Cisco Certified Network Consultants

Network management platforms assist companies to deploy network infrastructure effectively, access user information rapidly, track system health, troubleshoot problems, protect against and react to threats, and optimize performance. Network management systems can spot inefficient or improper uses of network resources like streaming multimedia or peer-to-peer file sharing that can burn up bandwidth, reduce employee productivity or allow data leaks. A prudently planned network management environment can also help companies to make informed capacity planning decisions by surfacing trends in resource usage for various times or tasks.

Cisco has developed a rich and growing portfolio of infrastructure management platforms that support unified management for on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid network models. With Cisco's newer generation of security, switching, and wireless infrastructure devices, you can run Meraki, Cisco DNA Center, or CLI management platforms for network management. For instance, you can interface the latest Catalyst or Meraki switches and Catalyst or Meraki Wi-Fi access points to the Meraki dashboard to manage critical components of your corporate infrastructure from the cloud. Progent's Catalyst Wi-Fi access point experts, Meraki Wi-Fi access point experts, Catalyst switches experts, and Meraki switches consulting experts can assist you to design, deploy and optimize a modern solution for network infrastructure management.

Traditional Network Management Tools from Cisco and Others
An abundance of network management tools from Cisco and third-party vendors highlights the importance and difficulty of network management. Progent's seasoned network management engineers are expert at assisting businesses develop network management solutions based on Simple Network Management Protocol, SYSLOG services, and Cisco Netflow protocols to create effective mechanisms for network bandwidth usage and network latency, monitoring key router and switch operational characteristics, and recognizing traffic profiles, applications, and devices utilizing network services.

Progent can help customers to utilize a rich selection of free and proprietary management tools to maintain a Cisco-powered environment. Utilities familiar to Progent's engineers include MRTG, Cacti, Nagios, PRTG, Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM), Cisco Monitor Manager, Cisco Network Assistant, Cisco Security Manager, OpenView, Concord E-Health, AlterPoint DeviceAuthority, Advent and Firewall Analyzer, Big Brother, Solarwinds Orion, and NetMRI.

Network management platforms can allow organizations to be aware of current network usage and intelligently plan for future capacity increases. Management utilities can also be used to detect poor or improper uses of system resources, such as streaming multimedia, peer-to-peer sharing, etc. that can waste valuable and limited network bandwidth. A carefully designed network management plan can also assist companies to arrive at informed decisions on WAN and LAN enhancements once they recognize how much system bandwidth historically required at various times.

Putting an efficient network management solution in place beforehand is critical to avoid major disruptions that can follow Denial Of Service (DoS) attacks and dangerous viruses. These assaults can leave the network unstable and without proper utilities it can be difficult, if not virtually impossible, to discover the source of the problem.

Network Management Products from Cisco
Cisco offers an assortment of powerful utilities that should be the basis for any network management solution. Utilized in combination with appropriate third-party tools, Cisco's network management software can enhance the business value of networks for companies of any size by helping with important areas such as system utilization, performance, availability, security, repair, and capacity planning. Cisco's most popular network management tools include:

Cisco ASDM is a web utility that lets you set up and monitor the management utilities built into network appliances. Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager is loaded by the adaptive security device, and allows you to configure, track, and control the unit.

Cisco Monitor Manager is a management application designed to handle the requirements of small and midsize businesses (SMBs). Cisco Monitor Manager actively monitors important device parameters on voice/data environments serving 5 to 250 workers and with up to 250 VoIP phones. The application provides:

• Real-time monitoring of important appliance parameters on small and midsize business-class routers and switches, Cisco Communications Manager Express, Unity Express, security devices, wireless access points, and IP phones
• Compatibility with the Unified Communications 500 Series appliance for companies with as many as 50 workers

• Network discovery and physical topology
• Physical and service level views of Cisco Unified Communications deployment
• Networkwide inventory collection and documentation
• Advanced security and dependable operation
• Device performance tracking
• VoIP Telephony tracking
• Interface status and data traffic tracking
• Immediate alerts and event notification
• Documentation
• Setup log

Cisco Network Assistant is a PC-hosted network management tool optimized for LANs and WLANS for growing businesses with as many as 40 switches and routers. By running Smartports technology, Cisco Network Assistant streamlines configuration, installation, and ongoing administration and support of Cisco-based networks. It offers a unified system view and allows network administrators to employ its functions among Cisco switches, routers, and WAPs.

