As a Managed Service Supplier (MSP), you might be accountable for serving to to make sure that buyer environments perform easily, with each seen and behind-the-scenes components working seamlessly. Whereas community outages and web site downtime could also be attention-grabbing points, managing the licensing necessities for Meraki networks are equally necessary.
Let’s discover the importance of licensing and the way MSPs can leverage the Meraki Dashboard API to effectively handle licenses at scale.
Licensing challenges confronted by MSPs
For MSPs who handle many networks, relying solely on e mail notifications from the Meraki Dashboard might be burdensome. With the Meraki Dashboard API, MSPs can automate monitoring license expiration dates, monitor license utilization, and carry out different important duties. These duties embrace renewing licenses, allocating licenses to units, and assembly community compliance necessities. The API empowers MSPs to drive scale and effectivity in license administration, releasing up beneficial time and assets.
Advantages of API-driven license administration:
- Streamlined operations: The API permits centralized license administration, eliminating the necessity for handbook monitoring and lowering the chance of oversight or human error.
- Proactive monitoring: MSPs can obtain real-time notifications about licenses nearing expiration or another license-related points, enabling swift motion and stopping disruptions.
- Scalability and effectivity: The Meraki Dashboard API helps the administration of a number of networks, enabling MSPs to deal with licensing necessities at scale with out compromising effectivity.
- Enhanced buyer satisfaction: With automated license administration, MSPs can assist uninterrupted community performance, enhancing the client expertise and stopping enterprise interruptions.
Understanding Meraki licensing fashions
Meraki provides two licensing fashions: Per-Machine and Co-Time period. With the Per-Machine mannequin, every gadget within the community is licensed individually. If a license expires, solely the related gadget is affected. Conversely, Co-Time period licensing teams all licenses collectively, figuring out the expiration date primarily based on the timeframe coated by all licenses. This methodology simplifies license administration by aligning expiration dates.
Co-Time period licensing may be very common with MSPs. As a result of a whole group might be shut down whether it is out of compliance, it’s important to maintain licensing present. The next content material covers easy methods to use the Meraki Dashboard API to handle this licensing mannequin.
Organizational licensing overview
To handle Co-Time period licensing, entry the getOrganizationLicensesOverview API. Doing so returns the three following objects:
1) standing:string—Present group licensing standing.
Standing is without doubt one of the following:
-
- OK: There are no less than as many license varieties as units within the group, and the license just isn’t inside 30 days of or previous the expiration date.
- License required: There are extra units within the group than licenses.
- License expired: Licenses have expired.
- Trial expiration: The trial license has expired.
- License expires quickly: Co-Time period license expires within the subsequent 30 days.
2) expirationDate:string—The date on which the mixed group licensing expires. (Be aware: This doesn’t embrace any grace intervals which are at the moment in impact for different licensing points.)
3) licensedDeviceCounts:array—Listing of utilized license varieties and counts.
Examples
Within the first instance supplied beneath, the group is under-licensed; there are extra units than lively licenses. To right this case, it’s essential to question getOrganizationDevices and examine the output to the licensedDeviceCounts array to see which units are beneath licensed. Then, you’ll be able to both take away the additional units or buy extra licenses. You have to acquire this information day by day and log the date you first see the “License Required” standing to find out when the 30-day grace interval ends, and your units will not perform.
{
“standing”: “License Required”,
“expirationDate”: “Mar 16, 2023 UTC”,
“licensedDeviceCounts”: {
“MS120-24P”: 6,
“MX65”: 8,
“wi-fi”: 12,
“MS120-48FP”: 1,
“MS220-24P”: 1,
“MS210-24P”: 1
}
}
Within the second instance, the license has expired, and it’s essential to buy new licenses for all units. After buy, you apply them utilizing the claimIntoOrganization API.
{
“standing”: “License Expired”,
“expirationDate”: “Oct 15, 2022 UTC”,
“licensedDeviceCounts”: {
“wi-fi”: 36,
“MS120-48LP”: 9,
“MX100”: 1,
“MS225-48FP”: 5
}
}
Within the third and final instance, your group’s licenses will expire inside 30 days. If you don’t apply new licenses by Nov 14, all of the units within the group will not function.
{
“standing”: “License Expires Quickly”,
“expirationDate”: “Oct 15, 2023 UTC”,
“licensedDeviceCounts”: {
“wi-fi”: 36,
“MS120-48LP”: 9,
“MX100”: 1,
“MS225-48FP”: 5
}
}
Effectively managing Meraki community licenses is a vital activity for MSPs. Whereas important points comparable to community downtime might create concern, neglecting license standing can have extreme penalties. By leveraging Meraki Dashboard APIs, MSPs can automate license administration, monitor expiration dates, and carry out essential duties effectively. This proactive method helps guarantee community compliance, enhances buyer satisfaction, and streamlines operations for MSPs managing networks at scale.
Cisco Accomplice Managed Companies choices and advantages
In case you are a Cisco associate and wish to study extra about Meraki APIs, please register for the upcoming session of Managed Companies Voice of the Engineer. Through the October 2023, session, the Americas Accomplice Group (APO) will supply an summary of the Meraki Dashboard API, evaluation easy methods to use it as a part of a partner-enabled managed providers providing, and discover the advantages for Cisco companions and your clients. Every month, our workforce focuses on a special MSP-relevant subject. In case you are excited about changing into a Cisco Accomplice, you’ll be able to study extra by visiting Cisco’s Accomplice Program and Cisco Accomplice-Enabled Managed Companies.
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