Meraki Debuts Networking as a Service Pricing Program

Eliminating upfront hardware costs for the users, Meraki has announcedNetworking as a Service, a new pay-as-you-go pricing model for cloud-managed network infrastructure products.

Like the Amazon Web Services benefits the datacenter, orSalesforce.com (News - Alert) improves CRM, Networking as a Service brings the cost savings and flexibility of the cloud to enterprise networking. It has no upfront hardware costs and provides improved cash flow and allows the users to grow, shrink, or upgrade at any time.

Networking as a Service provides various advantages to the users when compared to the traditional capex models. Enhanced with the help of cloud computing, this is the ideal way to pay for IT expenses in the modern world.

"Meraki's Networking as a Service program provides a cost-effective and convenient way for organizations to obtain a Meraki system on a 'pay as you go' model," said Hans Robertson, VP of product management and co-founder at Meraki. "Networking as a Service eliminates upfront capital expense, gives you the option to upgrade your hardware for no cost at any time, and removes the financial risk of owning too much infrastructure."

The new solution allows the users to pay only for what they use, with no commitment. It also comes with maintenance, support, and upgrades included. With wireless LANs starting at $25 per access point per month and branch routers from $35 per router per month, Networking as a Service is available for all Meraki enterprise wired and wireless products. The subscription fee includes all hardware, software licenses, support, maintenance, and upgrades, the company has stated.

In December 2008, the company started shipping a solar-powered Wi-Fi mesh device that, according to the manufacturer, will make wireless networks energy- independent. Meraki's device is likely to become popular among networking gear vendors in emerging markets, like India and China, where power outages often shutdown wireless towers. In advanced countries like the U.S., the solar-powered device removes the need to hire an electrician to set up Wi-Fi on rooftops.