Meraki SD-WAN Reviews

I primarily use it to connect sites to each other over an overlay network, with protection from the next-generation firewall in the Meraki ecosystem.

The most valuable feature for me is the security functionality, its integration with Wi-Fi, and the switching approach.

The license model may need improvement because if we need to renew something, we need to completely renew the license model.

An additional feature I would like is the 5G solution. It is not yet there.

I have been using the solution for more than four years. We are using the latest version, which is cloud-based.

The stability of this solution is fine. It has a Fusion version. It does what it prompts.

The solution is scalable. It is scalable for mid-tier deployments, but not for major ones.

The technical support is decent if you open a ticket, but it can sometimes take quite a while. As for product development, it's a much more difficult story, as they have a very lengthy development cycle.

It is a cloud-based solution, so the initial setup is straightforward. Onboarding a customer can be done in a few weeks.

The deployment process is easy. It's a cloud-based system that is activated by attaching the serial number, and then the system goes live. So it's easy to set up.

The license model depends on the customer and can be a yearly license, a three-year license, or a five-year license. There may be additional costs for certain licenses, such as Umbrella licenses or advanced licenses. The pricing ultimately depends on the functionality the customer requires.

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Meraki SD-WAN enhances connectivity across various business locations. There are around five to six locations, so we have SD-WAN connectivity.

The security features within Meraki SD-WAN support organization because this is site-to-site connectivity. There is no chance of data leaks from our side because it works through a secure tunnel.

Earlier, we used MPLS and switched over to Meraki. 

Meraki SD-WAN is very convenient to use. That’s the reason we adopted it. The configuration is simple, and maintenance is very easy. That’s why we switched to SD-WAN.

If Meraki can add more features on the reporting side, that will be convenient for us because we have to rely on a different product for monitoring and reporting. That is one of the challenges. Apart from that, everything is good.

If I gauge the reporting features, suppose for device performance-related things and transactions, in terms of throughput and the types of issues we receive on the network side. If those can come into the reporting format, it will be very helpful. 

Many customers ask for their performance, transactions, and throughput. It is very difficult to get the report from connected devices. In that case, we have to go for additional management tools or monitoring tools, which can give us good features. Like earlier, we used Cisco Works. In the same way, we need to implement another product.

In the past, I have used it up to a 250 Mbps device. If we add around seven hundred to eight hundred users, the performance degrades. Meraki might have recently added more devices with higher capacity, but I haven’t had hands-on experience with those. 

I have been using it for the last year. 

As a company grows, if there are more sites from the customer side, then we need to implement. But, the scalability has been constant over the last year. I couldn’t see much change in that. 

On the monitoring side, it’s good. 

We have mostly SMB types of accounts. For very big organizations, there are some limitations. Apart from that, it is very comfortable for SMBs.

Technical support is good. We still get prompt support from their side.

Positive

We also deal with Cisco Meraki, Cisco Catalyst, and other Cisco products. Mostly we are dealing with Cisco. Apart from them, we also handle some products from Juniper.

The pricing is reasonable. Compared to other solutions, it is reasonable.

There is a separate licensing fee for the product we are using. Apart from that, we are not seeing anything additional.

We generally recommend Meraki because it is very simple. The configuration and all those things are very simple. If you have the technical knowledge, there is very little chance of making mistakes.

Even I have given training to the L1 team, and they can handle it very well. We do not need highly skilled people to handle these devices.

I would not recommend this tool to very large-scale organizations. I have not recommended it as of now. But for small and medium-sized organizations, where they do not have many transactions and have a strength of around 500 to 600, we recommend Meraki devices.

Overall, I would rate it a ten out of ten. 

We use the product in a business environment with multiple locations that require high availability, dual circuits, and significant bandwidth. Our needs also include high-end data inspection and firewall capabilities.

The product's most valuable features include templating, central administration, single-pane remote administration, and integration with other Cisco products.

Some advanced networking features are not currently available in the Meraki product but are on their roadmap. These features are available in Cisco's higher-end solutions. Additionally, I would like to see a blade switch in the product.

I've had experience working with Meraki SD-WAN for over a year and a half.

I rate the platform's stability a nine out of ten. 

I am impressed with the scalability of the product. I would rate it an eight out of ten.

We've also used Versa SD WAN. 

Versa required hard-line configurations and knowledge of Unix-based commands, which made it more difficult to manage remotely.

The setup is straightforward if you understand networking and all the necessary components beforehand.

There is some initial ramp-up time required for the development of the network, but once everything is set, bringing new sites online is quite quick.

The deployment team included roles in networking, security, and project management.

The platform's cloud configuration has reduced our technical hands-on requirements at various locations. Previously, we had to send someone with high technical expertise to stage the equipment. Now, we only need someone to physically rack it and plug in a few cables, after which we can manage everything remotely.

The solution's pricing is in line with what we expected. 

I recommend Meraki SD-WAN and rate it an eight. 

We have ten Meraki devices. Our data center, main office, and other offices are all in North Carolina, and I am in Florida. 

