Steve Richardson - PeerSpot reviewer
Owner at Digital KeepSafe, LLC
Real User
Top 20
Beneficial remote configuration management, secure, and responsive support
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Meraki MX is I can manage the solution from anywhere remotely, I can throttle bandwidth, and create all rules. Additionally, it is secure for our customers."
  • "Meraki MX firewalls are great for small to medium-sized businesses, but other solutions are better for enterprise-sized companies."

What is our primary use case?

Meraki MX is a firewall with wireless capabilities built in. We use the APs in approximately 10 different customer sites.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Meraki MX is I can manage the solution from anywhere remotely, I can throttle bandwidth, and create all rules. Additionally, it is secure for our customers.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Meraki MX for approximately six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Meraki MX is a dependable solution.

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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Meraki MX is scalable. I have the Meraki MX set up from Oklahoma all through several of the big cities in Tennessee and northern Alabama. We use it, and we run it for a particular company for voice-over IP phones. It works well. I don't have any issues with them. We can set up virtual networks, separating data and voice traffic.

Meraki MX firewalls are great for small to medium-sized businesses, but other solutions are better for enterprise-sized companies.

How are customer service and support?

The support from Meraki MX is good. It is easy to get in touch with technical support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are responsive and knowledgeable.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have previously used Barracuda. For larger companies, such as banks and financial institutions, I use Barracuda firewalls. However, they are more complex. You have to have penetration testing. Every year we have penetration testing from external companies to make sure no one can get in because they have federal audits that come in and check banks. Barracuda is the better solution for this purpose, we've had great luck with them. We've always had perfect scores whenever we deploy them and we have external penetration tests. They have a 24-hour day, seven days week support similar to Meraki MX.

How was the initial setup?

Meraki MX is simple to deploy and manage. You only need to plug it in and configure it.

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation of the solution in-house.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of Meraki MX is between $8 and $1,200. Additionally, we typically purchase a three-year enterprise license, and we pay approximately $899 and mark it up a bit.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend others call us, we can implement the solution for them.

We have three technicians for maintenance, and we all can handle servers, firewalls, and routers. Once we put the Meraki MX in, it doesn't require much maintenance. It has automatic updates and we receive all the firmware updates. Once they're in place, we don't have any issues with them. However, if we do, it's easy to get in and make configuration changes.

I rate Meraki MX a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
PeerSpot user
Babawale Awojinrin - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Operations Manager at Healthplus limited
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
A stable solution that can be used for firewall, VPN, and load balancing
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is good for load balancing."
  • "The solution's pricing should be reduced."

What is our primary use case?

We use Meraki MX for the firewall, but typically, it's a great VPN software.

What is most valuable?

Meraki MX's VPN access for remote use is a valuable feature. The solution is good for load balancing.

What needs improvement?

The solution's pricing should be reduced. There are other remote tools out there for VPN access, and Meraki MX is gradually losing ground because it's expensive.

My new business owner went from having 14 devices to seven and then from seven to two. Now, I'm only paying for two licenses. I'll soon be moving away from Meraki entirely. The solution's price should be reduced so that new businesses can easily use it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Meraki MX for ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Meraki MX is a very stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Meraki MX is a scalable solution. Around 14 users are using the solution in our organization.

How was the initial setup?

Since Meraki MX has a graphical user interface, its initial setup is pretty straightforward. However, you need either a consultant or a technical expert to install the solution.

What about the implementation team?

Meraki MX can be typically deployed within one to two hours. We implemented the solution through an in-house team.

You need to know the business use case for which you want to use the solution. If you want to use the solution for load balancing, you need to specify the use cases for which you want to use it and all that will be considered.

What was our ROI?

We have seen a return on investment with Meraki MX.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Meraki MX is an expensive solution. Meraki MX is a cloud-based solution, and we pay an annual license for our physical device.

What other advice do I have?

We deployed the physical server, but Meraki MX is cloud-based.

Overall, I rate Meraki MX an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
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Principal Solutions Architect at TPG Telecom
Real User
A stable solution with simple configurations and a pretty good technical support team
Pros and Cons
  • "The simplicity of configuration is the most valuable feature of the solution."
  • "The product could incorporate tools like ThousandEyes into the system so we can see things directly."

What is our primary use case?

As a telecommunications company, we use the tool for our customers. We use it for SD-WAN and standalone devices with Wi-Fi.

