PeerSpot user
Systems Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
It has an automatic firmware upgrade, but it doesn't have an upgrade path for the hardware.

What is most valuable?

  • All the switches managed from one dashboard, forget about CLI
  • One-click changing VLAN
  • Aggregate ports, I can easy see what is connect to each port on the switch,
  • I can see how the bandwidth is used
  • Automatic firmware upgrade
  • Adding new switch takes less than 10 minutes

How has it helped my organization?

We have about 20 switches across five offices in USA, Europe and India, and we can all manage all of them from one dashboard. No more spending time on the firmware upgrade, it is automatic, and the switches just work!

What needs improvement?

  • Management
  • Maintenance
  • Support

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used it for two years.

Buyer's Guide
Meraki MS Switches
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Meraki MS Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,236 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

No issues encountered.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No issues encountered.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Unfortunately, they don't have an upgrade path, so if you need higher model, you need to buy a new one.

How are customer service and support?

Customer Service:

10/10.

Technical Support:

10/10.

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

  • Dell
  • Cisco
  • Arista

How was the initial setup?

It is very easy, just add the switch to your dashboard network and you ready to go. And you don't need to be a network expert to do it.

What about the implementation team?

We did it in-house.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

  • Arista
  • Juniper

What other advice do I have?

I hope they will have an upgrade path soon. For example, we bought a switch, and after two months we needed to upgrade it to the model with 10GB ports. Unfortunately Meraki said that we can upgrade because it is over 30 days, but we needed buy new switch.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
It specialist
Real User
Reliable, easy to expand, and is straightforward to set up
Pros and Cons
  • "We found the initial setup to be easy."
  • "We have dealt with a few minor bugs."

What is our primary use case?

Mainly, we do some configurations and allow for ports to be opened on the firewall. 

What is most valuable?

For the most part, the solution has been stable.

The solution can scale fairly well. 

The cloud-based deployment is very straightforward.

What needs improvement?

We have dealt with a few minor bugs. 

We would like the solution to lower its costs. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is largely stable and reliable. That said, we have faced some very minor bugs here and there. It hasn't been a big deal in general.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good. It's likely as scalable as Aruba, for example. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so. 

We have 150 people using the solution currently.

How are customer service and support?

We've never contacted technical support. I cannot speak to how helpful or responsive they are. 

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

We also work with Aruba.

I've also worked with FortiSwitch in the past, at a different job.

How was the initial setup?

We have found the initial setup to be easy. If it is cloud-based, it's a really easy installation. There is no need for a reprogram mission or something like that or to even worry about having to do some coding. 

I cannot recall how long the deployment took. However, it does depend on the internet connection. As a cloud-based solution, you need to download all the configurations from the headquarters. 

You only need one manager and two technicians to handle the deployment and maintenance tasks. 

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

Users do have to pay to license the solution. 

The pricing could be lowered a bit.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend the solution, however, it depends on the project. 

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Meraki MS Switches
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Meraki MS Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,236 professionals have used our research since 2012.
President at Virtual Tech Computer Solutions
Real User
Integrated SD-WAN, stable, and offers good visibility using the dashboard
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the granular visibility that they provide with a single pane of glass."
  • "The pain point for our customers is the pricing and it should be reduced to make it more competitive."

What is our primary use case?

We are a solution provider and the Meraki MS Switches are one of the products that we implement for our clients as part of their network infrastructure.

One of our typical use cases is connecting stores within a retail environment.

What is most valuable?

The SD-WAN capability is already integrated and it is excellent.

It can easily tie into the backend of Azure.

The most valuable feature is the granular visibility that they provide with a single pane of glass. It is a very useful dashboard.

What needs improvement?

The pain point for our customers is the pricing and it should be reduced to make it more competitive.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been dealing with this product for a couple of years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I haven't had any problem with Cisco at all. I would say that they are pretty solid in terms of stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Different switch models are chosen based on the size of the site. We use certain models at smaller sites, whereas we use different models for the larger sites. Overall, scalability is excellent.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is good and they are on top of everything.

