Mist AI and Cloud Reviews

We manage a sizable building that houses our office workspaces, comprising approximately six hundred offices. Our primary requirement is to deploy WiFi access across these offices. This serves as the initial use case.

The second use case arose during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting us to explore solutions for crowd control. Juniper Apes was considered for its beneficial features, including BLA (location awareness), although it is acknowledged to be a relatively expensive option. The need for effective crowd control during the pandemic, coupled with my involvement in the event industry where crowd management is crucial, further emphasizes the importance of having a solution like SAP for a global perspective on the location of individuals and event details.

Regarding opportunities for improvement, it is notable for its robust cloud portal and integration of artificial intelligence into various services, creating a highly efficient environment for work. However, a drawback lies in the cost associated with its WiFi offerings. With a pricing range of twelve hundred to fifteen hundred dollars for a single Access Point, exclusive of the subscription, it is acknowledged as a relatively expensive solution in the realm of WiFi services. Despite this drawback, the positive attributes of Mist make it a noteworthy option.

I have been using Mist AI and Cloud for the past one and a half year.

Because of the features present in the system, we utilize something known as Moffers, which is essentially a virtual assistant. It grants the flexibility to customize and override functionalities as needed. However, adhering to best practices, it is recommended not to make excessive changes. The system operates efficiently with automatic failover, ensuring availability, and incorporates advanced features such as channel selection and tiering. Overall, it functions seamlessly.

The existing limitation allows for the deployment of over three thousand access points within a single tenant effortlessly.

It is noteworthy that some challenges arose initially during the transition when Juniper took over. I vaguely recall encountering difficulties with support during that period. However, upon reflection, the overall support experience has been satisfactory. When we initiate a support call, issues are typically resolved within an hour, which is commendable. It remains unclear whether the effectiveness of the support is attributed to Mist's direct support or the support provided by our partner in this context.

To be candid, in our setup, we deployed approximately eighty access points at the main office. The entire process, from configuring the portal to deployment and achieving operational status, took less than a day. 

The deployment process is straightforward and uncomplicated. Each of your devices comes with a QR code, and on our dedicated device, you will find this QR code. Simply incorporate it into your tenant, and your system is ready for operation.

The custom licensing is a little bit expensive and I would rate it 7.5 out of 10.

Previously, we used Mist due to Cisco's shift towards Meraki for access points. While Meraki offered an intriguing platform, Cisco's approach was predominantly on-premise with limited cloud functionality, requiring a costly controller for maintenance. 

The deployment process was labor-intensive, though functional. However, Meraki had shortcomings in cost control and lacked features for Bluetooth connections, location awareness, and planning. About one and a half to two years ago, we evaluated alternatives in the market, considering HP Aruba and others, but found them unsuitable for a large-scale deployment. 

Another option from VMware was considered, but Mist emerged as the optimal choice, aligning with our network environment, which is primarily based on Cisco infrastructure. Although we don't utilize all of Mist's features due to cost considerations, it seamlessly integrates with our existing network environment.

I wholeheartedly recommend Mist as a solution. Its pricing is reasonable, making it a valuable and effective choice. Mist initially operated as a standalone WiFi solution for an extended period, and with the acquisition by Juniper, there have been some noteworthy changes. 

Integrating Mist with Juniper switches offers additional functionalities, though it may pose challenges for those accustomed to Cisco systems. While the marketing pitch suggests synergy between Mist and Juniper switches, the overall assessment remains positive. Mist stands out as an excellent choice for WiFi solutions.

Regarding features, the solution seems to be very intuitive.

The solution lacks documentation. So, it is an area that can be improved. When you are at the beginning phase and don't have full access to the portal, I don't know if there's a lot of documentation on how to use Mist that can help you evaluate it and explain what it does and how to do certain things without actually having a Mist account.

I have been using Mist AI and Cloud.

It is a stable product. We've contacted people high up in agencies managing the solution, and they've been very happy with it. So, we trusted their judgment.

It is a scalable solution. They managed to add a lot of sub-agencies, and they've thrown it out for them. So, it seems to be very scalable. Also, it supports a lot of clients.

We haven't had to contact support. The agencies using the solution have contacted the support, and they've been pretty happy with it because they've been able to resolve things very quickly. In Aruba Central, I have contacted support a couple of times, and I have seen that they take a very long time, and it could even take days to be resolved, especially issues that can be resolved within the same day. However, after getting the required information, we haven't had to contact them for live support.

Previously, we tried Aruba Central, and it was supposed to be easy to use. I couldn't find any ease on how to use it, and it wasn't even good. It's been a lot of time trying to figure out how to configure it. So, it was definitely not very integrated. With Meraki, it was very easy to learn how to use it since they gave us a lot of material. With Mist AI and Cloud, it was the same thing. It's very intuitive, even though it doesn't have enough material to use within Mist. However, both Meraki and Mist have a large user base. So, you can find user groups, and it can help you by providing support.

