Likelihood to Recommend Cisco Meraki MS is brilliant in very simple environments where basic segregation is required. Many features are pre-configured as defaults and this makes it easy to configure security and stability features like STP protections and UDLD. It is capable of some more complex functions, such as dot1x authentication. TAC support is easy to access and usually timely. Bundling support into the license and making it available through Dashboard is great. We have had issues monitoring the Cisco Meraki Dashboard using legacy SNMP based system - this means we now effectively have one more network monitoring screen to watch. We also sorely lack an ageing timer for stick MAC address port security - essential in uncontrolled locations with no NAC available. We have also had issues with devices pulling DHCP leasing from the wrong VLAN on initial provisioning and then struggling to transition to our management VLAN when the full config is pulled.
Read full review Well suited for a small business with minimal IT capital.
Steve P Information Technology Manager
Read full review Pros Meraki MS switches are wonderful at allowing a network admin to configure a VPN mesh network without having to have highly specialized knowledge. Unlike Cisco switches, there is no CLI, there is only a GUI, and Meraki support helps you set it up as you add nodes to your network. Meraki MS switches are easy to deploy. Full stop. They can work with any firewall or ASA but I would strongly recommend using the Meraki MX security appliance if you are going to use Meraki MS switches because they were made to work together. They easily stack. It's all done for you in the Meraki cloud control panel. They will get an address from your admin VLAN's DHCP scope and keep it. Even if you unplug it and move it, you will not have to worry about addressing it. The GUI is online and you can reach it from anywhere, so as long as you have the credentials, you can manage the network from any device that has a browser. Read full review The switches met the data transfer needs of a small business with about 30 users and 4 servers. The web interface was adequate for a business that didn't have the need to dive into a device with a CLI. These were wall mounted. Not the best network design, but small businesses cut corners. The mounting holes helped with this "solution". Steve P Information Technology Manager
Read full review Cons People who are coming from enterprise switches or command line options may feel limited If internet is having issue, managing the switches can become more burdensome Switches do not have as many advanced features as enterprise switches Delay in reporting and debugging Read full review Both switches were the same model number, same firmware. One switch needed to be rebooted about every 5 weeks. This problem was never resolved. Steve P Information Technology Manager
Read full review Likelihood to Renew Being on the cloud its very easy to manage. We have layer 7 visibility and Cisco has introduced stackable MX switches which is even better! The Meraki portal can be accessed via SSO which is important to my organization (although it was a bit difficult to get that implemented initially!)
Read full review Support Rating Cisco support for the Meraki products is great. I have a dedicated representative who I can reach out to at any time. They offer numerous online resources and easy to follow tutorials to help the most novice user feel like a pro. When I need support they were ready and quickly helped me solve my problems.
Read full review Alternatives Considered Meraki MS provides the sweet spot between manageability and functionality, though not at a significantly lower cost. Desktop support engineers can manage it day-to-day and sometimes that is the most important factor, especially in our case, as a layer 2 switching solution that can also provide PoE to the
Meraki MR WAPs.
Read full review The NetGear switches are definitely entry-level switches. They don't have the functionality (or cost) of Dell, HP, nor Cisco. But for the money, a business that is just starting out can't complain.
Steve P Information Technology Manager
Read full review Scalability Cisco Meraki MS is intuitive and allows us to easily manage 340+ satellite locations and four corporate locations. Templates, intelligent patching, and alerting are fantastic. This has drastically improved compliance and managing such a large footprint. I would continually recommend Cisco Meraki MS for any multi-site organization because of its ease of use.
Read full review Return on Investment We scaled out existing networks way faster and way easier. We have added new sites with new switch and network configuration requirements way faster and easier. Because Meraki switches integrate so seamlessly with Meraki Wi-Fi it makes Wi-Fi management very easy and very straightforward. Read full review The NetGear switches made a positive impact as entry level switches for a startup company. Steve P Information Technology Manager
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