Cisco Meraki accelerates sales cycles with Postman

Before Postman, explaining an API could involve using a CLI or complex coding in Python. It was not an aesthetically pleasing explanation, especially during a sales demo. For support-related work, when a customer issue arose working with Python proved to be burdensome.

In a general context, network engineers can use a single API call via the terminal but when workflows require chaining multiple API calls or handling more complex data retrieval, a Python script or a dedicated programming environment is needed. These experiences led to a consensus that working with APIs required additional work from software engineering teams.

At Meraki, network engineers and non-technical developers initially viewed APIs as being difficult to understand. APIs were considered to be a hidden feature with low discoverability. Consequently, the potential of APIs as a product was not being fully realized.

This issue was further exacerbated when APIs were found, there were no corresponding API documents. Instead there was a reliance on tribal knowledge and Markdown docs.

Meraki's graphical user interface (GUI) meant network engineers could build solutions that weren't CLI focused. The GUI did not rely on traditional networking protocols and was known for its usability. As the platform's reach rapidly grew, the GUI alone was not a workable solution for enterprise service providers or partner solutions. An API became critical to Meraki's success.

Postman turned the Meraki API into a product that anyone can discover, interact with, and build on.

“Our investment in making Cisco's Networking Platform API-first is paying off. Postman is helping our customers and partners build the next generation of AgenticOps solutions.”

Edwin Mach, Director, Product Management, Cisco Meraki

At the heart of the approach is the Meraki Dashboard API Collection, which organizes the full Meraki API into a centralized interface. For network engineers, the collection lowers the barrier to entry significantly. Onboarding is almost immediate as users can open Postman and start making API calls. It's quicker than ever to see real responses and understand what the API can do.

“Dashboard API is an easy to consume, digestible product with the Postman Collection being the centrepiece that we direct users to.”

Cory Guynn, Solutions Architect, Cisco Meraki

The collection is used by sales teams to click through API calls during live demos. The result is a tangible experience that showcases Meraki's capabilities in real time.

Postman has also accelerated the adoption of new features across Meraki's product portfolio. When a new product ships, for example, a Meraki camera with a new set of API operations. The updated collection means teams can start testing and running operations immediately.

“Cisco Meraki customers are making around 18 billion successful API calls per month using Postman. API adoption is a continuously high metric.”

Shweta Palande, Product Management, Cisco Meraki

Internally, the collection is used in day-to-day operations to automate and monitor Meraki environments. The collection allows the provisioning of new devices and the pulling of analytics. The Postman Visualizer transforms raw JSON responses into readable table formats. This makes it easy to run an inventory operation and see every device at a glance.

For simple use cases, Postman serves as a sanity check. Now, it's easy to test a credential set, pull a data set quickly, and validate whether an API approach makes sense before writing a single line of code.

For more advanced workflows, teams fork the collection, organize common tasks into folders, and use Collection Runner to test specific operations or data sets at scale. For these workflows, Postman's built-in code snippet generation is helpful for complex API calls as it converts any API call into Python, Java, and other languages.

Postman has proved to be critical for Cisco's broader portfolio. For example, Postman was used to import 1,000 API endpoints for Cisco Catalyst Center, a network controller and management dashboard. During the import there were no breaks and testing was seamless and smooth.

All of the 1,000 API endpoints were organized into categorized folders, making it easy for engineers to find what they're looking for in seconds. This is critical for maintaining engagement with such a large API surface.

Postman has become central to onboarding and enablement. The developer documentation on the Meraki Developer Hub features a Run in Postman button, providing instant access to the entire collection in the browser. It is a safe, guided starting point for making that first API call.

For Cisco's Learning Labs, Postman is used to walk learners through hands-on API interactions step by step. For support and troubleshooting, anyone on the team can open Postman and reproduce an issue quickly, making it a shared language across engineering, support, and enablement teams alike.

Meraki's customers are making at least 18 billion successful API calls per month. The robustness of Postman allows this volume of calls to be reached. There's also shorter sales cycles with API-based demos and accelerated onboarding for network engineers. For live workshops, the Meraki Postman Collection has made it easy to showcase the value of the platform in real time.

For troubleshooting, Postman has become an essential part of the team's daily workflow. When it comes to testing, Postman saves approximately 5x effort. The ability to validate API calls, reproduce issues, and verify fixes has shortened feedback loops and reduced the time it takes to get new features to market.

“AI makes it easier to do things, it's the wrapper, but the heavy lifting is done behind the scenes by APIs which are becoming more and more valuable.”

Shweta Palande, Product Management, Cisco Meraki

Looking ahead, Cisco Meraki is moving toward an agentic approach with APIs as the foundation. The team is enriching API specifications and documentation with additional metadata which AI agents can read and execute against the Meraki API. This includes building skills, tooling, and structured guidance that help agents better utilize the API.

“APIs are a product and form an important part of the Cisco Meraki platform. And as we evolve with AI, APIs continue to be the foundation of our story.”

Cory Guynn, Solutions Architect, Cisco Meraki

Postman and the Meraki Dashboard API Collection together are a critical part of the infrastructure for the next generation of AI-driven network management.

“APIs have always been critical to Cisco, and now even more so with our AgenticOps strategy. It's clear that APIs are driving the AI evolution.”

Edwin Mach, Director, Product Management, Cisco Meraki