What is most valuable?

The features vary for each customer. The simplicity of configuration is the most valuable feature of the solution.

What needs improvement?

The product could incorporate tools like ThousandEyes into the system so we can see things directly. If we are going to a public cloud and do not have an end device in the cloud that we can monitor from the dashboard, the tools will allow us to see what a service or customer experience looks like going across that network.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for about three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the tool’s stability a nine out of ten. Stability is very good, but it's not absolutely perfect.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability based on the number of devices is pretty good. However, scalability based on the bandwidth is quite limited. About 35 customers are using the solution.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support's pretty good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is quite straightforward.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We buy a free license upfront. Our customers pay for the solution on a monthly basis. All licenses are expensive compared to what they used to be in the routing domain a few years ago.

What other advice do I have?

If someone wants a couple of SD-WAN components, it's a simple solution. It's more complex for others who require better bandwidth and bigger devices. We can talk to our customers about their needs and make the tool fit the customer's needs. Overall, I rate the tool an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
SurendraSiddi - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Enterprise Account Manager at Ninth Dimension IT Solutions (P) Ltd
Reseller
An easy-to-configure solution with an integrated dashboard where customers can get complete network analytics
Pros and Cons
  • "Since it has an integrated dashboard for all the products, customers can get complete network analytics regarding what the user is doing, monitoring, and observing."
  • "The current lead time is longer for Meraki MX, and it needs to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Whenever a customer has a linear environment, we generally prefer Meraki MX since it doesn't require any manpower or IT-related managers to deploy it. It's better to use Meraki MX because it has a single dashboard. The solution allows customers to utilize their complete infrastructure like MX firewalls, MS switches, or MR wireless access points. Meraki MX provides ease of use for the customer.

What is most valuable?

Customers have to understand that Meraki MX is a license-based product, and the device won't work without a license. Since it has an integrated dashboard for all the products, customers can get complete network analytics regarding what the user is doing, monitoring, and observing. It is easy to use, and as an admin, I can get details of every device in the dashboard from my home or anywhere else.

Also, we can easily find out if there is any breakout and if the device has failed suddenly, even at midnight. We can easily trace out if there is any issue with the device, cable, or port. We can find out everything and get the details from the dashboard. The solution's dashboard is flexible and can be easily operated by anybody. Even a non-IT guy can also manage the Meraki infrastructure.

What needs improvement?

The solution's lead time should be improved because the deliveries are a bit slow. The current lead time is longer for Meraki MX, and it needs to be improved. We currently take two to three months to get the materials, but customers are not willing to wait that long. We need to improve the lead time so customers can get their products faster.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Meraki MX for the last seven years. I have a partnership with Cisco, so I provide the solution to end customers. I am also a reseller.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Meraki MX is a stable product, and I didn't see any challenges or issues regarding the solution's stability from the customer side. If the device fails, it's easy to raise a small ticket or RMA, and you'll get the device within the timeline specified by them.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Meraki MX is an easily scalable solution. I generally take care of medium and enterprise customers. I have worked on every segment. Generally, mid-size and enterprise-level customers with multiple branches opt for Meraki MX.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support team is very good. Whenever we raise a TAC ticket, they generally come on live and take the case. We rarely use Cisco TAC because, as of now, we are able to implement it ourselves. So whenever required, we generally use the technical services of Cisco.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I used to work with Cisco's standalone firewalls, such as the ASA and FTD firewalls. However, I am now predominantly working with the Meraki MX firewall.

Compared to other solutions, Meraki MX is easy to configure. We don't need to go for the CLI command prompt configurations. Everything is easy with Meraki MX since it has a completely dashboard-related configuration.

How was the initial setup?

Meraki MX's initial setup is very easy, and you can easily install the solution.

What about the implementation team?

Once you know the dashboard serial number and license key, you can configure the dashboard before getting the devices and then add the devices. Later, you just need to plug in these devices with the internet, and then you can easily configure it.

If you get four hours, you can take a small downtime from the customer and install the solution very easily. Even the updates will take over the night. So there is no manpower or time required to do these activities. You can initiate the patches and all kinds of downtime activities from home.

One or two people are needed for the solution's deployment. The solution's maintenance is very easy and not difficult at all.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Meraki MX's pricing is cheaper as compared to Cisco's standalone products. You need to take a yearly, three years, or five years license for the solution.

