Can Meraki SD-WAN be deployed on existing Meraki MX security appliances

Yes, Meraki SD-WAN can be deployed on existing Meraki MX security appliances. Meraki’s SD-WAN functionality is natively integrated into the Meraki MX series of security appliances, which means that if you already have Meraki MX devices, you can leverage SD-WAN features without needing additional hardware or licenses. The Meraki MX security appliances come with built-in SD-WAN features that can be activated and managed via the Meraki Dashboard.

Key Points on Deploying Meraki SD-WAN on Existing Meraki MX Appliances:

1. No Additional Hardware Required:

   • Meraki SD-WAN features are part of the firmware on the MX devices. If you already have Meraki MX firewalls/routers in place, you don’t need to purchase new hardware to take advantage of SD-WAN capabilities.
   • The SD-WAN functionality is available across the range of MX devices, including MX64, MX65, MX84, MX100, MX250, MX450, and others.

2. Easy Activation and Configuration:

   • Enable SD-WAN via Meraki Dashboard: Enabling and configuring SD-WAN is done directly through the Meraki Dashboard, which is cloud-managed and requires no on-site configuration. Simply log into the Dashboard, and SD-WAN can be configured in minutes using an intuitive interface.
   • Traffic Shaping and Routing Policies: You can configure policies for dynamic path selection, failover, and load balancing. Traffic can be routed based on real-time link performance (e.g., latency, packet loss, bandwidth) or based on application priority (e.g., prioritizing VoIP traffic).

3. Multiple WAN Connectivity:

   • Meraki MX appliances support multiple WAN connections, such as MPLS, broadband Internet (DSL, fiber, cable), 4G/LTE, and others. The MX devices can intelligently manage and aggregate traffic across these multiple links.
   • Failover and Load Balancing: Meraki SD-WAN enables automatic failover between WAN links when a primary link fails, ensuring continuous connectivity. It can also load balance traffic across multiple connections based on performance, helping to optimize overall network utilization and prevent congestion.

4. Cloud-Managed Network with Real-Time Analytics:

   • The Meraki Dashboard provides visibility into WAN link performance, application traffic, and security events across all your MX devices. With SD-WAN analytics, you can see real-time data on traffic flow, latency, packet loss, jitter, and bandwidth utilization across different WAN links.
   • This cloud-based monitoring allows administrators to troubleshoot and optimize network performance remotely, without needing to access physical devices on-site.

5. Security Features Integrated with SD-WAN:

   • Security is a key aspect of Meraki MX appliances, and this is tightly integrated with SD-WAN. Features such as stateful firewalls, VPNs, intrusion detection and prevention (IDS/IPS), content filtering, and Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) work in tandem with the SD-WAN to ensure that secure policies are applied across all WAN links.
   • Site-to-Site VPN: Meraki SD-WAN supports auto VPN, a simple-to-deploy, secure VPN technology that allows Meraki MX devices at remote sites to securely connect with each other, providing seamless inter-office connectivity over the internet.

6. Seamless Integration with Meraki's Other Devices:

   • If you have other Meraki products, such as Meraki MR wireless access points or Meraki MS switches, you can manage them alongside your MX appliances through the same Meraki Dashboard. SD-WAN configuration is just one piece of the broader Meraki ecosystem, which ensures a unified, simplified approach to managing networking and security.

7. Scalability:

   • Because the Meraki Dashboard is cloud-based and designed for scalability, adding new sites or expanding existing sites with Meraki MX devices is straightforward. New devices can be deployed with zero-touch provisioning, meaning you don’t need to visit the site to configure the MX device. Once connected to the internet, the device will automatically pull the configuration from the cloud.
   • For businesses with multiple locations, Meraki SD-WAN makes it easy to scale WAN configurations across sites without needing manual intervention or complex configuration at each site.

8. Cost Efficiency:

   • Meraki SD-WAN can help reduce costs by leveraging broadband Internet connections instead of more expensive MPLS or dedicated WAN links. In addition, the cloud-managed approach means you save on operational costs related to on-site management, monitoring, and troubleshooting.