that are a very detailed basis for the management by our IT team in all the deployment of the infrastructure, Its clear and intuitive console has the functions at hand offering very fast possibilities to configure parameters such as SSID, MAC filtering (white and black list), bandwidth management either by SSID or by users, WEB content filtering, among others, possibilities like these make Cisco Meraki a very strong ally in our organization.

Nachteile

It should take into account the number of devices implemented in the network as it depends on the number of licenses to hire, although their individual cost is a bit high if you must take into account that this value is associated with some benefits of great help as some devices have a lifetime warranty while licensing is active, although in our cases the Access Point does not have this benefit I can guarantee that such equipment have a very striking performance in addition to withstand extreme operating conditions, so no negative comments so far I do not have.

Vorteile

The easiest way manage to Network Device from the cloud and control the user with Group policies. One of my favorite feature is Group policies that is controlled the specific user with specific firewall rule, traffic shaping and security policies (like URL filtering, YouTube restriction level).

Nachteile

If you have multiple public IP addresses, it is not possible to separate the outbound PAT configuration for each user network.

Vorteile

Combined a useable web interface with the power and reliability of Cisco hardware. It had an API that can be integrated for both inventory purposes and for monitoring, and for configuration. Mobile device management was straightforward, but still provided lots of options

Nachteile

Not really a network guy, so some of the more advanced stuff can be daunting.

Vorteile

Very easy to use and manage, cloud portal is good

Nachteile

Expensive and not very customizable, but still worth

Vorteile

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

Nachteile

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

Vorteile

I have been utilizing Meraki from before they were acquired by Cisco, and I believe the product has only gotten better. The ease of management and ability to oversee multiple locations, on top of a plethora of features any SMB would need has made me happy in my continued use of their products. The notifications of connection loss and the ability to remote configure devices is unparalleled in my experience.

Nachteile

I do believe their pricing is quiet high, along side a license model that would brick your device if you no longer pay for it does leave a sour taste in some mouths, I've also found it to be lacking in some granular firewall policies compared to more purpose built products such as Juniper's firewalls.

Vorteile

Helped us to manage our mobile devices and deploy applications needed by employees

Nachteile

We didn't have any real cons to the product we were using

Vorteile

C'est très fiable et très simple à utiliser

Nachteile

Juste que parfois la connexion balance et sa dérange un peu

Vorteile

I like opening up my Meraki Dashboard every time I am handling network issues. It is like an extension of my view to pin point exactly where the issue is coming from. Even if the people I am helping are on other location, Meraki let me help them on what steps should be taken next. It helps me pin point what equipment are causing the issue.

Nachteile

Sometimes it is not real time, you would need to wait for days for the client/equipment to show it's real time status, which is very confusing sometimes.

Vorteile

Cisco meraki allowed us to deploy and management the network and security devices from cloud access portal easily for the implementation engineer.This is the most I like in cisco meraki.

Nachteile

The cost of Cisco Meraki devices and license is too expensive for the most small business companies.

Vorteile

I love how the firewall is very effective

Nachteile

configuring it was a bit difficult for me

Vorteile

Intègre des fonctionnalités de sécurité avancées pour protéger les réseaux et les données

Nachteile

Une connexion Internet stable est essentielle pour profiter pleinement des fonctionnalités cloud

Vorteile

Cette fonctionnalité introuvables facilite l'accès

Nachteile

La connexion bugs parfois et l'application deconne