Meraki Security Appliances just got Awesome...and Free

Cisco Meraki announced a new security feature at the end of March for firewall owners sporting Advanced Security licensing on their MX appliances - Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) now available in open beta.

Cisco's Advanced Malware Protection service is nothing new, but it is just now being extended to Meraki devices as an MX feature. The integration means Meraki now has access to AMP's global threat intelligence database - which includes over 500 million known files and adds another 1 million new malware samples every day.

What's more, AMP also features retrospective file analysis, reaching up to two weeks into the past and alerting you if any malicious files are discovered to have passed through your network in that time.

Free Gear and License
Meraki has historically made it pretty easy for IT professionals to test out their gear. First, by giving away an MR-18 access point for viewing any webinar on their website, and then last year expanding on that idea to also include a free 8-port, PoE switch for watching their "next generation of enterprise switching" webinar. In both cases, you also get a 3-year Enterprise license to go with your free hardware.

Meraki MX64 security appliance

Now, they have further expanded their array of freebies for IT pros to include the MX64 and 3-year Advanced Security license when you take in their "next generation of enterprise security" webinar. The three available time slots to sign up for the webinar quickly filled up at the beginning of the month, but if history is any indication, we hope to soon see this offer renewed in the future. The free switch was initially supposed to be a limited time deal that has since been left open indefinitely due to it's success. Though the MX webinars are full, you can sign up for the free switch here.

Meraki continues to develop and improve the feature sets of its product families at no additional cost to users. While many IT professionals balk at Meraki's recurring licensing model (Meraki devices don't function at all without purchasing a software license that eventually expires), the companies proven history in continuing to expand it's capabilities helps take the edge off. Also covered in those licensing costs is next day replacement and 24/7 access to Meraki's support. Regardless, IT pros have the chance to test out a Meraki solution for free, with no obligation to see if it makes sense for them.