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

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Cisco Meraki vMX as our security security appliance in front of our Azure environment. Because the rest of our physical locations use Cisco Meraki vMX having the virtual Meraki allows us to tie everything together from one portal like site-to-site VPNs. We can also use global security policies that we only have to program once.

Pros and Cons

Works well with physical Meraki MX devices
Site-to-Site VPNs are easy to set up with other Meraki devices
Cisco Meraki vMX provides a great solution for a virtual environment, like Azure

You cannot get as detailed in configuration as a Cisco ASA
No offline configuration can be an issue

Return on Investment

The speed of configuration is shortened due to it being under one portal
Support has saved time during outages by quickly fixing issues
Site-to-site VPNs are easy and fast to set up when swapping our equipment

Simplified Management

Because it is all monitored under the same portal as the physical appliances the transition to the virtual appliance is easy. There is very little out-of-the-box configuration that is required to start using Cisco Meraki vMX for day-to-day use except for special circumstances. Setting up site-to-site VPNs is a breeze.

Integrations with other Cisco products

Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services

We have built a site-to-site tunnel with our parent company which has a Cisco ASA. The process was fairly simple on the Meraki side just setting up an external site-to-site device.

Scalability

Since Cisco Meraki vMX is a virtual appliance it is not as easy to scale but you can tie it in with physical products to scale your organization in just about all your networking needs.

Alternatives Considered

Cisco Meraki MX, Cisco Meraki MR, Cisco Meraki MS, SonicWall NSA Series and SonicWall TZ

Cisco Meraki vMX is great for small to medium businesses. It is easy to use with little out-of-the-box configuration. There is an easier learning curve on the Cisco Meraki vMX than on the SonicWall devices. We went with the Cisco Meraki vMX because we had the physical appliances already in place and the virtual appliance tied into our system seamlessly.

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

GoTo Resolve, Microsoft Teams, Adobe Acrobat

Likelihood to Recommend

If you are in a situation where you have Cisco Meraki appliances in your physical locations and you need to build a site-to-site VPN tunnel to a virtual environment, like Azure, having a Cisco Meraki xMX is great. Also, you will have one portal to manage all your security settings and firewalls. If you do not use Cisco Meraki in your other environments then the Cisco Meraki vMX may not be the best choice.

Virtual Cisco Meraki vMX Security Appliance

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Meraki vMX