Item: Cisco Meraki vMX
Rating: 9
Author: Malte Bredevang Zielinski

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Cisco Meraki vMX for customers with an Azure tenant instead of using VNGs in Azure. This solution is more stable, and we can standardize our setup with a full-stack Cisco Meraki vMX solution. We really want to use the Cisco Meraki vMX for AnyConnect client VPN with different group policies/ VPN profiles as well, but this doesn't seem to be an option (yet) in Cisco Meraki vMX. Cisco Meraki vMX is easy to set up and manage, just like any other Meraki product.

Pros and Cons

Stability: Using Cisco Meraki vMX with auto-VPN instead of non-Meraki peers toward Azure
Management: Easy to manage on the Cisco Meraki vMX Dashboard
Centralization: With Cisco Meraki vMX, we can centralize/ standardize our setups

Client VPN: Cisco Meraki vMX in general needs to implement multiple VPN profiles/ group policies for client VPN
Alerts: Cisco Meraki vMX in general should be more consistent in sending alerts. We should receive alarms instantly.
Event logs: More in-depth event logs for all Meraki products, such as system crashes, etc.

Return on Investment

Standardizing: We can use the same "template" setup for multiple customers
Management: Easy to manage along with the rest of the Meraki products
Stability: Using Cisco Meraki vMX instead of VNGs in Azure provides better stability with auto-VPN between the Cisco Meraki vMX and other networks

Simplified Management

Cisco Meraki vMX is easy to manage and has saved us a lot of time troubleshooting VPN issues towards Azure. We're using the Cisco Meraki vMX in Azure instead of VNGs, and this has resulted in a more stable setup. For multi-network organizations in Cisco Meraki vMX Dashboard with Azure tenants, this setup is a way of securing production. We can use this setup as a "standard" for other customers with the same setup, and this saves us a lot of time in planning and deployment.

Integrations with other Cisco products

Cisco Meraki MX, Cisco Meraki MR, Cisco Meraki MS and Cisco Meraki Z3 Teleworker

In Cisco Meraki vMX Dashboard organizations with other Meraki products, such as MX, MS, MR, or Z3, we have deployed a Cisco Meraki vMX for centralizing VPN towards Azure. Instead of using VNGs in Azure, the Cisco Meraki vMX gives connectivity from the vnets with auto-VPN. This standardizes our setups and is easier to manage since all our network devices are in the dashboard and we don't have to worry about non-Meraki peers on the different devices.

Scalability

With the Cisco Meraki vMX deployed in Azure, we can scrap the use of non-Meraki peers towards the VNG in Azure. This solution makes everything simpler to manage, since everything is in the Cisco Meraki vMX Dashboard, but also makes the technical part more stable since the devices are connected to each other via auto-VPN. We want to use a client VPN with multiple group policies/ VPN profiles, but this is not an option yet.

Key Insights

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

Yes

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

Yes

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

Yes

Did implementation of Cisco Meraki vMX go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Cisco Meraki vMX again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Cisco Meraki MX, Cisco Meraki MR, Cisco Meraki MS, Cisco Meraki MG

Likelihood to Recommend

We're using Cisco Meraki vMX deployed in Azure instead of using Virtual network gateways since this setup is way more stable. Our goal is to use a Cisco Meraki vMX for our customers using client VPN/ AnyConnect, but since the feature of using multiple group policies/ VPN profiles is not there yet, this is not an option. Setting the Cisco Meraki vMX up is fast and easy, at least when doing it in Azure.

Cisco Meraki vMX Review

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Meraki vMX