04 Sep
Different organizations and companies have different types of missions and goals. In this particular case study, we are going to focus on Make-A-Wish Foundation. Make-A-Wish Foundation is a nonprofit with a powerful mission to grant the wish of every child diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition. So with such a notable mission, having a stable, reliable IT network is crucial for this organization.
Jeff Pick, the Director of Technology for Make-A-Wish America, works at the National Office in Phoenix to support 62 local Make-A-Wish chapters around the country. When he first started working at Make-A-Wish, each chapter had its own distinct networking gear, causing network management to be scattered. In addition to this wide-spanning decentralized network, the organization was calling for an increase in cybersecurity.
Make-A-Wish Foundation chose to go with a Meraki setup at every location. They initially did a trial and found it easy to configure. At every Make-A-Wish Chapter, a Meraki MX Security Appliance, MS Switch and a number of MR Access Points can be found. Each individual MX securely connects to other branch MXs in the Make-A-Wish network, and then back to a central MX400 at headquarters via Meraki Auto VPN. Meraki’s site-to-site VPN connects chapters securely and automatically without manual configuration. Because of this upgrade in network solutions, Make-A-Wish is able to securely share internal resources within the organization.
The Benefits Summarized
The initial issue was that each different Make-A-Wish location had its own distinct networking gear. It was difficult for the IT team of the Make-A-Wish Foundation to manage the network effectively. After switching the entire network to Meraki, Make-A-Wish Foundation had a network topology that was centrally managed. Jeff Pick and his IT team were able to view a detailed network map at any time. Meraki Access Points have fixed 99% of the wireless errors they were having before.
Cisco Meraki is convenient cloud-based IT Management Solution. In the case of businesses, it enables IT Managers to monitor their network from any location and scale their network. Meraki is not only a networking solution, but it also comes with cybersecurity features as well. Through Cisco Meraki, organizations like Make-A-Wish and other organizations can centralize cybersecurity, network management, while maintaining a lean IT staff.
