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:
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:
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.
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