I'm planning a refresh of our internal network next year using Meraki equipment (MX, MR, MS), and 70% of our current gear is end-of-life. We operate two large sites along with 20 medium to small locations. My main goals are to reduce costs, cut down on Ethernet usage by moving to Wi-Fi for endpoints, and implement Zero Trust principles. I'm curious about additional considerations for 2026 and how to approach switching vendors if necessary.
4 Answers
We went all-in on Aruba Central and it’s been a pretty good ride. The interface is user-friendly, which helps junior staff get up to speed quickly. Visibility is decent and the support is solid. Just be cautious with the gateways—they can be tricky. We also use Clearpass, but fair warning, it can get complex.
First off, definitely go to tender. Hiring a skilled network engineer is a no-brainer. I second looking into Aruba and using Clearpass for network access control. Make sure you have all your business and technical requirements mapped out ahead of time, including security—it should be part of your strategy from the start.
Why push for less Ethernet use in favor of Wi-Fi? Mobility is key here. When we transitioned to full Arista a few years back, we never looked back—Wi-Fi can be reliable and doesn’t tether people to desks, plus most people use laptops nowadays. Just ensure the Wi-Fi is well set up to handle everything smoothly.
We just did a full site install with Aruba and went with the JL659A models everywhere. They’re being managed through IMC, and honestly, it’s an old-school approach that still works great for us.
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