We compared Auvik and Meraki Dashboard across several parameters based on our users' reviews. After reading the collected data, you can find our conclusion below:
Features: Auvik excels in SNMP and WMI communication, syslog centralization, and live topology mapping. The solution offers NetFlow monitoring as well as backup and configuration management. Meraki Dashboard users like its centralized console, cable testing, firmware updates, and group policy features. The solution is also praised as user-friendly, stable, and scalable.
Room for Improvement: Auvik users would like more flexibility to customize reporting and dashboards. Reviews also suggested improvements in probe deployment and integration with third-party products. Users say Meraki Dashboard could improve its client VPN, hardware discovery, and integration with external solutions, Some users mentioned a need for more comprehensive documentation and granular control.
Service and Support: Auvik's customer service is highly rated. Users said it’s convenient to contact support through the platform, and responses are fast. Some noted that problems are typically resolved in a single phone call without the need to escalate. Meraki Dashboard's customer service receives mixed feedback. Some users spoke fondly of the technical support they received, while others expressed frustration over long wait times and had a hard time finding the right person to help them.
Ease of Deployment: Auvik's setup is simple, fast, and customizable, with clear instructions. Users said Meraki Dashboard was effortless and intuitive to set up, noting that features like templates and configuration cloning saved time during deployment.
Pricing: Auvik’s pricing structure is considered reasonable and competitive. Licensing is based on the number of billable devices, and users have control over which devices are billed. Opinions on Meraki Dashboard's pricing varied, with some users finding it pricey and others deeming it fair.
ROI: Auvik users said the solution saves time, improves efficiency, and reduces costs through automation and better insights. Meraki Dashboard simplifies IT operations, and some users expect returns within a few years.
Comparison Results: Auvik is a user-friendly option for network monitoring and troubleshooting. The solution stands out for its support and ease of navigation. Users like its topology maps and centralized log information. Some users noted that Auvik’s dashboard could be more customizable and suggested that it could improve probe deployment. Meraki Dashboard is a scalable, user-friendly solution with a smooth, painless setup made easy by built-in templates and features like configuration cloning. However, some users complained that the solution is too expensive and needs better integration with non-Cisco platforms.
"We can manage the entire system across the network and troubleshoot the pain points."
"The solution allows us to spend less time on setup and maintenance and less time on issue resolution."
"The alerting feature has been a very key piece for us, especially in the data center because we manage it ourselves... Within the data center, we have an RDS farm that all the users from the facility connect to. Whenever something may be slow, we can look at the alerting and it helps us troubleshoot whether the issue is at the facility level or at an infrastructure level."
"People typically use Auvik to look at NetFlow data, but we went for it because we wanted a convenient cloud-based platform to collect data that we don't have to host locally. We like that having space available is not our problem. You can deploy an agent on your network through a virtual machine running on a secure Linux operating system. It's a secure product, and the data we need is available in the cloud."
"The stability is rock solid."
"The configuration management is the most valuable feature. I worked at an MSP before where they didn't have something collecting network device configurations. It was basically up to the technician who did it last, and you never knew if they saved a copy or not. Auvik makes that a lot more automated so we don't have to worry, if a device dies, that we don't know how it was configured."
"The monitoring and backup are the most valuable features."
"The discovery portion of it is extremely valuable. It allows us to get a good inventory of what is actually on a client's network. You can turn on TrafficInsights, which is basically a NetFlow feature, for troubleshooting. It allows you to get more detailed information on what's going on with a particular device. So, you could determine why a client is complaining that the internet is slow at 1:00 p.m. every day."
"The network map is fantastic. The backup of configs is also valuable. It does SSH into each network device and retains a copy of the configs on the machines as well as the change logs. So, when something suddenly stops, you can compare the configs to see what happened. You can do a side-by-side comparison of the configs to see exactly what changed. That's fantastic."
"I would say the ease of use is the most valuable feature. It's very easy to set up and get up and running."
"The solution scales well."
"It is a reliable product. It provides a lot of information that is easy to read."
"The most valuable feature is knowing the wireless and switch are healthy."
"What I found most valuable in Meraki Dashboard is that it's well-organized, easy to use, and practical."
"I like that Meraki Dashboard is a user-friendly product."
"The most valuable features are that it's easy to use and technically very complete. I can configure, do advanced troubleshooting in the dashboard, and reboot access points remotely."
"Meraki dashboard deserves an Oscar."
"The Wi-Fi side needs improvement."
"Integrating some LLM/AI capabilities into the product that would enable us to use natural language to query the tool and get sensible answers back would be great."
"Some of the automation pieces for discovery still need a little bit more improvement. I wouldn't mind seeing some more security features as that's the world we're driving into. I know Auvik probably wants to try to keep itself separate because that's its brand, but even if they brought on board another brand that was able to plug into them, it would benefit us. It would lower some more network security costs if as a company, they are a one-stop shop. They have already got the network piece going. If they improved in that area and focused a lot on that, they would gain me as a customer, and they would probably gain a lot of others."
"Two weeks ago, we were able to access the support chat via a small button on the bottom right side of the screen. Now, that button has gone away... it has become pretty difficult to access support..."
"The only area that I dislike about the solution is the lack of exportability."
"When it comes to the management side, the navigation is a little bit difficult, going back and forth. It is a little bit cumbersome... If I go to one device and I look at an interface, I can't just go back to the device and that makes it a pain to navigate."
"Network setups take time regardless of the tool you use. It will always take time to build. I wish you could order Auvik to rescan the network on demand when I make changes. Sometimes, I want the network to scan immediately instead of waiting for it to detect the changes."
"When credentials are rejected, I'd like to get a little information about why in the error message."
"Some of the discovery methodologies could be improved upon. It removes the device that is offline, but when that gets added back, if there is any custom information saved for that device, such as it's a smartphone, you have to change and reenter the information all over again. It would be nice to not have to manually modify certain devices that get added to the network."
"Meraki Dashboard could improve integration with non-Cisco platforms."
"Third-party switches do not necessarily integrate easily with the system and this could be improved to allow for better adaptation."
"It would be nicer if the dashboard was lighter."
"An area for improvement in Meraki Dashboard is licensing management because it's a little complex. Product licensing can be made a little bit easier through license concurrency and a more straightforward approach to applying the license to products and services."
"One area that could use improvement in the Meraki Dashboard is user-friendliness when navigating to port configurations."
"The solution has a limited routing table and needs improvement by increasing the numbers as well as providing a summarization for the table."
"Lacks an alert notification when there are IP or DNS issues."
"When users are trying to roam from one location to another location, geographical tracking would be helpful."
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Auvik Network Management (ANM) is ranked 3rd in Network Monitoring Software with 108 reviews while Meraki Dashboard is ranked 9th in Network Monitoring Software with 30 reviews. Auvik Network Management (ANM) is rated 8.8, while Meraki Dashboard is rated 8.6. The top reviewer of Auvik Network Management (ANM) writes "Great support experience, absolutely worth the money, and very helpful for quick discovery and troubleshooting". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Meraki Dashboard writes "Provides reports on hacking attempts, threats to devices, and how well access points are working". Auvik Network Management (ANM) is most compared with PRTG Network Monitor, LogicMonitor, SolarWinds NPM, Zabbix and Domotz, whereas Meraki Dashboard is most compared with SolarWinds NPM, ThousandEyes, Mist AI and Cloud, Cisco DNA Center and Fortinet FortiSIEM. See our Auvik Network Management (ANM) vs. Meraki Dashboard report.
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