Cisco systems are more for in-house and basic LAN infrastructure and less for access point systems.
Advisor at Flex Office 365
Good device availability, ease of purchase, and supplier stock availability but feels a bit outdated sometimes, less modern
Pros and Cons
- "It's robust, and we like the device availability, ease of purchase, and supplier stock availability."
- "I would rate my experience with the initial setup a four out of ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy. It is more difficult."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
It's robust, and we like the device availability, ease of purchase, and supplier stock availability. However, the downside is poor technical support.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement in the technical support.
In future releases, we would like to see less subscription costs.
So, we would like to see more cloud-based features and fewer subscriptions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this product for four years now. We work with the latest version.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Meraki Systems Manager (MDM+EMM)
June 2026
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Meraki Systems Manager (MDM+EMM). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2026.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability a seven out of ten. We have medium-sized businesses as our clients.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
There is room for improvement in the support. Mostly, the technical expertise and availability were lacking.
How was the initial setup?
I would rate my experience with the initial setup a four out of ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy. It is more difficult.
It is mostly deployed on-premises. The deployment can take from a few hours to days.
What was our ROI?
The ROI is visible, but Aruba scores higher on ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My clients find it a bit expensive compared to other systems.
What other advice do I have?
It feels a bit outdated sometimes, less modern. So, overall, I would rate it a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Team Lead at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Offers visibility and support in hybrid setting
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features include remote inventory analysis, security features like geofencing, and software distribution."
- "The tool's pricing needs to be more flexible like Cisco's."
What is our primary use case?
We use the product to provide visibility and support in a hybrid setup. It also helps to enforce new policies.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features include remote inventory analysis, security features like geofencing, and software distribution.
What needs improvement?
The tool's pricing needs to be more flexible like Cisco's.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Meraki Systems Manager (MDM+EMM) for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution's stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The tool is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The tool's deployment is simple.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Meraki Systems Manager (MDM+EMM)
June 2026
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Meraki Systems Manager (MDM+EMM). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2026.
900,644 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Founding Partner at Innovadvice
Complete solution for managing and deploying remote sites and networks
Pros and Cons
- "The proprietary standards and modules are the most valuable features."
- "In my opinion, the equipment availabilities and competitive pricings could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
It requires a higher expenditure compared to other solutions, but it's a complete solution. It works well, has a great interface, and the support is very expensive, but it's good.
How has it helped my organization?
It helps us deploy and manage remote sites, as well as maintain security on remote networks.
What is most valuable?
The proprietary standards and modules are the most valuable features. The integrator solution in a single product is quite valuable.
What needs improvement?
In my opinion, the equipment availabilities and competitive pricings could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for around a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of this solution a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Customer service and support are really expensive. Else, it is good. The price could be improved.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was quite complex.
What was our ROI?
There was an ROI.
What other advice do I have?
I would suggest not judging the price and the capital expense and seeing the long-term features.
Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
System Engineer at a comms service provider with 201-500 employees
An easy to learn UI with a well-integrated dashboard
Pros and Cons
- "The UI is easy to learn."
- "The profile settings are valuable features; it is a good solution, good for daily use, and the UI is easy to learn, and the documentation and YouTube channel help us finish most of our engine work."
- "The maintenance is average."
What is our primary use case?
We use it to create a demo for the iPad solution, control endpoint devices, and limit access to the application.
What is most valuable?
The profile settings are valuable features. It is a good solution, good for daily use. The UI is easy to learn, and the documentation and YouTube channel help us finish most of our engine work.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for one year, and we are using the latest version. It is cloud-based.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good because we have just ten staff and can scale it. The maintenance is average.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have not used other solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward, and the deployment was completed in-house. The deployment took a few weeks.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have a standard license, but I do not have details about the cost.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution an eight out of ten. I would recommend this solution because its integrated dashboard is good. In the next release, I suggest integrating a synchronization with the AD account to the device owner.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Enterprise Solutions Architect at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
The deployment is quick and easy, and it's simple to scale
Pros and Cons
- "The most significant benefit is that the deployment is quick and painless; you don't need a specialized IT department to implement and scale the network, and it's easy to maintain, too, requiring only one or two network administrators."
