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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco Meraki MX

    Score9 out of 10
    N/ACisco Meraki MX Firewalls is a combined UTM and Software-Defined WAN solution. Meraki is managed via the cloud, and provides core firewall services, including site-to-site VPN, plus network monitoring.

    $595

    per appliance

    Google Voice

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AGoogle Voice is a free IP telephony service that provides users with one phone number that can be forwarded to multiple phones or devices. It includes features such as call forwarding, voicemail translation, text messaging, and voice calls. Fees may apply for international calling.

    $10

    per month

    Pricing
    Cisco Meraki MXGoogle Voice
    Editions & Modules
    MX64
    $595
    per appliance
    MX67
    $695
    per appliance
    MX68
    $995
    per appliance
    MX84
    $1,995
    per appliance
    MX100
    $4,995
    per appliance
    MX250
    $9,995
    per appliance
    MX450
    $19,995
    per appliance
    Starter
    $10
    per user/per month
    Standard
    $20
    per user/per month
    Premier
    $30
    per user/per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Meraki MXGoogle Voice
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cisco Meraki MXGoogle Voice
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    No answer on this topic
    Google
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    96%
    Would buy again
    171 Answers
    95%
    Would buy again
    41 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    160 Answers
    98%
    Delivers good value for the price
    41 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    167 Answers
    91%
    Happy with the feature set
    39 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    145 Answers
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    27 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    164 Answers
    97%
    Implementation went as expected
    35 Answers
    Features
    Cisco Meraki MXGoogle Voice
    Firewall
    Comparison of Firewall features of Cisco Meraki MX and Google Voice
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki MX
    7.8
    173 Ratings
    10% below category average
    Google Voice
    -
    Ratings
    Identification Technologies7.8167 Ratings00 Ratings
    Visualization Tools8.4162 Ratings00 Ratings
    Content Inspection7.7158 Ratings00 Ratings
    Policy-based Controls7.7160 Ratings00 Ratings
    Active Directory and LDAP7.8132 Ratings00 Ratings
    Firewall Management Console7.7158 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting and Logging7.1166 Ratings00 Ratings
    VPN8.6157 Ratings00 Ratings
    High Availability8.5158 Ratings00 Ratings
    Stateful Inspection7.5149 Ratings00 Ratings
    Proxy Server7.188 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cloud PBX
    Comparison of Cloud PBX features of Cisco Meraki MX and Google Voice
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki MX
    -
    Ratings
    Google Voice
    5.3
    53 Ratings
    40% below category average
    Hosted PBX00 Ratings6.025 Ratings
    Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)00 Ratings3.027 Ratings
    User templates00 Ratings1.419 Ratings
    Call reports00 Ratings7.046 Ratings
    Directory of employee names00 Ratings9.027 Ratings
    Call Management
    Comparison of Call Management features of Cisco Meraki MX and Google Voice
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki MX
    -
    Ratings
    Google Voice
    8.4
    67 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Answering rules00 Ratings8.546 Ratings
    Call recording00 Ratings8.152 Ratings
    Call park00 Ratings6.422 Ratings
    Call screening00 Ratings10.060 Ratings
    Message alerts00 Ratings9.065 Ratings
    VoIP system collaboration
    Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Cisco Meraki MX and Google Voice
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki MX
    -
    Ratings
    Google Voice
    7.5
    44 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Video conferencing00 Ratings6.022 Ratings
    Audio conferencing00 Ratings8.039 Ratings
    Video screen sharing00 Ratings8.014 Ratings
    Instant messaging00 Ratings8.027 Ratings
    Mobile apps
    Comparison of Mobile apps features of Cisco Meraki MX and Google Voice
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki MX
    -
    Ratings
    Google Voice
    7.2
    63 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Mobile app for iOS00 Ratings6.945 Ratings
    Mobile app for Android00 Ratings7.551 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Meraki MXGoogle Voice
    Small Businesses
    SonicWall NSA Series
    Score8.3 out of 10
    CallFire
    Score9.7 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Fuze
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Score9 out of 10
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    Score8.3 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Meraki MXGoogle Voice
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (218 ratings)
    7.5
    (73 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.1
    (16 ratings)
    9.3
    (7 ratings)
    Usability
    9.2
    (13 ratings)
    8.0
    (11 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.9
    (19 ratings)
    7.0
    (35 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    5.7
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Configurability
