Cisco Certified Network Consulting

Network management systems assist companies to deploy network infrastructure effectively, access user details rapidly, track network operation, debug problems, protect against and react to threats, and optimize responsiveness. Network management tools can help detect inefficient or inappropriate uses of network services like streaming multimedia or peer-to-peer file sharing that can burn up bandwidth, lower employee output or enable data leaks. A well crafted network management environment can also help companies to make informed capacity planning decisions by surfacing tendencies in resource demand for different times or tasks.

Cisco offers a diverse and expanding portfolio of network management platforms that support unified management for on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid network models. With Cisco's later generation of security, switching, and wireless networking products, you can choose among Meraki, DNA Center, or CLI management platforms for network management. For instance, you can connect newer Catalyst or Meraki switches and Catalyst or Meraki Wi-Fi APs to the Meraki dashboard to monitor and manage vital components of your IT infrastructure from the cloud. Progent's Catalyst Wi-Fi access point consultants, Meraki WiFi AP consulting experts, Catalyst switches consulting experts, and Cisco Meraki switches consultants can assist your organization to design, implement and tune an up-to-date environment for network management.

Traditional Network Management Platforms from Cisco and Others
A wealth of network management tools from Cisco and third-party suppliers underscores the value and complexity of maintaining networks. Progent's seasoned network management consultants are experienced at assisting companies develop management strategies utilizing on Simple Network Management Protocol, SYSLOG services, and Cisco NetFlow to create powerful tools for tracking network bandwidth usage and network latency, monitoring key router and switch operational characteristics, and recognizing traffic patterns, applications, and devices that use network services.

Progent can assist businesses to utilize a broad range of open source and proprietary management utilities to maintain a Cisco network. Utilities used by Progent's consultants include MRTG, Cacti, Nagios, PRTG, Cisco Cisco ASDM, Cisco Network Assistant, Cisco Security Manager, OpenView, Wireshark/Ethereal, AlterPoint DeviceAuthority, Adventnet Netflow, Big Brother, Solarwinds Orion, and Necordia NetMRI.

Network management tools can help organizations to understand current network usage and intelligently plan for future capacity expansion. Network management tools can also be used to identify inefficient or inappropriate uses of system resources, such as streaming video, peer-to-peer sharing, etc. that can waste expensive or limited network bandwidth. A well designed network management plan can also help organizations to make intelligent choices on WAN and LAN enhancements after they appreciate the amount of network bandwidth actually needed at specific times.

Having an effective network management platform in operation beforehand is essential to prevent major disruptions that can be caused by DoS attacks and malicious viruses. These events can render the network unusable and without proper utilities it can be difficult, if not virtually impossible, to discover the location of the trouble.

Network Management Solutions from Cisco
Cisco has created a variety of powerful tools that should be the basis for any network management solution. Used in conjunction with the top outside vendor products, Cisco's network management offerings can improve the competitive value of network infrastructures for companies of any size by improving key areas such as resource utilization, throughput, availability, security, troubleshooting, and capacity planning. Cisco's top network management products include:

Cisco ASDM is a browser-based Java applet that lets you set up and monitor the software on security devices. Adaptive Security Device Manager is installed by the Cisco appliance, and enables you to configure, track, and manage the unit.

Cisco Monitor Manager is a management and monitoring application intended to meet the requirements of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Monitor Manager continuously tracks key appliance parameters on voice/data environments serving five to 250 users and equipped with up to 250 VoIP phones. Cisco Monitor Manager provides:

• Real-time tracking of important device parameters on Cisco SMB-class network appliances, Unified Communications Manager Express, Cisco Unity Express, security devices, WAPs, and VoIP phones
• Compatibility with the Unified Communications 500 communications appliance for businesses with up to 50 workers

• Network discovery and physical topology
• Device and service level looks at Cisco Unified Communications implementation
• Networkwide inventory logging and reporting
• Highly secure and dependable communication
• Appliance operations tracking
• IP Telephony monitoring
• Interface status and data traffic tracking
• Real-time alarms and event notification
• Reports
• Setup log

Cisco Network Assistant is a desktop-hosted management tool optimized for LANs and WLANS for expanding organizations with as many as 40 switches and routers. By using Cisco's Smartports technology, Network Assistant simplifies setup, installation, and ongoing administration and maintenance of Cisco networks. Network Assistant offers a centralized network view and allows network managers to deploy its features across switches, routers, and wireless access points.