Generally, customers need to pay for the product's hardware and license. Apart from that, the solution has two types of support called CON-ROB and CON-RO4. This facility is for RMA to replace their devices as quickly as possible.

What other advice do I have?

I advise users to plan for the solution nicely, and if you plan it properly, you won't have any hiccups when you receive the hardware. Generally, a firewall is designed based on the customer's environment, sessions, and users. We need to calculate these factors and need to think about future scalability. If you size the solution appropriately based on these factors, you won't get any hiccups from the solution. Before procuring it, plan nicely for the solution and get the requirements.

Meraki is a good solution that is used by everyone these days.

Overall, I rate Meraki MX ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
PeerSpot user
Co-Founder and CFO at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Reseller
Top 20
Easy to deploy remotely and has automatic updates
Pros and Cons
  • "What I like best about Meraki MX is that it's easy to deploy remotely. The product works. It has automatic updates. I also like that Meraki MX is a brilliant device. You turn it on, stick the key in there, activate it, and then you're done. Meraki MX does what my customers need at the end of the day, so I also like that."
  • "An area for improvement in Meraki MX is that it needs some provision, as supplying the unit through Cisco can be tedious at times, but as far as the product itself and its offerings, Meraki MX is five-star all the way."

What is our primary use case?

We use Meraki MX for cloud-based networking, particularly as a firewalls and routers.

What is most valuable?

What I like best about Meraki MX is that it's easy to deploy remotely. The product works. It has automatic updates.

I also like that Meraki MX is a brilliant device. You turn it on, stick the key in there, activate it, and then you're done.

Meraki MX does what my customers need at the end of the day, so I also like that.

What needs improvement?

An area for improvement in Meraki MX is that it needs some provision, as supplying the unit through Cisco can be tedious at times, but as far as the product itself and its offerings, Meraki MX is five-star all the way.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been dealing with Meraki MX for four years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, Meraki MX is okay. It performs as it's supposed to. There was one hardware failure, and the Meraki team replaced the unit practically overnight, no questions asked.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support for Meraki MX is a ten out of ten for me.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

Meraki MX has a straightforward setup.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing for Meraki MX is all right, but as the hardware needs to be licensed, the cost depends on the complexity of the device and the term. Pricing could be $100 to $10,000 yearly or even more for a more complex device.

What other advice do I have?

My company is a Cisco partner and a reseller of Meraki MX.

My rating for Meraki MX is ten out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner/Reseller
PeerSpot user
ALFRED BABU - PeerSpot reviewer
System & Network Engineer at H COM
Real User
Top 10
An easy-to-manage solution that offers great stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The product's initial setup phase is very easy."
  • "I do not have the kind of feature I need for SSL decryption in Meraki MX. It would be great to see the SSL decryption feature in Meraki MX."

What is our primary use case?

I use Meraki MX in my company basically for site-to-site VPN connection, and it serves as a firewall for our normal office environment.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of the solution are the cloud interface for cloud management and the SD-WAN, along with certain features like secure VPN, built-in VPN, SSL, IPSec VPN solutions, and higher availability. It can accommodate carrier support because of which, other than the fiber, I can have one more point to access through a SIM card.

What needs improvement?

I do not have the kind of feature I need for SSL decryption in Meraki MX. It would be great to see the SSL decryption feature in Meraki MX.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Meraki MX for three years. I use Meraki MX105. My company is a customer of the product.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I haven't tried the tool's scalability features, but as far as I understood from the tech sheet I saw related to the tool, I rate the solution's scalability a seven out of ten.

Around 300 people in the organization use the solution.

How are customer service and support?

Very rarely do I contact the technical support team of the solution. I usually contact the technical support team of the product when some update happens in the product. I faced some issues while updating the product once, after which I opened a ticket with the support team, and with their guidance and help, I could resolve the issue. The firewall was configured as active-active with high availability, so when one firewall was down, the other one was working fine. I haven't faced too much trouble with the product.

My experience with the support team was fine, and since most of the things are already available on forums, you can manage everything related to the tool by yourself.

I rate the technical support a nine out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, my company was using Sophos XG Firewall. My company switched from Sophos XG Firewall to Meraki MX. All our company's network devices are from Cisco, and with Meraki MX, we can actually add switches, routers, access points, and everything to the firewall, which in turn offers more stability and secures the network compared to Sophos XG Firewall. Sophos XG Firewall offered an IDPS firewall capable of stopping any kind of intrusion, but I was feeling worried about the switches and access point security. Since our contract with Sophos had expired, we moved to Meraki.

