Cisco Expert Network Consultants

Network management platforms assist companies to deploy infrastructure effectively, look up user information quickly, track network health, troubleshoot problems, defend against and react to cyber attacks, and maximize responsiveness. Network management tools can help detect inefficient or improper uses of network resources such as streaming multimedia or peer-to-peer file sharing that can waste bandwidth, reduce employee productivity or enable data leakage. A well planned network management solution can also help companies to make smart network enhancement decisions by exposing tendencies in network demand for different periods or types of jos.

Cisco offers a diverse and growing portfolio of network management platforms that support unified management for on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid network architectures. With Cisco's later security, switching, and Wi-Fi infrastructure devices, you can choose among Meraki, DNA Center, or CLI management platforms for network monitoring and management. For instance, you can connect the latest Catalyst or Meraki switches and Catalyst or Meraki Wi-Fi access points to the Meraki dashboard to manage vital components of your network infrastructure from the cloud. Progent's Catalyst WiFi AP experts, Cisco Meraki WiFi AP experts, Catalyst switches integration experts, and Cisco Meraki switches consulting experts can help your organization to plan, deploy and optimize a modern environment for network management.

Legacy Network Management Tools from Cisco and Others
An abundance of network management tools from Cisco and third-party suppliers underscores the importance and complexity of supporting IT infrastructure. Progent's seasoned network management engineers are experienced at assisting companies design management solutions based on Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Syslog, and Cisco NetFlow to build effective mechanisms for network utilization and network latency, viewing key router and switch performance characteristics, and recognizing traffic profiles, processes, and appliances utilizing network services.

Progent can assist customers to deploy a rich range of free and license-based monitoring and management products to manage a Cisco-powered environment. Tools familiar to Progent's consultants include MRTG, Cacti, Nagios, PRTG, Cisco Cisco ASDM, Cisco Monitor Manager, Cisco Security Manager, OpenView, Concord E-Health, AlterPoint DeviceAuthority, Adventnet Netflow, Solarwinds Orion, and NetMRI.

Network management platforms can allow IT administrators to be aware of current system usage and effectively plan for future traffic increases. Management utilities can also be deployed to detect inefficient or inappropriate utilization of system resources, for example streaming audio and video, peer-to-peer file sharing, etc. that can use up expensive or limited network resources. A well designed network management plan can also help companies to arrive at intelligent choices on system upgrades once they recognize the amount of network bandwidth historically required at any one time.

Having an efficient network management platform in place ahead of time is critical to prevent major problems that can result from Denial Of Service (DoS) attacks and dangerous viruses/Trojans. Such events can leave the network unusable and in the absence of proper utilities it can be difficult, and in some cases practically impossible, to find the source of the problem.

Network Management Tools from Cisco
Cisco provides an array of powerful tools that should be the basis for any network management strategy. Used in combination with the top outside vendor tools, Cisco's network management offerings can improve the competitive value of network infrastructures for companies of all sizes by addressing important areas such as system utilization, throughput, availability, security, repair, and scalability. Cisco's most popular network management tools include:

Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager is a browser-based Java applet that allows you to configure and operate the software built into network devices. Adaptive Security Device Manager is installed by the Cisco device, and enables you to configure, track, and manage the unit.

Cisco Monitor Manager is a management and monitoring solution designed to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses. Monitor Manager actively scans important appliance processes on voice and data networks used by five to 250 workers and with as many as 250 Voice over IP phones. The application provides:

• Real-time monitoring of important device parameters on Cisco SMB-class routers, switches, and voice gateways, Cisco Communications Manager Express, Cisco Unity Express, security appliances, WAPs, and IP phones
• Ability to manage the Unified Communications 500 communications appliance for businesses with as many as 50 users

• Voice and data network discovery and physical topology
• Device and service level views of Unified Communications deployment
• System wide device identification collection and documentation
• Advanced security and dependable communication
• Device performance monitoring
• Cisco Unified IP Telephony monitoring
• Connection status and data traffic tracking
• Real-time alarms and notifications
• Documentation
• Configuration log

Network Assistant is a desktop-based network management application designed for for LANs and WLANS for expanding organizations that have as many as 40 switches and routers. By utilizing Cisco's Smartports technology, Network Assistant streamlines setup, installation, and ongoing management and maintenance of Cisco-powered environments. Cisco Network Assistant offers a unified system view and permits network managers to employ its features across switches, routers, and wireless access points.

