Cisco Meraki and EfficientIP DDI: Boost Visibility & Agility

Cloud-first networks like Cisco Meraki drive scalability, but managing on-premises and multicloud networks is complex. By integrating Cisco Meraki and EfficientIP DDI, network teams improve visibility and agility to effectively manage hybrid multicloud environments.

The drive for digital transformation and operational efficiency has led to constantly evolving networks underpinned by cloud transformation. In this context, cloud-first networks, like Cisco Meraki, have emerged as a game-changer, offering dynamic scalability, increased flexibility, and simplified IT operations. However, this requires most networking teams to be able to manage both on-premises and multicloud environments, which can be a complex task. By integrating Cisco Meraki and EfficientIP DDI solution, networking teams will effectively manage hybrid multicloud environments, boosting visibility and gaining agility.

The Need For Business Agility Drives Cloud Adoption 

The need for business agility and growth sustained by digital transformation requires modern cloud-based networks to overcome the limitations of older, traditional infrastructures that are difficult to grow with. 

As businesses grow and technologies such as IoT and cameras become more prevalent, network solutions must scale to meet evolving demands. Traditional networks often lack agility so struggle to scale and adapt quickly to evolving business needs. In contrast, cloud-based networks, exemplified by Cisco Meraki cloud networking platform, deliver dynamic scalability, automation, and enhanced operational efficiency while freeing up valuable resources. As a result, businesses can respond to changes rapidly, innovate faster, and support long-term growth without the constraints of legacy systems. 

But, as organizations adopt cloud-first networks, many will navigate a gradual transition, requiring network teams to manage a mix of on-premises and multicloud infrastructures, paving the way for multifaceted hybrid networks which bring increased complexity. Managing this diversity and complexity can be a daunting task which overwhelms IT teams, making it difficult to ensure optimal network performance, security, and compliance across hybrid multicloud environments. 

Visibility Gaps Due To Network Diversity 

Among the main challenges faced by networking and security teams, visibility comes top of the list. Traditional monitoring tools struggle to provide unified visibility across on-premises and multicloud setups. This lack of oversight can lead to a range of issues, including inefficient use of resources, uncontrolled shadow IT practices, and security vulnerabilities that increase the attack surface and can be exploited by sophisticated cyber threats.

Having hybrid environments that span multiple cloud providers results in managing data from several platforms, each with its own set of tools and data formats. This diversity creates data silos and inconsistencies, making it challenging to consolidate and harmonize data and drive an effective Network Source of Truth (NSoT). This fragmented, often inconsistent data, not only hinders effective network operations by limiting the scalability of robust network automation, but also increases compliance risks, including regulations.

Finally, it adds to the complexity of enforcing and managing consistent, up-to-date network and security policies across disparate IT environments by failing to consolidate and harmonize data, thereby raising the risk of security breaches. 

Let’s see how these challenges can be addressed by integrating Cisco Meraki and EfficientIP DDI platforms.

How Cisco Meraki and EfficientIP DDI Overcome Fragmented Visibility Across Hybrid Multicloud 

As reflected in the EMA 2023 DDI Directions report, hybrid cloud and multicloud architectures emerge as the top drivers for new or expanded investments in DDI technology. It highlights the essential role DDI (DNS, DHCP, and IP Address Management) plays in implementing consistent and integrated network services across on-premises and cloud-based infrastructures.

EfficientIP’s award-winning DDI helps IT teams navigate these complex environments by providing the holistic network view needed to simplify, automate, and secure network management across hybrid multicloud. 

In this new paradigm, integrating Cisco Meraki and EfficientIP DDI platforms enables networking teams to deliver unified visibility across Cisco Meraki-managed infrastructures. It enables them to gain efficiency and agility in network management and automation.  

As part of EfficientIP’s Network Automation Hub, Cloud Observer discovers all network objects connected to different cloud providers, including network properties, and then keeps the data accurate and up-to-date. The integration of Cisco Meraki with Cloud Observer now enables discovery, harmonization, and consolidation of all IPAM data from Meraki products such as wireless, switches, secure SD-WAN appliances, mobile devices, cameras, or IoT deployed and managed by Cisco Meraki for hybrid multicloud infrastructures. 

Aggregating this information provides an efficient way to view and organize consistent data and metadata, making it available at your fingertips. 