- "The price could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We use Systems Manager for inventory and centralized management of multiple devices.
What needs improvement?
Cisco could add SOC services.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Systems Manager is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I think Systems Manager is one of the most scalable products.
How are customer service and support?
Cisco support is outstanding. They are one of the best.
How was the initial setup?
The most significant benefit is that the deployment is quick and painless. You don't need a specialized IT department to implement and scale the network. It's easy to maintain, too. It only requires one or two network administrators.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price could be better.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Systems Manger MDMEMM eight out of 10. It's a highly scalable solution that's easy to use and deploy.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. PArtner
Technical Consultant at American Express Global Business Travel
Good response time but compatibility with Chrome could be improved
Pros and Cons
- "Initial setup was easy."
- "The features I've found most valuable are the response time and that you can create multiple systems."
- "I would like the system's compatibility with Google Chrome to be improved."
What is most valuable?
The features I've found most valuable are the response time and that you can create multiple systems.
What needs improvement?
I would like the system's compatibility with Google Chrome to be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this solution for a few months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My impression is that this product is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This product is reasonably priced.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution as seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
A stable and scalable solution that allows you to pre-configure the devices before you get them into the company
Pros and Cons
- "I have found the location analytics feature that is built into the APs to be the most valuable. It allows you to compare data and to single out individuals who are repeatedly coming into your store. We can observe different trends. This is what separates it from a lot of the other solutions."
- "If you want something that's going to work and scale very well, and allow you to pre-configure the devices before you get them into the company, then Cisco Meraki Systems Manager (MDMEMM) is a great option."
- "The cost of installing this solution can be more expensive depending on who is doing the installation. Cisco is very expensive, and I'd like to see a reduction in cost."
What is our primary use case?
We use location analytics to display real-time location statistics to improve customer engagement and loyalty across all the sites. It's built into the Cisco Meraki APs at no additional cost. That's one of the things that a lot of clients like.
The data is collected by the APs, and it syncs to the Cisco Meraki cloud. This is automatically reported to the dashboard and reveals visitor traffic, trends, dwell time, news, and also repeat visitor loyalty. A lot of stores use it for this particular reason: they can gather information from repeat visitors. They can also locate single repeat visitors.
How has it helped my organization?
The Systems Manager provides over-the-air centralized management, diagnostics, and monitoring for mobile devices. It's managed by the organizations. If someone else needs to manage it, he/she can do it through Meraki cloud. However, it's usually managed by the organization itself with the use of its own protocol. It can be done on iPads, Androids, Macs, and PCs. The Systems Manager monitors each of your organization's devices, and it shows useful metrics like client hardware/software information, recent location, etc. that binds into your analytics and even lets administrators remotely lock and erase the devices.
It protects devices and their data, and it will also control usage with a passcode policy. Every device will have a passcode policy. This restricts employee access to, for example, app stores, gaming, and so on during work hours.
What is most valuable?
I have found the location analytics feature that is built into the APs to be the most valuable. It allows you to compare data and to single out individuals who are repeatedly coming into your store. We can observe different trends. This is what separates it from a lot of the other solutions.
You can have a passcode policy to restrict access and can enable device restrictions and stop people from being able to use cameras. You can allow screen capture, automatic sync when roaming, and the use of a virtual assistant, or you can actually shut all these things down as well.
What needs improvement?
The cost of installing this solution can be more expensive depending on who is doing the installation. Cisco is very expensive, and I'd like to see a reduction in cost.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Cisco Meraki Systems Manager (MDM+EMM) for several years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I think it is a very stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution scales extremely well.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support has been prompt and very good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward because they'll send you a license first, along with a username, and you get to create your password. You can go into the user dashboard before you ever get the Meraki devices sent to you and start to configure them. Everything can be configured within the dashboard itself. Once your system arrives and you're attached to the network, it will automatically report to the dashboard. The dashboard, in turn, will push out all the configurations to the devices. Everything can be pre-configured.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The setup cost can be expensive depending on who is doing the installation. Licensing can be done on a monthly basis. A lot of clients prefer to use the cloud-based option.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten, I would rate this solution at ten.