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    6.2
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.9
    (184 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Professional Services
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    8.7
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.6
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Meraki MXGoogle Voice
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    The Meraki MX lineup is well suited for organizations that need centralized management of multiple locations, as it allows for both quick deployment and simple/easy remote administration all from a single pane of glass. It also works very well for providing VPN access for remote workers and helps monitor end-device uptime. It does, however, fall a bit short in its firewall's customization, compared to traditional appliances (like our WatchGuard Firebox), so perhaps less suited for organizations that need more customization, as the Meraki MX lineup is primarily designed for simplicity and straightforward cloud-based management.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    I do think Google Voice works well for organizations that do not have a support team meant to provide regular telephone support, and instead do so on an ad hoc basis. I would not recommend it for high-volume call activities, such as SDR motions.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Cisco
    • The Cisco Meraki MX series is phenomenal at allowing us to remotely manage networks. So the devices usually act as the brain behind our client's networks, which makes it really, really easy for our team to take a look at what's going on in those client network environments, resolve any issues, and make sure that our client's networks are staying secure.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    • Google Voice has been great for setting up additional phone lines and numbers.
    • The voicemail inbox is a great feature and you can see when messages come in online and listen to the messages from your computer.
    • Google Voice allows us to have multiple phone numbers and lines for specific business purposes.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Cisco
    • Layer seven firewall rules. Just making them more granular. We've been in meetings with Cisco SES where I've said feature requests many times and that's one of the big ones where it's just a little cumbersome to implement layer seven rules right now.
    • Just making them more granular. We've been in meetings with Cisco SES where I've said feature requests many times and that's one of the big ones where it's just a little cumbersome to implement layer seven rules right now.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    • There has not been much innovation since the initial release.
    • It doesn't handle SMS well.
    • It does not natively integrate with CRM without legacy complication
    • It is not supported by Google as it once was
    • Call Recording is non-existent
    • Call-Tree or Virtual Auto-Attendant needs are not available
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cisco
    The simplicity and ease of use for the Meraki Dashboard make it an easy choice for our organization to renew our Meraki Enterprise Agreement. We will likely continue using the Meraki MC67-C, MX450, and other MX models in their catalog until we shift away from Meraki completely
    Incentivized
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    Google
    Google Voice has been invaluable for us in our effort to provide exceptional customer service. With Google Voice, we have been able to increase our customer interactions while reducing the wait time to reach a live person on our team. We couldn't be more pleased with the way things have worked out since implementing Google Voice.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Cisco
    Some features simply aren't there, but the ones that are there are pretty easy to use. Sometimes it is easy to get lost when trying to find the specific device you want to work on, but that's mostly due to how rarely we have to go into the interface.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    I think it works really well in the arena it operates in, but not so well in areas where an enterprise system would be more appropriate. It's great for quick solutions that just work, but not so much for more complex call management tasks.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Cisco
    Meraki MX devices support high availability (HA) configurations, which ensures minimal downtime if one device goes offline. This feature has helped us maintain a stable and reliable network, even in cases of hardware failures. ince Meraki is cloud-managed, we've noticed that the cloud infrastructure is generally highly reliable, with minimal service interruptions or downtime. This makes it easier to manage the network remotely without significant availability concerns. Meraki automatically pushes firmware updates and patches, which helps maintain system stability without requiring manual intervention. These updates are rolled out in a manner that ensures minimal disruption to service.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Cisco
    The interface is pretty responsive. The lower end devices are easy to overwhelm if you have a lot of throughput. Be sure the model you get is rated for the amount of traffic you will have. Overbuild if possible, otherwise you won't be fully leveraging the connection from your ISP.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Cisco