Use Cases enabled by Meraki and EfficientIP DDI Integration 

With the Cloud Observer plugin for Cisco Meraki, networking teams can discover, track, and manage information about Meraki devices, networks, IP addresses, and their metadata. 

Example uses cases include:

Achieve a comprehensive, unified resource view

From the  centralized SOLIDserver^TM DDI management interface, network operations teams can access detailed data on instances, networks, IP addresses, and related metadata, including name, device type, status, first/last seen, port, user, name, VLAN, MAC address, CPU, RAM, vendor, or tags. They can easily sort and report on this data. Filtering by status across various networks to identify down devices. Setting up alerts to be automatically notified when devices go down becomes a simple task. 

Enable an effective Network Source of Truth (NSoT)

By directly comparing Cisco Meraki device data with IP Address Management (IPAM) data, NetOps teams can gain a granular view of network inconsistencies. This enables them to swiftly identify and remediate discrepancies, such as missing IP assignments or incorrect MAC addresses. 

This process not only streamlines network validation but also ensures continuous improvement of IPAM data quality through data reconciliation. It makes IPAM an effective NSoT that is always accurate and up-to-date, providing a solid foundation for scaling network automation initiatives such as firewall policy and rule automation or resource lifecycle management. 

As an example, Meraki assets like cameras and IoT can be deployed more easily by provisioning and allocating IP addresses, configuring and activating DNS services. This is enabled thanks to SOLIDserver^TM DDI APIs, and data reconciled in IPAM leveraging the Cisco Meraki and EfficientIP DDI integration.

Monitor continuously to detect anomalies

Network teams can easily organize, filter, and report on data and metadata as needed. They can also set alerts and design custom dashboard widgets to monitor status, availability, or usage to quickly identify network health issues or anomalies. 

This streamlined approach improves troubleshooting for NetOps, SecOps or SOC teams and supports the enrichment of SIEM and SOAR systems for better incident response and strengthened network security. Network health issues are a common challenge in centralized environments. 

Manage resources effectively

By leveraging harmonized and reconciled data, networking teams gain better control over their network resources by optimizing asset utilization, identifying unused or untagged devices, or tracking changes. Changes on Meraki assets are easily monitored, and new alerts can be triggered on Meraki devices regardless of the network they belong to.

By effectively tracking IP address shortages, network teams can proactively address potential network operations problems and ensure optimal resource allocation. All of this contributes to better managing capacity planning and cost optimization.

Streamline compliance assurance

With continuous monitoring of Cisco Meraki environments, data deviations and inconsistencies against regulatory, internal, and corporate standards can be identified. They can be pinpointed, listed, and reported via alerting for remediation and compliance assurance.    

Delivering Tangible Values  

By integrating Meraki and EfficientIP DDI, enabled by Cloud Observer Meraki plugin, networking teams can experience the following benefits:

Holistic visibility: Network teams achieve unified and comprehensive visibility into all Meraki objects with real-time, harmonized insights across hybrid multi-cloud environments. 

Better resource management and cost control:  With detailed information on IP addresses and Meraki objects, network teams can easily identify unused or unknown network resources for improved capacity planning, optimized resource management, and effective cost control.

Improved risk management and compliance: Thanks to continuous monitoring and built-in data inconsistency checks, network teams can easily spot and take actions on anomalies, suspicious activity, or non-compliance with corporate policies. As a consequence, thus enhancing network resilience and user experience while reducing security risk and breaches.

Increased operational efficiency: With automated data population into Cloud Observer combined with IPAM data inconsistency detection, network and security teams save time and effort to detect, investigate, and remediate anomalies, enabling effective decision-making  and swift resolution. In addition, IPAM data enriched with consolidated Meraki device information offers an effective NSoT for scaling robust automation and end-to-end ecosystem integration.

EfficientIP’s Cloud Observer Meraki plugin provides valuable integration, enabling continuous discovery and consolidation of Meraki’s rich device data and metadata into EfficientIP’s IPAM. Delivering comprehensive visibility into all connected Meraki devices helps IT teams tame the complexity of hybrid multicloud environments, solidify an effective NSoT to automate workflows with the ecosystem, streamline network operations, simplify compliance, and reduce security risks. 

Cisco Meraki and EfficientIP DDI platforms equip organizations with a robust hybrid multicloud network management solution that is future-proof and unlocks business agility.