Information for Cisco Meraki for Government users

Overview 

Cisco Meraki is investing significant resources into launching “Cisco Meraki for Government” to provide Meraki services to US Federal agencies, US government contractors, and critical infrastructure customers. We have obtained our Authorization to Operate (ATO) under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) at the Moderate impact level. This is a requirement for any cloud service provider to operate a service for the US Federal Government to use. 

This document will cover key technical information for customers looking to get started with the Meraki for Gov service or migrate their existing Meraki networks. 

Getting Started

New Cisco Meraki users who are looking to migrate to the Federal Dashboard should get in touch with their Account (Sales) Representative to initiate the onboarding process. The Federal Dashboard is designed to provide an enhanced and secure experience for government users, tailored to meet the stringent compliance and operational standards required in federal environments. As a result, onboarding to this specialized platform involves certain unique procedures that ensure alignment with government regulations and security requirements. Account Representatives are equipped with the necessary expertise and resources to facilitate this transition effectively. They understand the nuances of the Federal Dashboard and can provide step-by-step assistance tailored to your organization's specific needs.

Account Representatives play a pivotal role in ensuring that all prerequisites for migration are met, such as verifying eligibility, setting up the appropriate licensing, and providing any necessary documentation. Moreover, they act as a liaison between your organization and Cisco Meraki's technical teams, ensuring that the onboarding process is smooth and that all concerns are promptly addressed. Engaging with them early ensures that you are well prepared and helps avoid potential delays or complications in the migration process.

Creating Organizations in Cisco Meraki for Government 

Cisco Meraki for Government dashboard is currently live at dashboard.gov-meraki.com. Users can create an account at Cisco Meraki for Government on this page. You can find step by step instruction on Creating a Dashboard Account and Organization in Cisco Meraki for Government.

Supported Meraki Devices

The following lists out the hardware devices supported by the Cisco Meraki for Government service 

* MS120 has limited TAA Compliance
** MX67C-HW-WW & MX68CW-HW-WW devices are not supported at this time

In order for certain features to work as expected, the following minimum product firmware versions should be used for nodes hosted in Cisco Meraki for Government:

• The Cisco Meraki for Government service requires FIPS encryption therefore all devices will need to be running at least the minimum version with FIPS enabled device-to-cloud connectivity. You can find them under “Certifications” on the following link https://documentation.meraki.com/General_Administration/Cross-Platform_Content/Meraki_Device_to_Cloud_Connectivity_-_FIPS

When migrating devices below the minimum version you will see a delay in time required for the device to check in. The device will reach out to the Cisco Meraki for Government service, try to connect, and will be redirected to upgrade their firmware to a newer version. During this time, the device will not be providing any data to Dashboard and will appear offline. This can take upwards of 20 minutes. If the device does not connect by then please reach out to Meraki support.

Supported Features 

• MX, MG, MR, and MS Enterprise Tier features

• Select MX Advanced Security features

  • Geography based firewall rules

  • Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDS/IPS)

  • Content Filtering powered by Talos Intelligence

  • Cisco Advanced Malware Protection (AMP)

  • YouTube Content Restriction

  • Web Search Filtering

  • Cisco Secure Malware Analytics Integration (formerly know as Threat Grid)

  • Adaptive Policy

• MS Advanced Licensing tier

Unsupported Devices

• MV

• Z4 Series

• MT

• vMX

Unsupported Solutions/Features

NOTE The following features are not supported for devices that are configured in the Cisco Meraki for Government Cloud service : 

• SM

• SIG-Connect

• MI

• MR Advanced Licensing

• Select MX Advanced Security features

  • Trusted Traffic Exclusions powered by NBAR

  • Umbrella DNS Integration

  • ThousandEyes Agent Integration

• MX SD-WAN+

• Cisco Catalyst Monitoring

• Meraki Mobile App

• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) 

• HTTP proxy for cloud communication

• Configuration fetch using HTTP (devices must use HTTPS for configuration fetch)

• Email alert notifications via SMS text message

Note that these services are subject to change

Firewall Requirements for Cloud Connectivity

Please note that the standard firewall allow list requirements for cloud connectivity are different for Cisco Meraki for Government. The requirements for Cisco Meraki for Government connectivity can be found on the Firewall info page.

For the tests that monitor the connectivity status of MX Appliances in Cisco Meraki for Government, you can simply grant ICMP access to the IP addresses of our test servers. You no longer need to use Google’s 8.8.8.8 as a test destination.

API Endpoints and Considerations

For the Cisco Meraki for government environment, use api.gov-meraki.com as the end point URL.

Support

FAQ