Cisco SD-WAN & Meraki – Your Networking Powerhouse

Imagine an environment where managing multiple external network connections becomes a breeze, effortlessly combining the speed of MPLS, the versatility of broadband, and the reliability of fiber optic – all at your fingertips. That's exactly what software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) does. 

What is SD-WAN?

SD-WAN is a software-based approach that empowers businesses to harness and effortlessly manage multiple external network connections, helping reduce their OPEX while enhancing network serviceability, resilience, security, and connectivity. Since the boundaries of the traditional wide-area network (WAN) are continuously stretching to support multi-cloud technologies, organizations are increasingly investing in SD-WAN to enhance network connectivity while protecting the privacy and security of their users, devices, and applications. 

The good news is that Cisco is here to help. Cisco Meraki uses the SD-WAN solution bundled with the base license (enterprise license) on all Meraki MX SD-WAN and security appliances. This eliminates the need for additional servers or hardware, allowing organizations to plug it in and configure everything in the Meraki dashboard. In this blog post, we'll dive deeper into the concepts of Cisco SD-WAN, how Meraki devices power it, and how it can benefit your organization.  

How do Cisco SD-WAN and Meraki work?

Amidst the buzz surrounding these two technologies, one burning question echoes through the minds of organizations: How does this dynamic duo work its magic? 

The Meraki SD-WAN uses a unique combination of software and hardware to create a solution that is easy to configure, deploy and manage. This game-changing technology is powered by the incredible Meraki MX appliances that deliver best-in-class network security and experiences for any workload from anywhere.

Meraki MX devices help establish Auto VPN tunnels, effortlessly linking devices and locations over any WAN link. The cutting-edge technology monitors every VPN tunnel every second to ensure optimal performance. Packet loss, jitter, latency, MOS – nothing escapes Cisco SD-WAN's watchful eye. And through advanced analytics, you can dive deep into the factors that affect your users' experience with critical business resources. 

But here's the real magic: real-time performance telemetry. It's like having a genius navigator who knows all the shortcuts. This technology makes autonomous decisions, guiding critical cloud applications and VoIP traffic along the best path for unbeatable performance. 

What makes Meraki the ideal technology for SD-WAN?

Meraki stands out as the ideal technology for SD-WAN because it's simple, scalable, and seamless to integrate. With its intelligent analytics and autonomous decision-making, organizations benefit from powerful performance even during the most demanding workloads. Here's a more structured breakdown of why SD-WAN is powered by Meraki:

The simplest SD-WAN available

Meraki uses true zero-touch provisioning. It's an extraordinary leap towards slashing total WAN costs and unleashing unparalleled performance for your VoIP and business-critical cloud applications – regardless of the hosting location. This allows seamless integration, raising your network to unprecedented levels of efficiency and productivity.

Natively secure SD-WAN

Meraki creates a formidable shield around your network, using the cutting-edge technologies of next-gen layer-7 firewall, Cisco AMP with Threat Grid, Cisco SNORT IDS/IPS, cloud security fortified by Cisco Umbrella SIG, and content filtering. Direct Internet access becomes a gateway to unlimited possibilities while your network remains safeguarded from the ever-evolving threats of the digital world. 

Advanced analytics

Meraki SD-WAN gives organizations supreme visibility into the hidden secrets of user experience with business-critical resources. This helps you swiftly detect any degradation and uncover its root cause in mere minutes. Here's what you can view:

• Web Application Health
• WAN Health
• VoIP Health

Unified management platform

Meraki SD-WAN streamlines IT operations by ensuring uninterrupted wireless networking, smooth switching, and fortified security – all managed through a centralized platform. You also benefit from fully featured unified threat management and advanced analytics to monitor your system security. 

Case Study: Cisco Meraki helped an international coffee chain brew up efficiency 

Thanks to Cisco's partnership and the implementation of the full-stack Meraki solution, an international coffee chain experienced a dramatic shift in operational dynamics. 

In the face of multiple challenges during the network infrastructure refresh for its North America retail network, the lead application developer of an international coffee chain sought a game-changing solution. The obstacles were daunting:

• Simplifying technology deployment while ensuring uninterrupted service for customers
• Minimizing IT equipment footprint and enhancing power efficiency
• Lack of visibility into endpoints

Following an exhaustive RFP process, the lead application developer convinced the leadership to employ a full-stack Meraki solution to address the need for management, visibility, and automation. As a result: over 40,000 manual labor hours were reclaimed, $20M was realized in operational expense savings across one domain alone, and the average infrastructure configuration time per store was reduced from 6+ hours to 7 minutes. These improvements have equated to 14 days of process efficiencies for new store openings.

Cisco's legacy is built upon a steadfast commitment

This is what Cisco has always done – they empower organizations with technologies that boost operational efficiency, elevate IT capabilities, and transform everyday work into a seamless and effortless experience.

And at Zones, we take immense pride in assisting you get there. Being a distinguished Cisco Gold Certified Partner, our deep-rooted strategic alliance with Cisco fuels our relentless pursuit of excellence. We devote ourselves tirelessly to assisting clients worldwide in deploying Cisco solutions that drive resounding success in their IT endeavors.

If you're ready to unlock the full potential of your business, we invite you to embark on this transformative journey with us.

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