For many businesses in the United States, their workforces access the internet through smartphones, Wi-Fi connections, and laptops. Cisco’s cloud-hosted Meraki came as an excellent solution for ventures with a deep desire to sustain their internet connectivity requirements.


There is no doubt that networks have grown both in size and complexity. It is the role of organizations seeking to embrace these networks to ensure that the purchase decisions they make go beyond the associated hardware costs by reviewing certain recurring operational costs. Key functional features such as network complexity, revision management, initial configurations, revision management, and troubleshooting make significant contributions to the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) associated with a particular networking choice.


Cisco’s Meraki comes as a significant gamechanger in the global cloud networking environment. Those who choose to go to Meraki have the opportunity to benefit from the immense cost-saving abilities associated with this cloud networking option. Here’s a complete guide on how to save money when renewing your Cisco Meraki.

What is Cisco Meraki?

Cisco Meraki is a cloud-managed networking solution whose presence seeks to leverage the bottlenecks depicted in traditional networking systems. As the global leader in cloud-controlled networking operations, Cisco Meraki offers its consumer segments high-quality networking services that scale to businesses of all sizes through a single access dashboard.

In essence, Meraki has dramatically influenced its user’s thoughts concerning network management. Meraki’s out-of-bound cloud-based architecture makes your networks secure, scalable, and easy to manage from any location.

Meraki makes it necessary for its client to purchase annual licenses per device to continue using their solution. However, it is worth noting that Meraki’s upfront deployment charges are a little bit lower than other on-premise solutions offered by Cisco.

Why Does It Matter?

The quality of the network you use in your business or home settings matters a great deal. This aspect explains why upgrading your network switches is something you must never ignore.

You must adopt network switches in workplace settings that are reliable, easily manageable, scalable, and compatible with modern technologies. Cisco’s Meraki comes as a great networking solution that bundles all these features.


Here are the key reasons why Cisco Meraki’s cloud networking box matters.

The Wireless Access Points

Meraki comes with a series of cloud-managed wireless access points to initiate simplified management while enhancing visibility into the network.

Compared to the traditional networking devices, Meraki’s MR line of the access point is a little bit easier and inexpensive to deploy and may scale to environments of all sizes.

The benefits present here are stated below.

  • Increased capacity
  • Meraki’s mesh networking protocols will extend its coverage to hard-to-wire locations by creating a self-healing network that is resilient to switch and cable incapacities.
  • Optimally scalable plug-and-play utilization
  • Meraki’s optimal speed over wider bandwidths makes it very suitable for transferring HD audio and video profiles
  • Unrivalled control and visibility
  • Meraki’s wireless points of access are ideal for ventures with remote offices and multiple locations as they are centrally managed from the cloud.

The Firewalls Provide Quality

Meraki offers 100% threat management to the computer systems it is attached to. It will include the following protective capabilities:

  • Content filtering
  • Web caching
  • Preventing intrusions
  • Filtering web searches
  • 4G failover
Meraki’s layer seven fingerprinting innovation allows for effective identification of unwanted applications and content, web filtering, and blocking recreational sites from overusing the bandwidth.

The Switches You Can Take Advantage Of

Cisco’s Meraki gives you the opportunity to centrally manage the network from a single point. In essence, Meraki’s virtual stacking technologies allow for unified management of as many as thousands of ports with cloud-based provisions that give room for added port capacity without pre-staging.

Meraki’s switches are available in 24- port, 8-port, and 48-port configurations and will come with practical and highly efficient troubleshooting tools like event logs, remote packet captures, and cable tests. The device gives you the ability to prioritize all forms of business-critical traffic through its quality-of-service regulations that are easily applicable.

Why Do People Need the Cisco Meraki?

Apart from its ability to present immense cost advantages, Cisco’s Meraki offers you a range of outcomes you cannot forfeit.

Here are the reasons why people need Cisco Meraki as a cloud-managed network solution.

  • You will benefit from the Meraki Dashboard that plays the role of an enterprise-grade cloud management system.
  • The Meraki system comes with stackable L2 and L3 switches that incorporate innovative attributes aided by cloud-managed architectures' power. 
  • The device will present you with cloud-managed access points (both indoor and outdoor) with built-in Bluetooth low energy beaconing and wireless security systems. 
  • Meraki can be easily integrated with a cloud-delivered secure internet gateway that protects your systems from threats like C2 callbacks, ransomware, and malware. 
  • Like other Cisco innovations, the Meraki is designed to offer maximum security both in small and large-scale applications. 
  • You are set to benefit from the outstanding user experiences that are associated with Cisco’s Meraki. 
  • All the switches on your Meraki device can support virtual stacking, giving you the ability to manage all switch ports installed on one switch. 
  • Meraki’s Layer 7 traffic visibility gives you total control of the system. You will have the ability to filter and report the traffic on your network and create rules that allow you to manage user domains while blocking or limiting ineffective user speeds. 
  • You will have the great opportunity to benefit from Cisco Meraki’s intelligent WAN traffic optimization. 
  • Free automatic software upgrades 
  • Meraki presents you with consistent and replicable configurations- You wouldn’t need to get worried the next time you will be opening a new office in Chicago. You’ll need to copy your original config and apply them to your brand-new site just with a few clicks.

The Cost Advantages of Renewing your Cisco Meraki and

Your network devices are meant to make life easy. The ease must be experienced in all dimensions-from the operational and structural to the financial dimensions. Even though the customers of Cisco’s Meraki have the ultimate promise to enjoy cost-effective services, some still complain that the innovative device is expensive.

How To Save Money on Your Next Cisco Meraki License Purchase

Here’s how to save money on your next Cisco Meraki License purchase.

Use it in Multiple Switches

Yes, using your renewed Cisco Meraki license on multiple devices presents you with a long-term cost advantage over your counterparts using it on a single location or device. Reliable rumours have it that entities with over 1,000 employees, up to 300 Meraki switches, and over 150 sites are most likely to gain cost savings of up to 80% with a single renewed license. However, these cost-saving margins may only be effectively attained if the organization takes advantage of the zero-touch cloud provisioning approach.

You could be full of the question, “how is this possible?” Well, it is possible to save 80% when renewing your Meraki license with such optimal usage. In essence, Meraki can configure your switches and licenses even before they arrive at your headquarters.

Meraki’s virtual stacking feature makes it possible for Cisco to add and configure the licensed switches you have renewed to the cloud, replicating the settings. The switches will automatically update the associated configuration settings and software once they are connected to the central system.

Downgrade your business/institution/organization from the Secure SD-WAN status to Enterprise

This could work miracles if you want to get the real meaning of cost-saving and cost advantage when renewing your Cisco’s Meraki license. Cisco allows you to purchase and apply Enterprise SD-WAN settings as a way of inputting your business/organization into an enterprise state.

The downgrading process isn’t as complex as you may think. You will only have to contact Meraki’s Support by writing an email or making a phone call to have your business downgraded. However, you will not have the opportunity to receive additional time from the downgraded license key if you choose to go this route since the process is irreversible.

Go For a Long-Term License When Renewing

A long-term license renewal deal could save you a lot of bucks. Cisco’s Meraki adopts the same principle applied in retail settings- bulk buying presents; lots of cost-saving advantages. This option could be adopted by institutions that are in deep need of a long-term networking partner.

In essence, Meraki will offer you 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10-year options whenever you approach their site to purchase a renewal key. You will part with $225 (normal undiscounted price) when buying a 1-year Meraki license. However, a 3-year license will cost you $450 (saving $225) while a 5-year license will cost you $675 (worth $450 in savings), and a 7-year license will cost you $945(saving $630). Similarly, a 10-year license will cost you $1,350 (saving $900).

Apart from real-time savings and long-term license renewals, you also save the operational inconveniences associated with disconnection when you forget to pay on time. The statistics reveal the immense cost savings you will get by initiating long-term renewals.

The Meraki Brings Many Advantages

As you can see, Meraki brings a broad array of advantages to your organization and can help boost productivity and overall value. A large range of organizations adopt the product each year and the trend is unlikely to stop.

If you can find that Cisco Meraki products are expensive, remember that you can take advantage of several paths to lower your overall costs. The team will work with you to ensure that you reduce your costs.