Cisco Ethernet Switches and Meraki MS Switches compete in the network infrastructure category, with Cisco offering advanced security and reliability, while Meraki focuses on ease of use and cloud management. Meraki has the upper hand in deployment and remote management due to its simplified cloud-based solutions.
Features: Cisco Ethernet Switches provide power-saving design, secure management with MACSec encryption, and high reliability with StackPower for enhanced power availability. They support advanced remote management and multi-layer switching with Cisco DNA Assurance. Meraki MS Switches offer superior cloud management with a single dashboard for device management, zero-touch deployment, and robust monitoring and visibility tools.
Room for Improvement: Cisco Ethernet Switches have high initial costs and complex configurations that may deter smaller businesses; the licensing process is also costly and confusing. Meraki MS Switches, although user-friendly, depend on cloud licenses, increasing operational costs, and can face limitations in offline scenarios.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco's technical support is reliable with extensive documentation but requires experienced personnel for deployment. Meraki MS Switches excel in deployment simplicity, especially in hybrid and cloud environments, with a user-friendly dashboard. However, internet connectivity is essential for management, which is sometimes seen as a drawback.
Pricing and ROI: Cisco Ethernet Switches are perceived as high-cost with strong long-term ROI due to durability, though their complex licensing and extra support costs can be a deterrent. Meraki MS Switches are expensive but offer benefits for cloud management with their simplified licensing model, providing attractive ROI for businesses embracing cloud environments.
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:
Meraki MS Switches Benefits
There are many benefits to implementing Meraki MS Switches. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:
Reviews from Real Users
Meraki MS Switches is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are its accessibility, application visibility, and flexibility features.
Jóhann T., IT Manager at Sund Upper Secondary School, says, “Accessibility is what I find most valuable in Meraki MS Switches, because I'm able to check things and see if they're working, without being on-site at all times.”
A Senior Network Engineer at a tech services company mentions, "The top feature of Meraki MS switches for me is Layer 7 application visibility. Another positive in general is that you don't need to set up a console to the switch itself; it dials into a single dashboard where you can completely manage all your network devices."
John M., user at Baseline Consulting, LLC, comments, "I like the flexibility of the Meraki firewall. It gives you the ability to lock things down. Having multiple VLANs is helpful for the switching infrastructure and firewall. It's crucial when you have a public-facing VLAN, a private-facing VLAN, and a secure VLAN."
PeerSpot user William M., Consulting Engineer at IV4, expresses, "It is easy to deploy, maintain, and update. It has been trouble-free so far. I am still a Cisco command-line bigot, but the web interface makes it a lot easier for our help desk to interact with a client. When the clients call in and say that they aren't able to connect, it takes the help desk 10 minutes or less to look at everything in the enterprise or location. They can look at the firewall, switches, or access points in the dashboard. That's why I like the dashboard."
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