Cisco Certified Network Consultants

A wealth of network management utilities from Cisco and third-party vendors highlights the importance and complexity of maintaining networks. Progent's Cisco-certified network management engineers are experienced at assisting businesses develop network management strategies based on Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Syslog, and Cisco IOS NetFlow to create effective tools for tracking network utilization and network latency, viewing key router and switch operational characteristics, and identifying traffic profiles, applications, and devices that use network resources.

Progent can assist businesses to deploy a rich selection of free and proprietary management solutions to manage a Cisco-powered environment. Tools used by Progent's engineers include MRTG, Cacti, Nagios, Cisco Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager, Cisco Monitor Manager, Cisco Network Assistant, Cisco Security Manager, OpenView, Concord E-Health, AlterPoint DeviceAuthority, Adventnet Netflow, Big Brother, and NetMRI.

Network management platforms can enable organizations to be aware of current network utilization and effectively prepare for downstream capacity expansion. Network management tools can also be deployed to identify inefficient or inappropriate utilization of system services, for example streaming audio and video, peer-to-peer file sharing, etc. that can use up expensive and scarce network resources. A carefully designed network management strategy can also assist businesses to make intelligent choices on WAN and LAN enhancements once they understand the amount of system bandwidth historically needed at specific times.

Putting an effective network management system in place beforehand is essential to prevent severe problems that can be caused by Denial Of Service attacks and malicious viruses. Such events can leave the network unusable and in the absence of proper utilities it can be difficult, and sometimes practically impossible, to identify the source of the problem.

Network Management Solutions from Cisco
Cisco has created an array of powerful tools that should form the foundation for any management solution. Utilized in combination with the top outside vendor products, Cisco's network management software can enhance the business value of networks for organizations of all sizes by addressing important areas such as resource utilization, throughput, availability, security, repair, and scalability. Cisco's most popular network management tools include:

Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM) is a browser-based utility that lets you set up and monitor the management utilities built into security devices. Cisco ASDM is loaded by the adaptive security device, and enables you to set up, monitor, and control the unit.

Monitor Manager is a management and monitoring application developed to address the requirements of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Monitor Manager continuously checks key appliance parameters on voice/data networks used by 5 to 250 workers and with as many as 250 Cisco Unified IP phones. Cisco Monitor Manager provides:

• Up-to-date scanning of important appliance parameters on SMB-class network appliances, Communications Manager Express, Cisco Unity Express, security appliances, WAPs, and Cisco Unified IP Phones
• Ability to manage the Unified Communications 500 for businesses with up to 50 workers

• Network discovery and topology
• Device and service level looks at Unified Communications deployment
• Networkwide device identification collection and reporting
• Highly secure and dependable operation
• Appliance operations tracking
• VoIP Telephony tracking
• Connection status and traffic monitoring
• Real-time alarms and event notification
• Documentation
• Setup log

Network Assistant is a desktop-hosted management application optimized for wired and wireless LANs (WLANs) for growing organizations with as many as 40 Cisco switches and routers. By utilizing Cisco's Smartports mechanism, the application streamlines configuration, installation, and ongoing management and support of Cisco-powered environments. Network Assistant offers a centralized system view and allows IT administrators to deploy its features across Cisco switches, routers, and WAPs.

Cisco Security Manager is a feature-rich but easy-to-use application for centrally provisioning all facets of appliance set up and policies for firewalls, virtual private networks, and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS). The solution efficiently manages even small networks with fewer than ten devices, but also expands to manage enterprise systems with thousands of Cisco routers, security appliances, and switch services modules. Expansion is achieved via intelligent policy-driven management procedures that can streamline administration. Key features of Security Manager are:

• Allows provisioning for Cisco routers configured with a Cisco IOS security image, Cisco ASA 5500 family adaptive security appliances, PIX security appliances, Cisco IPS 4200 Series inline security appliances, and Catalyst 6500 Series security modules
• Respond more quickly to threats: specify and apply new security policies to thousands of devices in just a few steps
• Intuitive GUI offers exceptional ease-of-use
• Multiple views that provide flexible methods to control appliances and policies including the option to manage the security network graphically on a system topology image
• Comprehensive animated training for the first-time operator to speed up training period
• Centrally specify which policies are shared and inherited by new devices to ensure corporate policies are implemented regularly, while offering sufficient versatility to modify policies at the local appliance level
• Capability to create a single rule table for all Cisco firewalls with smart analysis of firewall policies to determine anomalies within the rule table
• Quickly set up site-to-site, hub-spoke, full-mesh IPsec, or extranet VPN interfaces with a few mouse clicks
• Integration with Cisco ACS for granular role based access control to appliances and administration services
• Integration with Cisco security MARS to associate monitored data against related security appliance rules to promote quicker decision making and enhanced system up time
• Ability to allocate specific tasks to each administrator in the course of the implementation of a rule, with structured change management and logging; permits the security and network operations staff to work together as a cohesive unit with effective coordination

Progent can also show you how to use network management tools to analyze and categorize network data to implement traffic shaping, which permits you to configure routers to impose different bandwidth restrictions on designated classes of activity based on the importance you specify. By buffering and queuing data packets that exceed your contracted volume, and by assigning priority to business-critical applications, traffic shaping can keep ISP excess usage charges from spinning out of control and/or eliminate lost productivity caused by indiscriminate policing of your network traffic volume limits during peak use.

Progent's CISM, CISSP, and ISSAP security professionals can show you how to develop a comprehensive security plan that encompasses your network management processes, and Progent's remote and in person support experts and Cisco CCIE-certified engineers can use the latest network management technology to identify and fix trouble rapidly to keep your IT system running smoothly.

To see additional details concerning Progent's professional expertise for Cisco solutions, choose a subject:

• Overview of Cisco Support
• Timely Remote Access to a CCIE Engineer
• Cisco Firepower Series Firewalls: Configuration and Management Services
• ASA 5500-X Series Firewall with Firepower Services: Integration and Management Services
• Cisco ASA 5500 Series Firewall Troubleshooting Expertise
• Cisco PIX 500 Firewall Maintenance Support
• Cisco Routers Engineering Services
• Cisco Wireless Deployment Support
• Aironet Wireless APs Engineering Support
• Cisco Small Business WiFi APs Engineering Help
• Cisco Catalyst 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 APs Planning, Deployment and Debugging Support
• Cisco WiFi Controllers Consultants
• Cisco Meraki Wireless Access Points Deployment Help
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and Cisco CallManager Consulting and Troubleshooting
• Cisco Voice over IP (VoIP) Phones and IP Video Phones Consulting Services and Wireless IP Phone Configuration
• Cisco Jabber Deployment Services
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Configuration and Maintenance Expertise
• Nexus Switches Configuration and Maintenance Expertise
• Cisco Meraki Switches Deployment Services
• Cisco VPN and Network Security Consulting Help
• SIP and CUBE Integration Solutions: SIP PSTN Trunks and CUBE Integration Expertise
• Design and Support for Cisco-powered Data Centers
• Infrastructure Design Expertise for ISPs