Data centers are the focal point of leveraging information technology resources to optimize the competitive value of an information system. For small businesses, data centers have typically evolved in a piecemeal manner, creating a state where servers and disks are deployed inefficiently, available communications bandwidth is wasted, collaboration and knowledge sharing is minimal, maintenance demands are excessive, scaling or reconfiguring is expensive, protection is patchy, nominally minor changes become giant challenges, and full recovery from disastrous failure becomes virtually undoable.
Cisco's most recent network devices and technologies enable a new generation of data center design that allows ongoing enhancements in processor, storage, network infrastructure, and applications in a maintainable and affordable way. Progent's engineers can assist you to select and implement Cisco's connectivity technology to build a solid basis for your data center and to streamline your operations in vital areas including:
- Processor and disk utilization
- End-to-end security policy enforcement
- Server consolidation
- Regulatory issues
- Business continuance
The key advantages that can be realized from using Progent's Cisco-certified experts to streamline your data center include:
- Lower costs: permits IT management to substantially cut capital expenses through integration and higher utilization of formerly isolated network resources, slash maintenance expenses by streamlining and automating management jobs, and reduce air conditioning and power bills.
- More Business Agility: enables IT to respond dynamically to changing competitive conditions by allowing fast deployment of application and network functions from common aggregations of integrated processor, storage, and connectivity technologies. This helps improve operational processes and support policy-based control.
- Enhanced Network Robustness: allows IT to defend against disruptions or intrusions by guarding connections, applications, and information with advanced degrees of fault tolerance, pervasive protection, and disaster recovery.
- Improved Service Levels: allows IT to optimize business service levels by providing secure, accelerated access to data center-resident applications and data from any location and at any moment across the organization.
Examples of Progent's Consulting Services for Cisco-based Data Centers
Progent's network experts offer a broad range of services that can help businesses of any size create a Cisco-based infrastructure that will give your data center a dependable and protected foundation for current applications and downstream growth. Support services feature:
- Designing effective firewall security solutions using PIX and ASA firewall technology
- Deploying and troubleshooting protected VPN access for connecting data centers to other data centers, corporate sites, and mobile users
- Planning, and integrating resilient non-stop switching, routing, and Internet connectivity environments in which single point breakdowns do not interrupt productivity
- Configuring backup ISPs with transparent failover using Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). Progent can guide customers along the complete process of interaction with Internet authorities, getting Autonomous System numbers and IP addresses assigned, working with ISPs to prepare their systems, and deploying and checking client equipment.
- Building segmented and protected virtual LAN (VLAN environments to support VMware virtual server deployments
- Architecting, installing and helping clients to manage proactive IPS systems so that attacks can be detected rapidly and defeated so they don't impact productivity
- Designing, setting up, and supporting load balancing systems. Consulting with clients, Progent can map expressed needs to the appropriate solutions and deploy load balancing at the application and server levels, or connectivity infrastructure layer. These designs allow for transparent and convenient expansion, dependability, performance, and redundancy.
- Progent knows how to design effective network management strategies using SNMP and Cisco's Netflow protocols, along with Cisco Security Manager and CiscoWorks and various outside vendor solutions that offer customers a powerful real-time view into the activity of their data center's infrastructure
- Setting up and troubleshooting high-end data center capable infrastructure appliances such as the Catalyst 4500, 6500, and 6800 Series switches, Cisco Nexus 5000 and 7000 switches, and Cisco 7600 and 12000 family routers.
To find out more information about Progent's professional expertise for Cisco technology, choose a subject:
If you wish to get in touch with Progent about engineering help for Cisco networking, phone 1-800-993-9400 or see Contact Progent.