What is our primary use case?
My main use case for Cisco Meraki MV was to manage our office internet and ensure connectivity for all users. Cisco Meraki MV provided the interface to manage all connected users and to manage and set up the networks in general.
I remember that we had the network divided into different areas, and since Windfall Bio is a biotech company, one setup was the main office with three access points configured, allowing us to see the different zones of our network through Cisco Meraki MV.
I did not do the setup of the network, so my role was limited to maintenance in case of issues, ensuring that we had a network with acceptable connection speed.
What is most valuable?
Cisco Meraki MV offers great features including a visual understanding of the network topology, a user-friendly dashboard indicating connected users and their bandwidth consumption, and solid support for VPN setup.
The dashboard of Cisco Meraki MV becomes very helpful after a learning curve, as it allows you to understand who is connected to the network, especially when addressing slow network speeds to identify which access point may need to be restarted or require user reassignment.
Cisco Meraki MV positively impacts my organization by providing hardware to connect employees wirelessly to the network, allowing for mostly stable connections, and facilitating straightforward remote access to the Cisco Meraki MV user interface for maintenance.
What needs improvement?
Initially, I had issues finding features and configurations with Cisco Meraki MV, so I think having an AI assistant would be a good improvement for user interactions, enabling direct queries about feature locations and configurations instead of relying solely on internet searches.
I do not have experience using Cisco Meraki MV's AI capabilities, as I did not encounter any AI features during my usage of the version available to me, which is why I suggested that Cisco Meraki MV support AI in future versions.
For how long have I used the solution?
During my time at Windfall Bio, I used Cisco Meraki MV on and off for approximately eight months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I believe Cisco Meraki MV is stable.
We did not capture any metrics about availability or downtime; my focus with Cisco Meraki MV was mainly on keeping things running without being involved in the setup. Occasionally there were issues with connection speed, but after educating colleagues on access point connections, the wireless setup became stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Regarding scalability, I cannot offer much insight since our setup never exceeded the acceptable number of supported IP addresses, and the VPN usage worked well within the contractual limits.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did not use any different solution prior to Cisco Meraki MV; we started out with it.
How was the initial setup?
Cisco Meraki MV is installed on-premise, with a Cisco Meraki MV box in our system setup that I accessed via a web interface.
What about the implementation team?
I cannot provide much insight on pricing, setup costs, and licensing since I did not work on the installation of Cisco Meraki MV box, but I believe the pricing for the company was acceptable compared to other solutions.
What was our ROI?
There are no metrics available regarding return on investment, as nothing such as fewer employees or time saved was captured during my usage.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I cannot provide much insight on pricing, setup costs, and licensing since I did not work on the installation of Cisco Meraki MV box, but I believe the pricing for the company was acceptable compared to other solutions.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I came into using Cisco Meraki MV solely for maintenance and was not involved in evaluating other options prior to its adoption.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for others looking into using Cisco Meraki MV is to compare it with other solutions since my experience is limited to Cisco Meraki MV; understanding the competition can help in determining the right functionalities for your setup. I would rate my overall experience with this product as seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