Additionally, we have six Meraki devices in our data center. They are doing everything we need them to do. I would normally use it along with Meraki MX as well. 

I usually pass it to the senior guy since I am pretty much swamped all day from seven in the morning until midnight.

The valuable features include dual mobile and VPNs and aspects like that. Meraki Solutions setups make it one of the best products I have ever worked with.

I have probably used it for a year and a half to two years.

For the most part, the stability is good. I do not ever see issues since I manage Meraki. The only problem occurs when users are not paying attention and turn on the wrong switches, like power switches, in places they should not.

I think it is one of the best products I have ever worked with.

Whenever we need assistance, it is instant help. If something needs to be replaced or if Meraki crashes, it is instantly replaced. It is never a pain to get them to do anything support-wise.

Neutral

We switched due to the fact that the guy who installed all the Meraki devices basically convinced the company to switch to Meraki. I have worked with other solutions, yet not as much as Meraki. They all pretty much do the same thing, however, Meraki seems more reliable if set up properly.

I did not set it up, so I just manage it at this point. It was not hard to set up. The guy who set it up, whom I still work with, knows Meraki like the back of his hand.

We had someone doing it by himself. He has been in the company for eight years, setting everything up. He set up pretty much everything himself.

I would recommend the solution. It is not difficult to install or set up. In a previous company, I helped them set up since they never set it up properly for a couple of years. I figured things out faster, however, people do not realize that I read a lot too. I have read all the setups. I am supposed to be a senior network support engineer, but sixty percent of the time, I am training guys from MSPs on how to resolve simple tickets. I am sort of in between a senior network engineer and service desk manager. 

The overall product rating is ten out of ten.

I use the solution in my company for the firewall, specifically Cisco Meraki MX, which we use mostly for the wireless and the LAN or switching part.

The most valuable feature of the solution is the auto-VPN functionality, which helps you quickly connect the branch-to-branch kind of scenario is very helpful.

In Meraki SD-WAN, we have some limitations with the traffic shaping capabilities.

There is nothing specific that I want to say, but the solution is improving daily. The tool comes up with new features and new capabilities. The solution is moving away from small business use cases to large-sized enterprise customers.

I am okay with whatever Meraki is currently supporting in the solution. My concern revolves around the WAN part of the solution since if we consider traditional routing, it doesn't support all routing protocols. Right now, my company is very limited in BGP and OSPF scenarios.

I have been using Meraki SD-WAN for almost five years. My company is a gold partner of Cisco.

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

From a scalability point of view, I would say the tool is not so great. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a seven out of ten. There are some limitations around the WAN protocols.

The product is a good fit for retail customers and offices that opt for a wireless kind of approach. The product is good for office locations. My company has observed that a lot of our customer base belongs to either the retail industry or are just offices.

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

Positive

The product's initial setup phase is simple.

For any new site rollout, as per our company's experience, if everything is planned out, we can get a site up within four to five hours. We require two days of some little bit of planning work over the IPs and all such things. The actual work starts once the box is connected to the internet, after which, it takes not more than four hours. It is less than a day kind of scenario.

The solution is deployed on the cloud.

The product does help with the cost savings part.

The product's price falls under the mid-range category, especially if we consider the new licensing model. The tool is not cheap anymore.

Meraki SD-WAN can be compared with its competitors' products, like Fortinet, which is almost the same as Meraki. The other competitor of Meraki's product is Versa. Versa is a better product when it comes to SD-WAN, especially when compared to Fortinet and Meraki, which are on the same level.

When we compare Meraki SD-WAN with Cisco SD-WAN or the old traditional product CatalystVPN, the tool's traffic shaping capabilities are not fully present.

The automation or UI-based features of the product are easy to operate.

My company has not integrated any AI features into the product. Meraki SD-WAN's dashboard provides my company with good telemetry functionalities. My company has tried using the AI features with Cisco DNA Spaces.

I recommend the tool to those who plan to use it.

I rate the tool an eight out of ten.

Meraki SD-WAN offers a platform where Cisco manages your database. The platform is cloud-based and accessible through the URL. This means that Cisco has access to all of your devices, but it also means that if you need to make changes, Cisco can control it. One of the benefits of this system is that if you experience any loss of connectivity, Cisco can support you.

Meraki SD-WAN provides an open platform for users, allowing them to tailor their bandwidth usage. Additionally, it allows you to monitor customer usage and distinguish between different types of URLs they use, which can be non-production, production, confidential, or non-confidential.

From my end, I cannot submit any details on the areas of the product that need improvement because I am currently on the audit format.

In terms of additional features that could be included in the next release of the solution, it would be useful to have proxy software that can be managed from a mobile device. As engineers, sometimes we need remote access, which can be a challenge, especially during off-shifts when we can't log in to our environment. If there was a platform that allowed us to access our credentials, it would enable us to provide support to the customer while also improving vendor productivity.

I have been using Meraki SD-WAN for three years now, and in my experience, it's one of the best solutions.

