As a Managed Service Supplier (MSP), you might be liable for serving to to make sure that buyer environments operate 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 essential.
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, observe 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, liberating up invaluable 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 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 shopper expertise and stopping enterprise interruptions.
Understanding Meraki licensing fashions
Meraki affords two licensing fashions: Per-System and Co-Time period. With the Per-System 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 based mostly on the time-frame lined by all licenses. This methodology simplifies license administration by aligning expiration dates.
Co-Time period licensing may be very in style with MSPs. As a result of a whole group could be shut down whether it is out of compliance, it’s vital to maintain licensing present. The next content material covers the right way 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 among the following:
-
- OK: There are no less than as many license varieties as units within the group, and the license shouldn’t be 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. (Word: This doesn’t embrace any grace durations which might be at present in impact for different licensing points.)
3) licensedDeviceCounts:array—Checklist 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, you need to question getOrganizationDevices and examine the output to the licensedDeviceCounts array to see which units are below licensed. Then, you possibly can both take away the additional units or buy extra licenses. You should accumulate this information every 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 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 need 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 process for MSPs. Whereas vital points comparable to community downtime could 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 vital duties effectively. This proactive strategy helps guarantee community compliance, enhances buyer satisfaction, and streamlines operations for MSPs managing networks at scale.
Cisco Companion Managed Providers choices and advantages
In case you are a Cisco associate and need to study extra about Meraki APIs, please register for the upcoming session of Managed Providers Voice of the Engineer. Through the October 2023, session, the Americas Companion Group (APO) will supply an outline of the Meraki Dashboard API, assessment the right way 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 crew focuses on a special MSP-relevant subject. In case you are focused on turning into a Cisco Companion, you possibly can study extra by visiting Cisco’s Companion Program and Cisco Companion-Enabled Managed Providers.
We’d love to listen to what you suppose. Ask a Query, Remark Under, and Keep Linked with #CiscoPartners on social!
Cisco Companions Fb | @CiscoPartners Twitter | Cisco Companions LinkedIn
Share:
