Cisco Network Consulting and Support

A wealth of network management utilities from Cisco and other suppliers highlights the value and complexity of supporting IT infrastructure. Progent's Cisco-certified network management engineers are experienced at helping businesses develop management strategies based on Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Syslog, and Cisco Netflow protocols to create powerful tools for network bandwidth usage and network latency, viewing key router and switch performance metrics, and identifying traffic patterns, applications, and appliances that use available resources.

Progent can assist businesses to utilize a broad range of open source and license-based monitoring and management utilities to maintain a Cisco network. Tools used by Progent's consultants include MRTG, Nagios, PRTG, Cisco Cisco ASDM, Cisco Monitor Manager, Cisco Network Assistant, CiscoWorks, Cisco Security Manager, OpenView, AlterPoint DeviceAuthority, Advent and Firewall Analyzer, Solarwinds Orion, and Necordia NetMRI.

Network management platforms can help IT administrators to be aware of current system utilization and effectively plan for future traffic increases. Management tools can also be deployed to detect poor or improper uses of system resources, such as streaming audio and video, peer-to-peer sharing, etc. that can use up valuable or scarce network resources. An efficiently crafted network management plan can also aid organizations to make intelligent choices on wide and local area network improvements once they appreciate the amount of network bandwidth historically required at any one time.

Putting an efficient network management solution in operation ahead of time is vital to avoid major problems that can follow Denial Of Service (DoS) attacks and dangerous viruses. These events can render the network unstable and without appropriate tools it can be time consuming, if not practically impossible, to identify the location of the problem.

Network Management Tools from Cisco
Cisco has developed an assortment of powerful tools that should be the basis for any network management strategy. Used in conjunction with the top third-party products, Cisco's network management software can enhance the competitive value of network infrastructures for organizations of all sizes by helping with important areas such as resource utilization, throughput, resilience, security, troubleshooting, and scalability. Cisco's top network management tools include:

Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM) is a web utility that permits you set up and monitor the management utilities on network appliances. Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager is loaded by the Cisco device, and enables you to set up, track, and manage the device.

Monitor Manager is a management application designed to handle the requirements of small and medium-sized companies. Cisco Monitor Manager actively scans key appliance parameters on voice and data networks used by five to 250 users and equipped with as many as 250 IP phones. Cisco Monitor Manager provides:

• Up-to-date monitoring of important appliance processes on SMB-class routers and switches, Cisco Communications Manager Express, Unity Express, security devices, wireless access points, and VoIP phones
• Ability to manage the Unified Communications 500 Series for organizations with up to 50 users

• Network discovery and topology
• Physical and service level looks at Unified Communications deployment
• System wide device identification logging and reporting
• Advanced security and reliable operation
• Cisco device operations tracking
• VoIP Telephony tracking
• Connection status and data traffic tracking
• Real-time alerts and notifications
• Reports
• Setup log

Cisco Network Assistant is a desktop-hosted management application designed for for wired and wireless LANs (WLANs) for growing organizations that have up to 40 switches and routers. By using Smartports technology, Network Assistant simplifies setup, installation, and continuing administration and maintenance of Cisco-based networks. Cisco Network Assistant provides a unified system view and permits network managers to deploy its features among switches, routers, and wireless access points.

Security Manager is a feature-rich but simple to operate application for centrally provisioning all facets of device set up and policies for Cisco firewalls, virtual private networks, and Intrusion Prevention Systems. Cisco Security Manager efficiently manages even small environments consisting of no more than than ten devices, but also expands to control large-scale systems with thousands of routers, switches, and firewalls. Expansion is enabled through smart policy-driven control techniques that can simplify administration. Key features of Security Manager are:

• Supports provisioning for Cisco router platforms running a Cisco IOS security software image, Cisco ASA 5500 Series adaptive security appliances, Cisco PIX security appliances, IPS 4200 family sensors, and Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series security services modules
• Reacts more quickly to threats: specify and assign new security policies to many hundreds of devices in just a few steps
• Rich graphical user interface provides exceptional ease-of-use
• A variety of views that provide versatile ways to control devices and security policies including the ability to manage the security environment visually on a system topology image
• Comprehensive animated training for the first-time user to reduce learning period
• Globally call out which policies are common and automatically inherited by additional devices to ensure company-wide policies are configured consistently, at the same time offering optional flexibility to modify policies at the individual device level
• Capability to create a single rule database for Cisco firewalls with intelligent evaluation of firewall policies to determine conflicts within the rule base
• Easily configure site-to-site, hub-and-spoke, full mesh, or extranet VPN links by means of a few mouse clicks
• Compatibility with Cisco Access Control Server (ACS) for low-level role based connection management to appliances and management services
• Integration with security MARS to associate monitored data with related security appliance rules to help with faster decision making and increased network availability
• Ability to allocate particular jobs to every administrator during the implementation of a policy, with formal change control and tracking; allows the security and systems operations team to act in sync as a single unit with effective teamwork

Progent can also assist you to utilize network management utilities to monitor and categorize network data to enable traffic shaping, which allows you to program Cisco routers to enforce a variety of throughput constraints on certain types of activity based on the priorities you specify. By storing and queuing data packets that exceed your contracted volume, and by giving preference to critical processes, traffic shaping can prevent Internet Service Provider excess usage charges from spinning out of control and/or eliminate gaps in worker productivity resulting from indiscriminate enforcement of your network bandwidth restrictions during peak use.

Progent's CISM, CISSP, and ISSAP security specialists can help you to develop an end-to-end security plan that encompasses your network management solution, and Progent's remote and in person network specialists and Cisco CCIE and CNA qualified consultants can utilize advanced network management tools to identify and repair problems quickly to keep your IT system running smoothly.

For additional details concerning Progent's engineering assistance for Cisco solutions, select a topic:

• Introduction to Progent's Cisco Support
• Fast Online Assistance from a CCIE Network Engineer
• Cisco Firepower Series Firewalls: Integration and Management Support
• Cisco ASA 5500-X Firewalls with Firepower Services: Setup and Management Services
• Cisco ASA 5500 Firewall Management Expertise
• PIX 500 Firewall Upgrade. Migration Support
• Cisco Routers Engineering Services
• Cisco Wireless Network Design Expertise
• Aironet Wireless APs Design Help
• Cisco Small Business Wireless APs Engineering Expertise
• Catalyst Wi-Fi 6/6E Wireless Access Points Planning, Configuration and Debugging Services
• Cisco Wireless Controllers Consulting
• Cisco Meraki Wireless APs Deployment Help
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and CallManager Configuration and Technical Support
• Cisco Voice over IP Phones and IP Video Phones Consulting and Cisco Wireless IP Phone Integration
• Cisco Jabber Configuration and Troubleshooting Expertise
• Catalyst Switches Consulting and Support Services
• Cisco Nexus Switches Configuration and Maintenance Services
• Meraki Switches Deployment Services
• Cisco VPN and Security Consulting Assistance
• SIP and CUBE Integration Solutions: SIP Trunking and Cisco CUBE Integration Consulting
• Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for remote workers
• Infrastructure Design for Cisco-powered Datacenters
• Network Optimization Expertise for Service Providers