2019-10-16T06:52:00Z

What advice do you have for others considering Meraki MS Switches?

Miriam Tover - PeerSpot reviewer
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PeerSpot user
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60 Answers

MP
Real User
Top 20
2024-02-08T14:32:00Z
Feb 8, 2024

The analytics and dashboard functionalities of Meraki have greatly enhanced my network monitoring. While I primarily use it to monitor basic parameters like bandwidth and connectivity, it allows me to quickly spot potential issues and react promptly, despite overseeing a wide area. In high-density environments, my experience with Meraki MS switches has been positive. They handle multiple wireless networks cohesively, including those for office and public use, without issues. Overall, I would rate Meraki MS Switches as a nine out of ten.

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SB
Consultant
Top 20
2023-10-24T07:43:58Z
Oct 24, 2023

The suitability of Meraki switches depends on the specific needs of customers, especially in industries like hospitality and healthcare where multiple units are involved. It requires a bit more effort to familiarize customers with its offerings. Overall, I would rate it eight out of ten.

AmayPatil - PeerSpot reviewer
Real User
Top 20
2023-07-20T08:07:55Z
Jul 20, 2023

It is one of the best products. It has a very good dashboard and a straightforward configuration. Although, it is not compliant with the requirements of specific industries that want to set it up within a particular region or country. In such cases, we provide them with on-premise solutions. I recommend it to others and rate it a seven out of ten.

Prasanth Kailasam - PeerSpot reviewer
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
2023-04-18T09:20:27Z
Apr 18, 2023

If it's a single-location kind of environment, definitely, you have got other options to look at. But if you have a multi-site kind of environment and you need all inherent functionalities starting off from the basic networking, going on to security, and going on to your SD-WAN and other functionalities to be part of the same solution, then it's the right solution that you can look at because it has all these as part of the inherent OS itself. And the biggest benefit that you get is that it is manageable. It's a cloud-based offering, and you can very well manage the entire setup without even being at the site, provided that the environment is on the network. Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Christophe ANDRIEU - PeerSpot reviewer
Real User
Top 20
2023-02-16T16:30:00Z
Feb 16, 2023

I give it an eight out of ten.

SS
Reseller
Top 10
2023-02-13T20:27:55Z
Feb 13, 2023

My company is both a reseller and user of Cisco Meraki solutions, including Meraki MS Switches. I work on different models of Meraki MS Switches. My company has multiple clients using Meraki MS Switches. I recommend the product to others for cloud-based management. You can manage everything from the cloud. My rating for Meraki MS Switches is nine out of ten.

Learn what your peers think about Meraki MS Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
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ES
Real User
Top 20
2022-11-22T22:33:00Z
Nov 22, 2022

We're just customers and end-users, not partners or resellers. I'm not sure which version of the solution we're using. I would suggest new users get a really good understanding of the network requirements before implementation. I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

SA
Real User
Top 10
2022-11-04T12:34:56Z
Nov 4, 2022

The maintenance of the not difficult. However, when we order some cards, it's difficult to have them when we want because the hardware supply time is long. My advice to others is for them to get prepared before starting the adventure with Meraki MS Switches because they are different and the logic behind them I different than what someone would typically use. I rate Meraki MS Switches a nine out of ten.

Amr Moustafa - PeerSpot reviewer
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
2022-09-30T15:28:00Z
Sep 30, 2022

Meraki MS Switches are more stable and reliable than Catalyst switches. They are an easy product to configure. You need to know the network essentials and what are the IPs. A professional engineer is not required to install them. I would rate them an eight out of ten.

CT
Real User
Top 20
2022-09-21T16:23:35Z
Sep 21, 2022

My advice to those looking at implementing the product would be to understand how to get into the console before implementing the switches because, in a secure environment, they may not be able to call back initially without a little bit of configuration. However, if you have broadband with DHCP, it's simple to get the initial configuration downloaded. I would rate this solution as an eight out of ten. If they had a little bit more advanced features, I'd raise them up, but they're real good.

Samir Shah - PeerSpot reviewer
Real User
Top 5
2022-09-09T14:55:09Z
Sep 9, 2022

We're resellers. We've been dealing with the 300 and 390 series. I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

Dan Brunnquell - PeerSpot reviewer
Real User
Top 5
2022-08-29T21:07:53Z
Aug 29, 2022

Visibility is part of the Meraki mindset or the culture. You manage your infrastructure from a single portal. I have visibility into what's going on from a single portal, and I can manage and update and maintain it from that single portal. I don't have to have multiple solutions. I don't have to log into the switches. Everything's managed from that single portal. It's great. I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

MA
Real User
Top 5
2022-08-29T14:11:37Z
Aug 29, 2022

I rate Meraki MS Switches a nine out of ten.

