Stratus Information Systems

Stratus Information Systems Cloud Networking Technology Partner offering only the very best in class from Cisco Meraki

Modern businesses are moving away from outdated Wi-Fi security models. Pre-shared keys (PSK) and certificate-based acces...
10/10/2025

Modern businesses are moving away from outdated Wi-Fi security models. Pre-shared keys (PSK) and certificate-based access have long served as default methods, but they no longer align with today’s distributed workforces and flexible network environments. The rise of remote work, hybrid office setups, and the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) model has amplified the demand for smarter, more adaptive wireless access controls.

Identity-first Wi-Fi authentication has emerged as a reliable answer. This approach places user identity at the core of every access request. Instead of trusting a device simply because it knows a password, networks now verify who the user is before granting access. The integration of Cisco Meraki and Okta brings this concept to life with a seamless, secure, and scalable solution. Together, Meraki Okta give businesses a centralized and user-friendly way to protect their wireless infrastructure.

Modern businesses are moving away from outdated Wi-Fi security models. Pre-shared keys (PSK) and certificate-based access have long served as default methods, b

BYOD policies are no longer optional. As organizations embrace hybrid and remote work, the need for secure, scalable acc...
10/03/2025

BYOD policies are no longer optional. As organizations embrace hybrid and remote work, the need for secure, scalable access from employee-owned devices becomes central to IT planning. The Cisco Meraki Teleworker Gateway offers a streamlined and secure way to extend your network to remote locations and BYOD environments without compromising control or visibility.

With built-in VPN, application-aware firewalls, and policy-based segmentation, Meraki’s Z-series gateways allow organizations to provide remote users with trusted access to corporate resources, while enforcing strict control over what BYOD devices can access and when.

This guide explores how the Meraki Teleworker Gateway simplifies secure BYOD deployments and highlights configuration strategies that enhance security and operational efficiency.

What Makes the Meraki Teleworker Gateway Ideal for BYOD

The Meraki Z-series appliances are purpose-built for remote connectivity.

BYOD policies are no longer optional. As organizations embrace hybrid and remote work, the need for secure, scalable access from employee-owned devices becomes

As digital infrastructure becomes more distributed and complex, real-time visibility into network activity is essential ...
10/01/2025

As digital infrastructure becomes more distributed and complex, real-time visibility into network activity is essential for proactive security and operational oversight. Cisco Meraki’s cloud-first architecture, when paired with Splunk’s powerful data analytics platform, creates a robust solution for continuous monitoring, alerting, and forensic analysis.This Meraki Splunk integration allows IT and security teams to ingest, correlate, and visualize Meraki logs directly within Splunk. This integration makes it easier to detect anomalies, enforce compliance, and optimize network performance.

Why Real-Time Network Logging Matters

Modern networks generate an immense volume of log data. Switches, firewalls, access points, and client devices all produce telemetry that can either inform strategic decisions or go unnoticed in the noise. Without a way to normalize and analyze this data, organizations risk missed threats and operational blind spots.

As digital infrastructure becomes more distributed and complex, real-time visibility into network activity is essential for proactive security and operational o

Educational institutions are under increasing pressure to create safe, connected, and adaptable environments. From K-12 ...
09/22/2025

Educational institutions are under increasing pressure to create safe, connected, and adaptable environments. From K-12 campuses to sprawling higher education institutions, IT teams are expected to deliver seamless Wi-Fi, safeguard students and staff, and maintain control across distributed networks. Cisco Meraki continues to rise to these demands with innovative solutions that unify cloud-managed networking, IoT, and physical security into a single intelligent platform.

What’s new is not just the technology itself, but how Meraki applies it to solve real education challenges. In 2025, Meraki has expanded its focus beyond connectivity to include environmental monitoring, cybersecurity, and intelligent automation, all purpose-built for academic settings. For schools and colleges looking to upgrade their networks, Meraki security and cloud-first infrastructure offer a path forward that is scalable, secure, and built with educators in mind.

