Cisco Meraki MX Reviews

We use Meraki MX for cloud-based networking, particularly as a firewalls and routers.

What I like best about Meraki MX is that it's easy to deploy remotely. The product works. It has automatic updates.

I also like that Meraki MX is a brilliant device. You turn it on, stick the key in there, activate it, and then you're done.

Meraki MX does what my customers need at the end of the day, so I also like that.

An area for improvement in Meraki MX is that it needs some provision, as supplying the unit through Cisco can be tedious at times, but as far as the product itself and its offerings, Meraki MX is five-star all the way.

I've been dealing with Meraki MX for four years now.

Stability-wise, Meraki MX is okay. It performs as it's supposed to. There was one hardware failure, and the Meraki team replaced the unit practically overnight, no questions asked.

The technical support for Meraki MX is a ten out of ten for me.

Positive

Meraki MX has a straightforward setup.

The pricing for Meraki MX is all right, but as the hardware needs to be licensed, the cost depends on the complexity of the device and the term. Pricing could be $100 to $10,000 yearly or even more for a more complex device.

My company is a Cisco partner and a reseller of Meraki MX.

My rating for Meraki MX is ten out of ten.

I've used Meraki MX in warehouses for small medical offices and, recently, dispensaries.

To me, the analytics feature is one of the most valuable in Meraki MX. I also find that it has good usability as it's cloud-based.

Another valuable feature of Meraki MX is that it's simple to use and it's user-friendly.

We had minor issues with Meraki MX. We had a couple of RMAs, so that could be an area for improvement, but in terms of how the RMAs went, the turnaround time and getting those back into redeployment were quick.

Another area for improvement in Meraki MX is that when you're scaling for multiple locations, you need to use the same model, but the model you'd need is only available for a short time. The specific model you require could be out of stock, or Meraki isn't making that model anymore, so Meraki should improve that.

I've been using Meraki MX on and off over the past seven to eight years.

As far as stability goes, Meraki MX is pretty good.

In terms of scalability, the process of scaling Meraki MX is straightforward.

The initial setup for Meraki MX is very straightforward.

I work in a mid-sized company, and I've used Meraki MX in small business and enterprise settings. On the small business side, two people use the product, but on the enterprise side, about twenty people use Meraki MX because of the number of locations and equipment. My enterprise customer had about forty thousand employees and at least ninety locations.

I'd rate Meraki MX as nine out of ten.

There are numerous good features in this solution starting with the ease of deployment and simple configuration. Cisco provides good support and if any hardware needs replacing, they'll do that. Of course, you pay a lot for that. It's an outstanding product with outstanding people on the team. 

The Cisco supply chain is problematic although that may not be all their fault. What I really want is to be able to sell the solution and deploy it for my clients. They are very cagey about the availability of their product and they definitely take better care of their larger clients, pricing out mid-sized organizations. I'd like their policy rules to be closer to those of some of the other vendors. They're very complacent and I find the rule set to be a little arcane. There's no company ou there that does the combination of hardware quality, reliability of service, and most importantly, the quality of the interface. 

I've been using this solution for about five years. 

The stability is great, it's just set it and forget it.

The solution is extremely scalable. The company I currently consult has 500 users but it can go up to the thousands. 

Meraki has the best customer support with very, very knowledgeable tech people. I've never had a Cisco Meraki tech who didn't know what he or she was talking about. That's not the case with other vendors. 

Positive

I've previously used Juniper, Checkpoint and HP Aruba among others.

The initial setup is easy and maintenance is minimal.

The ROI is there because the solution works. If you're going to invest in Meraki, you want to keep it at least five years so you get the value back.

Licensing costs are ridiculously high. You might pay $12,000 for a firewall and then each year it'll cost you another grand or two just for the support which can amount to 15% of the cost of the initial purchase.