Joseph Sidhom - PeerSpot reviewer
Real User
Top 10
2022-08-04T12:26:46Z
Aug 4, 2022

Some companies in Egypt are not allowed to use cloud-based services, so the use of this type of product has not been popular. I would rate this solution a six out of ten.

Kieran Bailey - PeerSpot reviewer
Real User
Top 10
2022-07-21T09:07:13Z
Jul 21, 2022

I rate Meraki MS switches nine out of 10. I would absolutely recommend it to other people.

AkshayPrakashan - PeerSpot reviewer
Reseller
Top 10
2022-06-29T15:23:48Z
Jun 29, 2022

My advice to others is to create a proper dashboard and configuration. I rate Meraki MS Switches a nine out of ten.

SF
Real User
Top 20
2022-06-21T06:01:23Z
Jun 21, 2022

I would rate Meraki MS Switches an eight out of ten.

DN
Consultant
Top 20
2022-05-15T16:53:45Z
May 15, 2022

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten. We are quite satisfied with the solution genera.

Jóhann G. Thorarensen - PeerSpot reviewer
Real User
Top 20
2022-02-08T15:51:31Z
Feb 8, 2022

We ended up with Meraki Wireless, so we never got to use Fortinet, but we are happy with what we have. As of last summer, the state has taken charge of security issues, so we just follow them. We set up a new firewall three years ago, and we went with Cisco Meraki firewall. We used to have Cisco and after having looked at various options, we decided on Meraki. The head of school made that decision, because he was advised that even though Meraki's a bit pricey, it's still secure and offers a high level of accessibility to us who are looking after the system, and making sure that everything's working fine. That has turned out to be rather true, because Cisco Meraki firewall has the level of security we are looking for, with the accessibility to implement all the changes we needed to do, and the access to the end points as we needed them. Since we have a Meraki firewall, it goes through the Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN, and the rest of the school really just has switches that will be replaced with Meraki MS Switches as time goes by. I'm unsure about what version of Meraki MS Switches we're using, but it could be the most up-to-date version. It's deployed in the Cloud, so we access the website and control everything through there. The hardware is in the building, but there isn't any specific need to access the hardware, except for the old Cisco switches that we still have which need to be accessed locally. Once we've replaced all the old switches with Meraki MS Switches, which will take us a few years, then we should be able to access everything through the cloud. The deployment of this product took less than a day, particularly a few hours. The head of our IT team helped set it up, and it was plug and play. We plugged it in, set up the ports, and made sure that everything was working. The product worked fine. There were a few issues to begin with, but those had to do with conflicts between Cisco switches and Meraki switches, because even if they were from the same company, they were still different sets of products. That was really the only thing that took a little time to figure out. We have 850 users of Meraki MS Switches in our school. We only have two people for its deployment and maintenance. I'm the one who handles it full time, and when I run into problems, I talk to the other guy, then he jumps in. That's all we need to maintain this product. It's being used everyday, e.g. we open up at 8 a.m. and we close at 4 p.m. We use these switches constantly, throughout the whole day. I also use this product when I'm working from home, as I'm also connected to the Meraki system. We didn't have the need to contact technical support for Meraki MS Switches, so I can't evaluate their support. My advice to people thinking about implementing this product is to look at the price tag, because in the end, the price will always be a big factor, especially when you have a system, then you buy the hardware, then you need to pay the license for each product annually, as the costs will mount up the more machinery you add in. I would also tell them the same thing I always advise people when they're buying a computer, and that is to ask themselves what they need. Do you need a secure system, but is not very stable? This is highly unlikely, in my opinion. Do you need a stable system that is very accessible, both inside and outside of a school or a building? What is it you need? I would tell them from that point, look at accessibility, reliability, stability, security, and look at all the systems that are available. There are at least four or five big names all around. Have a look at them all, and don't just jump on the first one. We all have our preferences, so just keep an open mind, have a look at the different options. For example, I commented about Fortinet this one time, that I like that system, and I think it's a very interesting system, but we decided on Meraki MS Switches and I'm happy with this product. There's a return on investment because this product is worth it. It's so accessible, stable, and secure, and because it's so accessible, it's quicker for us to find solutions. Meraki MS Switches make things run more smoothly, making these switches almost priceless. I'm rating Meraki MS Switches a nine, because I'm very happy with them, but I'm very skeptical about giving a ten out of ten. Nothing is perfect.