If you want something that's going to work and scale very well, and allow you to pre-configure the devices before you get them into the company, then Cisco Meraki Systems Manager (MDMEMM) is a great option.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
IT Manager at a construction company with 201-500 employees
Stable and great for iOS but lacks functionality with Windows devices
Pros and Cons
- "The stability of the solution is very good. It's reliable. We don't have crashes or experience freezing. There aren't bugs or glitches."
- "The ability to push out applications is a great aspect of the solution."
- "We've really only experimented with their iOS client. This is due to the fact that their Windows client has a lot to be desired. We first tried experimenting with the Windows one but very quickly determined that it wasn't going to cut it for most Windows cases. The Windows portion of this product needs improvement. I'd say that it's not really viable."
- "Personally, we don't plan to continue to use it going forward. While the Apple side of the solution is great, the Windows side just has a lot of problems."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for iPhone management.
What is most valuable?
The ability to push out applications is a great aspect of the solution.
We can create a tag of a phone and we can create a package of applications, and then we can tag the device and say, "This device must have these applications." The solution ensures that the device gets those applications.
We also like that it allows us to get applications without setting up iCloud accounts. For some of our employees, the extra steps to have "yet another account" are simply not needed, when all they want the is the app store (and not all of the other iCloud functionality).
For example, a delivery driver - we want him to have Google Maps, Outlook, Chrome, and a Time Clock app. We can push these apps out through Meraki MDM without having to set him up with an iCloud account.
What needs improvement?
We've used the iOS client. The Windows client has a lot to be desired to be a full management tool.
We first tried the Windows client, but quickly determined that it wasn't going to cut it for most Windows cases. The Windows portion of this product needs improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using this solution for a few years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is very good. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I'm not sure how the solution scales. In our experience, we've only put it on twenty devices.
How are customer service and technical support?
We've never contacted technical support for Systems Manager
How was the initial setup?
Deployment took a few hours, initially. However, the total time to fully understand it and get into the weeds with the way it works will take a lot longer since there's so much to it. It took us a few months of testing it out here and there to get comfortable to roll it out. Bear in mind, we didn't have a deadline, and this was being done as a side project.
What about the implementation team?
in house.
What was our ROI?
Error can't divide by $0.00
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We're using a free version of the solution. But if we exceed the limit the pricing was in line with other MDM solutions.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No, we had a free license to one hundred seats of Systems Manager from our Meraki firewalls. We have since looked at Jamf and Microsoft Intune.
What other advice do I have?
There's a lot of options in the configuration and the setup. Make a test device and a test group and make sure you fully understand what is going on before you roll it out. For example, one setting lets you deny use of Safari, which sounds good till the user clicks a link in an email and it won't open. *Unless you use Microsoft Outlook which allows you to pick the app that links open in.
Setting up VPP and DEP takes a little bit of effort, but these will be required no matter the MDM solution you choose. The Apple device enrollment program allows devices bought from the carrier you are registered with to show up in the account.
On the Apple side, the VPP allows you to bulk buy apps, that's the same, regardless of which MDM solution you use.
Personally, we don't plan to continue to use it going forward. While the Apple side of the solution is great, the Windows side just has a lot of problems.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Manager at Utmost
No downtime, no breakdowns, all the user readings are exact, and it gives us quick analysis so we can apply security measures
Pros and Cons
- "We experience no downtime, no breakdowns, all the user readings are exact, and it gives us quick analysis so we can apply security measures."
- "Cisco Meraki Systems Manager is very good in terms of performance, as it can handle the traffic in the network of our 300-400 user base and manage all the users without downtime, and its exceptional performance is allowing us to implement other solutions to service customers better."
- "Because Cisco has improved a lot and is competing with other technologies that are innovative and brand new to the market, the only improvements they have to make are to keep up with the current competition and remain competitive with other solutions."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use for the product is as an enterprise mobility management solution to give access to users that are connecting to the network on wired and wireless devices.
