TPx Communications added Cisco Meraki's SD-WAN service to its newly launched MSx Networks managed service. The new SD-WAN offering is targeted at helping customers deploy and secure their local and wireless networks while connecting their branch offices.

“Managed services can help organizations reduce the complexities associated with in-house deployments,” said Raviv Levi, senior director of product management at Cisco Meraki, in a statement. "Cisco is collaborating with TPx to provide unique technology from Cisco Meraki as the foundation of TPx’s managed network services offerings."

Erik Nordquist, senior product manager at TPx, told SDxCentral that the launch fills a critical hole in its managed services line up. TPx already offers VMware's VeloCloud SD-WAN, Fortinet's "Forti"-branded line of security and network services, and a bevy of backup, productivity, universal communications-as-a-service (uCaaS) products.

"One of the blind spots that we had was a standalone managed switch and managed wireless access point offering," Nordquist said, adding that while it was possible to achieve this using Fortinet's next-generation firewall appliances, customers often already had a firewall solution they were happy with, or it became an issue of cost.

Nordquist explained that Meraki made sense for several reasons, including brand recognition and its reputation for being both easy to deploy and manage.

Meraki also offered other advantages for TPx, including the ability to serve customers that had already deployed Meraki and wanted to change service providers or lessen the load on their IT staff.

"A lot of those companies that were using that technology said, 'hey we love the idea of you managing our equipment for us. We have Cisco Meraki. Can you help us?' And the answer previously was no, but now we can honestly say yes with the launch of MSx Networks" Nordquist said.

TPx Communications is positioning Meraki as its entry-level managed SD-WAN offering, with VMware's VeloCloud being positioned as a more "premium" offering.

Meraki is a "great solution for a multi-site retail location where there is not a lot of web browsing and the biggest thing they're [the customer] concerned about is circuit continuity because they just want to make sure their point of sale system is up and working," Nordquist added.