Educational institutions are under increasing pressure to create safe, connected, and adaptable environments. From K-12 campuses to sprawling higher education i

Network teams often manage Wi-Fi, VPN, and admin access as separate silos. Each entry point comes with its own credentia...
09/08/2025

Network teams often manage Wi-Fi, VPN, and admin access as separate silos. Each entry point comes with its own credentials, policies, and monitoring. This fragmentation increases complexity and creates gaps in visibility. As more users connect from remote locations and more devices go unmanaged, enforcing consistent access control becomes nearly impossible.

The Azure Meraki integration brings unity to this fragmented model. By using Azure Active Directory as the central identity authority and Meraki as the access enforcer, organizations can apply the same user policies across VPN, wireless access, and administrative tools. This reduces risk, simplifies IT operations, and improves the user experience.

What Identity-Driven Access Looks Like on Meraki

With identity-first access in place, every authentication request, regardless of where it originates, is evaluated against the same source of truth.

Network teams often manage Wi-Fi, VPN, and admin access as separate silos. Each entry point comes with its own credentials, policies, and monitoring. This fragm

Wireless connectivity issues aren’t always visible from the top down. The network might look healthy, and monitoring log...
09/05/2025

Wireless connectivity issues aren’t always visible from the top down. The network might look healthy, and monitoring logs may show no alerts, yet users still face authentication failures, dropped sessions, or roaming interruptions. These silent issues are common in busy offices, campuses, and retail spaces, especially when client density fluctuates or when users are spread across many SSIDs.

Meraki Wireless Health gives IT teams immediate insight into these problems. Built into the Meraki Dashboard, it analyzes the end-to-end wireless experience by inspecting how individual clients connect, authenticate, roam, and maintain performance. With wireless health enabled, network administrators can locate failure points in seconds and take proactive steps before tickets start flowing in.

At Stratus Information Systems, we help organizations deploy and optimize Cisco Meraki solutions, including Wireless Health configuration, anomaly detection, and root cause resolution.

Wireless connectivity issues aren’t always visible from the top down. The network might look healthy, and monitoring logs may show no alerts, yet users still

IT teams today rely on near-instant visibility to maintain uptime, diagnose issues, and respond to critical events witho...
08/29/2025

IT teams today rely on near-instant visibility to maintain uptime, diagnose issues, and respond to critical events without delay. Relying solely on email-based notifications or manual logs can slow down response times and create operational blind spots.

Cisco Meraki addresses this challenge by providing webhook support across its dashboard. The Meraki webhook feature allows administrators to subscribe to real-time alerts for a wide range of events. These alerts are structured as JSON messages and sent directly to your own HTTPS endpoint. This gives teams the power to automate responses, integrate with third-party tools, and build event-driven workflows.

At Stratus Information Systems, we help clients deploy Cisco Meraki solutions that go beyond basic functionality. Our team can design webhook-based automations that make your network more intelligent, more reactive, and easier to manage.

IT teams today rely on near-instant visibility to maintain uptime, diagnose issues, and respond to critical events without delay. Relying solely on email-based

Cyber threats are no longer isolated or predictable. Today’s attackers use polymorphic malware, encrypted payloads, late...
08/25/2025

Cyber threats are no longer isolated or predictable. Today’s attackers use polymorphic malware, encrypted payloads, lateral movement, and persistent footholds that challenge even modern firewalls. For organizations using Cisco Meraki MX appliances, this evolution has made embedded threat protection capabilities more crucial than ever.

Meraki has answered the call by reengineering its approach to network security. What began as basic IDS/IPS with Snort 2 has matured into a full threat defense stack powered by Snort 3, Advanced Malware Protection (AMP), and cloud-driven updates from Cisco Talos. This isn’t just about signature matching. It’s about creating a security posture that’s adaptive, scalable, and built for today’s decentralized networks.

At Stratus Information Systems, we work closely with IT teams to design and implement secure, resilient Meraki MX deployments.

