Cisco Certified Network Consulting

Network management platforms help companies to implement infrastructure efficiently, access user details rapidly, track network health, debug problems, protect against and react to threats, and maximize performance. Network management systems can help detect inefficient or inappropriate uses of network services like streaming multimedia or peer-to-peer file sharing that can waste bandwidth, lower worker output or enable data leakage. A prudently crafted network management solution can also assist companies to make informed network enhancement decisions by showing tendencies in resource demand for various times or jos.

Cisco offers a rich and expanding portfolio of network management solutions that allow unified management for on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid network models. With Cisco's newer generation of security, switching, and Wi-Fi networking devices, you can choose among Meraki, DNA Center, or CLI management platforms for network monitoring and management. For instance, you can interface the latest Catalyst or Meraki switches and Catalyst or Meraki WiFi 6/6E access points to the Meraki dashboard to manage vital layers of your corporate infrastructure from the cloud. Progent's Catalyst Wi-Fi AP consultants, Cisco Meraki Wi-Fi AP consultants, Catalyst switches consulting experts, and Cisco Meraki switches experts can help your organization to design, implement and tune a modern solution for network monitoring and management.

Legacy Network Management Tools from Cisco and Others
A wealth of network management products from Cisco and other vendors highlights the importance and complexity of network management. Progent's Cisco-certified network management engineers are expert at helping companies design management strategies utilizing on Simple Network Management Protocol, SYSLOG services, and Cisco NetFlow to build effective mechanisms for tracking network bandwidth usage and network latency, viewing important router and switch operational metrics, and identifying traffic profiles, applications, and appliances that use network resources.

Progent can help businesses to utilize a broad range of free and license-based monitoring and management solutions to maintain a Cisco network. Tools familiar to Progent's engineers include MRTG, Nagios, PRTG, Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM), Cisco Monitor Manager, Cisco Network Assistant, Cisco Security Manager, OpenView, Concord E-Health, AlterPoint DeviceAuthority, Adventnet Netflow, Big Brother, Solarwinds Orion, and Necordia NetMRI.

Network management platforms can help IT administrators to be aware of current network usage and effectively prepare for future capacity increases. Management utilities can also be used to highlight inefficient or improper uses of network services, for example streaming video, peer-to-peer file sharing, etc. that can use up valuable and scarce network resources. An efficiently designed network management strategy can also aid businesses to arrive at intelligent choices on WAN and LAN upgrades once they recognize how much network resources actually needed at various times.

Putting an efficient network management platform in operation beforehand is vital to prevent severe disruptions that can result from Denial Of Service (DoS) attacks and dangerous viruses/Trojans. These events can leave the network unusable and without appropriate utilities it can be difficult, and sometimes practically impossible, to find the location of the problem.

Network Management Solutions from Cisco
Cisco provides an array of powerful utilities that should form the foundation for any network management solution. Utilized in combination with the top outside vendor products, Cisco's network management software can improve the competitive value of networks for organizations of all sizes by helping with important areas such as system utilization, throughput, resilience, security, repair, and capacity planning. Cisco's most popular network management tools include:

Cisco ASDM is a web Java applet that lets you configure and operate the software on security appliances. ASDM is installed by the adaptive security appliance, and enables you to set up, monitor, and control the unit.

Monitor Manager is a management solution developed to handle the needs of small and medium-sized businesses. Cisco Monitor Manager actively scans important appliance processes on voice/data environments serving 5 to 250 workers and with as many as 250 Cisco Unified IP phones. Cisco Monitor Manager provides:

• Up-to-date monitoring of key appliance parameters on SMB-class routers, switches, and voice gateways, Cisco Communications Manager Express, Unity Express, security devices, wireless access points, and VoIP phones
• Ability to manage the Unified Communications 500 communications appliance for companies with up to 50 workers

• Network discovery and topology
• Device and process looks at Unified Communications implementation
• System wide device identification logging and reporting
• Highly secure and dependable operation
• Appliance operations monitoring
• Cisco Unified IP Telephony tracking
• Interface status and traffic tracking
• Immediate alarms and notifications
• Documentation
• Configuration log

Cisco Network Assistant is a PC-based management application optimized for LANs and WLANS for expanding businesses that have as many as 40 Cisco switches and routers. By utilizing Smartports, the application simplifies configuration, installation, and continuing management and maintenance of Cisco-powered environments. The application offers a centralized network view and permits IT managers to deploy its functions among switches, routers, and wireless access points.

