Meraki promising new jobs, little change when absorbed by Cisco

The leadership team at San Francisco-based Meraki is promising customers and its 330 employees that little will change when the company that specializes in cloud technology gets bought by Cisco Systems in January for $1.2 billion.
Instead of costing Meraki employees jobs, the company said in a FAQ on its web site that Cisco’s purchase means that Meraki actually plans to hire more people:
“We’ve got big ideas of how far we our group can go, and we’ll need help to get there,” according to the FAQ. “Current openings are posted on meraki.com/jobs.
“The great news is that Cisco loved Meraki the way it was and we’re all committed to preserving what makes Meraki special, and to delivering more of the products and services our customers love,” Meraki said in the FAQ. “The Meraki team will continue to build and support our products, with a continued emphasis on customer experience and innovation.”
Further Qs – and As – follow:
>> Does my license or support agreement change?
“No – your license term is unchanged, your support, SLA, maintenance and feature updates continue to be included.”
>> Will license costs change in the future? Will I have to buy SMARTnet for support after my Meraki license expires?
“Like any cloud service, your Meraki license terms are guaranteed for the duration of the license period that you’ve purchased. There are no plans for you to be required to purchase SMARTnet at this point.”
>> Who shall I call for support?
“Continue to call Meraki support for Meraki products, and Cisco support for Cisco products.”
>> Will you continue to make new Meraki products?
“Yes. Meraki will form Cisco’s new Cloud Networking Group, and we’ll continue our development of new features, enhancements, and entirely new products without disruption.”
>> Will Cisco be integrating Meraki’s cloud management to Cisco’s products like Catalyst switches?
“Our immediate priority is to continue to build and support the Meraki product line. After the acquisition closes, we will look into longer-term opportunities to broaden Meraki’s cloud management technology.”
If I need to buy more gear, shall I call my Cisco rep?
“Continue to call your Meraki sales representative.”
>> Can I buy from my Cisco reseller?
“Continue to call your Meraki reseller.”
>> Will ongoing upgrades continue to be free?
“Yes.”
>> Is Systems Manager still free?
“Yes.”

Dan Nakaso (30 Posts)

Dan Nakaso returned home to San Jose to help tell the story of Silicon Valley and the people who keep the Valley humming.