Technologies: Layer 7 Visibility

Packet processing engine

A modular and flexible packet processing engine delivers consistent, high-performance application traffic analysis within product families and across product lines. Based on the same custom-built Layer 7 technology featured in Cisco Meraki wireless APs and Security Appliances, MS Switches use a variety of techniques to identify, classify, and report hundreds of applications.

Deep packet inspection

Going far beyond IP addresses, hostnames, and ports, Layer 7 deep packet inspection uses heuristics-based identification to classify traffic based on application, even identifying evasive, dynamic, and encapsulated apps. High performance hardware enables inspection and classification at line-rate within Cisco Meraki switches. Application utilization is displayed graphically, with additional detail available, making it simple to see what is happening on your network at a glance. Reporting ensures you can track trends in application use over time so you can plan your network’s evolution and ensure it supports the organization's needs.

Cloud-based application signatures

The Cisco Meraki cloud-based application signature database is constantly updated to identify new and changing applications, without requiring the administrator to download and install software updates. The Cisco Meraki cloud-based architecture continually learns based on activity from Cisco Meraki's thousands of customers and millions of users, increasing the accuracy and precision of application fingerprints.