Item: Cisco Meraki MS
Rating: 8
Author: Kenny McGarrity

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

The Cisco Meraki MS switches are being deployed across our organization to replace older HP switches. Those older switches had no centralized management and gave practically no visibility into the traffic flowing across the network.

The Cisco Meraki MS switches allow a novice admin to modify network ports. I am easily able to find client stats in a branch location and Cisco Meraki MS allows for easier troubleshooting than standalone managed switches.

Pros and Cons

You typically set up a network, then leave it alone. Who wouldn't want a centralized point-and-click interface to set this up?
No more blindfolds on what's going on with your network. You will actually see how your network is being used and what apps they are using.
The tools you get for managing the network are actually useful. For example, the ability to schedule firmware upgrades across an environment is nice.

If you're hoping to get Cisco CLI access, look for a different product. You simply get a point-and-click interface, which means limitations on some of the more complex feature sets you can get from other Cisco products.
If you don't keep up on the licenses, you lose the ability to control your switch on the website. It's not a good product for people who are looking to save cash on a long-term purchase.
There are some weird limitations on the Meraki MS390 that make it feel like it is different hardware from the rest of the Meraki line and crammed into a Meraki case.

Key Insights

Do you think Cisco Meraki MS delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Cisco Meraki MS's feature set?

Yes

Did Cisco Meraki MS live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Cisco Meraki MS go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Cisco Meraki MS again?

Yes

Return on Investment

The Cisco Meraki MS switches are much more of an investment (cost more) than the cheap HP switches we purchased back in the day. Ultimately we are spending more money on these purchases, however it provides more insight into our network.
Our IT sales vendor loves that we keep purchasing these from him, so we get more free lunches from him as a result.
We are able to be more nimble and consistent with our configuration as a result of the management feature set.

Simplified Management

I'm able to deploy the configuration to a network switch without having to touch it. Stacking switches is a no-brainer and things just seem to hum along. If a switch ever dies, we can easily replace it with an RMA unit and slap on the same config as the one that died.

Integrations with other Cisco products

We have this switch connected up to a Cisco Nexus 5K with no issues. Can't say there are any other integrations, per se.

Scalability

Part of the Cisco Meraki MS schtick is its virtual stacking, which means you don't need to physically stack them together to get easy management. If you're the kind of admin who likes a physical connection, a good number of models can be physically stacked together, so that's nice.

Alternatives Considered

I can't say there are any other products I've evaluated that have the cloud management features that make it like a Cisco Meraki MS. After years of configuring different network switches and routers, this kind of purchase is a no-brainer for a lot of small to medium-sized businesses.

Likelihood to Recommend

If you're not looking to do anything fancy on your network, then the Cisco Meraki MS switches will handle most all of your needs. You get VLANs, port aggregation (LACP), IP interfaces, and basic L3 routing. If you're the programmer type, there are APIs galore for you to explore.

If you want to get CLI access, it's not going to happen. If your switches are offline, you can't control it through the cloud (though you can log into the web interface locally). If your company is stingy on license renewals, stay far away.

Meraki MS Switches Open Your Eyes

Modules Used

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Meraki MS