Meraki VOIP MPLS & Internet Design help!!

[PJB]

Hi there,

Can any please provide me with some documentation on the cloud voice meraki solution; basically I need a diagram and pros cons and some text explaining about the functionalities. We are looking at this as a solution for multiple sites. I know Meraki has 2 scenarios (mpls and internet) I think we are going to use only mpls but we can highlight that it's possible to use over internet also.

Is there design documentation HLD of how it works on both MPLS and Internet? Also what functionalities there are?QOS etc

[Inderdeep]

@PJB : Can you check this 

https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/solutions/meraki-branch.pdf

[PJB]

Many thanks for the quick response, by any chance is there a seperate SD-WAN/MPLS diagram?

[ww]

https://documentation.meraki.com/MX/Site-to-site_VPN/Configuring_Site-to-site_VPN_over_MPLS

[DarrenOC]

I thought Meraki had pulled development of their voice solution due to Cisco’s acquisition of Broadsoft?

[PJB]

So does this mean they have not put much insofar as investment into the Meraki Cloud Voip solution? Is Broadsoft any good, any good design documentation of there solution?

[DarrenOC]

No experience of Broadsoft but Cisco doesn’t make its acquisitions on a whim.

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/unified-communications/broadworks/index.html#~benefits

What are your telephony requirements?

[PJB]

Thanks for quick reply. There are about 10 offices located in 3 different countries. Currently, they use hard phones, and looking to go to a new cloud solution that would accommodate both hard and soft phones. Mainly they have MPLS environment but would like to know if MPLS fails they could go via Internet etc. They would have questions around pros and cons of Cloud Voip (Security/QoS). ll like to have a design template and answer to these questions to put in front of them. They are looking to move there entire network to the cloud, so they have primary and secondry physical DC's and there disaster recovery in Azure Cloud. Any info much appreciated 

[Inderdeep]

@PJB : so as you say it means they are going to use Microsoft teams as collaboration solution ? Well most of the sdwan solutions are based on application aware routing and all used overlay network to reach to the destination so no issues of the underlay network like mpls, vpls or internet they just need connectivity end to end. The only concern is internet has latency and path may have more hops but still the traffic flow is secured and prioritize based on the policies defined. I am in my environment using Cisco viptela sdwan and Microsoft teams and reach using DIA to exit the teams and azure traffic to the cloud. Let me know if u need to discuss further happy to help

[GregLiu]

Might need consider cloud telephony hosting providers reachability, if branch come from different countries;

eg the cloud vendors POPs location to be considered as well, best to use cloud vendors POP to POP connections rather than the internet 🙂

However, the best approach will be talk to Cisco and Meraki account team, they will happy to discuss on more 🙂

The account team will be able to reach out to DE or engineering team to verify designed solution;

you can reference cisco CVD for most of design case as well www.cisco.com/go/cvd

[GregLiu]

It would be easy, if take the MPLS connection as a circuit, like the normal internet;

Leave the routing/ packet forwording /pfr things to Meraki MX :);

[Inderdeep]

@GregLiu : yeah MX with SDWAN will take care all routing .. @PJB : you need to decide what policies you need to make and the design. Good luck !

[PJB]

Many thanks all for your replies. I will need to get a design in place, its a pity meraki dont really have a pure VOIP design template to show customer. Does anyone have something similiar they can share? Also, Im assuming Broadsoft can work with Meraki MX's

[GregLiu]

Meraki MX works with Broadsoft, Broadsoft is hosted telephony system;

MX inspection just need passing the voip traffic with access switch and MX QOS enabled as well;

the voip just a applications running over MX WAN networks either autovpn or direct internet would works fine as long as get design right :).

The key is get firewall rule right :).

[PJB]

Last question, I am assuming you can have physical phones with the meraki cloud solution?

[PJB]

In addition, can meraki VOIP solution work with multivendor phones system etc. For example can it work with Alcatel/Avaya phones

[DarrenOC]

Hi @PJB - Probably best to reach out to your Meraki AM/SE should you wish to discuss design requirements etc for the Meraki specific telephony solution.