The big thing now is SD-WAN and it's been that way for a number of years. I always remind clients that Meraki is one of the biggest players in the SD-WAN market, meaning their hardware is deployed under another label as being the SD-WAN box. I always suggest that clients buy the equipment from Cisco because the provider's likely going to use it anyway and leverage their technology. It's important to size the solution according to your needs. There are different tiers of performance so don't oversize or undersize. It's better to aim a little higher and anticipate replacing the equipment in five years.

I rate the solution 10 out of 10. 

One of our customers is actively running Meraki MX as a cloud solution in their enterprise. They use it for their local area network, and they also use it for their SD-WAN product. It is used for its connectivity purposes.

The solution's most valuable feature is the ease of management of the dashboard. We can see everything from the dashboard, making it easy for us.

Our client is happy with the tool at the moment. We don't have anything bad to say about the product at the moment. We support our clients and the fact that everything is on the cloud, makes it easy for us to troubleshoot.

Improvements are required more on the side of troubleshooting. With the logs and considering the fact that we are in the cloud, we lose some of those features that you would ideally see when plugged into a switch. Something like logging and stuff are areas where improvements are required. It gives you more indication on what is really happening with the switch or router.

I have been using Meraki MX for a few years. My company is a reseller and gold partner of Cisco.

It is a stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Once we set up the tool, we are able to scale the branches to different locations, and most of the time, the central device is able to increase capacity. We do the design work to make sure that we are able to scale in the future.

My clients are small and medium enterprises. My clients are banks that probably have 90 branches.

The solution's technical support is top-notch. I think we had an issue once where we did a misconfiguration, or rather we were trying to migrate and lost the cloud connectivity. When we reached out to the support team, they responded pretty quickly. I rate the technical support a out of ten.

I rate the support services as an eight out of ten.

Positive

If one is difficult and ten is easy, I rate the product's initial setup phase as an eight.

The product's installation phase is very easy.

The solution is deployed on the cloud.

The solution can be deployed in a few hours. Once we are prepared with everything, you just need to go for the plug-and-play option to be able to use it.

A team does the deployment. The staging is done in the office, but then we just need a team of guys to run around the different locations for racking and stacking. All the configuration is done probably by one or two people in the office.

The tool's prices are okay compared to the traditional solutions. We find Meraki MX platform to be cheaper compared to the regular tools, like SD-Access.

My company mostly deals with Cisco, and we are really satisfied with its tools. Our partnership with Cisco is good. My company is a gold partner with Cisco, so we have good pricing models.

AI is a topic that I think we started discussing with our customers towards the end of the last year. AI is here, but I would say not very many customers are using it yet. But it's a topic that we are trying to discuss with our customers.

I would recommend Cisco Meraki because of ease of use. I think we are highly compared to other solutions, probably in the market in this region, Cisco Meraki is highly skilled not only in Meraki, but with Cisco products too. The support that the customer would get from the tool and from our company is top-notch.

Cisco Meraki is very easy to use. Coming from a traditional background, we had to control the devices and configure them. Cisco Meraki is very easy to use for medium enterprises. I rate the tool a seven out of ten.

The product is useful for zero-touch provisioning and implementation. One can configure the tool with SD-WAN, and we connect it to it from anywhere.

The most valuable feature is EAP-TLS integration with Meraki MX. Other vendors provide other features in the product. Zero-touch provisioning and everything else is very easy. The tool's support is also good.

There is another team in my company that looks into areas associated with the product to figure out where improvements are required.

With Meraki MX's integration capabilities, users may face challenges since it does not integrate well with other systems. If you configure Meraki MX with EAP-TLS, then you may face scalability issues since there are a few things that need to be changed in the product.

I have been using Meraki MX for the last three years. My company has a partnership with Cisco.

Meraki MX has been a stable solution so far, and I haven't faced any issues with it.

The solution's technical support is good. I rate the technical support a seven or eight out of ten.

Neutral

The product's deployment phase is easy.

If I consider an average deployment scenario for a big project, the product can be deployed in around 15 to 30 days.

Two to five people are required for the tool's deployment process. At least five people are required for monitoring purposes. Maintaining the solution is easy.

