500-560 Cisco Networking: On-Premise and Cloud Solutions Questions and Answers

Cisco Meraki MX security appliances offer a proprietary, cloud-managed site-to-site VPN solution known as Auto VPN (Auto-provisioning IPsec VPN). This feature allows seamless, scalable, and secure VPN tunnel creation between multiple MX devices without manual IPsec configuration. The Meraki cloud orchestrates the tunnel establishment, which simplifies WAN deployments. Therefore, option A is correct.

Cisco Mobility Express offers a virtual controller embedded in supported Aironet access points. Deployment is highly streamlined—typically completed in under 10 minutes using a simple 3-step over-the-air wizard, eliminating the need for a dedicated controller appliance. This matches option B exactly.

The key architectural component that enables Cisco Meraki’s datacenters to meet HIPAA and PCI compliance standards is the out-of-band control plane. This design separates management traffic from user data. Management information (such as configurations and telemetry) is sent securely to the cloud, while all user data (such as file transfers or client traffic) remains local and does not pass through the Meraki cloud.

This architecture ensures sensitive user data is not exposed to the cloud, supporting compliance with data protection requirements found in HIPAA (for healthcare) and PCI DSS (for payment data). Therefore, the correct answer is D — out-of-band control plane.

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The Cisco Switch Selector is an interactive web-based tool designed to help customers choose the appropriate Cisco switch based on specific use cases, deployment needs, or feature sets. It allows users to filter and compare across multiple Catalyst and Meraki switch models based on parameters like PoE support, port count, form factor, and stackability. Hence, option A accurately describes its purpose.

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Cisco RV series routers include built-in VPN capabilities offering secure access for remote users, ranging from about 5 up to 100 users, depending on the specific model. This makes them well-suited for small to midsize businesses needing reliable remote connectivity. Other features listed—such as path control, IPS, or intelligent caching—are not part of the RV series portfolio.

In the Cisco Meraki Dashboard, an “Organization” is the top-level construct and administrative boundary that encompasses licensing, inventory, user roles, and device configuration across all networks within that entity. It is not tied to network size or topology but functions as the central management structure for all associated resources. Therefore, option C correctly defines an Organization within Meraki’s context.

Cisco describes Express Specialization tier customers—typically small to midsize organizations—as facing significant constraints in both budget and personnel resources. The official study guide highlights that “shrinking IT budgets and resource scarcity” are common pain points, leading to challenges in deploying and maintaining robust networking solutions despite growing demand. This makes option A the accurate choice.

Cisco Meraki licensing includes several benefits, one of which is full access to firmware updates and cloud-managed security features. These updates are continuously deployed and available as part of the active license, ensuring customers always run the most secure and updated version of their software without additional cost. Thus, option D is correct.

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The Cisco Umbrella branch package is designed to protect users and devices at the DNS-layer before a malicious connection is even established. One of its main advantages is to prevent both corporate and guest users from resolving or connecting to malicious domains, IPs, and URLs.

Cisco's guidance emphasizes Umbrella’s ability to enforce DNS-layer protection across the branch, offering visibility and blocking capabilities for all outbound DNS requests. It effectively stops threats before they ever reach the network, regardless of the user’s location within the branch.

This makes option B correct, as it reflects Umbrella’s DNS-layer security function that applies uniformly to all users.

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The Cisco 800 Series and 1100 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISRs) are specifically designed for small and midsize business customers who operate in space-constrained environments. These routers provide enterprise-grade features such as secure WAN connectivity, voice, integrated LTE, and advanced routing capabilities, all in a compact form factor.

Cisco documentation consistently recommends the 800 and 1100 Series ISR platforms for customers who want reliable, secure, and efficient routing without the need for large infrastructure. Hence, the best answer is D.

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Corporate real estate is widely recognized as the second-largest operating expense after employee compensation for most enterprises. This includes the cost of office space, utilities, maintenance, and facility operations. Cisco highlights this in various solution briefs tied to location-based services and space optimization technologies, such as Cisco DNA Spaces. Thus, the correct answer is C.