Cyber threats are no longer isolated or predictable. Today’s attackers use polymorphic malware, encrypted payloads, lateral movement, and persistent footholds

Power isn't just a checkbox when planning modern network infrastructure. It's a foundational decision that directly shap...
08/20/2025

Power isn't just a checkbox when planning modern network infrastructure. It's a foundational decision that directly shapes how well your devices function, how scalable your deployment becomes, and how much efficiency you can achieve in the long term. In an era where networks support a growing number of connected devices, ranging from wireless access points and HD security cameras to smart LED lighting and advanced sensors, ensuring the proper delivery of power over Ethernet (PoE) is crucial.

Meraki MS switches are built to handle these demands, offering models that support both PoE+ and PoE++ standards. However, the choice isn't simply about selecting the more powerful option. Your current and future operational needs should determine the appropriate power standard. Undershooting could mean failed device power-ups or mid-operation shutdowns. Overshooting might lead to overspending and unnecessary heat management concerns.

Power isn't just a checkbox when planning modern network infrastructure. It's a foundational decision that directly shapes how well your devices function, how s

Wi-Fi 7 introduces a significant leap in wireless capabilities. As bandwidth demands grow, IT teams are actively evaluat...
08/04/2025

Wi-Fi 7 introduces a significant leap in wireless capabilities. As bandwidth demands grow, IT teams are actively evaluating what’s next in their access point roadmap. The Cisco Meraki CW9172I is Meraki’s Wi-Fi 7-ready enterprise access point, offering a wide range of improvements in speed, spectrum efficiency, and management intelligence.

This article provides an in-depth look at the CW9172I, how it compares with current access points, and whether it makes sense to upgrade your wireless infrastructure now.

Next-Level Wireless Performance with Wi-Fi 7

The CW9172I brings tri-radio 802.11be functionality with a maximum aggregate frame rate of 9 Gbps. This includes simultaneous operation on 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, making it a future-ready choice for both high-throughput environments and locations with variable RF conditions.

Multi-Link Operation (MLO) support enables the CW9172I to connect over multiple bands simultaneously.

Wi-Fi 7 introduces a significant leap in wireless capabilities. As bandwidth demands grow, IT teams are actively evaluating what’s next in their access point

Choosing between Meraki switches and Cisco Catalyst switches is more than a hardware decision. It is a strategic choice ...
07/30/2025

Choosing between Meraki switches and Cisco Catalyst switches is more than a hardware decision. It is a strategic choice that shapes network operations, management workflows, and long‑term scaling. Both platforms deliver excellent reliability and performance. Yet they serve different organizational needs. This article breaks down the fundamental differences between Meraki and Catalyst switch architectures, helping you choose the right one based on your operational goals and technical environment.

Design Philosophy and Deployment Approach

Cisco Catalyst switches deliver a traditional enterprise experience. They rely on command‑line interfaces, modular hardware options, and deep protocol stacks. Teams familiar with CLI configuration, border gateway protocol, or multicast optimization will find Catalyst a natural fit. Deployments in campus cores, data centers, or service provider environments can fully leverage Catalyst’s flexibility and customization.

Choosing between Meraki switches and Cisco Catalyst switches is more than a hardware decision. It is a strategic choice that shapes network operations, manageme

Hybrid and cloud-first environments have made end-to-end visibility a critical challenge. IT teams now contend with dist...
07/24/2025

Hybrid and cloud-first environments have made end-to-end visibility a critical challenge. IT teams now contend with distributed users, SaaS performance issues, and ISP variability. When performance suffers, pinpointing the root cause becomes time-consuming and costly.

Integrating Meraki MX with ThousandEyes delivers strategic visibility across the entire digital path. This combination enables technical teams to view end-to-end performance from the user to SaaS services, streamlining troubleshooting and enhancing service quality. Visibility evolves into proactive insight, ensuring smoother operations and faster incident resolution.

What ThousandEyes Adds to Meraki MX Deployments

Most branch routers and SD-WAN hubs lack deep synthetic monitoring. ThousandEyes changes that by offering hop-level path tracing, outage detection, and global SaaS reachability information.

When deployed on Meraki MX, ThousandEyes becomes more than monitoring software.

Hybrid and cloud-first environments have made end-to-end visibility a critical challenge. IT teams now contend with distributed users, SaaS performance issues,

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