Security Manager is a feature-rich but simple to operate application for centrally provisioning all aspects of device set up and policies for firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs), and IPS. The solution effectively manages even small networks consisting of no more than than ten appliances, but also expands to control enterprise systems with thousands of appliances. Scalability is enabled via smart policy-based control techniques that can simplify administration. Key features of Security Manager are:

• Allows control of Cisco routers running an IOS security image, Cisco ASA 5500 Series adaptive security appliances, Cisco PIX security appliances, IPS 4200 family sensors, and Cisco Catalyst 6500 family security modules
• Respond more quickly to attacks: specify and assign updated policies to many hundreds of devices in just a few steps
• Intuitive GUI provides superior ease-of-use
• Multiple looks that provide flexible methods to manage appliances and policies such as the ability to manage the security network visually on a system topology map
• Comprehensive animated training for the new operator to speed up training time
• Centrally specify which policies are shared and automatically inherited by new devices to ensure corporate policies are implemented regularly, while providing sufficient flexibility to modify policies at the local appliance level
• Ability to create a single rule database for Cisco firewalls with intelligent evaluation of firewall policies to determine anomalies in the rule table
• Easily set up location-to-location, hub-spoke, full-mesh IPsec, or extranet Virtual Private Network interfaces with a few mouse clicks
• Compatibility with Cisco ACS for granular role based access management to appliances and management functions
• Operation with security MARS system to associate events with corresponding security appliance rules to support quicker management decisions and enhanced system availability
• Capability to assign specific jobs to every administrator in the course of the deployment of a rule, with structured change control and tracking; permits the security and network operations staff to act in sync as a cohesive unit with efficient teamwork

Progent can also show you how to utilize network management tools to analyze and classify system data to implement traffic shaping, which allows you to set up routers to enforce a variety of bandwidth constraints on certain types of activity based on the importance you specify. By storing and sorting data packets above your committed rates, and by giving priority to critical processes, traffic shaping can keep Internet Service Provider excess usage charges from spinning out of reach and/or avoid gaps in productivity resulting from indiscriminate enforcement of your network traffic volume limits during peak use.

Progent's CISM and CISSP security specialists can assist you to develop an end-to-end security plan that incorporates your network management processes, and Progent's remote and on-premises support specialists and Cisco CCIE-certified engineers can use the latest network monitoring and analysis technology to identify and repair trouble rapidly to keep your IT system in business.

To see more details concerning Progent's engineering support for Cisco products, pick a topic:

• Introduction to Progent's Cisco Engineering Services
• Fast and Affordable Remote Support from a CCIE Consultant
• Cisco Firepower NGFW Series Firewalls: Configuration and Management Services
• Cisco ASA 5500-X Series Firewall with Firepower Services: Setup and Management Support
• ASA 5500 Firewalls Engineering Help
• Cisco PIX Series Firewall Maintenance Assistance
• Cisco Routers Engineering Support
• Cisco Wireless Consulting Expertise
• Cisco Aironet Access Points Deployment Services
• Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 WiFi APs System Design Expertise
• Cisco Catalyst Wi-Fi 6/6E Access Points Planning, Deployment and Troubleshooting Support
• Cisco WiFi Controllers Support Services
• Meraki Access Points Consulting Expertise
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and Cisco CallManager Configuration and Troubleshooting
• Cisco VoIP Phones and IP Video Desktop Phones Consulting and Cisco Wireless VoIP Phone Solutions
• Cisco Jabber Configuration and Troubleshooting Expertise
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Consulting and Support Expertise
• Nexus Switches Support and Troubleshooting Services
• Meraki MS Switches Deployment Expertise
• Cisco VPN and Security Engineering Help
• SIP and CUBE Infrastructure Solutions: SIP Trunks and CUBE Integration Consulting
• Cisco Duo MFA Two-factor Authentication Services for Telecommuters
• Design Solutions for Cisco-based Data Centers
• Data Center Design Expertise for Service Providers