Stability-wise, I rate this solution an eight and a half out of ten. I would like improved stability in Meraki SD-WAN. Also, it is a very user-friendly solution. So, whenever you want to implement a new site, you can get options that are user-friendly and UI-based, which are very straightforward in nature. Basically, there are no complexities involved. So, a person involved in the solution's implementation can understand everything.

Meraki SD-WAN is a scalable solution because changes are being made to the solution, enabling it to work in different environments. In short, the perfect set of decisions is being made for the solution. I have experience working with the solution on a range of user scales, from 500 to 10,000 users.

Since I am a consultant currently, I won't be able to say whether I have plans to increase the solution's usage since I am presently not working on the solution.

Meraki SD-WAN's technical support can be considered a very fast one. I rate the solution's technical support nine and a half out of ten.

Positive

I have previously used Viptela SD-WAN.

Meraki SD-WAN’s setup is straightforward because Cisco has control over everything. The solution is deployed in a cloud environment from the first day, which has been my experience since 2013 when using cloud-based solutions was not as prevalent as it is now.

I won't be able to speak about how many days it took to deploy the solution since I am not involved in its technical part.

To deploy Meraki SD-WAN, you need to connect your devices with the Cisco cloud environment, for which you need to give the gateway from your devices, and that message needs to be connected with the Cisco environment. Once connected, Cisco will provide you with the platform to manage your devices. Since they have admin rights, everything will be managed by Cisco.

Regarding the personnel involved in the deployment and maintenance of the solution, if we consider the operations part, which includes a VCP and a person for DRP, four people are involved, including a lead and a manager.

I believe Cisco offers some of the best solutions. Meraki's routers, switches, and wireless solutions are some of the best.

You need an open platform to work with Meraki SD-WAN, whereas Aruba can be a bit more complex. That's why Cisco Meraki SD-WAN is generally preferred. Overall, I rate this solution a nine out of ten.

The solution was used in the city. We built a network for city areas to link some of the companies. There are networks in some cities or nearby cities.

We design and build the campus and WAN network for our customer. With Meraki's centralized dashboard, we've streamlined configuration and monitoring across all sites in day 0 and day 1, reducing administrative overhead and minimizing potential human errors. With its centralized dashboard, we can oversee multiple sites and make rapid adjustments during the early deployment window. Meraki reduced our customer's maintenance costs, allowing their IT team to focus on more strategic initiatives.

Most of the valuable features are at layer two and layer three. Included in this is the benefit of the local team, which we can call on for remote assistance. They can remotely visit our site and help with network configuration. This makes things easier compared to requiring on-site assistance for day one configuration and deployment. The remote help is a significant benefit.

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 zero and day one.

We have used the solution for only one year.

I was satisfied with the support. If rated from one to ten, I would give them an eight.

Positive

I was using Huawei products and ZTE products. I have never used a device from HPE, Juniper, Nokia, or other overseas companies. I primarily used local vendors.

The initial setup will not be too complicated. We are going to create small network areas.

Normally, we have three or four people on the team. It depends on the location. For example, if there are several locations, like two or three, two or three of us will deploy them, configure them, and bring them online.

Some customers have a maintenance team familiar with Cisco devices and configurations. This is why they allow us to create a solution or build a network based on Cisco requirements, products, and solutions.

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.

I would recommend them. However, in China, government regulations often require government-related companies or administration to use local vendors for building network and security-related infrastructures. In these cases, we do not use Meraki, Juniper, Nokia, or other similar devices. Cisco Meraki, that I have used, is a good product.

I would give the product an overall rating of eight or eight point five out of ten. The performance is good, and they have continuous innovations. We are one of the resellers, and we provide network solutions. If customers require us to use Meraki, they opt for Meraki devices or have their maintenance team.

We are using it for branch to branch connectivity. We have set up servers and devices all over the DCC to provide local Wi-Fi for all branches to access the server.

It is secure. To connect the other branches to us, that's all it needed.

It's very good, especially for vendors from other countries to reconnect with us. We can control and monitor everything.

Sometimes we face issues with VPN connections when someone connects from a different time zone, like from Georgia to the Middle East. These kinds of issues occur, but other than that, nothing major.

I have been working with the Meraki SD-WAN for almost ten years.

We did not face much downtime. Our business operations have been stable.

I am not aware of any limitations in terms of scalability.

Sometimes technical support response is delayed. I would rate it seven out of ten.

Positive

I have not used any other SD-WAN solutions before.

The initial setup was delayed due to shipment issues with the hardware. However, once everything arrived, we could complete it in about one to one and a half months.

We have an in-house team and support from a third-party local vendor. We have contracts with them for periodic testing. We have six people involved in maintenance — three for hardware and three for other areas.

We have seen a return on investment.

There are many cheap solutions available. Local vendors offer their own products, so compared to those, Meraki seems a bit expensive.

It depends on a business's needs. For businesses that need it, Meraki SD-WAN is good, however, there are other cheaper cloud solutions available like SaaS or AWS.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.