Cisco Meraki Fabric from the Cloud: Complex Network, Simple Management

NNetworks are meant to work – reliably, securely and without the IT team having to delve into the nitty-gritty on a daily basis. However, the reality is often quite different: growing segmentation requirements, increasing compliance demands and rising network complexity place demands that exceed what traditional network architectures can deliver. Cisco Meraki Fabric bridges precisely this gap: a fully cloud-managed campus fabric architecture that combines enterprise-class overlay technologies with the operational simplicity of the Meraki ecosystem.

From Concept to Practice

Cisco has launched a new campus solution: the Meraki EVPN Fabric. In our internal lab environment at avodaq, we have set up, commissioned and tested the Meraki Fabric. The aim was to gain a clear understanding of what the solution is actually capable of in practice.
As a network engineer, it is important to me to get to grips with new solutions at an early stage so that we can provide our customers with sound advice right from the start on which solution best suits their requirements.

What Lies Behind Cisco Meraki Fabric

Anyone familiar with modern campus networking knows that fabric-based approaches are far from new in campus environments. Cisco Software-Defined Access (SDA) has established this architecture in the enterprise environment and proven that it works in campus settings and delivers genuine operational value. With the Meraki EVPN Fabric, Cisco has now translated this proven concept into a cloud-native model. It is designed for operational efficiency: for IT teams that want to run an enterprise network without having to grapple with the complexity of a multi-layered infrastructure on a daily basis.

Technologically, Meraki Fabric builds on a proven foundation: VXLAN as an overlay protocol at the data plane and EVPN as a scalable control plane. A central element of Meraki Fabric is the Meraki Cloud Management Dashboard: the single interface through which the configuration, monitoring and operation of the entire fabric are managed. Sites, switches, policies and topology are visible and manageable at a glance at any time, without the need for a local management system.

Catalyst Meets Meraki

What becomes apparent on closer inspection is at least as significant: the switches operating beneath the cloud management interface are not primarily traditional Meraki devices, but Cisco Catalyst hardware. For me, this is the most visible development that has been underway for years. The formerly distinct worlds of Meraki and Catalyst are converging. Meraki Fabric is the result: the cloud-native management and user-friendliness of the Meraki ecosystem, combined with the proven strength and enterprise-grade capabilities of the Catalyst switch platform. No longer an either/or situation, but a shared path.

Who Is Meraki Fabric Best Suited For?

One comparison that cannot be overlooked in this context: Meraki Fabric and Cisco SDA. Cisco SDA and Meraki Fabric are not competitors; they are solutions to different problems. SDA has established fabric architectures in the enterprise campus and remains the right choice for large enterprises with dedicated network teams, complex policy models and a deeply integrated security architecture based on ISE (Cisco Identity Services Engine) and Catalyst Center.

Meraki Fabric addresses a different need: organisations that want to use the same technological foundation but prefer a lean, cloud-native operating model. No separate management system, no complex onboarding, no specialist knowledge required. This is particularly appealing to companies that have previously been unable to operate a Fabric architecture because the complexity, operational overhead and required expertise simply made the barrier to entry too high.

With both platforms, Cisco is deliberately strengthening different market segments, thereby offering the right solution for every organisation.

Conclusion

Our hands-on testing in the avodaq lab has shown that operational simplicity and technological depth need not be mutually exclusive. Whilst Cisco SDA remains the benchmark for complex enterprise environments, Meraki Fabric fills a gap that has long existed: a cloud-native campus fabric for organisations wishing to adopt modern networking without having to accept the operational overhead of a multi-tiered infrastructure.

In my view, Meraki Fabric is the logical next step: anyone who has already migrated their applications to the cloud should also think of their network in cloud-native terms – and Meraki Fabric makes exactly that possible.