Selling into K-12 Accounts with Cisco Meraki
Cisco Meraki is among Cisco's fastest-growing portfolios and is trusted in thousands of K-12 campuses worldwide. Here's why it wins in the education sector — and how to position it.
What Cisco Meraki Is
- Complete cloud-managed networking solution — wireless, switching, security, WAN optimisation, and MDM integrated into a single hardware, software, and cloud platform
- Leader in cloud-managed networking — among Cisco's fastest-growing portfolios, with tens of millions of devices connected worldwide
- Recognised for innovation — Gartner Magic Quadrant leader, InfoWorld Technology of the Year, CRN Coolest Technologies
Why Choose Cisco Meraki for K-12?
Intuitive centralised management
- No training, no complex command line
- Seamlessly control devices across sites
- Packet capture, Live Tools, and diagnostics built in
Flexibility for distributed schools & campuses
- Single pane of glass visibility into all devices
- Zero-touch site provisioning
- Seamless updates from the cloud
Industry-leading visibility, control, & security
- Fingerprints users, applications, and devices
- Network-wide monitoring and alerts
- Full stack solution: APs, switches, security, MDM
- CIPA-compliant content and security filtering
Centralised Network Management
- Single pane of glass — device, user, and application visibility
- Self-provisioning devices automatically download configurations from cloud
- Identity-based filtering rules and application bandwidth management
- Auto VPN connects remote sites securely, without on-site IT intervention
In-Depth Monitoring and Reporting
- Who is using the network and what are they using it for?
- Devices, applications, websites, and more — all surfaced in the dashboard
- No training required for staff; single pane-of-glass across all schools and networks
- Integrated with Google Maps for client location
Designed for Distributed Schools and Campuses
- Deploy as many devices as you need across as many sites as you need
- Plug and play devices for quick deployment — no hardware controller required
- Self-healing wireless mesh extends coverage to hard-to-wire areas
- Airtime fairness for equal client bandwidth distribution
- Seamless and fast roaming throughout the wireless environment
- Auto RF optimisation adapts to challenging conditions
- QoS with deep packet inspection for consistent traffic shaping
Security: Visibility, Control, and Protection
- Deep insight into network usage: identify applications, users, and devices
- Application traffic statistics, classify encrypted and P2P apps (Skype, BitTorrent, etc.)
- Real-time search and historical reporting
- Visibility into applications and websites visited by students and teachers
- Layer 7 application filters: limit or block unwanted and recreational content
- 802.1X with RADIUS integration: Active Directory, LDAP, etc.
- Device-based policies: firewall and traffic shaping rules, bandwidth limits
- Wireless Intrusion Protection with real-time detection and containment
Where Is Cisco Meraki a Fit for K-12?
- Accounts looking for ease of management — over-leveraged network engineers, small IT staffs, distributed networks with limited technical coverage
- Accounts with cloud initiatives — schools and trusts that want a network that simply works without added cost and complexity
- Mixed on-prem and cloud environments — large campuses with existing Cisco investment can still benefit from Meraki wireless and switching at satellite buildings
Case Study: Milpitas Unified School District
- California school district with 14 schools and 10,000 students
- Deployed 200 Cisco Meraki Ethernet switches, cloud-managed firewall, and 800 wireless APs
- Enabled 1:1 Google Chromebook deployment and BYOD initiative
- Application visibility and control optimises bandwidth across 10k+ clients
"The Cisco Meraki Dashboard, the traffic shaping, and the MDM were real advantages. We can see the traffic and devices on the fly." — Chin Song, Director of Technology, Milpitas Unified School District
Case Study: Lee's Summit School District
- Missouri K-12 school district with 35 schools and 18,000 students
- Deployed 350 Cisco Meraki 48-port switches, 8 cloud-managed firewalls, MDM, and 1,600 cloud managed APs
- Enabled 1:1 Google Chromebook initiative across the entire district
"The ability to deploy policies across tablets, wireless, switching, and security from a single pane of glass was the deciding factor to purchase Cisco Meraki."
Documentation
Download the Cisco Meraki Selling into K-12 Accounts Data Sheet (.PDF)