The initial setup is pretty easy, especially once you're actually in Mist's portal. With my experience in Meraki and Mist, they're both very intuitive, and like with Aruba Central, it takes a lot of, you know, playing around with it and trying to figure it out on your own, trying to just investigate it to work, while there is not a lot of user base. Mist is a pretty intuitive tool, and I like that fact.

Considering the evaluation part, we are still evaluating Juniper. We are looking into other products other than Meraki because we have mostly Meraki equipment. So, we have a lot of visibility in Meraki compared to Juniper. Regarding scalability, Meraki seems to be a small business solution that is trying to get into the enterprise side. It's not bad, but it's very, very limited in the features you can use on the portal. Whereas Juniper it's already meant for enterprises while giving a lot of visibility and scalability. Also, the support seems to be getting faster.

So one of the things why we wanted to get Mist AI and Cloud is because it makes it more comfortable to use Meraki, which is very easy, and for us, we need to make sure about it since we recently had a lot of staff changes. So, we really need somebody with something that's easy to use while helping us look at things and even do troubleshooting. Mist AI and Cloud make it much simpler, and rather than just trying, going into the equipment directly and troubleshooting it, like traditional Cisco equipment, is possible.

I rate the overall product a nine out of ten.

We used the Mist AI solution for wireless access points in my previous organization. We installed over five hundred access points in our environment. Before, we used Arista access points, but we replaced them with Mist.

The Marvis feature of Mist AI, an artificial intelligence tool, is very useful. It helps me quickly identify and resolve wireless and user-related issues, making it a powerful tool for my work.

Sometimes it takes a lot of time for the access point to connect with the cloud. Additionally, when redirection is made from one cloud to another, it also takes some time. I believe these are areas that could be improved upon.

I have been using this solution for two years. I am using the latest version.

It is a stable product.

I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten. There are more than 20,000 users in the organization using this product.

My experience with customer service was great. When I raised the problem, I contacted Juniper TAC for the Mist TAC. Within thirty minutes, they joined the troubleshooting call, identified the issue, and provided a solution.

The initial setup is very easy if you have experience. However, for someone without experience, it may take some effort to get set up initially.

The deployment time varies depending on the number of access points. If there are a large number of access points, it can take two to three days for one site. But if the access point count is low, typically between five to ten, it takes around one to two hours.

Overall, I rate the product a ten out of ten because earlier, I worked with multiple wireless technologies, but I found Mist to be very powerful and different from other platforms. We can quickly troubleshoot any issues through the mobile application without requiring a VPN to access our access points. It is a very feasible and powerful platform.

We plan to migrate 100 per cent to the cloud and do not want anything left behind on-premises. The solution helps to manage the controller easily. A centralized cloud system makes deployment easier. 

The tool's best part is the GUI. It is user-friendly and fast due to AI features. The solution can help you fix things with AI, which is impressive. 

Mist AI and Cloud should improve its integrations. 

I have been using the solution for a couple of months. 

Mist AI and Cloud is stable, and I rate it ten out of ten. 

I rate the tool's scalability a ten out of ten. We plan to migrate around 40,000 users. Currently, we have 2000-3000 users for the solution. 

Mist AI and Cloud's technical support is prompt. 

Mist AI and Cloud's deployment is easy. It comes with zero-touch deployment, where you can install it within 10-15 minutes. 

I rate the product a ten out of ten. 

We are using it in our university, which is an engineering institution. Therefore, we employ this cloud networking solution for our university's needs.

It is used to provide Wi-Fi access to all the students, faculty members, and staff.

Mist AI and Cloud have definitely improved the functioning of our organization. The access to the Internet, including its speed and reliability, has significantly improved. Moreover, managing the network through cloud controllers has become much easier.

In our university, we particularly needed a secure and reliable Internet connection for the students' community area. Ensuring uninterrupted Internet access for studying purposes has been vital. Currently, the speed has increased drastically, which is highly valuable to us.

There are some technical issues that may require attention. It could be related to configuration issues rather than hardware problems. We have experienced sudden disconnections followed by reconnections.

In future releases, if there could be more plug-and-play functionality provided; it would make things easier for us. So, a simpler configuration process, like plug and play

I have been using Mist AI and Cloud for more than a year. 

I would rate the stability of this solution as an eight.

I would rate the scalability as a seven out of ten. We have more than 800 endpoints for this solution. The users are primarily students.

Mist AI cloud is used daily. So, we are utilizing this solution to its maximum potential.

I would rate my experience with the initial setup an eight out of ten, one being difficult and ten being easy.  It was relatively easy.

The cloud provider was provided by Mist AI and Cloud. We have around twenty-five devices using it, and everything is managed through Mist. 

Deploying this solution took around eight to nine months because it involved a large-scale setup. We had to install approximately 800 access points.

We sought the help of a third-party partner, Juniper, for the deployment. They were a significant part of the deployment team.

We have a team working 24/7 to ensure maintenance and support. They work in different areas and handle various tasks, ensuring that everything runs smoothly.

Mist AI and Cloud are relatively high-priced.

I would recommend giving it a try. It's a good solution.

Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. 

Mist AI is used for various purposes. One example is using Mist AI to create wireless networks. APN can be used with Mist AI.

