Please introduce yourself [Aug 2017 - Feb 2019]

[CarolineS]

UPDATE: We've archived this post and created a new space for introductions here.

Welcome to the Meraki Community. We are excited to provide this forum as a place for our customers and partners to interact with us and with each other. We’d love to get to know you.

Reply to this thread to let us know who you are, what you do, what expertise you have to share, what you may be looking for in this community, your hobbies… anything you’d like. Just hit that first big green "Reply" button below to get started.

Pro tip: when replying, you may wish to UNCHECK the "Email me when someone replies" checkbox (screenshot below). This thread is popular and you might not want an email each time someone posts on it!

We look forward to meeting you!

[Larrman113]

Hello, my name is Larry Darnell. We are putting in some new equipment in a new building and we believe we are going with the best technology. I have been using Cisco equipment for over 10 years and we are excited to get to use Meraki tech too. I am sure I will have something valuable to contribute once we have finished setting it all up in the next few weeks.

[cxlinkmjb]

Spoiler

swagplease

Hello,

My name is Matthew Bates, I am the IT Manager at Connexta, in the hot and sunny state of Arizona.

We are using Cisco Meraki Systems Manager for Mobile Device Management, so we have some experience there if anyone needs help.

Check out our website Connexta and the Codice Foundation open source software that we support, DDF and Alliance

#swagplease

[munanz]

Was always interested in mobile device management, will definitely keep you in mind if we ever deploy it!

[RLEWIS]

Hello,

I'm Rick  I work as a network Engineer for Potter County  in Texas.

We use Meraki access Points on a Cisco Network.  

[BradMac]

Hi, I'm Brad the lone IT guy at a small non-profit out in Southern Utah. I have slowly been able to completely integrate Meraki products into our network starting with the Free AP. I love the products. I am happy to have this new resource to help me learn more about the products and features.

[Edvan]

Hello Meraki Community.

Ed here, Sys Admin for MSP company based in BC.

[billo]

I've been using Meraki stuff since 2012 I think, at the small medical practice I support, and at a couple of companies I started, and also at home. I really love the software, it's such a nice refuge from the terrible embedded stuff that has existed on network equipment since forever. 

Cheers,

Bill

[Jeromyengineer]

New in here and looking for a step by step guide/pdf of steps to follow when remote sites go down! Or important information to check through the GUI such as which pages to check first when troubleshooting an issue.

[NeoBiggs]

Hey everyone!

Network Admin for Batteries Plus Bulbs. Q1 - 2018 we are going full Meraki at our Corporate Headquarters/Datacenter and a possible Meraki implementation to our 700+ retail locations in the next year or two. I look forward to working with the technology and the community!

[Keson]

Hi,

I am Keson, an ISO and Network Manager.  I have been using Meraki for quite a few years, before it came to Cisco.  I love the product, and most of all the support model.  Now with the community, I like it even better because I believe in the wisdom of the crowd and the sharing spirit.  Imagine a world without googling, web surfing, online communities!  Anything one looks for, or experienced, someone else had the same ideas and perhaps tried before. Wisdom is shared so freely and informative.

Keson

[Cid]

New to meraki, but not new to networks.

[amurphy]

Hi everyone.  I'm Andrew Murphy.  I work for Stephenson Equipment Inc.  We use Meraki gear to connect our networks.  I'm a big fan of the dashboard and the training that Meraki and it's partners give out.  It's a great way to get into Network/Firewall/Routing without having to know the full code.

[Jason-Jerrys]

Hello All,

I am the network administrator for a large auto dealer group here in Northern Virginia.  I have worked with Meraki for many years now and loving it.  I have 3 firewalls 10 switches and 50+ wireless APs. 

Jason

[NCS_Comm]

Hello All,

Good to see so many people and from all over the World 🙂

I'm Nick, and I live in the Cariboo region of British Columbia, Canada.

Currently work for a Mining company and have Meraki Security Appliances. (but would love to manage Meraki devices for someone working from home 🙂 )

I have deployed and managed an entire system of Merkai equipment in previous company (Switches, Firewall, AP).

Love the equipment and try and use it when ever i can.

Lets keep up the good work 🙂

Cheers

[Jason-Jerrys]

Hello All,

I am the network administrator for a large auto dealer group here in Northern Virginia.  I have worked with Meraki for many years now and loving it.  I have 3 firewalls 10 switches and 50+ wireless APs. 

Jason

[MatthewC]

Hi all,

I'm an IT technician and network/systems engineer with a print company based out of Scotland. We're full Meraki stack for networking (multiple MX, MS and MR across many sites), and we're pretty happy with it. We transitioned from an aging standard Cisco stack (ISR+Catalyst network, disorganised wifi and access switches).

