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Meraki SD-WAN vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Meraki SD-WAN
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
77
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined Networking (SDN) (1st)
Versa Unified Secure Access...
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
22
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (9th), WAN Edge (10th), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) (14th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Networking solutions, they serve different purposes. Meraki SD-WAN is designed for Software Defined Networking (SDN) and holds a mindshare of 23.2%, down 25.1% compared to last year.
Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform, on the other hand, focuses on Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions, holds 4.5% mindshare, down 5.1% since last year.
Software Defined Networking (SDN)
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions
 

Featured Reviews

Martyn Walker - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables productivity in terms of users and has ease of management
Scalability could be improved. Yes, you can add more than 300 or 400 sites onto it, but because it's not a true SD-WAN and, effectively, it's just a Multi-VRF, it's all hub and spoke at that point. That's the nature of the design, but that's what keeps it simple to administer. So, it's a trade off.
PriyankDubey - PeerSpot reviewer
A flexible, stable and scalable solution
I don't have issues with the hardware, as the requisite capacity is visible in the data sheets. All the details in the data sheets are accounted for. But, I find myself confused when it comes to combining this with the software. I have not come across documentation on the Versa website which would provide information about the parameters for selecting the appropriate license. For this we are assisted by the solution's design engineer and the Versa team. I do what I can as a project manager and make the best suggestions I am capable of concerning the competition. Future releases should contain AI for the voice feature. SSL VPN is lacking in the solution. I wish to see this in the near future.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"I appreciate the cloud-based management feature the most. It's a crucial aspect for me because it allows me to manage the configuration remotely without having to visit the on-premise location. The ability to do this from my home is a major benefit. Additionally, security is good."
"A lot of our customers really enjoy the Meraki Dashboard."
"The integration of security features is important, although there is room for improvement."
"t is very stable based on our experience and the application performance has been superb."
"Meraki SD-WAN is a very stable and scalable solution with good technical support."
"The most valuable feature of Meraki SD-WAN is the Auto VPN."
"We have found the scalability to be good."
"The product's initial setup phase is very easy."
"The product has a dynamic VPN feature for SD-WAN."
"The most valuable aspects of the solution are the next-generation firewall features and geo-blocking capabilities."
"Our customers are very satisfied with this solution. They have not mentioned any areas for improvement."
"The most valuable features are the main steering and the firewall. The security features and SD-WAN features are also quite good."
"It's very powerful, especially for engineering teams."
"There are great security and ops features without the need for having a different box for security."
"The solution is stable and suitable."
"The initial setup is simple."
 

Cons

"There are literally things you cannot do at this point in a graphical user interface that can be done from a command line."
"I would like improved stability in Meraki SD-WAN."
"Meraki is lagging behind in using a single pipe from service providers. That is, it would be good if they could use both the internet leased line and broadband connectivity."
"Meraki SD-WAN could be improved by including full feature routing functions similar to a normal Cisco router."
"The only problem occurs when users are not paying attention and turn on the wrong switches, like power switches, in places they should not."
"Some of the on-premise security features of Meraki SD-WAN are on the cloud and some of my customers do not want to use the cloud. They should have on-premise security features for those that do not want to use the cloud."
"The configuration from the firewall side could be improved a little bit more."
"The only area for improvement in Meraki SD-WAN is its licensing model, as well as its cost structure."
"With the pandemic and changing work models, it would be ideal if the product more accessibility options or more diversity within the solution itself."
"The cost of Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is higher than other solutions available in the market."
"The solution's current customer support is not that good. So, they need to improve that. Also, the solution's UI is quite complex, so they need to simplify it."
"The interface could be simpler."
"The smaller units lack a lot of functionality."
"The support needs to be improved."
"We've had the odd occasional stability issue with software upgrades."
"The security should be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"One of the most valuable aspects of Meraki SD-WAN is the price. It is highly cost-effective."
"If you purchase a Meeraki box, you have to purchase a license, and it's already the basic license, you will have you SD-WAN included."
"This solution is more expensive than competitors."
"From the perspective of the customer, the price is not terribly cost-effective."
"Our clients pay Meraki an annual licensing fee and the pricing is not too bad when compared to other products in the Cisco portfolio."
"The tool is costly. I rate the tool's price as a ten out of ten since it is very expensive."
"They have a baseline software license, and then they've got an SD-WAN software license, and then they've got an advanced security software license. They're low cost, and they'll provide any amount of flexibility that you want from a modeling perspective for payment. Typically, it's either annually or multi-year, but they are a lower-cost company. They're not the most expensive by far."
"I am not aware of the licensing fees."
"It is neither cheap nor expensive. I rate the pricing a five out of ten on a scale where one is cheap and ten is expensive."
"Price wise, it's more expensive than is the competition. I would give pricing a rating of three out of five."
"I find Versa a little more expensive than VMware in terms of remote access and secure web gateway elements."
"While I cannot provide too much commentary on the price, I feel it to be fair for the moment."
"It is not very expensive because of the white box support. Its hardware is much cheaper than other products. With the support for x86 and white box, it is one of the most cost-effective platforms that are currently available."
"We provide subscriptions for our customers on a yearly, not monthly, basis."
"The price is expensive but it makes sense for the market."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
20%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Retailer
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Meraki SD-WAN?
The auto VPN feature is important because it automates many tasks, making things simpler and faster. It helps with setting up devices and changing configurations without manual effort.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Meraki SD-WAN?
The price is a little bit higher than local vendors, for example, Huawei ZTE or H3C. However, some customers require the best quality and performance, thus needing solutions and products from Cisco.
What needs improvement with Meraki SD-WAN?
They have to ask us many questions about configurations. It could be improved with some automation to trigger, for example, telemetry data, so we can determine the state of the deployment as of day...
What do you like most about Versa FlexVNF?
Versa is a good centralized solution, where you're setting up your infrastructure in a data center type thing.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Versa FlexVNF?
Both Versa and VMware are cheap in terms of the router. I find Versa a little more expensive than VMware in terms of remote access and secure web gateway elements.
What needs improvement with Versa FlexVNF?
We've had the odd occasional stability issue with software upgrades, etcetera. They don't support certain other third-party applications, which can be a bit limiting at times, whereas VMware seems ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Versa FlexVNF, FlexVNF, Versa Titan
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

École Jeannine Manuel
CenturyLink, RCN Business, Colt Technology Services
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Aviatrix, TP-Link and others in Software Defined Networking (SDN). Updated: April 2025.
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