Buyer's Guide
Network Monitoring Software
May 2023
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Mahesh Doshi - PeerSpot reviewer
IT at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 5
Very good reporting and alerting abilities but inadequate enhancement support
Pros and Cons
  • "The alerting feature is very good because it allows you to set MOS alerts at various network junctures or data points."
  • "Sometimes the solution does not register devices properly and that is a bug."

What is our primary use case?

Our company used the solution to provide a good view of traffic movement and issues along the way. For example, the solution can look at a voice quality issue between point A and point B and determine the path, exact issue, and issue point.

Unfortunately, we did not receive the required enhancement support we so had to stop using the solution. 

What is most valuable?

The reporting abilities are valuable. 

The alerting feature is very good because it allows you to set MOS alerts at various network junctures or data points. The MOS level measures the quality of voice and video to industry standards. Some junctures or data points might be more important to monitor. For example, you might want to receive alerts when an MOS value is high in a CEO's office or for a VIP phone. 

What needs improvement?

Sometimes the solution does not register devices properly and that is a bug. 

Device utilization between links needs to be added. 

Improvements are needed for the syslog and NetFlow messages. 

The technical support is not great. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I used the solution for two years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable with no issues. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable based on the license you purchase. For example, our license covered 100 device points. 

How are customer service and support?

If enhancements are not required, then support for the product is good.

The solution was a new product so we wanted some enhancements. For example, we had some issues registering a device. We placed a support call and were hoping they would give us a timeline for resolving the issue one way or the other. But support refused to provide a timeline and that was where everything fell apart. The support system was not great and we rarely got support for required enhancements. 

Overall, technical support is rated a five out of ten. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used Route Explorer which gave us BGP peering for all routers around the globe. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup is not that difficult. Installation support was not great but our technical staff figured it out. 

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the solution in-house. 

The initial deployment took three months. At that point, the first piece of the solution was working.  

We wanted to use other features but couldn't get them to work so we approached technical support. Enhancements, product change requirements, and support requirements took an additional three months. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is fairly expensive compared to other products and there is not much flexibility for reducing costs. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

About five years ago, we were using Route Explorer but there were some shortcomings. We started exploring options and around that same time Cisco purchased the solution. Since we have a Cisco house, we were introduced to the solution as an alternative and opted to get started with a minimal license.  

The solution was not exactly a one-to-one replacement for Route Explorer, but gave us a very good view of traffic movement and issues. 

What other advice do I have?

Before choosing the solution, it is important to rank your requirements from high to low priority. The solution has a lot of features but at a high price. If you will only use 30% of the solution to meet your requirements, then it would be better for you to explore other products. Find the solution that best fulfills your requirements. 

The solution itself is great. If I could use it properly, then I would rate it a seven out of ten. Unfortunately, support is a factor when determining usability or cost effectiveness. We did not receive the needed support so had to stop using the solution. 

For that reason, my overall rating for the solution is a five out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Senior Technical Support Engineer at a cloud provider with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 20
Very stable with useful alert calls when a service goes down or a matrix is difficult
Pros and Cons
  • "Alert calls occur anytime a service goes down or a matrix is difficult and that helps us to quickly restore service and transfer work."
  • "The user interface could be more interactive because it is pretty basic."

What is our primary use case?

Our company is sales based and we offer a test service to our enterprise-level customers. We use the solution to monitor our test servers and have 25 users throughout our company. 

What is most valuable?

Alert calls occur anytime a service goes down or a matrix is difficult and that helps us to quickly restore service and transfer work. 

What needs improvement?

The user interface could be more interactive because it is pretty basic. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for two years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable so stability is rated a nine out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable with no issues. 

How are customer service and support?

We have not needed technical support. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup process is very simple. 

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the solution in-house. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is expensive so pricing is rated a one out of ten. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution a nine out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Buyer's Guide
Network Monitoring Software
May 2023
Get our free report covering Cisco, SolarWinds, Juniper, and other competitors of Meraki Dashboard. Updated: May 2023.
708,544 professionals have used our research since 2012.