[snafumaster]

Hi, All!

My name is Matthew, friends call me Matty.  I'm the Director of IT for a smallish, but national AV and Computer rentals company.  We're getting ready to open our 10 location soon.  Cisco shop, but I've been integrating and moving towards Meraki, and very happy about that.

Looking forward to this community for the same reason I am happy to be expanding my Meraki footprint...I like to do it myself when I can, but sometime, you just need a little help.  I hope I can share what I've learned as well!

My 'handle' was given to me years ago by an online friend and it suits me well...I love to fix messed up stuff.

[Bearded_Dozer]

Name is Bryan, I work for a heavy equipment distributor in Central Illinois. We have a total of 16 branches spanning 5 states. I'm their Network Engineer and master of magic. Was first introduced to Meraki when I was hired for my position and have enjoyed learning all the ins and outs of the dashboard. 

Looking forward to interacting with everyone in forums. 

[Kevlar]

Hi all,

Kevin here. I'm a systems/network admin here in the United States for Pioneer Balloon. We make latex and foil balloons and have about 10 sites across the US. We use Cisco for our switching and Meraki MX boxes and Meraki access points. The Meraki infrastructure has made it easier to manage our sites remotely for sure. It's great to be able to handle issues from anywhere and see what's going on at our sites.

Also been using the teleworker gateways for people who work from home a large percentage of the time. Has made it so much easier to support them.

swagplease

[Lookinup]

Hi everyone,

I am Jim and new to Meraki and this community. I hope to learn practical implementation and operational tips. We are looking to implement SD-WAN over the next 6-24 months (in stages). I am very involved in my church. I love to do anything that brings hope, life, love, healing and the knowledge of God to people.

[SprintingTurtle]

Hi, my name is Derek and I work for a hospital that has been transitioning over to Meraki gear.  I am excited to be part of the community for learning from others as well as helping out when I can.

[SAU]

Hi.

New here but I guess that does not need to be stated.

Greg Hodges, Network Admin at Saint Augustine's Univ. in Raleigh, NC

[mookiefantana]

My name is Charlie Brawner.  I'm the Director of IT at Tweet/Garot Mechanical, a mid-sized mechanical contractor in Green Bay, WI.  In the past three years we have converted all of our network infrastructure to Meraki...firewalls, switches, WAPs.  We love it.  Also looking at Systems Manager in the near future.  I look forward to checking in with this community to answer FAQ's, concerns, etc.

[Javier_Gonzalez]

Hi,

My name is Javier Gonzalez and I am a network engineer working in the Atlanta area.

Been a Meraki customer for about 3 years.

Don't usually have to contact support for Meraki products but it's nice to know a forum exists in case we ever have simple questions.

[GlenW70]

Hi I'm Glen Warn and I'm a sr. network architect for Tommy Bahama (retailer) based in Seattle.  We operate ~160 stores and outlets in the US, Canada, & Puerto Rico.  We leverage Meraki MX, MS and MR devices at all of our retail locations and couple them with Cradlepoint devices for cellular backup.  Looking forward to working with community knowledge base.

[leftshot]

Mark here.  I do everything from CIO to the guy under the desk for a 5 building active campus with 300-500 connected devices on a given day.  About 30-40% of my time is spent on IT and Meraki is one of the big reasons this is possible.

Spoiler

swagplease

[MagruderMan]

I cover everything under the umbrella of IT for three sister companies with 10 sites in the field of aggregate mining and asphalt paving. Installing Meraki full stack has reduced my time spent on network configuration and troubleshooting. Love it!

Also, #swagplease

[JohnKee]

Hello,

Just introducing myself... Im John Kee and I maintain a network of over 40 location that include two manufacturing plants and a corporate office. I may come on here from time to time to pick the brains of the community and to get my swag ; )

[terrys-auto]

I am James and I work for a small automotive repair shop and parts store. Using our Meraki system has been great for limiting speeds on some computers while boosting it on others. 

[ZachB4]

Hey, I'm Zach Bowman Sr SysAdmin for Lifestyle Communities. We've really liked the reliability and scalability of our Meraki equipment.

[TLC]

Paul from Transcare here.  I deployed Meraki into our infrastructure about a year and a half ago and am so glad I did.

I love jumping through hoops for swag!  🙂  Looking forward to this being a valuable resource for supporting my Meraki environment. 

[Dave]

I introduced myself way back on page 1.  

I'm glad to see so many new people joining the forum.   Welcome, all. 

#swagplease

[JC-008]

Hi, my name is JC and I work as an IT Manager for a company that focuses on Clinical Research. I have implemented the Meraki stack in 2 separate companies and I love it! I have setup MXs, MSs, MRs, phones and the security cameras. The last two just for fun and to understand how they could be added to my IT roadmap later.