There are several valuable features. One of them is Cibas, and another one is Marvis.

Marvis helps troubleshoot network connectivity issues. It's particularly useful when there are no engineers available to diagnose the problems.

I believe there is room for improvement. It would be beneficial to have support for the Chinese language.

In the next version, I think it would be great to have a couple of additional features. First, the ability to request my location through the API. Second, incorporate a Bluetooth feature into the solution.

I have been using this solution for almost two years. 

I would rate the stability an eight out of ten. It is pretty stable. 

I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten. It is very convenient to scale. 

We have more than ten users using the solution. Moreover, our clients are mostly enterprise businesses. 

The customer service and support team is good. 

Positive

The initial setup is easy. I would rate it a nine out of ten. 

If I operate it, the installation process is not very difficult to understand. You have a base network level that can be easily comprehended. Generally, the deployment process takes around two to four hours.

There are various steps involved in the deployment process. First, I needed to set up the accounts and create a network account for myself. It took me about a day to add my account to the company's account. After that, I configured the network settings according to the requirements, including routing and policies. If there were any connections or access that I didn't want on my network, I could stop them from being connected.

I would rate the pricing model a seven out of ten, where one represents a low price, like very cheap, and ten represents a high price, like very expensive.

There is a fixed price, and for certain features, you have to pay an additional amount.

It's important to trust in the solution. However, the pricing is variable and not cost-efficient.

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

We are in the process of implementing our POC.

The most useful aspect of Mist AI and Cloud is automation capabilities.

Mist AI and Cloud should be marketed more and focus on making partners in the industry.

In an upcoming update, Juniper solutions may incorporate Central software-defined applications integration. By implementing application-based routing, users can establish application queues similar to creating a single rule for two switches and wireless devices. This allows Microsoft Teams to receive prioritized high Mbps for all users through a single policy that can be applied to switches, wireless devices, SD-WAN, and firewalls. If implemented, this change would be a significant advancement for Juniper solutions.

I have used Mist AI and Cloud within the last 12 months.

The newer version of the solution has better accuracy.

Mist AI and Cloud are scalable.

The solution is suited for larger-sized companies. Small businesses do not have the need for this type of monitoring in the environment. Large companies and enterprise solutions

Support is provided if you have a contract with a partner.

Mist AI and Cloud are ahead of Cisco Meraki and Aruba in analytics and troubleshooting productivity.

The deployment of Mist AI and Cloud is easy. If you are pushing configurations from the cloud it can take five minutes to complete. An entire project can take a few days, but it depends on the environment.

We do the implementation of the solution and take care of configuration with two people and we do basic training for customers. If it is a larger deployment more people are needed.

We are developing a comprehensive project deployment plan which will be presented to the customer. This plan will outline the step-by-step process we intend to follow, and once approved, we will proceed with its execution accordingly.

The price of Mist AI and Cloud is approximately 20 percent less than competitors, such as Aruba and Cisco. However, Cisco has a lifetime warranty for its solutions.

Mist AI and Cloud were recently acquired by Juniper.

Users of this solution need to understand how automation helps them and then how to configure and effectively use automation.

I rate Mist AI and Cloud an eight out of ten.

Providing configuration guidance in the form of pop-up prompts for site administrators would facilitate the configuration and function setup process. Additionally, providing troubleshooting documents would enhance clarity and be beneficial for users.

Mist AI and Cloud is the best solution I have seen in the industry, especially from the artificial intelligence perspective, as it helps businesses to focus more on their core objective and less on IT. The solution automates everything from client to cloud.

Experts are no longer needed to manage the infrastructure. Because issues are proactively detected and rectified, helpdesk calls have been reduced by 90%.

The Self-Driving network's first interactive virtual assistant, Marvis. It improves user experiences while streamlining operations and making troubleshooting simpler so that IT staff can respond to issues quickly. It significantly reduces the time required to troubleshoot issues and can automatically remediate identified problems.

Juniper should integrate all their dashboards instead of having separate dashboards for Mist AI and Juniper's SD-WAN. It would be good if Juniper could have everything in one dashboard.

I have been using Mist AI and Cloud for over three years. I am a partner and distributor of the solution. I am currently using the latest version. 

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten. Approximately 500 users are using the solution.

I rate the technical support an eight out of ten. I have not really had issues with support.

Positive

The solution's initial setup process was easy. I rate the initial setup a ten on a scale of one to ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy. The solution gets deployed on the cloud. Also, the deployment process takes less than 10 minutes. Regarding the steps taken to deploy the solution, it is very easy. One just needs to make sure that the access point is able to access the internet. Once the access point can access the internet, you go to the cloud platform and do all the integration. So it doesn't take time to deploy.

I rate the pricing a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is low and ten is high. For three years, the licensing costs were around 150 USD. So, it's around 50 USD per year. There are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees.

From what I can see currently, Mist AI is a game changer, and it has made Juniper a magic quadrant leader in enterprise wired and wireless infrastructure. I recommend organizations to just try and test the solution to see how wonderful it is before choosing the solution for themselves. I rate the overall solution a ten out of ten.