Archive for December, 2017

Cisco Security Connector now available

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Back in June we announced a beta program for a new app designed to enhance visibility and control on managed iOS devices, combining some of Cisco’s best security capabilities.

Following many months of hard work between the Apple and Cisco teams, we’re delighted to announce availability of the Cisco Security Connector, which can be deployed to iOS devices using endpoint management tools like Meraki Systems Manager.

Click here to learn more and get started.

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Ópticas Schilling comienza implementación de Meraki en Chile

Ópticas Schilling es una empresa Chilena con más de 60 años de experiencia, fundada el 28 de marzo de 1954. Ópticas Schilling ha logrado un significativo desarrollo contribuyendo a la industria de este país con moderna infraestructura y un reconocido equipo de profesionales.

La empresa cuenta con 50 tiendas en Chile y alrededor de 400 empleados distribuidos entre las distintas sucursales y casa matriz.  Dicho esto, la necesidad de la empresa pareciera evidente ¿Cómo conectar un número importante de tiendas bajo una solución centralizada, segura y de fácil administración?

El equipo de TI comenzó a investigar sobre las diferentes soluciones disponibles en el mercado y fue así como descubrieron Cisco Meraki, por lo que le solicitaron a Hiway, partner de Meraki en Chile una demostración de los productos y del Dashboard.

Al ser parte de esta experiencia, y ver los beneficios, como la administración centralizada, la optimización de costos, por nombrar sólo algunos, la gerencia en conjunto con el equipo de TI, consideraron que Cisco Meraki era una inversión no sólo resolviendo las necesidades tecnológicas puntuales que tenía, sino que además y en un mediano plazo, beneficiarían al negocio con herramientas que agregarían valor a los procesos del negocio y a la experiencia de sus clientes.

Necesidades de la empresa

• Solución de redes inalámbricas para reemplazar computadores por dispositivos móviles.
• Ofrecer conexión de wifi a visitantes y así mejorar su experiencia en las tiendas.
• Obtener información del comportamiento de los clientes en las distintas tiendas.

¿Por qué Cisco Meraki?

• Simplicidad de implementación y administración: para el equipo de TI era importante contar con una solución intuitiva y amigable.
• Continuidad Operativa: Solución de problemas en forma remota y centralizada administrando todos los equipos sin necesidad de trasladarse para solventar fallas operativas.
• El dashboard y las analíticas arrojadas: para el área de soporte es información vital para la toma de decisiones en función del comportamiento de la red y la seguridad, ahorrando horas hombre y recursos en descubrir las fallas.
• Optimización de costos: Cisco Meraki cumple con los requerimientos técnicos base buscados en la solución, no obstante entrega la escalabilidad y flexibilidad necesaria para garantizar al cliente el control de costo a futuro y la incorporación de nuevas funcionalidades.

”Meraki es una solución fácil de administrar escalable y segura que provee muchos detalles del comportamiento de la red” Marcelo Müller, Gerente de Administración y Finanzas, Ópticas Schilling
 
Proceso de implementación

En función de las necesidades del negocio y con la asesoría del partner Hiway como experto en Cisco Meraki, el equipo de tecnología definió la solución para un universo de 50 tiendas a nivel nacional, más la casa matriz, implementando puntos de acceso MR33, switches y equipos de seguridad MX65, con capacidad SD-WAN.

“Fuimos por etapas, la prioridad era implementar en casa matriz la solución de colaboración, que incluye Telefonía IP Cisco y Switches Cisco Meraki, luego pasamos a las tiendas. Priorizando la implementación de la red LAN y los terminales telefónicos seguido de la implementación de los puntos de acceso inalámbrico” Marcelo Müller, Gerente de Administración y Finanzas, Ópticas Schilling.

Ópticas Schilling se encuentra en una etapa muy avanzada de su proceso de implementación, priorizando a mediano plazo la incorporación de la analítica brindadas por Cisco Meraki para ofrecer promociones y entender a profundidad el comportamiento de sus usuarios tanto finales como internos, siendo una de las pioneras en el país de este rubro en utilizar la inteligencia artificial y la automatización en beneficio del negocio, la tienda del futuro dando un paso firme hacia la transformación digital.

