As a Managed Service Supplier (MSP), you might be accountable for serving to to make sure that buyer environments operate easily, with each seen and behind-the-scenes parts working seamlessly. Whereas community outages and web site downtime could also be attention-grabbing points, managing the licensing necessities for Meraki networks are equally vital.
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 could 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 embody renewing licenses, allocating licenses to gadgets, and assembly community compliance necessities. The API empowers MSPs to drive scale and effectivity in license administration, releasing up helpful time and assets.
Advantages of API-driven license administration:
- Streamlined operations: The API permits centralized license administration, eliminating the necessity for guide monitoring and decreasing the danger of oversight or human error.
- Proactive monitoring: MSPs can obtain real-time notifications about licenses nearing expiration or every other 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 help uninterrupted community performance, enhancing the client expertise and stopping enterprise interruptions.
Understanding Meraki licensing fashions
Meraki presents two licensing fashions: Per-Machine and Co-Time period. With the Per-Machine mannequin, every machine within the community is licensed individually. If a license expires, solely the related machine 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 technique simplifies license administration by aligning expiration dates.
Co-Time period licensing may be very widespread with MSPs. As a result of a complete group could be shut down whether it is out of compliance, it’s essential to maintain licensing present. The next content material covers how one can 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 among the following:
-
- OK: There are no less than as many license varieties as gadgets within the group, and the license just isn’t inside 30 days of or previous the expiration date.
- License required: There are extra gadgets 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. (Word: This doesn’t embody any grace intervals which can be at present in impact for different licensing points.)
3) licensedDeviceCounts:array—Listing of utilized license varieties and counts.
Examples
Within the first instance offered under, the group is under-licensed; there are extra gadgets than energetic licenses. To appropriate this example, you could question getOrganizationDevices and examine the output to the licensedDeviceCounts array to see which gadgets are below licensed. Then, you possibly can both take away the additional gadgets or buy extra licenses. You could acquire this knowledge each day and log the date you first see the “License Required” standing to find out when the 30-day grace interval ends, and your gadgets will not operate.
{
“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 you could buy new licenses for all gadgets. 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 gadgets 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 an important job for MSPs. Whereas essential points reminiscent of 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 needed duties effectively. This proactive strategy helps guarantee community compliance, enhances buyer satisfaction, and streamlines operations for MSPs managing networks at scale.
Cisco Associate Managed Providers choices and advantages
If you’re a Cisco companion and wish to be taught extra about Meraki APIs, please register for the upcoming session of Managed Providers Voice of the Engineer. Throughout the October 2023, session, the Americas Associate Group (APO) will supply an summary of the Meraki Dashboard API, evaluation how one can use it as a part of a partner-enabled managed companies providing, and discover the advantages for Cisco companions and your clients. Every month, our group focuses on a special MSP-relevant subject. If you’re concerned about changing into a Cisco Associate, you possibly can be taught extra by visiting Cisco’s Associate Program and Cisco Associate-Enabled Managed Providers.
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