Zoomed Image
USA
800 691 9120
UK
01225 704844

Cisco Meraki

xAssets Configuration Guide
Integration to Specific Applications

Cisco Meraki

xAssets includes a built-in integration with the Cisco Meraki cloud-managed networking platform. This integration imports network device and client data from your Meraki dashboard into xAssets, giving you visibility of Meraki-managed infrastructure alongside your other IT assets.

What the Integration Provides

The Meraki integration pulls device and network information from the Meraki Dashboard API into xAssets as asset records. Depending on the configuration, the integration can import:

Data Type Examples
Network devices Access points, switches, security appliances, cameras managed by Meraki
Device details Model, serial number, MAC address, firmware version, network assignment
Client devices Computers, phones, and other devices connected to the Meraki network
Network topology Which devices belong to which Meraki network and organisation
Device status Online/offline status, last seen timestamp, public IP address

This gives asset managers a complete view of their Meraki-managed infrastructure without manually entering device data.

Prerequisites

  • A Cisco Meraki account with Dashboard API access enabled
  • A Meraki API key with read access to the organisation and networks you want to import
  • Access to xAssets with permission to create credential packs and run transformations
  • The xAssets Batch Service must be running

Setup

Step 1: Enable the Meraki Dashboard API

  1. Sign in to the Meraki Dashboard at dashboard.meraki.com
  2. Navigate to Organization > Settings
  3. Under the Dashboard API access section, enable the API
  4. Navigate to your user profile (click your name in the top-right corner)
  5. Under API access, click Generate new API key
  6. Copy the API key immediately -- it is only shown once

Warning: Treat the Meraki API key as a credential. Anyone with this key can access your Meraki dashboard data. Store it securely and do not share it via email or unencrypted channels.

Step 2: Create a Credential Pack in xAssets

  1. Navigate to Discover > Prepare > Credentials
  2. Click Create Credentials
  3. Configure the credential pack:
Field Value
Credential Type Named Credentials
Collection Server Application Server
Pack Name Meraki
Username Your Meraki API key
Password (leave blank or repeat the API key, depending on the transformation requirements)
  1. Save the credential pack

Step 3: Run the Integration

  1. Navigate to the Meraki integration menu item (typically under Discover > Integrations)
  2. Select the Meraki credential pack when prompted
  3. The integration runs as a batch job and creates or updates asset records for each Meraki device

What Happens During the Import

The integration connects to the Meraki Dashboard API and performs the following steps:

  1. Retrieves organisations -- lists the Meraki organisations accessible with the API key
  2. Retrieves networks -- for each organisation, lists all configured networks
  3. Retrieves devices -- for each network, retrieves all managed devices (access points, switches, appliances)
  4. Creates or updates assets -- each device is matched to an existing xAssets record by serial number, or a new record is created if no match is found

Existing asset records are updated with the latest data from Meraki without overwriting manually entered fields.

Scheduling the Integration

To keep your Meraki data current, schedule the integration to run automatically:

  1. Navigate to Admin > Batch Jobs > Schedules
  2. Create a new schedule or add the Meraki integration transformation to an existing schedule
  3. Set the frequency -- daily is typical for most organisations

See Schedules for details on configuring batch job schedules.

Tips

Tip: If you manage multiple Meraki organisations (e.g., for different subsidiaries or clients), you can create separate credential packs and transformations for each organisation, each with its own API key.

Tip: After the initial import, review the imported records to verify that categories and locations are correctly assigned. You may want to create a data mapping rule to automatically assign Meraki devices to the appropriate asset category (e.g., "Network - Access Point", "Network - Switch").

Tip: Combine the Meraki integration with xAssets SNMP discovery for even richer data. The integration imports basic device information from the cloud dashboard, while SNMP discovery can collect detailed interface statistics and configuration from the devices directly.