I am glad there is a proper community focused on Meraki now and we all can share experiences and challenges we have encountered while using this great technology.

[mlewilkins]

Hi there!

My name is Emily and I'm the Account Manager for a small MSP in the DFW area. We are growing rapidly, thanks to the secure technologies Cisco allows us to support for our clientele. Huge fans!

#swagplease 🙂

[Briang]

My name is Brian, I am fairly new to Meraki so I am excited to learn.

[Renblood]

Bill, IT Director at the Piercey Automotive Group. We standardize on Meraki for our WIFI. Meraki makes a solid product starting to look at there switching deployed there switching at one location liking it so far like the quick intuitive interface.

[KFite]

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for creating the Meraki Community to share experiences and to learn more about Cisco Meraki

Karen

[micmcp]

Hello - I am Michael - a Meraki customer.  We have deployed switches, MX (for SD-WAN), WAPs and a few cameras.  We have a dozen locations covering the US and Canada.  We plan to deploy Z1 for home office users this winter.

[MSKT]

Hey all. Matt with kicktech based out of Utah and Arizona. We are a longtime meraki customer and use SM,MX, and MR products.

[FractalJedi]

Greetings from Alaska, this is Rich.  Been using Meraki appliances both in my day job and side jobs for a while now at a fairly novice level.  Hobbies include Photography, investing, woodworking and the latest is working with LED lighting for a broad range of functions to adding more light to the snow blower to mood lighting around the TV.  Lots of fun.   

[NHHFA]

Hi, my name is Mitch. I am the Senior Network admin at a housing authority in NH. We use MX100 and Meraki wifi gear and are getting ready to replace our switching equipment with Meraki. I look forward to having a place to discuss Meraki based networking.

[RichieRich]

Hello Everybody!!!!

[HaywoodIT]

Hi, I am Joey Webb, Assistant Director of Technology and Communications for Haywood County Government. I am always looking for communities like this one for information. 

Spoiler

swagplease

[RichieRich]

I hope to gain knowledge from you smart ladies and gents!!  #Ready

[ScottR]

Howdy from Texas! I wish I could say I didn't really talk like that.

I'm Scott. Network Architect and IT Purchasing for Helen Farabee Centers in North Texas.

19 County Behavioral Health Authority. We also do some networking for adjacent BH Authority and an EHR partnership.

We are mainly Cisco Wireless, but we do have some Meraki.

How do I tag for the "swagplease" ?

[CarolineS]

Hi @ScottR -

---

@ScottR wrote:

How do I tag for the "swagplease" ?

---

Welcome! See this topic to learn how to tag.

Cheers!

[JT1]

Jeff from Maryland here! I'm an IT Manager for a small municipal government. I've been a long time user/supporter/promoter of Meraki products from way back in the day even before the Cisco acquisition. Fell in love with it from day 1 and never looked back.

Started with the free webinar AP and now own a full stack of Cisco Meraki products across 6 locations. The only think we don't have are the MV cameras. I'm hoping to deploy a few of those early in 2018. 

By all means send some free swag my way 🙂

Happy Holidays everyone!!

[JacobScherb]

I'm Jacob Scherb, the IT Director at FitzMark -- a 3rd party logistics company in Indianapolis. 

[Maureen]

Hi Everyone.  I am Maureen Lobmeyer, IT Consultant.  I have been using Meraki for about 5 years and love the products.  It enables me to work remotely and have the extra eyes and ears I need on the network.  Happy Holidays!

[AlZ]

Hello everyone, I'm Al.

Network Engineer at Text 100 here in San Francisco.  We have 25 offices globally and have been switching from Cisco gear to Cisco Meraki.  Great to meet everyone.

#swagplease

[RichieRich]

Richard Stinson

Techmer PM - TN

Network Admin

[Alexander]

Hello!

My name is Alex.   just purchased Meraki APs and found out about this Community.

Hope to learn a lot from all you Meraki experts.

Thanks,

Alex

[Rich]

My name is Rich Newton and I manage the network team at Tory Burch LLC.

[MELadminIT]

IT Manager, Sys Admin, 1 stop shop. Love Meraki and use at remote sites and corporate location. We use MX, MR, and MS appliance. Would love to know why MX60 device has a hard time reconnecting a U340 AT&T beam device if the MX is rebooted. It is stuck trying to Connect and never says ready unless the USB is unplugged and then plugged back in. Other than that no issues with Meraki devices.

[DaveVet]

System Admin, CCNA and really liking Meraki lately.

[anyland]

Hi!

