Cisco Certified Network Consulting

An abundance of network management utilities from Cisco and third-party vendors highlights the importance and difficulty of network management. Progent's Cisco-certified network management consultants are experienced at helping businesses design management solutions based on SNMP, SYSLOG services, and Cisco IOS NetFlow to build powerful tools for network utilization and latency, viewing key router and switch operational metrics, and identifying traffic profiles, processes, and devices utilizing network services.

Progent can assist businesses to utilize a broad range of open source and proprietary management tools to maintain a Cisco network. Tools used by Progent's consultants include MRTG, Cacti, Nagios, PRTG, Cisco Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager, Cisco Monitor Manager, Cisco Network Assistant, Cisco Security Manager, OpenView, Concord E-Health, Adventnet Netflow and Firewall Analyzer, Solarwinds Orion, and NetMRI.

Network management tools can allow organizations to understand current system usage and effectively plan for future capacity expansion. Management tools can also be used to identify poor or improper utilization of system resources, such as streaming audio and video, peer-to-peer sharing, etc. that can use up valuable or scarce network resources. An efficiently crafted network management plan can also assist organizations to arrive at informed choices on system improvements once they recognize the amount of network resources really needed at various times.

Putting an effective network management solution in operation ahead of time is critical to prevent major problems that can follow Denial Of Service (DoS) attacks and dangerous viruses/Trojans. These events can render the network unusable and without appropriate tools it can be difficult, and in some cases virtually impossible, to discover the location of the trouble.

Network Management Tools from Cisco
Cisco offers an array of powerful tools that should be the foundation for any management strategy. Used in combination with appropriate outside vendor tools, Cisco's network management offerings can improve the business value of networks for companies of any size by improving important areas such as system utilization, performance, resilience, protection, troubleshooting, and capacity planning. Cisco's most popular network management products include:

Cisco ASDM is a web utility that lets you configure and operate the management utilities on security devices. Cisco ASDM is installed by the network device, and enables you to configure, monitor, and control the device.

Monitor Manager is a management solution intended to meet the requirements of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Monitor Manager actively scans important device processes on voice/data environments serving 5 to 250 users and equipped with as many as 250 Voice over IP phones. The application provides:

• Up-to-date tracking of key appliance parameters on Cisco SMB-class routers and switches, Cisco Communications Manager Express, Cisco Unity Express, security devices, WAPs, and Cisco Unified IP Phones
• Support for the Unified Communications 500 Series communications appliance for businesses with as many as 50 users

• Network discovery and topology
• Device and process views of Cisco Unified Communications deployment
• System wide device identification collection and documentation
• Highly secure and dependable communication
• Cisco device performance tracking
• IP Telephony monitoring
• Connection status and traffic tracking
• Immediate alarms and event notification
• Documentation
• Setup archive

Cisco Network Assistant is a desktop-based network management tool designed for for LANs and WLANS for growing organizations with as many as 40 switches and routers. By utilizing Smartports technology, Network Assistant simplifies setup, installation, and ongoing administration and maintenance of Cisco-based networks. It offers a unified network view and allows network administrators to deploy its features across Cisco switches, routers, and wireless access points.

Cisco Security Manager is a powerful but easy-to-use solution for centrally provisioning all aspects of appliance configuration and policies for Cisco firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs), and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS). Cisco Security Manager effectively handles even small networks consisting of no more than than ten appliances, but also expands to manage enterprise networks composed of thousands of appliances. Scalability is enabled via smart policy-based control techniques that can simplify administrative overhead. Highlights of Cisco Security Manager are:

• Allows provisioning for Cisco router platforms configured with a Cisco IOS security software image, Cisco ASA 5500 Series security appliances, PIX firewalls, Cisco IPS 4200 family inline security appliances, and Cisco Catalyst 6500 security modules
• Respond faster. more rapidly to attacks: specify and apply updated policies to thousands of devices in a few easy steps
• Intuitive GUI offers exceptional ease-of-use
• A variety of looks that offer flexible methods to manage devices and security policies including the option to manage the security network visually on a system topology image
• Extensive animated training for the new user to speed up training period
• Globally call out which policies are common and inherited by additional appliances to make sure corporate policies are implemented regularly, while providing sufficient flexibility to modify policies at the local device level
• Ability to create a common rule database for Cisco firewalls with intelligent evaluation of firewall policies to determine conflicts within the rule base
• Quickly configure location-to-location, hub-and-spoke, full-mesh IPsec, or extranet VPN links with a few mouse clicks
• Integration with Cisco Access Control Server (ACS) for low-level role based connection management to appliances and management services
• Integration with security MARS to compare monitored data against corresponding security appliance rules to support quicker management decisions and enhanced network availability
• Capability to allocate particular tasks to every administrator during the deployment of a rule, with structured change control and logging; permits the security and systems operations team to work in sync as a cohesive group with efficient coordination

Progent can also help you to utilize network management utilities to monitor and classify system data to implement traffic shaping, which permits you to configure Cisco routers to enforce a variety of bandwidth restrictions on designated types of activity according to the importance you assign. By storing and sorting data packets that exceed your committed rates, and by assigning priority to critical applications, traffic shaping can keep ISP overage penalties from spinning out of reach and/or avoid gaps in worker productivity caused by brute force enforcement of your network bandwidth limits during peak demand.

Progent's CISA and ISSAP security consultants can assist you to create an end-to-end security strategy that encompasses your network management solution, and Progent's remote and on-premises support experts and Cisco CCIE-certified consultants can utilize the latest network management tools to isolate and remediate problems rapidly to keep your IT system running smoothly.

To learn additional information about Progent's engineering help for Cisco technology, select a subject:

• Overview of Cisco Network Support
• Fast and Affordable Remote Assistance from a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Consultant
• Cisco Firepower Firewalls: Integration and Troubleshooting Support
• ASA 5500-X Firewalls with Firepower Services: Consulting and Management Expertise
• ASA 5500 Series Firewall Engineering Help
• PIX 500 Firewall Management Help
• Cisco Routers Engineering Services
• Cisco Wireless Engineering Support
• Cisco Aironet Wireless Access Points Consulting Help
• Cisco Small Business Wireless Access Points Consulting Services
• Cisco Wireless Controllers Integration Consulting
• Cisco Meraki APs Consulting Help
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and CallManager Configuration and Troubleshooting
• Cisco VoIP Phones and IP Video Desktop Phones Expertise and Cisco Wireless IP Phone Configuration
• Cisco Jabber Migration and Support Expertise
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Consulting and Support Services
• Nexus Switches Consulting and Support Services
• Cisco Meraki Switches Configuration and Maintenance Expertise
• Cisco VPN Engineering Services
• SIP and CUBE Infrastructure Solutions: SIP Trunks and Cisco CUBE Integration Expertise
• Design Expertise for Cisco-powered Data Centers
• Infrastructure Design Expertise for ISPs