How was the initial setup?

The product's initial setup phase is very easy. It has a very good web interface that is easy to manage and operate.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

The deployment was carried out in two sites, which took around two days to complete.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

In my country, the product is cheap compared to the UK because of the differences in taxes.

What other advice do I have?

If you are looking for a solution that is easy to manage and offers stability, and if you are not really very specific about SSL decryption, then you can go for Meraki MX.

I rate the overall tool an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Director of IT at a consumer goods company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 20
User-friendly and has good usability and analytics
Pros and Cons
  • "To me, the analytics feature is one of the most valuable in Meraki MX. I also find that it has good usability as it's cloud-based. Another valuable feature of Meraki MX is that it's simple to use and it's user-friendly."
  • "We had minor issues with Meraki MX. We had a couple of RMAs, so that could be an area for improvement, but in terms of how the RMAs went, the turnaround time and getting those back into redeployment were quick. Another area for improvement in Meraki MX is that when you're scaling for multiple locations, you need to use the same model, but the model you'd need is only available for a short time. The specific model you require could be out of stock, or Meraki isn't making that model anymore, so Meraki should improve that."

What is our primary use case?

I've used Meraki MX in warehouses for small medical offices and, recently, dispensaries.

What is most valuable?

To me, the analytics feature is one of the most valuable in Meraki MX. I also find that it has good usability as it's cloud-based.

Another valuable feature of Meraki MX is that it's simple to use and it's user-friendly.

What needs improvement?

We had minor issues with Meraki MX. We had a couple of RMAs, so that could be an area for improvement, but in terms of how the RMAs went, the turnaround time and getting those back into redeployment were quick.

Another area for improvement in Meraki MX is that when you're scaling for multiple locations, you need to use the same model, but the model you'd need is only available for a short time. The specific model you require could be out of stock, or Meraki isn't making that model anymore, so Meraki should improve that.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Meraki MX on and off over the past seven to eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

As far as stability goes, Meraki MX is pretty good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In terms of scalability, the process of scaling Meraki MX is straightforward.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup for Meraki MX is very straightforward.

What other advice do I have?

I work in a mid-sized company, and I've used Meraki MX in small business and enterprise settings. On the small business side, two people use the product, but on the enterprise side, about twenty people use Meraki MX because of the number of locations and equipment. My enterprise customer had about forty thousand employees and at least ninety locations.

I'd rate Meraki MX as nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
IT Manager at Caritas Baby Hosptial
Real User
It's easy to manage, install, and configure
Pros and Cons
  • "MX is easy to manage, configure and install."
  • "MX can only be managed via a web interface, but I'm accustomed to using a CLI or a graphical interface. I would also like to see more reporting features. It doesn't provide enough information for me to know precisely about some clients."

What is our primary use case?

We use MX to provide Wifi for all the clients, patients, doctors, nurses, etc. in our hospital, they are using the WiFi to use the internet. So, we are using it mainly for the internet. It is managed via a cloud-based Cisco dashboard.

What is most valuable?

MX is easy to manage, configure and install. 

What needs improvement?

MX can only be managed via a web interface, but I'm accustomed to using a CLI or a graphical interface. I would also like to see more reporting features. It doesn't provide enough information for me to know precisely about some clients. 

They could also add improve the content filter by adding Arabic. It only filters English-language content. Meraki should work on that feature for other languages.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Meraki MX for two or three years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

MX is stable. The updates go smoothly, and there are no issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

MX is scalable. We sometimes have 300 to 400 users connected at the same time. It's a highly stable product. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I used the ADSL Cisco router.  It was a catastrophe due to limitations on users. Once we exceeded around 200 simultaneous users, we started seeing a lot of problems.

How was the initial setup?

Deploying MX is easy. It takes maybe half an hour. I didn't need any support. I could do it all myself.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I believe we need to review our contract and maybe get a lower price when we upgrade our renew our license. Hopefully, we can negotiate with Cisco for lower prices.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I studied other options, but I found Meraki was a complete product for allowing large amounts of users to connect to the internet.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Meraki MX eight out of 10. It is a good product. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Meraki MX Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: May 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Meraki MX Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.