Cisco estimates that by 2015 approximately 25 billion devices will be connected to the internet, with the trend continuing to grow. Statistics like this are a clear indication that mobility is no longer a trend, but a way of life, one many people make use of daily to improve their work and personal lives.
Determined that network administrators be allowed to enjoy the freedom and convenience of mobility, Cisco created the Meraki mobile app, which allows administrators the ability to manage the networks under their care expertly, and all from their mobile phones and devices.
Three Reasons Meraki's Mobile App is Awesome
1. Everything is Centralised
Cisco’s Meraki dashboard app extends the functionality of the Meraki dashboard to mobile devices, having optimised it for mobility, while retaining the ease of use and familiar feel of the website version. From the dashboard, it’s possible to view network statuses, identify AP issues, and thanks to the Layer 7 application visibility, receive automatic reports regarding applications and categories consuming your bandwidth.
CMX analytics provides administrators with insight into visitor behaviour and trends, allowing them to easily measure performance in any location in an organisation. While it’s still possible to use the website version on mobile devices, the app provides a faster, smoother experience, especially on smaller devices like smartphones.
2. Onboarding New Devices and Deploying Access Points is Simpler than Ever
With the Meraki mobile app, network administrators can add new access points to the network with ease, by simply using the app to scan its barcode, and add it to the network. The AP will then provision itself after automatically connecting to the cloud, and appear as part of the network, listed among the other access points. The AP’s location can easily be tagged using built-in GPs as well, so there’s never a need to go looking for it at a later stage.
IT administrators often have to ensure access and authorisation is granted to users on their wireless networks, which can be a tedious and time-consuming endeavour. The mobile app makes provision for guest authorisation, so administrators can now onboard users and their devices with ease, right from their mobile phone. It’s as simple as navigating to the guest SSID and approving users when needed, and the user list can be sorted, which makes it easier to identify authorised and unauthorised guests through the app.
3. Ensuring Network Security is Easier than Ever
Security is undoubtedly a primary concern for network administrators, and the mobile app doesn’t disappoint in the level of functionality it offers with respect to the management of security features on offer. It allows the viewing of MX security appliances and crucial information regarding WAN/LAN connectivity, connected users and their devices, and bandwidth usage. Should problems be detected, trouble-shooting is made easier by built-in traceroute, DNS and throughput measurement tools. Devices can also be rebooted without on-site staff. Ultimately, it makes endpoint management much easier to facilitate, a key element in keeping your network secure.
Allowing administrators the flexibility to monitor networks on the go means your wireless network can be overseen from anywhere, at any time, which not only enhances its usage, but also ensures it functions optimally and securely at all times. The Meraki mobile app can be downloaded from the Google Play store or from Apples’s iStore. If you’re a Meraki user, why not give it a try?