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

I work with several similar products by different vendors and sometimes, people buy them instead because they are cheaper.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. The administration is usually handled by people like the VP of technology in the company.

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

The pricing is high and it is where we get the most pushback from customers.

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody who is considering this type of product is to do the research. From my experience, Meraki switches sell themselves and the only thing that people contest is the price.

I would rate this solution a 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: Partner
PeerSpot user
IT Infra Head at a consumer goods company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
User friendly dashboard, simple configuration, and effective site blocking
Pros and Cons
  • "Meraki MS Switches have a very user-friendly dashboard and the policies are straightforward for sending them to the devices and blocking sites."
  • "The traffic reporting should be better in Meraki MS Switches. We want to be able to see all the traffic and where it is going. Additionally, detailed device utilization information would be very helpful for the security personnel."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Meraki MS Switches as a network device in our organization.

What is most valuable?

Meraki MS Switches have a very user-friendly dashboard and the policies are straightforward for sending them to the devices and blocking sites.

What needs improvement?

The traffic reporting should be better in Meraki MS Switches. We want to be able to see all the traffic and where it is going. Additionally, detailed device utilization information would be very helpful for the security personnel.

The solution VPN is based on Windows features. They have to come up with their own solution because of what is happening, sometimes it is connecting and sometimes not. If they had their own tool, these types of issues can be mitigated.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Meraki MS Switches for approximately six months.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Meraki MS Switches an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
IT Support Executive at a healthcare company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Web-based management with everything in a single dashboard, but it is expensive and the registration process needs to be streamlined
Pros and Cons
  • "The dashboard and the interface, in general, are good features."
  • "We had some dashboard licensing issues, maybe because their method of collecting data from the user needs to be more streamlined."

What is our primary use case?

We are using these switches to provide internet access to our users. They connect the access points.

What is most valuable?

The dashboard and the interface, in general, are good features. We can work globally and anybody can log in from our web-based console to use it. Everything from switches to access points can be used from a single dashboard.

What needs improvement?

We had some dashboard licensing issues, maybe because their method of collecting data from the user needs to be more streamlined. It seems that they have collected information from the vendor, but perhaps there is not a proper SOP regarding this.

They collected some vague information that was registered and when it came to us, we found out that they didn't use our proper email address. As a result, licensing became an issue. It was only resolved after we contacted them and changed the details of the registration. Consequently, there was a long delay before we started using it.

When I registered the system in India, there was no problem. However, in the UAE, the vendors were not collecting and properly verifying the details. The need to streamline the licensing data collection process to fix this.

As a manufacturer, or OEM, they might be doing their part correctly, but the vendors might be losing the data. So, they need to be strict on their vendors to collect the information properly. Or, they need to at least contact the people, the end-users, and verify that it is correct. As it is now, they just depend on the vendors' data. Before they register it, they need to contact the customer directly with the data and verify it. Ideally, some kind of SOP should be there.

With no SOP in place, the question becomes one of what happens when Cisco takes the data from the vendor and registers the product, but doesn't verify it by contacting the customer. This can happen in cases where the vendor is in a hurry to sell the product. In fact, they might fill in bogus data and give it to Cisco. Then, once the customer gets the product and starts to configure it, they get the licensing issue like we did, which is the first step in the process. The fails only because the data given by the vendor is wrong, and it's not the fault of the customer.

If instead, Cisco verified the details with the customer again, once they receive the data, it would be better. As I suggest this, it might seem like a slow process, but in today's world, it is not. They can contact the customer directly, using the provided email or mobile number. They can call them, verify the details, and it will be good for both Cisco and the customer.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Meraki MS Switches for approximately six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is pretty stable so far, but we really only just started using it so I may have more comments in another year or so.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is something that we'll determine in the long term. At this time, we have between 30 and 50 users. It can scale up to 60.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not yet dealt with technical support.

