Connect. Secure. Manage.
Meraki vMX in Azure
Design and deploy supported Meraki vMX connectivity in Azure, reviewing routing, network placement, licences and access from branch networks.
Devices supported
across the UK
Client locations
supported
Traffic handled
at peak time
Average
response time
Average response is not a resolution time or a contractual guarantee. Support scope and response commitments are agreed for each engagement.
Meraki vMX in Azure provides a supported connection between Meraki sites and workloads in Microsoft Azure. We check the chosen image, mode and licence rights before planning routes and security. Both platforms have work to do. Tests and recovery steps cover the full connection, with a clear owner for each set of settings.
The whole path
Understand how sites, providers, cloud networks and security controls fit together.
Resilience that can be tested
Separate a second circuit from genuine end-to-end service resilience.
Provider coordination
Keep addressing, routing and escalation ownership clear across organisations.
Establish the vMX service role
We find the branches, cloud networks and apps the virtual appliance must connect. The chosen vMX role is checked against current Meraki and Azure guidance, including the supported operating mode and resource needs. A virtual rollout should not be assumed to reproduce every feature of a physical branch MX.
The scope also identifies the teams controlling the Meraki organisation and Azure subscription. Dashboard ownership, cloud permissions, licensing and resource charges are separate duties that need coordination. The proposal states which tasks MCI performs and which remain with the customer's cloud and app teams.
Standards & partnerships
Confidence in the team behind your network.
Cisco Partner
Cisco Meraki
Cyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials PlusMCI Network Services is operated by Proxar Ltd. Certifications apply to the certified legal entity and the scope of its certificates. View accreditation information
Prepare the Azure network environment
Virtual networks, subnets, resource placement and relevant permissions are reviewed before rollout. We check address overlap with the branches and with other connected cloud networks. A vMX cannot make conflicting private address spaces unambiguous without a deliberate supported design around them.
Azure route tables and security controls are mapped to the intended app path. Workloads may need clear routes to branch prefixes through the virtual appliance, and return traffic must reach the same supported boundary. Peering or a shared subscription alone does not prove transitive access between every connected network.
A useful starting point
Not sure where to start?
Bring the requirement. We will help you define the engineering work.
Coordinate Meraki and cloud configuration
The rollout follows the supported image and onboarding workflow for the chosen setup. We check the dashboard network, entitlement and initial network access before adding production dependencies. Sensitive activation material and admin credentials are handled through an appropriate restricted process rather than retained in general project notes.
Once the appliance is registered, VPN participation and route advertisement are configured according to the design. We distinguish cloud-management reachability from the private traffic path. A device appearing online is useful evidence. But it does not prove that Azure workloads and remote branches can complete their intended transactions.
Different environments. The same care.
Built around the work
your network supports.
Finance, banking and the wider private sector. We start with the systems and people that depend on your connections.
Finance & banking
Market-data paths, routing and provider coordination on clients’ behalf.
Financial-market services ↗Offices & multi-site teams
Reliable access between people, workplaces and business applications.
Office network design ↗Data centres & cloud
Network boundaries, workload connections and operational ownership.
Data centre networks ↗Define inspection and access boundaries
The vMX operating mode determines which functions it provides. We check that behaviour and identify where firewalls or cloud-native controls enforce the customer's restrictions. The design does not assume all physical MX security features are available in the same form on the virtual endpoint.
Administrative access is reviewed alongside app traffic. Azure permissions can alter routes or resources, while Meraki permissions can change VPN behaviour. Both sides need appropriate role assignment, audit visibility and recovery ownership. A well-restricted branch policy can be undermined by broad, unmanaged access to the cloud network around it.
Plan availability using the supported Azure architecture
Virtual MX resilience needs its own design. It should not be treated as a hardware warm-spare setup copied into Azure. We review supported rollout patterns, resource placement and route-change mechanisms for the customer's needs. Additional instances or networks may bring separate licensing, capacity and support duties.
The failure model covers the appliance, the hosting setup and relevant network paths. We identify how branches reach the alternative endpoint and how Azure workloads return traffic after a change. The customer should understand whether established sessions survive or need to reconnect, rather than receiving a blanket zero-downtime promise.
Validate application paths and recovery
Testing begins with representative branch and Azure endpoints, checking DNS, routes and the app workflow. We examine the return path and security decisions rather than stopping at tunnel establishment. This helps separate an appliance issue from a route-table or workload permission problem elsewhere in Azure.
Agreed failure and restoration tests check the supported recovery mechanism and the capacity of the surviving path. The acceptance record identifies untested scenarios and any dependency requiring another team's confirmation. Cloud-resource status alone is not treated as proof that business continuity has been shown.
Hand over a service with clear lifecycle ownership
The records include the Azure resources, Meraki network role, route policy, licensing responsibility and escalation contacts. Monitoring should make an unavailable endpoint or lost VPN path actionable. Changes to cloud subnets, branch prefixes or firmware require review so the integration remains aligned with the actual estate.
MCI can deploy a new vMX or review a current Meraki SD-WAN cloud extension. Share the Azure network diagram, branch topology and required workflows. We can establish a supported scope that covers network access and recovery without silently taking responsibility for every hosted app's setup or operation.
Technical references
- vMX setup guide for Azure — Cisco / Cisco Meraki
- Highly available vMX in Azure — Cisco / Cisco Meraki
- vMX NAT-mode use cases and limitations — Cisco / Cisco Meraki
Talk to a specialist
What does your network need next?
Tell us what you are planning, changing or trying to improve. We will help define a practical next step and the engineering scope.
+44 203 196 6566Choose option 1
sales@proxar.co.ukUK-wide service.
Most of our engineers are based in Kent, with a focus on London, Sussex, Essex and Berkshire.
Existing customers should use their agreed support and escalation channels. This form is for service enquiries, not a monitored emergency ticket.
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