The setup is very easy. The solution is the best for setup in comparison to Aruba and Fortinet. This saves customers a lot of money on installations and deployments. 

I rate setup a ten out of ten. 

The difficulty level of the initial setup actually depends on the site. In most cases, the level of difficulty is not really an issue with Meraki. The issue is the local LAN where you are trying to integrate Meraki. For instance, there are some cases where we had to do some LAN cleanup before Meraki could be integrated. But when the LAN is in good, clean condition with a proper hierarchical work structure, within a matter of a maximum of 45 minutes or an hour, we are done. If the LAN is not structured, we can be on it for days.  

One time, we had to do a migration in Cameroon that was very difficult. We had to go back several times until we realized that their LAN was really in a bad shape and it was causing other issues that we did not anticipate. We agreed the best thing we could do was to revamp the LAN before we tried the migration again. It was not only a case of having to redesign the LAN. There were many VLANs that were also not configured properly. The whole site installation was just a kind of lopsided. We had to spend quite a bit of time to do a proper cleanup and create a proper hierarchical structure for the LAN before we could even attempt to integrate Meraki. Eventually, we were able to successfully integrate. Without these kinds of issues and where the LAN is well structured, within forty-five minutes we are out of the place.  

The setup is easy once you are used to it. Our first setup took a bit of time but now we process setups very efficiently. 

The setup time depends on the site, user load density, and network gateway policies. It could date one day to go through all the steps for a more complex setup because you need to create the policies, map them, and integrate the active directory with the policies. 

On a scale of one to ten, with ten being very easy to setup, I would rate my experience a ten —super easy. However, it's crucial to understand the quirks of Meraki. 

Someone new to Meraki might find it confusing because its simplicity can be misleading. They might expect complexity and get lost. But once you're familiar with Meraki's approach, setup becomes incredibly straightforward.

Our clients mainly use on-premises deployments. While some applications might be cloud-based, significant data centers are locally situated in Chile. Given our geographical location and the absence of native cloud services, except for a recent introduction by Google, reliance on local data centers is more practical. 

Latency becomes an issue when using major cloud services due to the distance from global cloud data centers. So, for our small to medium-sized business clientele in Chile, which differs in scale from what's considered small to medium in the U.S., local data center usage is the norm, and we rarely see hybrid setups.

My impression is that it was quite easy to set up this solution. Our model of deployment is hybrid.

When we were first looking to implement this solution, we were looking at pre-systems as we handle this one. Even though it was the priciest one, the day-to-day basis and the security were the best.

Meraki SD-WAN’s setup is straightforward because Cisco has control over everything. The solution is deployed in a cloud environment from the first day, which has been my experience since 2013 when using cloud-based solutions was not as prevalent as it is now.

I won't be able to speak about how many days it took to deploy the solution since I am not involved in its technical part.

To deploy Meraki SD-WAN, you need to connect your devices with the Cisco cloud environment, for which you need to give the gateway from your devices, and that message needs to be connected with the Cisco environment. Once connected, Cisco will provide you with the platform to manage your devices. Since they have admin rights, everything will be managed by Cisco.

Regarding the personnel involved in the deployment and maintenance of the solution, if we consider the operations part, which includes a VCP and a person for DRP, four people are involved, including a lead and a manager.

It is a cloud-based solution, so the initial setup is straightforward. Onboarding a customer can be done in a few weeks.

Initial setup is straightforward. For deployment and maintenance, I have three people that are capable of dealing with it and that is basically just to  make sure I've got cover within the team, but typically one person is administrating at any one time.

Everything is plug-and-play. If you're using all Meraki components, it is very easy to deploy.

The deployment duration is very short. There are not a lot of design concerns. There is not a lot of configuration. Everything can be done over the air from a network-based platform. So, it is very easy and very fast to deploy.

The solution is very simple to set up, and we don't need any static IPs from our ISPs. This simplifies things. 

I'd give the ease of setup a ten out of ten. 

It is very straightforward to set up. We have two firewalls connected to the device. We're using Meraki since we're a Meraki user, and it makes sense to start with what we have. Basically, we take it from there. We have all our sites on Meraki, so it's the basic starting point.

The initial setup is simple and common.

The solution is very easy to deploy.

How long it takes depends on the kind of site you are setting up. If I'm tiering the site, and have 20 users or 30 users and have a couple of links and the security postures are not very complex, maybe I can do the deployment in a week's time. 

I can do two or three cuts over a week if it is small. You can bifurcate. I don't have any ready-made answer as to how long it will take as every setup is different. 

We implemented, for example, Meraki in eight places in a banking environment. We implemented the MX series and we did approach the provisioning that has the solution to develop the implementation in many places. We implemented it in more than 2,000 places - wherever they have services.

We struggled a bit with the implementation, however, we did reach out to Cisco and they were able to help us get back on track.

The initial setup was pretty simple. We were able to do it in a day.

We did have an integrator to help while setting up.

Meraki SD-WAN had a straightforward setup.

The initial setup is straightforward. However, it depends on how you are setting it up. There are companies that do a very basic setup, and with a basic setup, anyone can do it. Even if you are not a technical person you can do this. It's very, very easy with zero-touch configuration. 

That said, when it comes to full functionality, in our case, we are completely using all of the features. We're doing integrations and using authentication and group policies and the advanced treatment events, and firewall rules, as well as traffic shipping rules. All of these are different. It's a bit more of a complex process.

We're working with a DNS Umbrella. When it comes to that much functionality, it is not easy, actually. It's not a basic thing. You need some experts to do the installation configuration.

While they've made it pretty user-friendly, they've also made it in such a way that handicaps IT staff. YOu always have to escalate issues to Cisco to get it sorted.