How has it helped my organization?
Cisco Meraki Systems Manager is very good in terms of performance. It can handle the traffic in the network of our 300-400 user base and it can manage all the users without downtime. Its exceptional performance is allowing us to implement other solutions to service customers better.
What is most valuable?
Because Cisco products are reliable and user-friendly, we can implement any kind of setup. For example, we can set up for a geographical location. We can make it so users find it easy to access the network securely when they are in and outside the office. We experience no downtime, no breakdowns, all the user readings are exact, and it gives us quick analysis so we can apply security measures.
What needs improvement?
Because Cisco has improved a lot and is competing with other technologies that are innovative and brand new to the market, the only improvements they have to make are to keep up with the current competition and remain competitive with other solutions.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Cisco Meraki Systems Manager for about six months
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
My impression is that the solution is 98% stable. I really like the devices and I am happy to have the devices in my organization.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the solution ranks at about 9.5 of 10. It is flexible and scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
While pro support is available, we have not used any kind of support so far. We do the maintenance on our own. But the technical support is 100% available and they maintain certain criteria. Every three to six months they come for a review of performance and they inspect the devices every three months. We meet with them even if we do not request support and they inform us of new devices and improvements coming into the market. If there is anything you need from them, they are very good and reliable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used a GitLab runner because of the GUID (Global Unique Identifier), but the Cisco Meraki also had the GUID feature which makes it really easy to implement. Without GUID you had to learn so many devices. So GUID is very good, the Cisco console is very good, the interface is extremely good and this made it very easy to implement. You don't have to extract the logs manually, so that simplifies log-analysis.
How was the initial setup?
I had experience with Cisco devices previously so the initial setup was easy. Deployment is never complicated unless you complicate your design or implement other design management. If your planning is really good before implementation, the deployment will go well. I enjoyed using it and implementing it.
What about the implementation team?
The integration was taken care of by us. We only had the devices. The implementation was our first attempt and it took only a few days.
What was our ROI?
Our return on investment is reliability, flexibility and the ability to serve our customers without downtime.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Infrastucture Manager at a transportation company with 501-1,000 employees
The ease of use and setup are most valuable to us. We have come across issues where it doesn't seem to be able to establish some VPN tunnels with other devices.
Pros and Cons
- "We use this solution for MDM."
- "It's a very easy solution for the most part, it's very easy to implement and very easy to administer."
- "It's extremely competitive and very good for a product in this sphere."
- "It doesn't seem to be able to establish some VPN tunnels with other devices in a particular way that such as an ASA can do for us."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for MDM (Mobile Device Management), as a firewall and using it for their switches and access points.
What is most valuable?
Generally speaking, the ease of use and setup are most valuable to us. We have come across issues where it doesn't seem to be able to establish some VPN tunnels with other devices in a particular way that such as an ASA can do for us. But other than that, I mean, as far as the switching setup, it's extremely easy. The access point is even easier. The firewall and the basic setup for the firewall; having the auto VPN connections, site-to-site VPN connections, come up is a very nice feature.
What needs improvement?
The one particular issue that we had is that one of our sites had a very specific VPN site-to-site setup for access into a a particular client. We could see what was coming out of the firewall, and for some reason, the client firewall was not responding in the way that we were expecting, and we were unable to get client's firewall team on the line in time for us to get it all straightened out, so we had to fall back to the ASA that was in place.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Yes, this is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have this product in a total of six of our sites. I could easily configure everything from one location, despite the various global site locations.
How are customer service and technical support?
Most of the time, we do not use technical support. We do not need them, but when we do need them, they are available and will work with us for whatever length of time it takes to try and solve the problem.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's extremely competitive and very good for a product in this sphere. It's excellent, actually, for the products and what they can handle.
What other advice do I have?
Generally speaking, if it's just a mesh network within your own environment, which could be done at a fairly low knowledge level. It's when you're dealing with the external partners and stuff like that that you'll either have to really know what you're talking about to try and troubleshoot. It's a very easy solution for the most part, it's very easy to implement and very easy to administer.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Updated: June 2026
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