Cisco Certified Expert Network Consulting

An abundance of network management tools from Cisco and other suppliers highlights the importance and difficulty of maintaining networks. Progent's Cisco qualified network management consultants are experienced at helping businesses design management solutions utilizing on Simple Network Management Protocol, Syslog, and NetFlow protocols to create effective mechanisms for network bandwidth usage and latency, viewing key router and switch operational characteristics, and identifying traffic profiles, processes, and appliances that use network resources.

Progent can help businesses to deploy a broad selection of free and proprietary management products to maintain Cisco infrastructure. Utilities familiar to Progent's consultants include Cacti, Nagios, Paessler Router Traffic Grapher, Cisco Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager, Cisco Network Assistant, CiscoWorks, Cisco Security Manager, OpenView, Wireshark/Ethereal, Concord E-Health, Adventnet Netflow and Firewall Analyzer, Big Brother, Solarwinds Orion, and Necordia NetMRI.

Network management platforms can enable organizations to understand existing network usage and intelligently prepare for downstream traffic expansion. Management tools can also be deployed to highlight inefficient or improper uses of network resources, for example streaming audio and video, peer-to-peer file sharing, etc. that can use up valuable or scarce network resources. An efficiently crafted network management plan can also help businesses to make informed choices on network enhancements after they appreciate the amount of system resources historically required at various times.

Putting an effective network management platform in place ahead of time is vital to avoid severe problems that can result from DoS attacks and dangerous viruses/Trojans. Such assaults can render the network unstable and without appropriate utilities it can be difficult, and sometimes virtually impossible, to discover the location of the problem.

Network Management Solutions from Cisco
Cisco provides an assortment of effective utilities that should be the basis for any network management solution. Used in combination with appropriate third-party applications, Cisco's network management software can improve the competitive value of networks for companies of all sizes by addressing key areas such as system utilization, performance, availability, protection, troubleshooting, and capacity planning. Cisco's most popular network management tools include:

Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM) is a browser-based Java applet that allows you to configure and monitor the software on security devices. Adaptive Security Device Manager is loaded by the Cisco device, and enables you to set up, monitor, and control the unit.

Cisco Monitor Manager is a comprehensive management application developed to address the requirements of small and midsize businesses. Cisco Monitor Manager continuously scans key appliance processes on voice/data environments serving five to 250 workers and equipped with as many as 250 IP phones. Cisco Monitor Manager provides:

• Real-time monitoring of important appliance processes on small and midsize business-class routers and switches, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express, Unity Express, security appliances, wireless access points, and IP phones
• Ability to manage the Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series for businesses with up to 50 users

• Network discovery and physical topology
• Physical and process views of Cisco Unified Communications implementation
• Networkwide device identification logging and reporting
• Advanced security and dependable communication
• Device performance monitoring
• VoIP Telephony monitoring
• Interface status and traffic monitoring
• Real-time alerts and notices
• Documentation
• Setup log

Network Assistant is a desktop-based network management application designed for for LANs and WLANS for growing companies with up to 40 switches and routers. By running Smartports, the application simplifies setup, installation, and ongoing management and maintenance of Cisco-based networks. Cisco Network Assistant offers a centralized system view and allows IT administrators to deploy its functions across Cisco switches, routers, and WAPs.

Cisco Security Manager is a powerful but simple to operate application for managing all aspects of device configuration and security policies for firewalls, VPNs, and Intrusion Prevention Systems. The solution efficiently handles even small environments consisting of no more than than ten appliances, but also expands to control enterprise systems with thousands of Cisco routers, security appliances, and switch services modules. Scalability is enabled via smart policy-driven management techniques that can simplify administration. Key features of Security Manager are:

• Allows control of Cisco router platforms running an IOS security software image, Cisco ASA 5500 security appliances, PIX firewalls, IPS 4200 family sensors, and Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series security services modules
• Respond faster. more rapidly to attacks: define and assign updated policies to many hundreds of appliances in just a few steps
• Rich graphical user interface offers superior ease-of-use
• A variety of looks that offer versatile methods to control appliances and policies including the option to manage the security environment graphically on a system topology image
• Extensive animated help for the novice operator to reduce training period
• Centrally specify which policies are shared and automatically inherited by new appliances to ensure corporate policies are implemented regularly, while offering optional flexibility to modify policies at the local device level
• Ability to build a common rule database for all Cisco platforms with smart evaluation of firewall policies to determine conflicts in the rule base
• Easily configure site-to-site, hub-spoke, full-mesh IPsec, or extranet VPN interfaces by means of a VPN wizard
• Integration with Cisco Access Control Server (ACS) for low-level role based connection control to appliances and management services
• Integration with security MARS to correlate monitored data with corresponding security appliance rules to enable faster management decisions and enhanced network availability
• Capability to assign specific jobs to every administrator in the course of the implementation of a rule, with structured change control and tracking; permits the security and systems operations staff to act in sync as a cohesive group with effective teamwork

Progent can also assist you to use network management tools to monitor and classify system data to implement traffic shaping, which permits you to set up routers to enforce a variety of throughput constraints on certain types of activity according to the priorities you specify. By buffering and sorting data packets above your contracted rates, and by giving preference to critical applications, traffic shaping can keep ISP excess usage charges from spiraling out of reach and/or eliminate gaps in productivity resulting from brute force enforcement of your network bandwidth restrictions during periods of heavy use.

Progent's CISM and CISSP security professionals can assist you to develop an end-to-end security strategy that encompasses your network management solution, and Progent's remote and on-premises network specialists and Cisco CCIE-certified consultants can utilize the latest network management tools to isolate and fix problems quickly to keep your IT system in business.

To find out additional information about Progent's engineering help for Cisco networking products, choose a topic:

• Overview of Progent's Cisco Consulting Services
• Timely Online Support from a Cisco CCIE Consultant
• Cisco Firepower NGFW Series Firewalls: Integration and Troubleshooting Expertise
• Cisco ASA 5500-X Series Firewall with Firepower: Consulting and Troubleshooting Support
• Cisco ASA 5500 Firewall Integration Assistance
• PIX Firewall Maintenance Support
• Cisco Routers Consulting Services
• Cisco Wireless Deployment Expertise
• Cisco Aironet APs Consulting Services
• Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 WiFi Access Points Engineering Expertise
• Cisco WiFi Controllers Integration Consulting
• Cisco Meraki Wireless APs Engineering Support
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and CallManager Consulting and Technical Support
• Cisco Voice over IP Phones and IP Video Phones Consulting Services and Wireless VoIP Phone Configuration
• Cisco Jabber Consulting and Support Expertise
• Catalyst Switches Engineering Services
• Nexus Switches Configuration and Maintenance Expertise
• Meraki MS Switches Support and Troubleshooting Services
• Cisco VPN and Network Security Consulting Services
• SIP and CUBE Infrastructure Solutions: SIP PSTN Trunks and Cisco CUBE Integration Expertise
• Infrastructure Design for Cisco-based Datacenters and Colocation Centers
• Infrastructure Design Expertise for Service Providers