GM
Real User
2021-12-22T07:43:00Z
Dec 22, 2021

I rate Meraki MS Switches an eight out of ten.

JM
Real User
2021-09-22T15:55:00Z
Sep 22, 2021

I would rate it an 8.5 out of 10.

AI
Real User
2021-08-26T17:35:59Z
Aug 26, 2021

I haven't experienced any problems with this solution. If I had, I would have switched to another vendor, and I wouldn't use it at home. I use it at work and at home and I don't have any issues. I would rate Meraki MS Switches a ten out of ten.

TS
Real User
2021-08-06T21:01:21Z
Aug 6, 2021

If you're looking for cloud switches, I would definitely recommend including them in your evaluation because they're really good. I would rate Meraki MS Switches a nine out of 10.

NA
MSP
2021-07-01T22:26:21Z
Jul 1, 2021

If you're looking for a solution that is easy and quick to roll out, you can go for these switches. If you want to deploy them without having somebody on-site, you can hire somebody very inexpensively to plug these up and configure them remotely or do advanced configuration beforehand. For deployments of a changing environment, these are the best switches I've ever used. I would rate Meraki MS Switches a nine out of 10. There is something that could be better, but I don't have a lot of performance needs that drive that situation.

LK
Real User
2021-05-08T17:39:47Z
May 8, 2021

I rate this solution a 10 out of 10.

Dhanushka Chaitanya - PeerSpot reviewer
Real User
Top 5
2021-04-16T17:32:26Z
Apr 16, 2021

It's more suitable for medium-sized companies. On a scale from one to ten, I would give Meraki MS Switches a nine.

PW
Real User
2021-04-15T17:56:47Z
Apr 15, 2021

A lot of customers deploy it during LAN refresh. When Meraki came out, they were the best cloud-based access point. Everything was centrally managed through the central dashboard. It was a cloud-based wireless LAN controller. Then they started to infiltrate into the LAN switching arena. So basically, everyone wants a single pane to administer their network, and that's what you can get with Meraki. It is a single pane incorporating everything from switches to access points to even routers, which are MX SD-WAN. I would recommend this solution if security is not paramount. If you're a secure industry or a technology company where you want a bit more security, it is probably not suitable for you. It is suitable if you're in retail or manufacturing where security isn't paramount. I would rate Meraki MS Switches an eight out of ten because they're really easy to configure.

Anoop-Kumar - PeerSpot reviewer
Real User
2021-04-13T06:57:21Z
Apr 13, 2021

I would recommend Meraki MS Switches. I like Cisco Meraki Switches, and I have friends who've been using them. They're a couple of system integrators who only use Meraki. On a scale from one to ten, I would give Meraki MS Switches a seven.

MY
Reseller
Top 20
2021-04-03T14:46:59Z
Apr 3, 2021

We are a Cisco partner. We primarily use the solution in our client companies. We don't use the solution ourselves. I'd recommend this solution to smaller companies and enterprises. For larger-scale organizations, such as campuses, Cisco Catalyst may be better. Overall, I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten.

IanMacfarlane - PeerSpot reviewer
Reseller
Top 10
2021-03-18T06:06:49Z
Mar 18, 2021

I wouldn't try and manage any piece of Cisco equipment by itself. You wouldn't want to just buy a Meraki Switch. You wouldn't be able to access it the same way as your firewall. It is only when you start off with an MS cloud appliance, you can add on the Meraki stuff. I would rate Meraki MS Switches a nine out of ten. They are a good rig.

MR
Real User
2021-02-26T23:12:30Z
Feb 26, 2021

My advice is that this product may work well for a smaller shop, where they do not have many devices to pay maintenance fees for. I have 15 or 16 locations and combined, these have many switches and access points. For example, I have more than 45 devices in total, and paying $100 for each, annually, surpasses the amount of my initial investment. This is the reason that I am changing to another product. In summary, this is a good switch but I just don't like the ongoing cost. I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

SM
Real User
2021-02-22T21:09:13Z
Feb 22, 2021

Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give Meraki MS Switches a rating of nine. The only drawback is the cost — that's what kills them. I am not paying for the equipment; someone else is paying for it. Someone has to be willing to pay the premium for that and they have to see the value. I'm not a salesman, but if I want to go with Cisco, I have to show the client that if they buy Cisco Meraki versus Ubiquiti, they're going to do better.

RS
Real User
2021-02-12T11:48:52Z
Feb 12, 2021

Switches are switches, they do what they say they do on the box. I do recommend this solution If you are looking for something easy, and do not mind having to renew your license or else you will not be able to manage it anymore. Then this solution could be a good fit. Cisco Classic 2900 Series and the likes, they just keep on going. Unless you really need support, that is extra, but at least functionality will not expire with the license. I rate Meraki MS Switches an eight out of ten.

