Meraki SD-WAN Reviews

I use the tool for some purposes related to technical checks.

Meraki as SD-WAN has improved our organization's work since it is a resilient tool and serves as a cloud-based product.

The solution's most valuable feature is its ease of maintenance. The tool's cost-effectiveness and value-cost optimization have also been helpful. In case you need the software upgrade, you can centrally push the software upgrades. You can push the application process from the central point.

Meraki SD-WAN has to significantly improve the company's network performance. Though Meraki SD-WAN's network performance is better than that of the MPLS circuit and other technologies, it can still improve.

The tool needs to focus on network stability, better prices, good performance, and low-cost bandwidth to improve its solution. I want the tool's cost to be less and performance to be higher.

I have been using Meraki SD-WAN for two years. I am a customer and partner of the tool.

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

There has been a medium to low impact on our devices in terms of stability whenever we had to experience a downtime.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

Around 100 to 200 people use the tool.

I plan to increase the use of the tool in my company.

I have contacted the solution's technical support via the web and some toll-free numbers. The tool's support team has been super helpful. I rate the technical support a ten out of ten.

Positive

Before Meraki SD-WAN, I used to use an independent router and switches from Cisco. My company started to use Meraki SD-WAN since we wanted to bypass the existing device since without it we were unable to go for upgrades.

The product's initial setup phase was fast. If one is difficult and ten is easy, I rate the product's initial setup phase a ten out of ten.

Five to six people manage the product's deployment phase.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

The solution can be deployed in six months.

Five to six people manage the product's maintenance phase.

The tool helps save some money.

The tool is costly. I rate the tool's price as a ten out of ten since it is very expensive.

I did not evaluate other tools.

I use Meraki SD-WAN in our multi-branch network operations. We use it in multiple branches.

The tool is used since it bypasses the existing devices, and then we can install Meraki's router.

The tool can enhance our network security and management since it serves as a software-defined network.

I use Meraki Auto VPN feature, and it has been useful for me in the area of network performance. When it comes to network security and management, the Meraki Auto VPN feature is good, but if we consider the network bandwidth, it depends on the network connectivity. The security and management depend on the connectivity of the whole network.

The tool's performance helped overcome the challenges in network management.

I rate the tool a ten out of ten.

Our company uses the solution for side-to-side or branch connectivity to our data center. We have 70 branches and about 3,000 end users in our environment.  

The solution operates via zero-touch configuration. We do not have to physically visit branches to configure. We just send the points to our locations for seamless, push configuration from the cloud. 

The firewall included in the antivirus protection includes many features such as IPS and traffic shipping rules.  

The solution is quite user friendly and has predefined functions that you click to deploy. 

A run optimization feature is needed to reduce the bandwidth for any uploaded content. 

I have been using the solution for four years. 

The stability is very good so is rated an eight out of ten. 

The solution is scalable from a security perspective. 

Endpoint security can be managed by the end users or other third-party tools. We use Trend Micro for endpoint security. 

Scalability is rated a six out of ten. 

Our company is layer one and we have certified experts in-house, so we handle most technical issues.

Responses are not very clear when we escalate issues. Support is located in the UK and we have to get our account manager to connect us with the team in the UK. 

Technical support is rated a five out of ten. 

Neutral

The setup is easy once you are used to it. Our first setup took a bit of time but now we process setups very efficiently. 

The setup time depends on the site, user load density, and network gateway policies. It could date one day to go through all the steps for a more complex setup because you need to create the policies, map them, and integrate the active directory with the policies. 

We implement the solution in-house. 

The solution offers yearly licenses and product lines or prices are readily available on their website. 

We purchased the solution in 2018 and it is still supported. 

The solution does not include a run optimization feature for reducing bandwidth like what is available in other products. 

I recommend the solution but would like it to provide better optimization. If it does, then the solution would be considered an absolute star product. 

I rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

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 Meraki SD-WAN in various corporate environments. It's implemented in both small offices, accommodating about twenty people, and larger offices with four hundred to five hundred people. Primarily, it's used to connect corporate networks to the Internet and occasionally between locations.

The most valuable features include understanding the throughput of bandwidth, traffic shaping, alerts and outages, and the integrated VPN. These elements are crucial for managing the network effectively. Additionally, the remote management is essential for our model, allowing us to handle multiple locations easily.

From a dashboard perspective, identifying issues can be challenging if one or two individuals experience trouble. Another area for improvement is in wireless management, where external tools might be needed to troubleshoot noise and environmental factors causing network issues.

I started using Meraki SD-WAN about ten years ago.

The solution is stable, and there are no major issues reported with its performance in our network environments.

The solution scales well, catering to both small and large office environments without requiring major changes to deployment.

Customer service and support are strong. Meraki provides good assistance which makes them reliable partners, thus earning a strong nine or eight rating from me.

Positive

In the past, I've used solutions like Fortinet and Palo Alto Networks. However, I find Meraki more suited to our internal enterprise environment.

The initial setup is easy, as you just set it up with PoE and connect it, which takes about half an hour at most.

The setup does not require a large team; it's mostly a one-time job that requires minimal staffing since everything is managed remotely.

It's hard to provide a percentage, but the solution effectively reduces costs due to its capabilities, allowing network management from anywhere in the world.