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Automate IT with the Dashboard API

Customers, developers, partners and integrators are increasingly using the Meraki Dashboard API to gain new business insights, automate otherwise tedious tasks,  and do truly unique things, making lives easier and networks smarter. Retailers can automate a new store network setup with the click of a button, and hospital staff can monitor emergency room waiting times  using the already-installed Meraki MR access points. We’ve just added several exciting new API capabilities, further expanding the realm of what’s possible. For those interested in a general overview on APIs please see our post from earlier this year.

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Recent enhancements include new API calls for client group policy, MX firewall configuration and a new set of endpoints to help streamline management of Bluetooth unique beacon IDs (UUIDs) via the Dashboard API.

Apply a Group Policy Dynamically without RADIUS

Administrators can now use the Dashboard API to view Group Policies configured on your Meraki networks and apply a group policy to, block, or whitelist network clients. Network access controls like changing the authorization of a device post-connection used to be a manual process or required a separate policy engine with RADIUS. Now, security policies can be applied programmatically. 

 

New MX L3 Firewall API endpoints

MX firewall rules can now be configured, managed or backed up using the Meraki Dashboard API. With the addition of the new endpoint, users now have the same functionality that’s available via Dashboard (Security Appliance > Firewall > Layer 3 > Outbound rules), including the option to enable Syslog. This API capability is ideal for managing large scale, or multi-organization deployments. For a practical example tool, check out a powerful Python-based script via the Meraki GitHub here.

Figure 1: Example [GET] Return the firewall rules for an org, [PUT] Update the firewall rules of an organization

Figure 1: Example [GET] of the firewall rules and [PUT] to update the firewall rules for an MX security appliance network or network template

 

Unlock new use cases with per-AP Bluetooth Beaconing

Send a targeted ad for jeans when a customer passes by the aisle. Offer customers a 20% discount on their meal purchase when they walk in via a mobile app. These are just some of the use cases made possible with Meraki MR bluetooth beacons. Starting in October of 2016, Meraki became the world’s largest beacon gateway vendor. This came about after Meraki made bluetooth radios standard across the entire line of MR access points, and invested in the Meraki Cloud allowing customers to collect and share the bluetooth beacon data via the powerful Scanning API. Customers’ investment in Meraki grew yet again this past November with a new set of enhancements enabling unique, per-access point beacon ID assignment. 

It is now possible to have Meraki auto-assign a unique beacon ID to each access point, or do so manually. All that is needed is to enable the BLE Scanning API, choose “Unique mode”, and the network is ready to be configured for any use case. Users can then utilize the Dashboard Devices API to get real-time access to bluetooth analytics and per-AP statistics.

All of our API documentation and sample code can be found on solutions.meraki.com. Building something? See our Postman API collection to get started!

 

Tell us what you think! Visit community.meraki.com to let us know how you’re using the APIs and tell us what other new features you’d like to see.

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Topology has Leveled Up

The ability to see inside your network just got easier. We have recently added Layer 3 visibility to the Meraki dashboard to create our L3 Topology View. We designed the view to dramatically increase the level of transparency into your deployment and to help network admins visually organize their network connections.

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Previously, Meraki’s topology feature detailed how devices were physically connected. With the new view, you can now toggle the graph to also see how the network is logically connected using interfaces and subnets.

L3 Zoom

Nodes with interfaces on the same subnet will have lines drawn between them and are annotated with the subnet address for quick referencing. Hovering over a node with your cursor displays both the local interface addresses and routes.

Layer 3 VLAN

Comment on our Community Page
Let us know how you like the changes to the topology view inside the Meraki Community! We are always looking for new ideas on how to improve the dashboard.

To gain access to a beta release of the L3 Topology View, please contact Meraki Support.

 

 

 

Beyond Security: Innovative Uses for Cameras in Manufacturing

Security cameras have long been used in many different business settings to protect against theft and keep an eye out for suspicious behavior. Only fairly recently, though, have manufacturers recognized the unique value that cameras can bring to warehouses, distribution centers, and factory floors. Besides obvious applications like monitoring for the theft of valuable raw materials, here are a few innovative ways manufacturers can use cameras to improve their processes and make their operations more efficient.

1. Safely monitor automated machinery in demanding production environments

Advanced manufacturing operations, especially those that involve converting raw materials into finished goods, often involve extreme temperatures, loud noise, and dangerously fast-moving machinery. It’s important for businesses to not only track the reliable and efficient operation of this (usually automated) equipment, but also ensure the safety of employees on the plant floor.

