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Meraki Makes Networking Easy and Fun
September 10, 2019

Meraki Makes Networking Easy and Fun

Nathan Roberts | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Meraki MS Switches

I use a total of five Meraki MS switches across my organization: two 10G switches (MS425-16) and three 1G switches (MS225-48). The 10G switches are 16 port models that provide networking for a Nutanix cluster, while the 1G switches power my network for workstations, printers, APs, etc. Like all Meraki products, they are cloud-managed devices, enabling me to monitor and configure them from anywhere I have Internet access.
  • Complete network view. You can easily see every device on your network through the consolidated Meraki dashboard and, even better, label them so you know exactly what they are! I have every device labeled so it's a cinch to know what devices and users are doing on the network, which Meraki cleverly maps for you.
  • You can configure the switch port by port through the cloud-based dashboard. These things are no joke—there is absolutely nothing you can't do through the interface, so no more command line! Configuring and monitoring your network could not be any easier or more fun. Even updating the firmware is done over the web, which can be scheduled for middle-of-the-night installations so your users are not impacted--all while you sleep!
  • Hardware is robust! They come with a lifetime warranty (as long as you maintain the licenses, which you have to have anyway for them to be of any use since they are cloud-managed). Support has been outstanding, too. Responsive support personnel that really know their stuff—they log into the interface with you and help you with any trouble you may be having.
  • Since all the switches are managed together, everything is done from the same dashboard. I can also see my Meraki APs and firewall, too, which all work together seamlessly to provide robust networking.
  • Extremely fast! No users complain about network performance anymore, which was an issue before these were installed. No issues with PoE, either, which was also an issue with my old Netgear switches.
  • There is literally no feature or capability I want for, yet each firmware somehow adds value that I had not considered before. If you do find something lacking, there is a "make a wish" on every dashboard page where you submit your idea to Meraki.
  • I honestly cannot think of anything I don't like about these switches. If they have any downside, it's the price of the hardware and the licenses. However, their performance, stability and robust feature set have created considerable ROI.
  • One critical business objective was a worry-free network. This is it!
  • Another business objective was to be able to manage my entire network from a single interface. Meraki delivers again! Not having to be in the building to monitor, manage and configure networking equipment is worth the weight of these devices in gold.
  • I wanted to be able to see everything that was happening on my network. Meraki enables that. I can see every device, what each is doing, set alerts for when individual ports go down or the device that is attached stops sending packets, etc. The visibility into my network's performance and security is unprecedented. I never knew what I was missing and I do not want to go back!
I indicated I used Netgear switches before--the Meraki switches replaced those. I have also used Dell, HP, and Cisco (non-Meraki) switches in the past. None of those were bad, per se, but none were cloud-managed switches, either. And none offered the wealth and ease of configuration and monitoring that the Meraki switches offer. When Meraki replaced three of my switches under warranty (hardware failure possibility), all I had to do was physically install the replacements into my rack, add the replacements to the stack, remove the old ones, add the new switches to my account, and voila! The settings of the old switches were transferred to the new ones, so I had no further configuration to do. How? All the settings are backed up to the Meraki cloud!
I've used support a half dozen times, and every time the response has been quick, professional and, most importantly, highly competent. I could not be more pleased with Meraki's support.

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

If you can afford them, you will not be disappointed. Really, find a way. This is the way networking should be: managed in the cloud and fun! And I have learned to trust these things. I've never had a network issue that can be traced to these switches. The two years I've had them in place have taught me these are reliable. I no longer worry about my network. They can work on any size network, although they honestly would be overkill for a home office or the like. They scale, so you can power anything from a small office like mine to an entire campus or municipality, managing everything through the cloud, so it doesn't matter where the network admin is in relation to the hardware.