Creating new networks containing Meraki equipment has always been easy. Just select from inventory and go. But what happens when the network engineer needs to suddenly spin-up a new site or building, requiring new wireless, switching and security? That could mean a lot of serial numbers and many configuration steps.

For some time now there’s been the ability to create templates and apply these to new networks with common requirements. There’s even a very cool feature enabling templates to be applied across multiple locations without creating overlapping IP ranges or firewall rules.

So far, so good. Cloning configuration one at a time is taken care of, but how can multiple sets of equipment be both selected for a network and configured with just a few clicks of a mouse? The answer is by using the new bulk network creation tool.

The tool will appear under the Organization menu whenever the organization has one or more Security Appliance or Wireless configuration templates in place. Here’s a screenshot.

As with all the best of Meraki design, the tool needs little explanation. Simply choose between a default configuration, a config copied one time from a template or an existing network, or just bind the new networks to existing templates, so that all future config changes are instantly replicated. Finally, go ahead and upload a CSV document containing Meraki serial numbers, sit back and let the dashboard do the rest. Here’s a sample CSV with the available fields, followed by the dashboard interpretation once the CSV has been uploaded.

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The bulk network creation tool is just one of the features Meraki has introduced to make the lives of Managed Service Providers and large, multi–site businesses easier. How could we tweak it to make it even better? Let us know through the Make a Wish box, or on Twitter.