Security Manager is a feature-rich but simple to operate solution for managing all facets of appliance configuration and policies for Cisco firewalls, virtual private networks, and Intrusion Prevention Systems. Security Manager efficiently manages even small networks consisting of fewer than ten devices, but also scales to manage enterprise systems with thousands of routers, switches, and firewalls. Scalability is achieved via intelligent policy-based management techniques that can simplify administration. Highlights of Cisco Security Manager include:

• Allows control of Cisco router platforms running a Cisco IOS security image, Cisco ASA 5500 family adaptive security appliances, Cisco PIX firewalls, Cisco IPS 4200 family inline security appliances, and Catalyst 6500 Series security modules
• Reacts more quickly to threats: define and assign new security policies to thousands of devices in just a few steps
• Rich graphical user interface provides exceptional ease-of-use
• A variety of views that offer versatile ways to control appliances and policies such as the option to administer the security environment graphically on a topology map
• Extensive animated training for the first-time user to accelerate training period
• Centrally specify which policies are shared and automatically inherited by additional appliances to ensure corporate policies are configured regularly, while providing sufficient flexibility to modify policies at the local device level
• Ability to build a common rule database for Cisco platforms with smart analysis of firewall policies to detect anomalies in the rule base
• Easily configure location-to-location, hub-spoke, full-mesh IPsec, or extranet VPN links by means of a few mouse clicks
• Integration with Cisco ACS for granular role based connection management to devices and management functions
• Integration with Cisco security MARS to correlate monitored data with related security appliance rules to help with quicker decision making and enhanced network up time
• Capability to assign particular tasks to every manager during the implementation of a policy, with formal change control and logging; permits the security and systems operations staff to act together as a single unit with efficient coordination

Progent can also show you how to use network management tools to monitor and categorize network data to enable traffic shaping, which permits you to set up Cisco routers to enforce different bandwidth restrictions on designated classes of activity according to the importance you assign. By buffering and sorting data packets that exceed your contracted volume, and by assigning priority to critical processes, traffic shaping can prevent ISP overage charges from spiraling out of control and/or eliminate lost productivity caused by indiscriminate policing of your network bandwidth restrictions during peak demand.

Progent's CISM, CISSP, and ISSAP security consultants can help you to develop a comprehensive security strategy that incorporates your network management processes, and Progent's remote and in person support experts and Cisco CCIE-certified consultants can utilize the latest network management tools to isolate and remediate trouble rapidly to keep your network running smoothly.

To learn additional information about Progent's consulting expertise for Cisco solutions, choose a subject:

• Overview of Cisco Expertise
• Timely Online Support from a CCIE Network Engineer
• Cisco Firepower Firewalls: Configuration and Management Expertise
• ASA 5500-X Firewall with Firepower Services: Setup and Management Services
• ASA 5500 Series Firewall Management Help
• PIX Series Firewall Consulting Services
• Cisco Routers Engineering Support
• Cisco Wireless Engineering Help
• Cisco Aironet Access Points Consulting Services
• Cisco Small Business WiFi APs Engineering Expertise
• Cisco Catalyst Wi-Fi 6/6E Access Points Solution Design, Deployment and Troubleshooting Consulting
• Cisco Wireless Controllers Experts
• Meraki Access Points Consulting Help
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and CallManager Configuration and Troubleshooting
• Cisco Voice over IP Phones and IP Video Desktop Phones Consulting Services and Wireless VoIP Phone Integration
• Cisco Jabber Configuration and Troubleshooting Expertise
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Consulting and Support Services
• Cisco Nexus Switches Configuration and Maintenance Expertise
• Meraki MS Switches Configuration and Maintenance Expertise
• Cisco VPN and Network Security Setup and Troubleshooting Help
• SIP and CUBE Infrastructure Solutions: SIP PSTN Trunks and Cisco CUBE Integration Consulting
• Cisco Duo MFA Two-factor Authentication (2FA) Services for an At-Home Workforce
• Design Solutions for Cisco-based Data Centers
• Network Optimization Services for Service Providers