Cisco & Meraki Installation & Support in Southern California
We design and deploy the right blend of classic Cisco enterprise and cloud-managed Meraki—campus switching/routing, Wi-Fi 6/6E, secure networking, and SD-WAN—serving Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino. Delivered with clear documentation and day-2 support.
Why a Cisco + Meraki Blend
Cisco and Meraki aren’t either/or. We commonly deploy a hybrid: traditional Cisco where deep control and scale matter most; Meraki where speed, simplicity, and cloud visibility shine. Our team can manage ongoing updates and monitoring through managed services.
Cisco Enterprise (Catalyst, DC, WAN Edge)
Rich control, scalability, and advanced policy—ideal for core/distribution, large campuses, and data centers.
- High-throughput core/distribution with redundancy
- Advanced routing, segmentation, and QoS
- Automation-ready with deep telemetry
Cisco Meraki (Cloud-Managed)
Fast rollout and simple operations via dashboard—perfect for branches, retail, remote sites, and guest access.
- MX SD-WAN for resilient branch connectivity
- MR Wi-Fi with simple RF tuning and monitoring
- Templates, zero-touch, and cloud policies
Architectures We Build
Designed for reliability, visibility, and manageable operations across campuses and multi-site environments—from Education to Healthcare.
Campus Core + Meraki Access
Catalyst core/distribution for scale; Meraki access switches & APs for simplified ops and visibility.
Meraki SD-WAN + Secure Access
MX at branches with VPN/segmentation; centralized policy and straightforward troubleshooting.
Hybrid NAC & Identity
802.1X and guest onboarding aligned to your IdP; consistent roles across Cisco and Meraki edges.
High-Density Wi-Fi 6/6E
Predictive + onsite RF surveys, channel reuse, and QoS for collaboration and critical apps.
Data Center Leaf/Spine
High-throughput fabrics with automation-ready underlays/overlays and clear handoff runbooks.
Observability & Telemetry
Health dashboards, flow analytics, and alerting to cut MTTR and stabilize user experience.
Capabilities Matrix
A quick snapshot of where each platform typically fits. Actual designs are tailored to your requirements and aligned to your networking standards.
| Capability | Best Fit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Core / Distribution | Cisco Enterprise | Throughput, redundancy, advanced routing & policy |
| Branch SD-WAN | Meraki (MX) | Fast rollout, dashboard visibility, templated policy |
| Access Switching | Either | Operational preference (CLI vs. dashboard), scale |
| Wi-Fi 6/6E | Either | Use survey results & client mix to decide AP family |
| Network Access Control | Either | Align with IdP, role mapping, guest onboarding |
| Monitoring & Telemetry | Either | Integrate dashboards and alerts to your NOC |
How We Deliver
End-to-end delivery with documentation and clear handoff so your team is confident on day one—plus optional managed services for proactive operations.
1) Design & Plan
- Requirements workshops & site walks
- High-/low-level designs & BOM
- Phasing & risk mitigation
2) Implement
- Staging, config baselines, labeling
- Change windows & supervised cutovers
- Validation testing & as-built diagrams
3) Operate
- Runbooks & knowledge transfer
- Monitoring & alerting integrations
- Lifecycle planning & tune-ups
Cisco + Meraki FAQs
Can we run Cisco in the core and Meraki at the edge?
Yes—this is a common and recommended pattern for multi-site enterprises. We typically place Cisco Catalyst at the core/distribution for high throughput, advanced routing, and deterministic failover; Meraki is used at the access and branch layers for rapid rollout and operational simplicity. We align policy (VLANs, ACLs, group policies, and—where appropriate—SGT/TrustSec) so behavior is predictable across domains.
How do you decide between Catalyst and Meraki for access switching?
We weigh operational preference and scale. If your team prefers CLI workflows, complex QoS, or deep telemetry, Catalyst fits well. If your priorities are fast deployment, centralized cloud visibility, and templated policy, Meraki access switching is ideal. Many customers standardize on one family and keep a small footprint of the other for specific needs; we’re comfortable supporting either approach.
What does identity and network access control look like across both platforms?
We deploy 802.1X everywhere it’s feasible, tied to your IdP/AAA. For Cisco, that’s commonly ISE (device profiling, posture, guest flows). On Meraki, we map equivalent policies using group policy and RADIUS attributes. Guest and contractor access gets isolated SSIDs/VLANs with short-lived credentials. The outcome is consistent roles (users, devices, guests, IoT) no matter which platform serves the port or SSID.
What’s the rollout timeline and what are the prerequisites?
Typical mid-size refreshes take 2–6 weeks per site after procurement. Week 0 covers design approvals and BOM. Weeks 1–2: staging/config baselines, shipping, and prep. Weeks 2–4: installation and change windows (often evenings). Weeks 4–6: optimization, documentation, and handoff. Permits, cabling, lead times, and blackout calendars are the biggest drivers of variance—we plan these early to keep downtime minimal.
How do you minimize downtime during migration?
We stage configs offsite, label and pre-patch, and implement in maintenance windows. We build parallel paths where possible and perform side-by-side testing. Each window includes a clear rollback plan and defined “go/no-go” checkpoints. We also coordinate with application owners so change windows avoid critical business periods.
What security and segmentation models do you implement?
At minimum: management plane hardening, least-privilege admin roles, logging, and MFA for console/dashboard access. For segmentation we use VLANs and, when required, SGT/TrustSec or Meraki group policies. East-west controls are enforced with ACLs/firewall rules, and guest/IoT are isolated with outbound-only policies. All changes are documented in your runbooks.
How is licensing handled for Cisco and Meraki?
Catalyst typically uses Smart Licensing with support contracts (e.g., SNTC). Meraki licensing is subscription-based (per device or co-term), unlocking features and support in the dashboard. We design to avoid feature shortfalls and provide a clear bill-of-materials with licensing callouts, renewal dates, and support entitlements so budgeting is straightforward.
What do we get at handoff and how do you support the environment?
You receive as-built diagrams, configuration exports, inventory, IP plans, port maps, RF survey outputs where applicable, and step-by-step runbooks. We do a live admin walkthrough and knowledge transfer. If you opt into managed services, we add proactive monitoring, alerting, incident response targets, and recurring health checks.