    I haven't ever had a bad experience with Meraki support. On the few occasions where I wasn't understanding the UI or needed some clarification about what a setting actually would do, I contacted them and they were very quickly able to provide help. Returns are simple and fast, too. We had to return a defective device one time and they shipped the replacement before we had even un-racked the one that was faulty. Unlike many other vendors, they didn't ask use to a do long list of scripted diagnostics, they just took my word for it that the device was broken and sent out a replacement immediately
    Incentivized
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    Google
    They do not offer support unless you have the Business account for Google Voice under G Suite. This is tough, because Google doesn't really have a customer support team for this service, so when it gets shut down for a few hours, we have no choice but to wait it out. But this doesn't happen that often, which is great.
    Incentivized
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    In-Person Training
    Cisco
    great when they offered it, really tested your knowledge with hands on and see what your peers from other orgs know. glad to see that we were ahead of the curve of what our peers knew
    Incentivized
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    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Cisco
    it was okay as it was moderated but still better than nothing and done via semi self paced webex meeting
    Incentivized
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    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Cisco
    Implementing Meraki MX devices in phases—starting with a pilot group or select branch offices—was invaluable. This allowed us to identify potential configuration issues, troubleshoot problems, and refine our setup before rolling it out company-wide. It also helped to get feedback from early users and adjust the deployment strategy accordingly. The SD-WAN capabilities in Meraki MX were essential for optimizing our WAN traffic and ensuring better application performance across various locations.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    It is a pretty seamless program to transfer to, even for people who either have little experience with these programs or people who were stuck on Skype
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    Cisco CVO (MEVO) As previously mentioned we needed to manually configure each one which would take 15-20 minutes per device and needed to be done on-site. These devices can also go down more frequently after power outages and other incidents, and we've seen them not come back online. These devices are also much larger.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    The integrations of Google Voice with all our devices are flawless, Android, iOS, Windows, Linux and Mac. Also, the call performance is far superior on wifi as well as on mobile data. With Skype, we had several problems with personal accounts, performance issues, and in general, it felt awkward to use it.
    Incentivized
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    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    Google Voice should be also be use to those who have difficulty in speaking English. So the contract term will need to be a little strict as Google Voice is used in navigations as the part of GPRS navigation is personal. The private data need to be in control much more securely and safely.
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Cisco
    We started only with the Main Meraki MX85 in our enterprise for our main hub, then we started adding remote sites with Meraki MX 68 and connected to our Main hub. Adding more sites and scaling the network is easy, and improving our connectivity saves time and cost to manage, or adding manpower with only 1 dashboard can manage all applications. Scaling and flexibility to change or expand our network are easy thanks to Meraki MX features
    Incentivized
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    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Professional Services
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    It help to connect with the products that we use as a part. We need to get in touch with our professional world. It is like a tool that helps us to get in touch with everything from A to Z in our professional careers. So we need to be in touch with everything as linearly as the jpb can be done.
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • From a positive impact? Basically it allows us to set up shop very quickly. It allowed us to add sites to our network very quickly. From a negative perspective, I think the only thing is that I can see from a negative perspective is I have a preference to working with ACLI in terms of how I engage with the youth tool At the moment, the only way to actually engage with a tool is on a gui and sometimes what I'd actually like is more detailed information in terms of actual configuration that you'll actually get out of ACLI.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    • Cost for Google Voice is stellar, starting at $10/mo per user.
    • While it doesn't offer a new Audio/Video conferencing solution it does integrate with GSuite so it makes use of Google Calendar and Hangouts/ Google Meet.
    • Gets the employee's to use their company phone numbers more as texting is easy and deployment is simple.
    • The cell phone app is reliable and easy to deploy.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots