Archive for September, 2011

We Worry About Security So You Don’t Have To

Security concerns are so often top of mind for networking and cloud services in general. We’ve built our cloud-based networks with a focus on security since the beginning, and recently Gartner rated Meraki as “Promising” in the 2011 MarketScope for Wireless LAN Intrusion Prevention Systems:

This MarketScope analyzes the performance of vendors that have focused on the WLAN IPS market from the second half of 2010 through the first half of 2011. Gartner’s evaluation is based on (in order of importance) continuing discussions with Gartner clients that are using and evaluating these products, survey responses from the vendors, and interviews with reference customers that were provided by the vendors. The ratings shown quantify Gartner’s opinions of each vendor’s performance in the market and should be used as just one input in your buying decisions.

Gartner “MarketScope for Wireless LAN Intrusion Prevention Systems,” John Girard, John Pescatore, and Tim Zimmerman, July 12, 2011.

Beyond protecting your network using WIPS tools, don’t forget you can bolster the overall security of your wireless networks today by using some of the security features below. Just check a box to enable:

Account security tools

Account security tools

These tools supplement other built-in security features, such as the stateful policy firewall and https / secure connections, and they’re completely integrated into our cloud-based architecture. That architecture also enables features that aren’t possible with traditional architectures, such as daily third-party security audits of our SAS 70 Type II hosted infrastructure.

Using these features, Meraki customers can easily maintain secure wireless environments in security-conscious deployments, for example in retail, healthcare, or financial services.

Leading furniture retailer Design Within Reach recently deployed Meraki’s Cloud Networking solution across its 47 retail stores, warehouses, and headquarters. The deployment succeeded in preparing the network for iPads and guest WiFi, while maintaining security standards necessary in a retail environment. “While DWR extends connectivity to our customers, we must maintain strict PCI compliance,” said Roger Mueller, Director of I.T. at Design Within Reach. “Meraki gives us powerful new tools to provide the security, capacity, and management that we need in a premium retail environment.”

Design Within Reach MyDeco application

Design Within Reach MyDeco application

Read the case study to learn more about how Design Within Reach uses wireless to increase customer engagement.

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Celebrate Music and WiFi with a Jambox!

We’re incredibly excited to be sponsoring the Monterey Jazz Festival, which starts this weekend. Meraki will be providing free WiFi to thousands of jazz fans, using our brand-new MR66 outdoor 802.11n APs. We wanted to celebrate the combining of two of our passions, music and wireless, with a fun contest and a Jambox for a lucky winner!

The Jambox is a high-fidelity speaker that lets you listen to your iPod wirelessly.  It’s portable and cordless, so you can carry it around with you or drop it in the middle of a room. The Jambox is a cool new product from fellow Sequoia company Aliph, who are also famous for their Jawbone headsets. (Fun fact – we shared a building with them for quite some time, before outgrowing it and moving into our own building. Their Bluetooth labs and our dozens of APs made for an awesome RF torture test!)

Here’s how to win a Jambox:

  1. Follow @meraki on Twitter and watch for the daily trivia questions about a Monterey Jazz Festival artist. (Hint: check the feed at about 9:31am Pacific)
  2. Reply to the question by tweeting @meraki with your answer.
  3. You’ll get entered into the drawing once for each question you answer correctly – the more questions you answer right, the more likely you are to win!

We’ll tweet out the correct answer each day around 6pm Pacific time. On Friday, we’ll announce the winner. Good luck!

Contest Eligibility

  • Anyone can participate by tweeting a reply to @meraki in response to the daily question.
  • No purchase necessary, anyone who loves music and WiFi can win!
  • Winner must have a shipping address in the U.S. Sorry, no international shipments or PO boxes.
  • Offer details subject to change at any time
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