DP
Real User
2021-02-01T13:14:46Z
Feb 1, 2021

This is a product that I recommend for others. I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

SV
Real User
2021-01-15T12:28:52Z
Jan 15, 2021

I recommend this product because everything is in the cloud. I would rate Meraki MS Switch a nine out of ten.

SC
Real User
2020-11-18T23:11:23Z
Nov 18, 2020

I would rate this solution a 10 out of 10.

WM
Reseller
2020-11-11T07:09:57Z
Nov 11, 2020

I would recommend this solution. It is easy to deploy. You can put it in a box or have it shipped to a client's remote location. Even if they don't know anything, you can talk to them and set it up easily. I would rate Meraki MS Switches a nine out of ten. I am very happy with all Meraki products that I use.

JH
Real User
2020-11-06T11:27:21Z
Nov 6, 2020

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.

SM
Real User
2020-11-04T18:17:26Z
Nov 4, 2020

My advice for anybody who is implementing this product is to do your research to make sure that it's exactly what you need. These are powerful switches and they can do a lot. They probably do more than most people might need so just make sure that it's the right switch for you. To me, this is a product that meets all of the needs that anyone could possibly have for a networking device. I mentioned the issue with the licensing, although all of the manufacturers are now going with that licensing model. I think that I have that problem with anybody, at this point. I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.

PP
Reseller
Top 5Leaderboard
2020-10-21T14:52:00Z
Oct 21, 2020

Meraki offers some free equipment if you participate in their webinars. You can get a free security appliance, switch, and AP after watching three webinars and try them out for yourself. The free equipment comes with a 3-year license. Obviously, it will be their lowest end equipment but it still gives you the Meraki dashboard experience.

EB
Real User
2020-10-06T06:57:44Z
Oct 6, 2020

It's an expensive solution in some environments but I would recommend it. I would rate this solution a nine out of 10.

MB
Real User
2020-09-27T04:10:13Z
Sep 27, 2020

Overall, this is a good product and I am actively promoting it. I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

JG
Real User
2020-09-17T08:05:54Z
Sep 17, 2020

It's well worth the time and effort to get the solution going and use it in the future. I would rate this product a nine out of 10.

AL
Real User
Top 10
2020-09-15T11:13:36Z
Sep 15, 2020

For cloud usage, I recommend this product. I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

MB
Real User
2020-09-03T07:49:41Z
Sep 3, 2020

In summary, this is a good product except that the technical support and alerting need to be improved. As it is now with the alerting, I get messages from the firewall before I am alerted by the Meraki hardware. It makes it more difficult to troubleshoot. I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Matt Baldwin - PeerSpot reviewer
Reseller
2020-08-03T06:11:07Z
Aug 3, 2020

We are a Cisco partner. Our previous solutions were all Cisco-based, however, we were just using the traditional Cisco 2900 Series Switches. We still have a lot of those in production. As far as switches go, it's a good product. As long as it makes a good fit for the customer, the only advice is to not let the maturity of the product dictate the need to implement. There are a lot of solutions out there now that are a little bit cheaper, and that might meet a company's desired price point. Many other products also provide the same level of functionality. Don't just buy it because of the name. I'd rate the solution eight out of ten overall.

TM
Real User
2020-07-23T07:58:39Z
Jul 23, 2020

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.

Sriman L - PeerSpot reviewer
Real User
Top 5
2020-07-06T08:10:00Z
Jul 6, 2020

I recommend Meraki MS Switches. If the user wants more flexibility in terms of configuration and manageability, I would definitely recommend implementing it. On a scale of one to ten I would rate Meraki MS Switches a nine.

Antra Andrianarivo - PeerSpot reviewer
Real User
2020-06-25T10:49:14Z
Jun 25, 2020

We're an integrator. We tend to test things before we send them to our customers. We are a very small company, we are constantly looking for competitive pricing, as we don't have big budgets to throw around. The solution is very good. From using the software to deployment, Meraki is good. Even enterprises would benefit from using the solution. Although we typically deal with smaller companies, I'd pick Meraki every time. I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. I would rate it higher, however, we have unique needs for the VPN, and require complex software features

EL
Reseller
2019-11-18T07:22:00Z
Nov 18, 2019

In terms of advice, I'd tell others to make sure they take a screenshot of their configuration if they don't have a good backup for the platform. I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

RE
Real User
2019-11-13T05:29:00Z
Nov 13, 2019

We use the on-premises deployment model. My advice to others would be that they have good knowledge of Cisco products before attempting to implement the solution. This is most important for successful deployment. I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. I'd rate it higher if it offered better scalability and more competitive pricing.

