Item: Cisco Meraki MX
Rating: 8
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

The Cisco Meraki appliance is being used to manage the office networking and security requirements as well as providing insight and control over the business applications from the centralised cloud management interface. Since the device acts as a gateway between the local area network and the WAN it is being used by all users and managed by the network administrator.

Pros and Cons

Compact all in one security appliance.
Centralized cloud management interface.
Offers HA in the branch.
Network security.

Limited firewall throughput upto 250Mbps.
Limited VPN throughput upto 100Mbps.
Not rack mountable.
Up to 50 users.

Return on Investment

Ease of management.
All in one unit which is compact and can be placed on the desk or shelf in a cabinet.
Licensing is a bit expensive compared to competitor products.
Security functions can be improved to include more features.

Alternatives Considered

123FormBuilder (formerly 123ContactForm), Fortinet FortiGate and Cisco ASA

Cisco Meraki MX64 is a very compact unit and can cater for the needs of a small branch office due to its centralised cloud management interface. If you do not need all the bells and whistles of the high-end models then this unit might work for you.

Support Rating

Depending on your contract/ business SLA requirements it would be advisable to ensure that the unit is all always covered by a valid Cisco Smartnet agreement to ensure you get official Cisco support as soon as you require it. Free Cisco Smartnet agreement also ensures that your unit is covered for hardware component failures as well as providing access to download the latest firmware and security updates that may be required from time to time. There are also many community forums which you can find information about other user experiences, faults and resolutions pertaining to this product.

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?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Cisco Meraki MX go as expected?

I wasn't involved with the implementation phase

Would you buy Cisco Meraki MX again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Dell EMC Unity, Huawei OceanStor, IBM Power Systems E980

Likelihood to Recommend

The device is well suited for small branch offices or home offices where there aren't much uses and it provides all the basic security functions from a centralised cloud management interface. The MX64 is the smallest offering so I would recommend that you explore the larger units to ensure that you choose the correct one that can cater for scalability and growth within your environment.

Meraki MX64 Review

Software Version

Modules Used

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Meraki MX Firewalls