Data centers are the key to utilizing IT assets to optimize the business value of an IT network. For small businesses, data centers have typically evolved in a haphazard fashion, resulting in a state where servers and disks are underutilized, available communications capacity is overlooked, collaboration and information sharing is minimal, support requirements are high, expansion or repurposing is expensive, protection is poor, nominally simple modifications become major hassles, and full recovery from disastrous breakdowns becomes virtually impossible.
Cisco's latest network devices and technologies enable a new model of data center design that permits continual enhancements in processor, storage, network topology, and application technologies in a maintainable and economical way. Progent's engineers can help you to select and implement Cisco's connectivity products to create a robust basis for your data center and to improve your data center processes in vital areas including:
- Processor and storage utilization
- Comprehensive security enforcement
- Processor consolidation
- Regulatory requirements
- Disaster recovery
The important benefits that can be realized from using Progent's Cisco-certified consultants to enhance your data center include:
- Reduced ownership cost: permits IT to substantially reduce capital costs through integration and higher utilization of formerly isolated network resources, slash operational costs by simplifying and automating administrative jobs, and cut cooling and power bills.
- Greater Business Flexibility: enables IT to respond quickly to changing business conditions by allowing fast deployment of application and network functions from common pools of integrated processor, storage, and network technologies. This can streamline operational processes and enable policy-driven management.
- Enhanced Network Resilience: enables IT management to react to breakdowns or attacks by protecting infrastructure, programs, and data with the highest degrees of fault tolerance, pervasive protection, and business continuance.
- Optimized Service Levels: permits IT management to improve business service levels by providing secure, accelerated connectivity to data center-resident applications and data from any location and at any time across the enterprise.
Examples of Progent's Professional Assistance for Cisco-based Data Centers
Progent's certified Cisco experts can provide a wide array of consulting services that can enable companies of all sizes build a Cisco-based environment that will give your data center a dependable and protected basis for current applications and downstream expansion. Professional services include:
- Building efficient firewall protection configurations using Cisco PIX and ASA firewall devices
- Installing and troubleshooting protected Virtual Private Network access for linking data centers to other data centers, corporate offices, and mobile users
- Planning, and implementing complete zero-downtime switching, routing, and Internet connectivity systems in which single point breakdowns do not interrupt availability of services
- Setting up multiple Internet providers with seamless transfer using Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). Progent can help clients along the complete path of paperwork with Internet supervisors, getting ASN numbers and IP addresses allocated, dealing with ISPs to prepare their environments, and configuring and checking client equipment.
- Building segmented and secure virtual LAN architectures to compliment VMware and Microsoft virtual server deployments
- Planning, installing and helping customers to manage proactive intrusion prevention systems (IPS) so that attacks can be identified rapidly and defeated so they don't impact your business
- Planning, setting up, and supporting load balancing systems. Consulting with customers, Progent can align expressed requirements to the best technology and deploy load balancing at the application and server levels, or connectivity infrastructure layer. Progent's load balancing designs allow for transparent and convenient growth, reliability, security, and redundancy.
- Progent can plan effective network management strategies based on Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and Cisco's open Netflow protocols, along with Cisco Security Manager and CiscoWorks and a variety of outside vendor solutions that allow network managers a useful look into the operation of their data center's infrastructure
- Setting up and supporting high-end data center class infrastructure appliances including the Catalyst 6500 and 6800 switches, Nexus 5000, 6000, and 7000 switches, and Cisco 7600 and 12000 family routers.
To see additional information about Progent's consulting help for Cisco networking products, select a topic:
To get in touch with Progent about consulting help for Cisco networking, call 1-800-993-9400 or go to Contact Progent.