Thanks to ruggedized cameras built to withstand challenging conditions, manufacturers can keep a close eye on machinery from afar, minimizing employees’ direct exposure to potentially hazardous equipment. In addition to real-time monitoring, staff in the control room can review previously recorded video footage. This can help them identify patterns (say, if a piece of equipment struggles with a certain type of material time and time again) and make changes quickly to fix issues.

2. Keep workers on the same page

The more sophisticated a manufacturer’s operations, the harder it is for employees to stay in sync. Because those working in manufacturing environments have to lend their undivided attention to their surroundings, it’s harder for them to always stay connected to other employees, even those in the same building.

Strategically positioning cameras and hooking them up to video monitors placed where employees can see them can help workers stay on top of activity around the facility. For example, at a food distribution center, employees inside the building can remotely watch as delivery trucks approach and then work together to help unload and transport the food. Setting up configurable video walls can help workers monitor the footage from multiple cameras placed around a facility.

By empowering lower-level employees to work together more seamlessly, cameras can ease management burdens and help eliminate information silos.

3. Monitor the product journey across different sites

As manufacturers expand their operations and increase the number and size of their facilities, monitoring activities across multiple sites becomes increasingly difficult. Goods often travel from one location to the next, making it important for manufacturers to track product loss and delivery delays. Cameras placed in and around plants make monitoring and tracking goods simple and straightforward for workers as well as plant managers.

Of course, it’s not as simple as mounting a few cameras: the footage from those cameras needs to be easily accessible from anywhere. If video is only accessible at the site itself, it can’t be efficiently shared across different locations and users. The best way to accomplish cross-site sharing is to ensure the video can be viewed through a secure portal, like the Meraki dashboard.

4. Watch for product loss and accidents in the supply chain

Wasted resources are the bane of any manufacturer’s operations, whether it’s raw materials or time. While increases in manufacturing automation have certainly helped to standardize operations and minimize waste caused by user error, humans still play a crucial role in many processes. Cameras can help manufacturing staff easily monitor for product loss and catch accidents before they impact operations downstream.

The food manufacturing space experiences some form of product loss on a fairly regular basis. With high volumes of product being processed regularly, even a small amount of loss can have a substantial financial impact. Just ask Noosa Yoghurt, a premier purveyor of delicious flavored yogurt. At the company’s Bellvue, Colorado facility, cameras deployed on the plant floor help staff look out for incidents of spilled or contaminated milk. According to Network Technician Brandon Colter, these cameras helped the company save at least a few thousand dollars less than a year after the initial deployment. Watch Noosa’s story:

Meraki MV security cameras bring Meraki’s legendary ease-of-use and advanced cloud management capabilities to the camera space. With Meraki MV, manufacturers can ensure quality control, easily monitor activities across multiple locations, and improve the overall efficiency of their operations. To learn more about the benefits manufacturers can gain from deploying Meraki MV, check out the MV for Manufacturing solution guide.

Meraki MR mount kits now available

We’re excited to announce a slew of replacement mount kits for the following Meraki MR access points:

  • MR12
  • MR16
  • MR18
  • MR26
  • MR30H
  • MR32
  • MR33
  • MR34
  • MR42
  • MR52
  • MR53
  • MR62
  • MR66
  • MR72
  • MR74
  • MR84


These kits come with all the replacement hardware necessary to mount the specified AP models: mount plates, screws, drop ceiling clips, cable glands for outdoor APs, etc.

In addition, two new accessories for our MR30H access points are also available : a surface mount kit and a port security mount plate.

The MR30H surface mount kit is designed to be used in installations where additional cabling outlets are needed via the same wall plate used by an MR30H access point. The surface kit houses a keystone jack port, enabling additional non-ethernet cables (for example, telephone lines) to run from the wall plate — far more aesthetically pleasing than drilling an additional hole in a wall to string cabling through.

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The MR30H Surface Mount Kit.

 

The port security mount plate for the MR30H is a wall mounted kit designed for use in instances where cable security is needed to prevent individuals from physically accessing the AP’s integrated switch ports. This kit allows organizations to securely implement wired guest services while ensuring the physical cabling infrastructure is not tampered with, and that unauthorized wired LAN access is prevented.

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The MR30H Port Security kit.

 

All of these accessories are now shipping worldwide, and available to order today. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us or reach out directly to your Meraki rep!

 

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