Using Meraki MX can help people save time, as it helps reduce downtime. From anywhere, the engineers can connect with the product and check the logs, which is a good feature.

Purchasing the tool's license is easy, but its cost is very high. I rate the tool's price a four on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is very expensive.

I would like to say that SD-WAN is considered to be one of the market leaders in terms of the tool's SD-WAN capabilities.

I did not face any difficulties with the interface of the product. Using the product's interface is an easy task for me.

The tool's loading period or waiting period of the tool is high and most of the customers are not ready to wait for too long. If only someone requires Meraki, they will go for it. For the tool's regular model, we need to wait for up to six months, which is the main problem.

It can be a good solution for those who can afford it. Iin India, most of the SMBs are not able to afford the tool.

I rate the tool a seven out of ten.

The solution is mainly based on the cloud which is highly adaptable to the needs of its users due to its large user base. By employing over fifty VPS, we strategically position these units where clients require them the most. Remarkably, the cost of this setup is notably more affordable compared to competing alternatives. The management dashboard allows users to oversee each branch within their network. This comprehensive view is unified within the dashboard, offering insights into the entire branch network. The system works mostly for financial institutions, particularly banking clients.

The cloud management system is really valuable.           

Direct logging is something that can be introduced. In the absence of cloud management, the possibility of local configurations and on-premise logins becomes restricted. This limitation stands as a primary concern. When it comes to resolving issues, the inability to access login options hampers troubleshooting efforts.

The stability is noteworthy; but when compared to alternative products, its stability is comparatively lower. Additionally, certain limitations are observed in terms of remote control. Price-wise, the solution stands out for its competitive and cost-effective nature compared to other alternatives. Operationally, it is user-friendly and requires minimal effort from administrators, making configuration hassle-free.

I have been using Meraki MX for the last three years.

The solution is stable however there are issues and we need to reboot sometimes. I would rate it five out of ten. 

Considering the needs of medium-class clients, scalability proves to be highly advantageous. I would rate it nine out of ten.

The initial setup is easy via the cloud portal, primarily because managed support is needed for internet access. Without this, the direct configuration of the box becomes unattainable.The duration required is significantly shorter compared to alternatives. Occasionally, when dealing with a larger number of branches, like fifty or more, we managed to complete the implementation within 14 days. In cases involving complex processes and discussions, additional time might be necessary. However, once the system is set up and connected to the cloud, other configurations can be done within an eight-hour timeframe.

This solution is viable for medium-sized enterprises and even larger ones, presenting an affordable option. The scalability aspect should be factored in, considering the specific branch alterations. For branch placements, Meraki offers a suitable scalability model, adaptable based on the branch size and user count. We own a range of appropriately sized Meraki boxes to address varying branch needs. When attending to any issues, especially during branch implementations, on-site visits might be necessary. However, in the absence of cloud management, Meraki can be easily managed centrally and remotely. This approach facilitates efficient updates, configuration management, and comprehensive visibility, all streamlined within a single dashboard. 

I would rate overall solution a seven out of ten. 

Whenever a customer has a linear environment, we generally prefer Meraki MX since it doesn't require any manpower or IT-related managers to deploy it. It's better to use Meraki MX because it has a single dashboard. The solution allows customers to utilize their complete infrastructure like MX firewalls, MS switches, or MR wireless access points. Meraki MX provides ease of use for the customer.

Customers have to understand that Meraki MX is a license-based product, and the device won't work without a license. Since it has an integrated dashboard for all the products, customers can get complete network analytics regarding what the user is doing, monitoring, and observing. It is easy to use, and as an admin, I can get details of every device in the dashboard from my home or anywhere else.

Also, we can easily find out if there is any breakout and if the device has failed suddenly, even at midnight. We can easily trace out if there is any issue with the device, cable, or port. We can find out everything and get the details from the dashboard. The solution's dashboard is flexible and can be easily operated by anybody. Even a non-IT guy can also manage the Meraki infrastructure.

