Item: Cisco Meraki MX
Rating: 10
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I have deployed and currently use the Cisco Meraki MX for a couple of different companies. Very rarely do we have issues regarding the Meraki Appliances. At my primary position, we use the Cisco Meraki MXs for VPN tunnel connections between office locations, Network Security, Routing, and Client VPN connections for remote work. Some locations that do not run a DHCP server at their site use the DHCP built into the MX (Basic DHCP is all available, including the ability to make reservations and adjust the scope).

Pros and Cons

Site to Site VPN Tunnel
Firewall Rules
DHCP
NAT Routing
Blocking web traffic
Client VPN Connections
Port Forwarding

The content filtering was changed from being able to set partial lists that the Appliance uses for blocking when using categories to using full lists provided by a 3rd party. It is not a huge deal. We had to change some things, but when Cisco Meraki MX changed to a full list of categories, one of our locations had really slow browsing speeds.
You are able to add URLs to block in content filtering, and we are constantly having to add them to all our sites individually, which can take some time. I wish there was a way to add a URL to all sites in a batch. I have read you might be able to do through Meraki API connections, but I haven't looked too far into it.
Sometimes, not all things are in the logs for the appliance, and I have to reach out to Cisco Meraki MX. I have implemented a syslog server and that did help a little.

Return on Investment

VPN tunnel between locations has been up 99% of the time in the 7 years that I have used the Cisco Meraki MXs in my current position. That does not include ISP issues because, in my mind, that shouldn't dictate the performance of the Cisco Meraki MXs.
Sometimes we get phishing emails with malicious links in them. We are able to block the URLs on our network using the Cisco Meraki MXs, and the appliance configuration sets in less than a minute. Blocking that link for anyone over VPN or on the LAN.
The interface is really simple and configuration is a breeze, which makes deploying a new Cisco Meraki MX really fast and easy. Replacing an Cisco Meraki MX is even easier, Just remove the old and add the new and all the configuration stays for the new appliance to use. Saves so much time and money.
The biggest thing is we have not had really any issues with any of our Cisco Meraki MXs going down in the past 7 years. The reliability with these devices are amazing.

Simplified Management

I find the Cisco Meraki MXs to be very easy to use until you get into heavy networking but that is also a knowledge thing and does not reflect poorly on the Cisco Meraki MX. I have been able to set up some complex networking on the Cisco Meraki MX, and the features provided allowed me to set up everything I needed. This includes VLAN, Backhaul routing, static routes, etc... Don't let the interface fool you, these Cisco Meraki MXs are powerful and packed full of features. Everything else is very straightforward and contains helpful descriptions of some of the features to assist your understanding. I personally love Cisco Meraki MX.

Integrations with other Cisco products

Cisco Meraki MR, Cisco Meraki MS, Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker, Cisco Meraki SD-WAN and Cisco Meraki SM

All of the devices integrate into the web interface very well. All products are easy to use and set up. This makes deploying network devices for a new location very simple and fast. The MDM (SM) works very well and rarely have issues with end user mobile devices. This can manage Apple devices (iPhones, iPads, and Macs), along with some Android devices. SM can also manage ChromOS and Windows Devices, but we don't really have any of those devices.

Scalability

Our company has been growing, and the network has been able to grow with it. We can easily deploy a new location and connect
that location to the main LAN using site-to-site VPN Tunnels. I can't see us ever getting to a point where we wouldn't be able to expand in any way needed, even within HQ, if more departments are created and segregating them via VLANs.

Alternatives Considered

I have used OpenMesh which is no longer around.
But stacked up against Cisco Meraki MX, there was no competition. Cisco Meraki MX overall had
better features, deployment, Ease of use, and Hardware performance. One of the
companies we actually switched from OpenMesh to Cisco Meraki MX and it has been one of
the best decisions we made. The network performance was noticeably better after
the migration to Cisco Meraki MX.

Key Insights

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

Yes

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

Yes

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

Yes

Did implementation of Cisco Meraki MX go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Cisco Meraki MX again?

Yes

Likelihood to Recommend

They have different variations of MX Appliances, so you can get smaller Appliances for smaller businesses. We use one of the bigger, rack mountable Appliances.

We primarily get the MX100 for our bigger locations and MX67 (or newer in the series, depending on what is out). They provide reliable VPN tunnels between locations and the ability to have a primary circuit and backup circuit for the internet, in case a circuit goes down.

Cisco Meraki MXs are perfect for IT personnel. With great performance, reliability, and ease of use!

Modules Used

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Meraki MX