SP
Real User
2019-10-31T06:27:00Z
Oct 31, 2019

This is a solution that can be considered for starting a small environment, to a large environment because it is easy to scale and it gives them the inbuilt visibility that comes with the solution. There is also the ease of integration and migration from the unfinished to the defined environment. I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

SV
Real User
2019-10-29T09:45:00Z
Oct 29, 2019

My advice to others would be to try the solution. Most of the features are cloud-based so it's easy to manage it from anywhere - even from your mobile. I rate the solution an eight out of ten. There are still some developments that need to be done. It's not perfect. But from a personal perspective, I can say that they are a good eight. Additional features that I would like to see included in the next release of this solution, is if they could create different teams for different standards, some API integration solutions, and other different applications. It could be easier to use and easier to implement. Perhaps they can also add automation.

DS
MSP
2019-10-28T06:34:00Z
Oct 28, 2019

My experience with Meraki goes back to the MS-1 series. That's when I first took the original Meraki training course and got the CMNA (Certified Meraki Networking Associate) certification. We got to play on the newest series of switches around at that time. Those have already gone past their lifecycle. We participate in ongoing training now and continue to get a look at the latest versions of the Meraki switches and get to know early on what is happening in terms of new development. The product is now becoming more of a hybrid with Cisco and other vendor products rather than just purely focusing on Meraki as a stand-alone solution. If I have any advice for people considering the product, it is to jump on board and don't look back. If you're after a platform that is completely cloud compatible, a solution that will allow you to manage it from anywhere you need to be, then it's definitely a step in the right direction going forward. Meraki seems to cover most things. It takes away the need for CLI (Command-line Interface) which is obviously an aging technology that people were using a decade ago. Now it is a web-based interface and it is available on many different devices. You can now take management anywhere you go. How you push it out affects what you can do with it. Visibility and control are fantastic from Meraki. On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate Meraki switches as an eight out of ten. How good it serves a purpose depends on the use case. For different use cases and different scenarios, I'd give it a different rating. For example, if it is deployed for a data center, then I would rate Meraki very low because the product is not designed to be a data center switch. If I'm using it for total visibility in terms of applications and controls and what is happening on a network, then I rate it very high. For that, I'd give it as much as a 10. Its rating is all about the use case.

SA
Real User
2019-10-27T06:19:00Z
Oct 27, 2019

We use the MS 250 and 425 series. I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. Switches wise, I'm really happy with the product. It is more user-friendly than competitors and I can do everything myself. That's why I prefer it.

SM
Real User
2019-10-24T04:52:00Z
Oct 24, 2019

This is a solution that I definitely recommend but since it has limited information available on the web site, it is a bit difficult to configure the licensing. I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

MM
Real User
2019-10-22T04:42:00Z
Oct 22, 2019

We use the on-premises deployment model for small and medium-sized businesses. In terms of advice to others, I'd suggest they push very hard for a discount. Other solutions are working really well, so discussion about discounts in relation to approaching customer-based projects is a good idea. I'd rate it seven out of ten. I'd rate it higher, but the pricing isn't great. From a technical perspective, however, it meets all my needs.

RG
MSP
2019-10-22T04:42:00Z
Oct 22, 2019

Every customer has different environments and requirements, but it's a good product for most solutions. I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

AE
Real User
2019-10-16T06:52:00Z
Oct 16, 2019

My advice to other people who are looking into this solution is that if they need a fast, scalable and easy-to-manage solution, they can buy a Cisco Meraki product. They pay the price for the quality of the product and the ease of use. It is not the cheapest, but it is the best. Maybe the time you save in configuration and use over other products is worth the extra cost. On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate Meraki Cisco as a nine. It is not a ten because of the price and if you give ten of ten points there is no room for improvement. Everything can improve, even the best.

PG
MSP
2019-10-16T06:52:00Z
Oct 16, 2019

It is very important that people considering this solution have or can implement a very reliable internet connection. The product needs this to access the cloud. On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate this product as a six. It is just too limited to be rated any higher.

Meraki MS Switches are first-line cloud-managed access and aggregation switches that combine the benefits of cloud-based centralized management with a reliable access platform. With cloud management, thousands of switch ports can be configured and monitored instantly over the web. Meraki MS Switches Features Meraki MS Switches have many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include: True zero-touch configuration Integrated troubleshooting tools, logging, and alerting...
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