I am an IT Director for a locally owned and operated office supply/office furniture/retail business! Think Dunder Miflin but way cooler! Just jumped onto the Meraki bandwagon recently and am going whole hog. My previous role I was the IT manager for a publicly traded company with many offices throughout North America. We used Cisco exclusively for servers, phones and all networking gear. I went through two full equipment change overs there and it was pretty cool stuff. At my new job we are removing Cisco gear and replacing with all Meraki. Oh how things have changed!

I am loving the web dashboard and the wireless is rock solid. Happy to be a part of the community!

[MikeFus]

Hello everyone!  My name is Mike, and I'm the Director of Business Affairs for a small private school in Harrisonburg, VA.  Areas of my responsibility include the Business Office, Technology Administration, Facilities Management and Crisis Management.  My career prior to this job was in IT, so that's still my primary passion and expertise... but in a small non-profit, we all wear many hats!

We migrated to Meraki beginning with the free Systems Manager, then quickly expanding to standardize our wireless on Meraki, and just in the last year we migrated our switches and firewall to Meraki.  We're finally under one unified platform for our network infrastructure!  We currently have 11 switches, 30 access points, and a MX100 security appliance.

I'm looking forward to taking advantage of the collective wisdom of other network admins through this forum.

[BrianMcD]

Senior Network Administrator who deployed and manage a full stack of Meraki gear across 2 data centers and 70+ regional offices throughout the southeastern US.

I am happy to share my experience with the dashboard and MX, MS, MR, or MV configurations and management.

CMNO #1192

[Lhaeo]

New to joining the community, but I've been a lurker for quite a while. I love Meraki products so much that I actually brag about them to IT friends in other businesses to try to convert them over.

[Bufordx10]

Hi all, I'm Andy, Systems and Support Manager for Egan a construction company in Minnesota. We love our Meraki gear.

[THuemmer]

Hello Everyone!

My name is Thomas and I'm fairly new to deploying Meraki hardware. My job is to build IT departments from scratch for small companies that are growing rapidly - that entails anything from line of business applications (eCom, POS, OMS, etc)  to scalable IT infrastructure.

Meraki has made the infrastructure deployments a fun project for me. We are opening offices and stores around the globe and managing that operations with a small team is at times challenging. So I am happy to join a community of peers that I can surely learn a lot from.

Happy Holidays!

-T

[Leaderbuilder]

Hello, 

I am new to this community.

The breadth of knowledge is encouraging!

Thank you,

Michael

[Yortolio]

Troy here.

Network Engineer for FerrellGas, Propane retailer across US

deploy alot of MX firewall appliances at small branch offices, starting to deploy other stack elements elsewhere as well.

Thanks for the invite!

[TecQC]

Hi All!

I am Pierre and I work as an I.T. Administrator for a manufacturing company.  We have nine sites and use all kind of Meraki equipment: firewalls, access points and switches.

Since we moved to Meraki, managing task is as different as day and night. Thumbs up Meraki!

[hoober-np]

Hello! Nic here from Pennsylvania. I work in the internal IT department at an ag/heavy equipment dealer and service provider.

[SA]

Hi Everyone. My name is Sam and I work in the IT team at New Zealand Rugby supporting both the professional side and the grassroots and game development side of our great sport.

[clone13]

I am a compliance officer based out of Florida. Regulatory compliance os my day gig, working for several electronic music festivals and a on-air talent for a NPR affiliate is my night gig. #SwagPlease

[pcarroll15]

Hello!

My name is Phil Carroll, we are a customer and fan of Meraki networking gear. I am in the processing of converting all our offices over to the meraki cloud. I look forward to participating in this community.

Oh Yeah...

“swagplease”*

[gstarnes]

Hi,

I'm Greg, and I work for Families, Inc out of Arkansas.  I'm the I.T. Coordinator for the company.

[Azzorak]

I am a network engineer, I have used Meraki for the last 5 years. 

[AdamKaczala]

I am Adam Kaczala and work for Critical Mix as a Support Engineer. We love the visibility Meraki gear gives us!

[TheoG]

Hello I'm Theo.  Long time Meraki user and fan.  I work in local gov and with all the features we gain from Meraki dashboard we can manage the network like the big boys.  Thx.

[Bruce_Sayers]

Hello Everyone,

Kuga Electrical focuses on providing Energy Efficient Solutions to residential and business customers through the provision of LED lighting, Solar panels and storage.  We also provide a host of other electrical services across most of Australia.

Our sales teams use a variety of mobile devices, primarily iOS.  We use Meraki Systems Manager to remotely look after the 100+ devices we use. 

The main focus of my role is to find innovative technological solutions for Kuga that enhance our ability to grow and service our customers.

When I am not at work I am relaxing at home with my cat, guinea pigs and, occasionally, my daughter.

#swagplease