Lake District National Park Authority: Meraki SD-WAN Implementation

Background

The Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) has a head office and 12 remote sites spread over 900 square miles. When Trustack and Cisco Meraki engaged with them, they were using a mix of connectivity solutions – SDSL, ADSL, fibre to the premises and radio, plus VOIP and homeworkers on VPN.

Challenge

LDNPA had a traditional hub and spoke set up linking its sites, which gave a single point of failure. Ageing Cisco ASAs had reached the end of their useful life. There were limitations with the existing hardware as it was restricted to 10 nodes on many sites. The VPN routers also had limited functionality. Overall, the set up was complex and time-consuming to manage, and posed security risks.

Solution

To address these issues and, futureproof the LDNPA, we implemented Meraki SD-WAN. Smarter routing resolved the IP’s, ensured PCI compliance and improved malware detection. Meraki opened up unlimited node connections, removed dependence on fixed IP, ensured PCI compliance and improved malware detection. Implementation was efficient, with downtime for some sites as low as 10 minutes.

Trustack MSP Cyber Security, IT Services, IT Support. A digital representation of a globe made up of blue dots and lines is shown in a futuristic, high-tech style. The Meraki-connected globe highlights various data points and symbols, emphasizing a network concept on a dark background with additional digital and data visuals.

Results

Meraki SD-WAN has simplified the network, increased visibility and enhanced security. LDNPA can now manage the network remotely via the Meraki Portal. This has increased productivity as IT support personnel no longer have to spend a day travelling to remote sites. Meraki SD-WAN has enhanced communication between LDNPA’s 13 sites and improved user experience.

“TruStack have continued to provide good advice and service since winning our SD-WAN tender three years ago, we would not hesitate to use them for future projects.”

Frank Blackburn – ICT services manager, LDNPA

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