Security Manager is a powerful but easy-to-use solution for centrally provisioning all aspects of appliance configuration and policies for firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs), and IPS. The solution efficiently handles even small networks consisting of fewer than ten devices, but also expands to manage large-scale systems composed of thousands of appliances. Scalability is enabled via intelligent policy-driven control techniques that can simplify administration. Key features of Security Manager are:

• Allows control of Cisco routers running an IOS security software image, Cisco ASA 5500 family security appliances, PIX security appliances, Cisco IPS 4200 sensors, and Catalyst 6500 security modules
• Respond faster. more rapidly to attacks: define and assign new security policies to many hundreds of devices in a few simple steps
• Intuitive graphical user interface offers exceptional ease-of-use
• Multiple views that offer flexible ways to control appliances and policies including the ability to administer the security environment visually on a system topology map
• Extensive animated help for the new operator to reduce learning period
• Centrally call out which policies are common and automatically inherited by new appliances to ensure company-wide policies are implemented consistently, at the same time offering sufficient flexibility to customize policies at the individual device level
• Ability to build a single firewall rule table for Cisco firewalls with intelligent analysis of firewall policies to detect anomalies in the rule table
• Quickly configure site-to-site, hub-spoke, full-mesh IPsec, or extranet VPN interfaces by means of a few mouse clicks
• Compatibility with Cisco ACS for low-level role based connection control to appliances and management functions
• Integration with Cisco security MARS to associate events with corresponding security appliance rules to help with quicker decision making and enhanced network up time
• Capability to assign specific tasks to every administrator in the course of the implementation of a rule, with formal change control and logging; permits the security and network operations team to act cooperatively as a single unit with effective teamwork

Progent can also assist you to utilize network management applications to monitor and classify system data to implement traffic shaping, which allows you to program routers to enforce different bandwidth constraints on designated classes of activity based on the priorities you assign. By buffering and queuing excess packets above your contracted rates, and by assigning priority to the most important processes, traffic shaping can prevent Internet Service Provider overage charges from spiraling out of reach and/or avoid gaps in worker productivity caused by indiscriminate policing of your network bandwidth restrictions during periods of heavy demand.

Progent's CISM, CISSP, and ISSAP security specialists can show you how to develop an end-to-end security plan that encompasses your network management processes, and Progent's remote and on-premises network specialists and Cisco CCIE and CNA qualified engineers can utilize the latest network management technology to identify and remediate trouble rapidly to keep your network productive.

To learn additional details about Progent's professional support for Cisco networking products, select a subject:

• Introduction to Cisco Expertise
• Timely Online Support from a Cisco CCIE Engineer
• Cisco Firepower NGFW Series Firewalls: Integration and Management Expertise
• ASA 5500-X Firewalls with Cisco Firepower: Integration and Management Expertise
• Cisco ASA 5500 Firewall Troubleshooting Support
• PIX 500 Firewall Engineering Services
• Cisco Routers Consulting Services
• Cisco Wireless Deployment Help
• Cisco Aironet APs Engineering Expertise
• Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 WiFi Access Points Engineering Support
• Cisco Catalyst Wi-Fi 6/6E Wireless APs Planning, Deployment and Debugging Expertise
• Cisco WiFi Controllers Consultants
• Cisco Meraki Access Points Deployment 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 Wireless IP Phone Integration
• Cisco Jabber Consulting and Support Services
• Catalyst Switches Configuration and Maintenance Expertise
• Cisco Nexus Switches Support and Troubleshooting Services
• Cisco Meraki MS Switches Support and Troubleshooting Services
• Cisco Security and VPN Setup and Troubleshooting Help
• SIP and CUBE Integration Solutions: SIP PSTN Trunks and CUBE Integration Expertise
• Cisco Duo MFA Two-factor Authentication Services for Teleworkers
• Infrastructure Design for Cisco-based Datacenters and Colocation Centers
• Data Center Design Consulting for ISPs