Cisco Security Manager is a highly functional but easy-to-use application for centrally provisioning all facets of device configuration and policies for Cisco PIX and ASA security appliances, virtual private networks (VPNs), and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS). The solution efficiently manages even small environments with no more than than ten devices, but also scales to control large-scale systems composed of thousands of appliances. Scalability is enabled via smart policy-driven management procedures that can simplify administration. Key features of Security Manager include:

• Allows provisioning for Cisco router platforms running a Cisco IOS security software image, Cisco ASA 5500 family firewalls, PIX firewalls, Cisco IPS 4200 sensors, and Catalyst 6500 family security modules
• Respond faster. more rapidly to attacks: specify and apply new security policies to thousands of appliances in a few simple steps
• Intuitive graphical user interface offers exceptional ease-of-use
• Multiple looks that provide flexible methods to manage devices and security policies such as the capability to administer the security network visually on a topology image
• Comprehensive animated training for the first-time user to reduce training time
• Globally call out which policies are common and inherited by additional devices to ensure company-wide policies are implemented regularly, at the same time offering optional versatility to modify policies at the individual device level
• Capability to build a common firewall rule database for all Cisco firewalls with intelligent analysis of firewall policies to determine conflicts within the rule base
• Easily set up location-to-location, hub-spoke, full-mesh IPsec, or extranet VPN links by means of a VPN wizard
• Compatibility with Cisco ACS for granular role based connection management to appliances and management functions
• Operation with security MARS to associate events against corresponding security appliance rules to support faster management decisions and increased system availability
• Ability to assign specific jobs to each administrator in the course of the deployment of a rule, with formal change management and tracking; allows the security and network operations staff to work cooperatively as a single unit with effective teamwork

Progent can also assist you to use network management utilities to analyze and categorize system data to enable traffic shaping, which allows you to configure routers to impose a variety of bandwidth restrictions on certain classes of processes according to the priorities you specify. By buffering and queuing data packets above your committed rates, and by giving priority to business-critical processes, traffic shaping can keep service provider overage charges from spiraling out of control and/or avoid gaps in worker productivity caused by indiscriminate policing of your network bandwidth restrictions during periods of heavy demand.

Progent's CISM and CISSP security specialists can help you to develop a comprehensive security plan that incorporates your network management solution, and Progent's remote and on-premises support experts and Cisco CCIE and CNA qualified engineers can utilize the latest network monitoring and analysis tools to isolate and remediate trouble rapidly to keep your IT system running smoothly.

To find out additional information concerning Progent's professional help for Cisco products, select a subject:

• Overview of Cisco Network Support
• Fast and Affordable Remote Access to a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Network Engineer
• Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewalls: Integration and Troubleshooting Expertise
• ASA 5500-X Firewalls with Cisco Firepower Services: Setup and Management Support
• Cisco ASA 5500 Firewalls Management Services
• Cisco PIX Series Firewall Engineering Assistance
• Cisco Routers Engineering Services
• Cisco Wireless Deployment Support
• Aironet Wireless APs Consulting Services
• Cisco Small Business WiFi APs System Design Help
• Cisco Catalyst Wi-Fi 6/6E Wireless Access Points Planning, Configuration and Debugging Services
• Cisco WiFi Controllers Experts
• Cisco Meraki APs Consulting Services
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and CallManager Integration and Troubleshooting
• Cisco VoIP Phones and IP Video Phones Expertise and Cisco Wireless IP Phone Configuration
• Cisco Jabber Deployment Expertise
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Configuration and Maintenance Expertise
• Cisco Nexus Switches Deployment Expertise
• Cisco Meraki Switches Support and Troubleshooting Services
• Cisco VPN and Security Engineering Services
• SIP and CUBE Integration Solutions: SIP Trunking and Cisco CUBE Integration Expertise
• Cisco Duo MFA Two-factor Authentication Services for Teleworkers
• Infrastructure Design for Cisco-based Data Centers
• Data Center Design Consulting for ISPs