Cisco Meraki MX series FAQs

meraki mx series firewalls

The Cisco Meraki MX series are Meraki’s Secure SD-WAN firewalls. With a wide set of capabilities, they address multiple use cases. And they do it from an all-in-one device.

Companies of all sizes rely on MX firewalls to provide secure hub-centric connection and great application experiences. The MX series is 100% cloud-managed. As a result, installation and remote management are truly zero touch. Consequently, they’re ideal for distributed branches, campuses, and data centers.

In addition, the Meraki MX series comes with a complete set of secure network and assurance capabilities. These include application-based firewalling, content-and-web-search filtering, intrusion detection, and prevention. Plus, there’s malware protection, site-to-site Auto VPN, client VPN, WAN and cellular failover, dynamic path selection, VoIP health, and more.

And, the MX eliminates the need for multiple appliances. With all of these features, the MX series is one of our most popular firewalls. So, we have put together a handful of our most frequently asked questions about the Cisco Meraki MX series firewalls.

Does the MX series still function even if it’s unable to communicate with the cloud?

Yes, the appliance will continue to operate on the last known good configuration and enforce all configured security policies. While disconnected from the Cisco Meraki cloud, configuration changes are limited to basic uplink and port settings accessible on the local status page. Analytics and reporting data will also still be gathered while disconnected. It will become available again when connectivity is regained.

Can the MX form IPsec VPN tunnels to non-Meraki devices?

Yes, the MX supports standard IPsec VPN in addition to Meraki Auto VPN.

Does the MX support high availability (HA) configurations?

Yes, all MX models support Active/Passive HA.

Does an MX have to have a publicly routable IP to be able to form IPsec tunnels using Meraki Auto VPN?

No. In most cases, MX Security Appliances will automatically discover each other and form VPN tunnels even when behind a NAT device.

Does the MX include advanced threat functionality?

Yes, the MX includes best-in-class Cisco Security technologies like Advanced Malware Protection, Threat Grid integration, Stealthwatch integration, Cisco Snort IPS.

Can security and traffic policies be applied using Active Directory groups?

Yes, the MX series supports native Active Directory integration. Policies can be applied to clients based on Active Directory group membership.

Have any additional questions about the MX series?

If you have questions that weren’t covered on this list, Corporate Armor is here to help. You can call us at 877-449-0458, email us at [email protected]. Or even start a chat with us on our website. We look forward to helping you.