Even though it is more expensive than other options, it's reasonable when factoring in the remote management capabilities which eliminate the need for additional staffing.

I have used Fortinet and Palo Alto Networks in the past, but found Meraki better for internal environments.

I'd rate Meraki SD-WAN between eight and nine for its performance within controlled environments. If you're working in a closed ecosphere, it's an excellent choice. For more open scenarios, Fortinet or Palo Alto might offer more flexibility.

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.

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. 

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.

Our company is an integration partner with Cisco and we use the solution to provide internet or wireless connectivity for customers. 

One of our clients is a grocery chain with 200 locations in Mexico. They might be called  liquor stores in the USA but in Mexico, these stores are bigger and also provide fast service for groceries such as fruits and vegetables. The stores are located in remote places where internet is not the best option. 

The stores had residential internet with modem or router, no MPLS, and no capacity for more than 10 to 20 simultaneous connections. Wireless internet, cell phones, or POS did not function well but were critical to business. 

The solution provides a great benefit because MLPS is not needed to receive  great connections. MX65s were installed in the stores and the MX105 was installed at the company's headquarters. 

The solution brings a redundancy of cellular internet with management access for security policies and the network at each store via Meraki's software. The customer is able to manage and configure routers remotely. Connectivity is improved for customers, the POS, CCTV, and the bar code reader. 

The remote management system allows customers to create VPN services whenever they need them. 

The management system is one of the best available. 

The licensing price is a bit expensive in comparison to other products that have more capabilities. 

The interface in the VPN management system can be a bit complex for users to understand. The usability could be improved so that users can access things more quickly. 

I have been using the solution for four years. 

The solution is very stable.

The solution is scalable to the licenses. 

Our company provides customers with three levels of technical support. We have our own support teams who are Cisco-certified in engineering, architecture, the cloud, and security. There are not many partners in Mexico with our levels of certification. Our support is trained to solve problems. 

If we cannot solve a problem, then we raise a ticket with the distributor or wholesaler where we purchased the solution. Sometimes this level takes a little longer because some of their staff does not have the knowledge or certifications that we do. There may be one specialty but not all specialties. We sometimes face trouble with this step so would rather work directly with Cisco but have to follow this step first. 

If a problem goes farther to something related to software or frameware, then we bring in Cisco's technical support and ask them to take ownership of the ticket. They are the manufacture so they can solve anything. 

Cisco's technical support is average. It is not the best or not one of the worst like Ubiquiti.

Technical support is rated a six out of ten. 

Neutral

The setup is very easy. The solution is the best for setup in comparison to Aruba and Fortinet. This saves customers a lot of money on installations and deployments. 

I rate setup a ten out of ten. 

Two of our in-house specialists handle implementations for customers. 

The use case dictates the amount of time needed for implementations. The worst cases are when we have to homologate with FortiGate or Barracuda. 

For our grocery customer, we implemented between 1,000 to 2,000 devices across 200 locations within two weeks. Some of that time was spent on technology training because we like to educate our customers on use. 

The ROI for customers is that they save money on field technical support and field configurations. Service-level agreements do not depend on the functionality of the hardware. You reduce the risk of data loss, security, and incident response because issues can be solved quickly with the software. 

It isn't necessary to conduct a huge analysis because the ROI is clear. You can point out how much customers spend on infrastructure, MPLS, management, internet service, and field support.

If customers cannot use the cloud due to compliance, you can still bring good value and options with the solution. 

There is no downtime because notifications automatically alert to issues and can be resolved immediately. You can set notifications for any downfall or device issue. Traditional, field support might take five hours but with the solution you can provide remote support within 30 minutes. You can also configure and visualize the security policies for each device. You have acknowledgement that the network is secure and the policies are clear. All the points of risk management across controls, reactive, and remedial make the ROI very clear. 

The solution is a bit expensive when compared to other products that bring more capacity such as Teltonika. 

The MX65 is $100 to $150 per license, per month. 

The MX80 or MX105 is $200 to $200 per license, per month. 

In contrast, Teltonika charges $2 per license, per month and that is a huge difference. 

The solution offers very stable cloud security and the service is better than other products. The solution is definitely the best option for quality and software when compared to Fortinet, Aruba, and other SD-WAN products. 

Fortinet has made recent improvements to their SD-WAN products. 

Teltonika are big competitors and they offer better prices for devices and software. 

Right now, we are comparing the solution to Chinese and European products that bring better price benefits. Sometimes it comes down to a matter of pricing for customers. 

The solution's lead time for purchase could be a bit better. Right now the lead time is no more than 20 weeks but Teltonika's lead time is eight weeks. Some other products have an 80 to 100 week lead time. The solution and Fortinet are the most demanded products in Mexico so most people don't have trouble waiting for them. 

Read the solution's documentation available on the internet. You don't need to do more than that because it is very easy to use. The solution is the best VPN management tool and one of the easiest technologies to deploy and install. 

Look at documentation for the management system because the value you can bring to customers is great. You can bring good benefits so that the cost of the license is no trouble. 

For example, customers will save a lot of money in field technical support and field configurations because of the remote abilities and incident response. An issue with nodes or devices can be handled remotely and very quickly. 

Documentation and videos will allow you to explain the solution to customers in one minute. The solution is one of the easiest to sell because of its benefits that include ease of installation, use, and management. 

I rate the solution a nine out of ten.