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Imagine a regional organization is opening new locations this quarter \u2014 switches and access points are being installed, point-of-sale systems are coming online, employees are onboarding, IoT devices are connecting across every site.\u00a0\u00a0The network is going to be live within days.<\/p>\n
But identity-based access control? That traditionally requires appliances, high-availability design, weeks of tuning, and specialized NAC\u00a0expertise.<\/p>\n
For lean IT teams, that simply\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0practical. So, security is often\u00a0deferred,\u00a0static VLANs\u00a0remain,\u00a0shared credentials persist. This is the reality for many retail stores onboarding seasonal workers, schools supporting thousands of student devices, or hospitality environments rotating guests daily.<\/p>\n
Network Access Control (NAC) has\u00a0remained\u00a0out of reach, not because security\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0important, but because the cost, complexity, and deployment risk have outweighed the perceived benefit.<\/p>\n
Cisco Access Manager was built to remove that tradeoff<\/strong>.<\/p>\n It brings Cisco\u2019s proven identity and segmentation principles into a\u00a0form\u00a0factor purpose-built for Meraki-managed networks\u2014delivering identity-based access control without enterprise-level operational burden.<\/p>\n Unlike solutions that claim, \u201ccloud NAC\u201d,\u00a0Cisco Access Manager\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0a traditional NAC appliance moved to the cloud. It delivers identity-based access control as a cloud-native SaaS solution built directly into the Meraki Dashboard.<\/p>\n Every employee, guest, BYOD, or IoT, across wired or wireless networks, is authenticated and authorized based on who or what it is, not where it connects from. This is zero trust access control\u2014made operationally practical.<\/p>\n 1. Identity is Fused into the Network:\u00a0<\/strong>Unlike bolt-on NAC solutions, Access Manager is natively integrated into the Meraki Dashboard. There is no separate policy engine, no separate management plane, and no separate infrastructure to size, deploy, or\u00a0maintain.<\/p>\n 2. Enterprise Security without Enterprise Overhead:\u00a0<\/strong>Access Manager delivers core capabilities\u2014authentication, authorization, and identity-based segmentation\u2014without requiring dedicated NAC specialists, HA clusters, or lengthy rollout cycles.<\/p>\n 3. Designed for Speed and Scale:\u00a0<\/strong>Customers can enable Access Manager in minutes and apply policies consistently across all Meraki switches and access points, whether managing 10 sites or 1,000.<\/p>\n Access Manager\u00a0unlocks identity-based access control\u00a0for environments where traditional NAC has historically been out of reach:<\/p>\n Access Manager complements Cisco\u2019s broader access control portfolio by delivering enterprise-grade identity outcomes in a\u00a0form\u00a0factor that downstream customers can\u00a0deploy confidently and\u00a0operate\u00a0hassle free day to day<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Access Manager is activated directly from the Meraki Dashboard. Authentication traffic is securely handled via existing cloud-based tunnels between Meraki Dashboard and Meraki managed devices\u2014no appliances to rack, no external RADIUS servers to\u00a0maintain, no\u00a0firewall\u00a0rule modifications\u00a0required.<\/p>\n It supports multiple authentication methods, including:<\/p>\n Policies can map dynamically to identity attributes from Microsoft Entra ID, allowing access to change automatically as users move roles, departments, or leave the organization.<\/p>\n Because it is SaaS-delivered, customers continuously\u00a0benefit\u00a0from innovation\u2014without upgrades, downtime, or disruptive projects. This aligns with the reality of downstream IT teams: limited staff, limited time, and zero tolerance for disruption.<\/p>\n Cisco Access Manager delivers outcomes that resonate with both technical practitioners and business decision makers:<\/p>\n This is\u00a0identity-based access control built in ways that matter commercially and operationally.<\/p>\n Cisco Access Manager is licensed as a subscription, aligned with Cisco\u2019s SaaS model. Licensing is straightforward, predictable, and easy to scale. For a limited\u00a0time\u00a0Cisco Access Manager is available through a See, Try,\u00a0Buy\u00a0offer designed to\u00a0eliminate\u00a0adoption risk.<\/p>\n If you can deploy it in minutes and\u00a0validate\u00a0value before committing, why wait?<\/p>\n For years, organizations have had to choose between strong access control and operational simplicity.<\/p>\n Cisco Access Manager\u00a0eliminates that compromise.<\/p>\n By fusing identity into the network and delivering SaaS-native simplicity through the Meraki Dashboard, Access Manager enables retail, hospitality, SMB, education, and distributed organizations to adopt zero trust\u2014on their terms.<\/p>\n Zero trust is no longer reserved for large enterprises with dedicated NAC teams. Now, identity is simply built into your network.<\/p>\n See it. Try it. Buy it.\u00a0Secure your network today<\/strong>\u2014without appliances, without complexity, and without compromise.<\/p>\n We\u2019d love to hear what you think! Ask a question and stay connected with Cisco Security on social media.<\/em><\/p>\n Cisco Security Social Media<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n LinkedInIdentity at the Heart of Every Connection<\/h2>\n
Security That Works in the Real World<\/h2>\n
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Easy Deployment That You Can Trust<\/h2>\n
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Outcomes That Matter<\/h2>\n
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See. Try. Buy. Experience It for Yourself<\/h2>\n
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Zero Trust, Without Compromise<\/h2>\n
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