Cloud networking services and solutions

What cloud networking services cover

A cloud-managed network still has physical access points, switches and firewalls in your buildings. What changes is how they are managed: from a web dashboard hosted by the vendor, instead of on-premise controllers and device-by-device configuration. Our cloud networking explained guide covers the concept in depth.

Cloud networking services wrap everything around that platform:

• Design: coverage, capacity, addressing, security and site-to-site connectivity
• Supply: hardware and licences, by exact order code, from our Meraki shop
• Security: firewalling, threat protection, network access control and secure admin access
• Connectivity: SD-WAN between sites, and connections from sites to cloud applications and cloud-hosted servers
• Setup: dashboard organisation, templates, claiming and cutover
• Running the network: changes, firmware, licence renewals and support cases, through managed Meraki or alongside your own team

Cloud networking solutions built on Cisco Meraki

Cisco Meraki manages every product family from one dashboard. Only management data goes to the Meraki cloud, over an encrypted tunnel; user traffic stays on your network.

Every Meraki device needs a licence to operate, so licensing is part of every solution. Our Meraki licensing models guide explains co-term and subscription licensing.

Secure cloud networking

Security in a Meraki network sits in several layers, all managed from the same dashboard:

• Firewall and threat protection: MX appliances provide a stateful firewall and Auto VPN in every edition. The Advanced Security edition adds intrusion detection and prevention, content filtering, anti-malware and geography-based firewall rules. See Enterprise vs Advanced Security.
• Network access control: Cisco Access Manager controls which users and devices join which parts of the network.
• Segmentation: VLANs, guest isolation and group policies keep visitors, staff, phones and cameras apart.
• Secure administration: dashboard admin roles, two-factor authentication and single sign-on protect the accounts that control every device.
• Cloud security: DNS-layer protection and SASE can extend protection to users wherever they work. Our sister sites cover Cisco Umbrella with Meraki and SASE.

We can review which of these layers you need and build them into the design and the quote.

Network as a service with Meraki

Network as a service (NaaS) describes consuming the network as an ongoing service rather than a one-off project: the vendor runs the management platform, software and features arrive as updates, and the licence, support and optional management are renewed over a term.

A Cisco Meraki network already works in much the same way:

• the management platform is a service: the Meraki dashboard is hosted and updated by Cisco
• licences run for a term: subscription licensing (Cisco Networking Subscription) runs from 12 to 84 months, with Essentials and Advantage tiers
• support comes with the licence: an active licence keeps devices managed and supported
• day-to-day running can be a service too: with managed Meraki, we can take on changes, firmware, renewals and support cases

You own the hardware and the dashboard organisation stays in your name. Terms and what is included are confirmed at quote.

Multi-cloud networking: connecting sites to cloud apps

Most organisations now use applications hosted in more than one place: software as a service, servers in a public cloud and systems still on site. Multi-cloud networking is about connecting every site and user to all of them reliably and securely.

Meraki does this with tools you manage in the same dashboard:

• Auto VPN builds site-to-site VPNs from dashboard settings, with hub and spoke or full-mesh designs, instead of configuring tunnels one by one
• SD-WAN dynamic path selection lets you set performance criteria for different types of traffic; the MX measures loss, latency and jitter on each path and sends traffic over one that meets them
• virtual MX (vMX) extends Auto VPN into public cloud environments. Meraki's setup guide for Microsoft Azure describes deploying vMX from the Azure Marketplace "as an Auto VPN termination point for your physical MX devices", and Meraki publishes vMX guides for other cloud platforms as well. A vMX needs its own vMX licence

The result is one policy and one view across offices, home workers and cloud-hosted workloads. Our Meraki SD-WAN and multi-site networks guides go further, and virtual MX appliances are in the security appliances section of the shop.

Choosing a cloud networking company

Cloud networking companies range from vendors to resellers to managed service providers. When comparing providers, ask:

• Which platform, and what is their relationship with the vendor? Forever Systems is a Cisco Partner and works with Cisco Meraki.
• Can they design as well as supply? Surveys, addressing, security and SD-WAN design are where most of the value is.
• Is licensing explained clearly? Model, tier, term and renewal dates should all be in writing.
• Who owns the dashboard and licences? They should be yours, with your own admin access.
• How do support cases work? Who raises them with the vendor, and who handles replacements?
• What is in scope after go-live? Changes, firmware, renewals and reviews, agreed at quote.

We are happy to be measured against every one of those questions.

How Forever Systems helps

Forever Systems is a Cisco Partner. We can design, supply, set up and manage Cisco Meraki cloud networking solutions, for a single office or many sites:

• Cisco Meraki experts for design, wireless surveys, migrations and health checks
• Meraki setup to bring the network online cleanly
• Managed Meraki for day-to-day running, with the scope agreed at quote
• Meraki support help with Cisco's support, warranty and replacements

Already know what you need? Shop Cisco Meraki and request a quote at checkout. Want to talk it through? Contact us and tell us about your sites. You can also start from our home page for the full range of Meraki guides.