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

Previously, we used MR access points and we liked the user interface. We wanted to extend that to our switches. At the time, the switches were web-managed but they were not under the same dashboard. Switching to Cisco and Meraki brought everything together, from switches to access points, into a single dashboard.

How was the initial setup?

I was involved in the installation and found that it was straightforward. The deployment took between one and a half and two hours, although we still had the problem with the licensing. That was a long wait.

What about the implementation team?

Our deployment team consisted of three people. There was one person on-site, another in India, and one in the UK.

We are just about to do some configuration with these switches.

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

This product is quite expensive. The vendor might be cashing in on the dashboard because it's attractive, and nobody else is providing such a sophisticated dashboard. It has the IP, switches, routers, security cameras, and everything else included in one place. So, while the product is expensive, the features they provide are unmatchable.

What other advice do I have?

This is a product that I recommend for others.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior Consulting and Design Engineer at Claro Ecuador
Real User
Dashboard is well integrated which enables easy monitoring
Pros and Cons
  • "Console of the dashboard is well integrated."
  • "The cameras should be better integrated."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case of Switches is for controlling and monitoring the clients. I'm a senior consultant and design engineer and we are partners of Meraki. 

What is most valuable?

A valuable feature is the console of the dashboard which is pretty integrated. It's also easy for the client to monitor their dashboard. 

What needs improvement?

I think the cameras should be better integrated so that clients can review real time images on the dashboard. That's a basic feature.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for a year. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a pretty stable solution and there was no difficulty integrating the products to one dashboard. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution is excellent. 

How are customer service and technical support?

It's somewhat difficult to contact technical support, there are several manual steps involved. If you don't know the process, it can take time. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was not complex. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution a 10 out of 10. 

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
Devanand PR - PeerSpot reviewer
Devanand PRIT Support Executive at a healthcare company with 51-200 employees
Real User

Very true about the support. The support center numbers for India is not working at all. 

IT Engineer at a printing company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Easy to set up, monitor, and check the switch status
Pros and Cons
  • "It is easy to set up and easy to monitor. It is also easy to check the status of the switch."
  • "It would be great if the switch can identify the IP address connected to the network port. It seems most of the switches cannot identify the IP address. They can identify the MAC address but not the IP address."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for general network switch purposes.

What is most valuable?

It is easy to set up and easy to monitor. It is also easy to check the status of the switch.

What needs improvement?

It would be great if the switch can identify the IP address connected to the network port. It seems most of the switches cannot identify the IP address. They can identify the MAC address but not the IP address.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for almost one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is pretty stable. We had only one issue related to the cooling fan, and they had to call the hardware back. We had to switch the hardware to fix the issue, and it took a while. That was the only issue we had.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In our company, we have about 400 users, but on this site, we have only 150 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

We didn't need any kind of support, but I think the support is good.

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

We were using a Cisco switch. We switched to Meraki because of the monitoring capabilities. Meraki is on the cloud, so it is easier to monitor. It is also easier to check the status of the switch, which is a good thing for a network administrator.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is really easy because everything is on the web. Most of the stuff has been implemented on the cloud. Once you receive the switch, you just connect to the cloud. There is no installation as such.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others. This is a good product from my standpoint. We plan to continue using this solution.

I would rate Meraki MS Switches a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Graduate Trainee at HNE
Real User
Top 10
Easy to deploy, stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "Easy access to the solution is the most valuable feature."
  • "The price of the solution has room for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is a cloud-based switch that we use for our networks.

What is most valuable?

Easy access to the solution is the most valuable feature.

What needs improvement?

The price of the solution has room for improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for three months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I give the stability a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is highly scalable.

We have around 1,000 people accessing the solution per day.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. We only had to prepare the template early to deploy.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation is completed in-house.

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

We have an annual subscription for licensing and it is expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution a nine out of ten.

Meraki MS Switches makes work easier and I recommend the solution.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Meraki MS Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Meraki MS Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.