The solution's lead time should be improved because the deliveries are a bit slow. The current lead time is longer for Meraki MX, and it needs to be improved. We currently take two to three months to get the materials, but customers are not willing to wait that long. We need to improve the lead time so customers can get their products faster.

I have been working with Meraki MX for the last seven years. I have a partnership with Cisco, so I provide the solution to end customers. I am also a reseller.

Meraki MX is a stable product, and I didn't see any challenges or issues regarding the solution's stability from the customer side. If the device fails, it's easy to raise a small ticket or RMA, and you'll get the device within the timeline specified by them.

Meraki MX is an easily scalable solution. I generally take care of medium and enterprise customers. I have worked on every segment. Generally, mid-size and enterprise-level customers with multiple branches opt for Meraki MX.

The solution's technical support team is very good. Whenever we raise a TAC ticket, they generally come on live and take the case. We rarely use Cisco TAC because, as of now, we are able to implement it ourselves. So whenever required, we generally use the technical services of Cisco.

Positive

I used to work with Cisco's standalone firewalls, such as the ASA and FTD firewalls. However, I am now predominantly working with the Meraki MX firewall.

Compared to other solutions, Meraki MX is easy to configure. We don't need to go for the CLI command prompt configurations. Everything is easy with Meraki MX since it has a completely dashboard-related configuration.

Meraki MX's initial setup is very easy, and you can easily install the solution.

Once you know the dashboard serial number and license key, you can configure the dashboard before getting the devices and then add the devices. Later, you just need to plug in these devices with the internet, and then you can easily configure it.

If you get four hours, you can take a small downtime from the customer and install the solution very easily. Even the updates will take over the night. So there is no manpower or time required to do these activities. You can initiate the patches and all kinds of downtime activities from home.

One or two people are needed for the solution's deployment. The solution's maintenance is very easy and not difficult at all.

Meraki MX's pricing is cheaper as compared to Cisco's standalone products. You need to take a yearly, three years, or five years license for the solution.

Generally, customers need to pay for the product's hardware and license. Apart from that, the solution has two types of support called CON-ROB and CON-RO4. This facility is for RMA to replace their devices as quickly as possible.

I advise users to plan for the solution nicely, and if you plan it properly, you won't have any hiccups when you receive the hardware. Generally, a firewall is designed based on the customer's environment, sessions, and users. We need to calculate these factors and need to think about future scalability. If you size the solution appropriately based on these factors, you won't get any hiccups from the solution. Before procuring it, plan nicely for the solution and get the requirements.

Meraki is a good solution that is used by everyone these days.

Overall, I rate Meraki MX ten out of ten.

It is a robust SD-WAN solution. It has multiple valuable features, including cellular gateways and cellular failover.

The configuration options for firewall and IPS have limitations. We do not have access to CLI, similar to other Cisco products. This particular area needs improvement.

We have been using Meraki MX for ten to twelve years.

It is a stable platform.

The platform is suitable for small to enterprise businesses.

We have had some experience working with Meraki MX's technical support team. Their response depends on the engineer's location. The support is good in some areas. For a few places, the Level 1 engineers don't have enough knowledge to deal with issues, and we have to get Level 2 or Level 3 support.

Neutral

The initial setup requires basic technical knowledge. It is easy to install. You can use the Zero Touch deployment method if your organization is spread across multiple locations worldwide.

The product's price depends on use cases. The equipment is overall reasonable. Although, enterprise licensing is expensive.

In comparison with FortiGate, Meraki MX is very competitive with SD features. It is easy to use and set up. It has a simple configuration process, making it a robust product point. However, in terms of interface, FortiGate and Palo Alto can display more complicated information, is simple to use, and has more configuration abilities.

Meraki MX needs improvement in a few areas, including the dashboard, configuration options, firewalls, and technical licensing model. I advise others to go for it if they have more technical expertise for an easy setup process. 

I rate Meraki MX a seven out of ten.