Once you get over the first implementation and move to configuration, it's pretty easy.

YOu only need one person to handle the deployment process.

The initial setup is very easy, you just need to configure the IP addresses, gateway, subnet mask, and DNS. Once it's connected to the internet, you have to claim the device on the dashboard, and then the dashboard will automatically show if it's online or not. Once it is online, you can configure the policies, as per your requirements, through the dashboard. The remaining part of the setup can be performed and configured on the dashboard.

It takes around 15 to 20 minutes to configure it. 

The initial setup is fairly straightforward. It's not overly complex. 

Deployment would take a week or two at a maximum. It depends on the customer's requirements. 

Meraki SD-WAN has an easy installation.

The wide-area network side of the setup was pretty straightforward. I picked up some little details here and there that I wasn't aware of. I had been playing with their equipment for probably a year and a half to two years before I implemented it here. But not for wide-area networking.  With some assistance from Cisco Meraki, as soon as I added appliances, literally within 15 minutes, the site is meshed into the WAN.

Now, since rebuilding the WAN with Cisco Meraki, I keep a cold standby in the closet. All I have to literally do is go to the portal, assign the license to it, and tell it that this is going to replace a defective unit at another site.  I plug that device in, within 15 minutes it will take over. So I'm no longer dependent on an outside resource to get our network up and running again.

That's what's important to me. Is there better equipment out there that can handle more bandwidth and maybe do more things? Yes, but I do not have the bandwidth and may be losing other benefits.

The initial setup is very simple.

It is easier to deploy Meraki when you compare it with FortiGate.

The initial setup is very, very straightforward. You set it and forget it. It’s probably easier than any other solution.

You probably don't have more than one or two people associated with maintenance. It would depend on the size of the environment. Obviously, for an enterprise customer like Starbucks, you’ve got to have hands-on people available. However, if you're just a local Chicago company like us, then I would say that it’s fine to have minimal people - usually admins - on maintenance.

The initial setup for the product was straightforward and we had no issues. Our deployment took approximately only about two hours.  

The setup time is excellent. The ease of setup is excellent. It's a set it and forget it solution. Once we created the mesh network, if we have to change an ISP, it doesn't mean we have to change an entire configuration. We just unplug it, plug the new one in, change the IPs and it works. Some SD-WAN providers give you a valid internet IP address as part of their solution, and others don't. A lot of the SD-WAN providers that provide internet access use Meraki devices as a black box. They just hand off one interface to the client-side and that's it.

The deployment time of Meraki SD-WAN can vary. For someone new to the process, it could take a couple of hours. However, for someone with hands-on experience, such as myself, it only takes approximately two to three hours to set up the entire configuration.

I rate the initial setup of Meraki SD-WAN a nine out of ten.

The initial setup is straightforward.

The initial setup is straightforward, everything is built-in, and it's plug-and-play.

It is pretty easy to set up with the caveat that it's not really SD-WAN.

Setting up Meraki SD-WAN isn't difficult, but it isn't simple. It was easy for me because I have worked with other SD-WAN solutions. 

Setup is easy and straightforward. Deploying the SD-WAN hardware needs to be done statically. Once you have found the IP address, it connects to the internet. That's the only thing where physical assistance is required. The rest can be managed via cloud.

If you're doing the deployment remotely, only one remote person and one technician is needed. If you are onsite, then one person can do the deployment.

The initial setup is straightforward; it's not that complex. How long it takes to deploy depends on the customer's requirements and how complex their infrastructure is.

The initial setup is straightforward. Just plug and play.

The initial setup is straightforward.

The initial setup is easy to configure.

The implementation of the solution is rather standard. It is not difficult.

The initial setup is quite simple.

We are a training company that provides training on Meraki. It's a matter of minutes to implement an SD-WAN router.

We have a team that is responsible for maintaining this solution.

It is easy to deploy the product. The configuration is easy. The deployment is easier compared to products.

This is a very straightforward deployment, especially compared to some of the other solutions that I have worked with.

The length of time required for deployment depends on the level of complexity and the environment. I've had some locations where it has taken three weeks, although two or three days is usually enough, once the design phase is concluded.

The solution is straightforward. As long as you can get all of the required information from the client, it's very easy. 

How long it takes to deploy depends on the requirements. It can vary. To configure it is easy, but in most cases, we don't get all the information from the customer which can hold things up a bit.

We have about 20 people for deployment and maintenance.

The initial setup is straightforward and easy.  The deployment could take anywhere from one day or longer depending on the integration that was necessary.

The feedback that I have received is that it's pretty easy to deploy.

The orchestrator is hosted by Cisco and the platform is hosted by Meraki.

The initial setup of this solution is easy. It is very intuitive when it comes to setups.

The deployment is very quick. We managed to roll out one hundred and sixty branches in a matter of a couple of months.

It is very simple.

The initial setup is simple.

The initial setup is pretty straightforward.

In the environment that we most recently set it up in, the deployment took perhaps half a day.

The initial setup is simple, except that we don't have a proper point of contact in India who can address our questions properly.

The initial setup was extremely straightforward. 

It only took us one day to deploy the solution.

The initial Meraki SD-WAN setup is straightforward. Implementing this solution for a client with some 20 branches would take a week or two. 

Two to five people are necessary for the deployment and maintenance of this solution. 

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. When you configure your devices, you have to assign your licenses. You have to say where your devices are located and assign licenses per product. For example, you have to specify switches, access points, firewalls, etc. Once your devices are online you can configure them in the dashboard, and you're off.

The initial setup is straightforward. Deployment times depend on the customer and the environment. If could be anywhere from two days to six months.

The initial setup was straightforward. In terms of how long it takes, it shouldn't take more than two days or three days.