Cisco Certified Network Consultants

Network management tools assist companies to deploy network infrastructure efficiently, look up user details rapidly, track network health, debug problems, protect against and react to threats, and optimize performance. Network management systems 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 worker output or enable data leakage. A prudently crafted network management environment can also help organizations to make informed network enhancement moves by exposing tendencies in network demand for different times or activities.

Cisco has developed a rich and expanding portfolio of infrastructure management solutions that support unified management for local, cloud-based, or hybrid network architectures. With Cisco's later security, switching, and wireless networking devices, you can run Meraki, Cisco DNA Center, or CLI management platforms for network management. For instance, you can connect newer Catalyst or Meraki switches and Catalyst or Meraki WiFi 6/6E access points to the Meraki dashboard to manage critical components of your network infrastructure from the cloud. Progent's Catalyst WiFi AP experts, Cisco Meraki Wi-Fi AP consultants, Catalyst switches consulting experts, and Meraki switches consultants can help your organization to design, implement and optimize an up-to-date solution for network infrastructure management.

Legacy Network Management Tools from Cisco and Others
A wealth of network management tools from Cisco and third-party suppliers highlights the value and complexity of supporting IT infrastructure. Progent's Cisco-certified network management consultants are expert at helping businesses design management strategies utilizing on Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), SYSLOG services, and Cisco NetFlow to create powerful tools for understanding network utilization and network latency, viewing important router and switch operational metrics, and recognizing traffic patterns, applications, and devices that use available resources.

Progent can help customers to deploy a rich selection of open source and license-based monitoring and management utilities to manage a Cisco-powered environment. Tools used by Progent's consultants include MRTG, Cacti, Nagios, Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM), Cisco Monitor Manager, Cisco Network Assistant, CiscoWorks, Cisco Security Manager, OpenView, AlterPoint DeviceAuthority, Adventnet Netflow, Big Brother, and NetMRI.

Network management tools can allow organizations to understand existing network utilization and effectively prepare for downstream traffic expansion. Network management utilities can also be used to highlight inefficient or improper utilization of system resources, such as streaming video, peer-to-peer sharing, etc. that can waste valuable or scarce network bandwidth. A well crafted network management solution can also aid organizations to make informed choices on system upgrades once they recognize how much network bandwidth historically needed at specific times.

Putting an efficient network management solution in place ahead of time is essential to avoid major problems that can result from DoS attacks and dangerous viruses/Trojans. These assaults can render the network unusable and without proper utilities it can be time consuming, and sometimes virtually impossible, to discover the location of the trouble.

Network Management Solutions from Cisco
Cisco provides an array of effective tools that should be the foundation for any management strategy. Utilized in combination with appropriate third-party tools, Cisco's network management offerings can enhance the business value of networks for organizations of all sizes by improving key areas such as resource utilization, throughput, availability, protection, repair, and scalability. Cisco's top network management products include:

Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM) is a browser-based Java applet that lets you configure and operate the management utilities built into security appliances. Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager is loaded by the network appliance, and enables you to configure, monitor, and control the device.

Monitor Manager is a management solution designed to meet the requirements of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Monitor Manager actively scans important appliance processes on voice/data networks used by 5 to 250 workers and with up to 250 IP phones. Cisco Monitor Manager offers:

• Real-time monitoring of key device parameters on SMB-class routers, switches, and voice gateways, Cisco Communications Manager Express, Unity Express, security devices, access points, and IP phones
• Compatibility with the Unified Communications 500 appliance for companies with as many as 50 users

• Network discovery and topology
• Physical and process views of Cisco Unified Communications implementation
• System wide inventory logging and reporting
• Highly secure and dependable communication
• Device performance monitoring
• Cisco Unified IP Telephony monitoring
• Connection status and data traffic monitoring
• Real-time alerts and event notification
• Documentation
• Setup log

Cisco Network Assistant is a desktop-based network management tool designed for for LANs and WLANS for expanding companies with up to 40 switches and routers. By using Smartports, Cisco Network Assistant simplifies setup, installation, and ongoing administration and maintenance of Cisco-powered environments. The application offers a centralized system view and allows network administrators to employ its functions among Cisco switches, routers, and wireless access points.

Security Manager is a feature-rich but easy-to-use application for managing all aspects of appliance configuration and policies for PIX and ASA firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs), and Intrusion Prevention Systems. Cisco Security Manager efficiently handles even small networks consisting of no more than than ten appliances, but also scales to manage large-scale systems with thousands of routers, switches, and firewalls. Scalability is enabled through intelligent policy-driven control procedures that can streamline administration. Highlights of Cisco Security Manager include:

• Allows provisioning for Cisco routers running a Cisco IOS security image, ASA 5500 firewalls, PIX security appliances, Cisco IPS 4200 inline security appliances, and Catalyst 6500 Series security modules
• Respond more quickly to threats: define and apply updated policies to many hundreds of devices in a few easy steps
• Intuitive GUI offers superior ease-of-use
• Multiple views that offer versatile methods to control appliances and security policies such as the option to manage the security network graphically on a system topology image
• Extensive video help for the first-time operator to reduce learning period
• Globally specify which policies are shared and automatically inherited by new appliances to make sure company-wide policies are configured regularly, at the same time providing optional flexibility to modify policies at the individual appliance level
• Capability to create a single rule table for all Cisco firewalls with smart analysis of firewall policies to detect conflicts within the rule table
• Quickly set up location-to-location, hub-and-spoke, full-mesh IPsec, or extranet Virtual Private Network interfaces by means of a few mouse clicks
• Integration with Cisco ACS for low-level role based access management to devices and management services
• Operation with security MARS system to compare monitored data with related firewall rules to support faster management decisions and increased system availability
• Capability to assign particular jobs to each administrator in the course of the implementation of a policy, with structured change control and tracking; permits the security and systems operations team to work in sync as a single group with effective teamwork

Progent can also assist you to use network management utilities to monitor and categorize network data to implement traffic shaping, which allows you to set up routers to enforce a variety of bandwidth constraints on certain classes of activity based on the priorities you assign. By buffering and queuing data packets above your committed volume, and by giving preference to critical processes, traffic shaping can prevent service provider excess usage charges from spiraling out of reach and/or eliminate lost productivity resulting from indiscriminate enforcement of your network bandwidth limits during periods of heavy use.

Progent's CISM and CISSP security specialists can show you how to develop an end-to-end security strategy that encompasses your network management solution, and Progent's remote and on-site support experts and Cisco CCIE-certified consultants can utilize the latest network management technology to isolate and repair problems quickly to keep your network running smoothly.

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

• Overview of Cisco Engineering Services
• Timely Online Assistance from a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Engineer
• Cisco Firepower NGFW Series Firewalls: Integration and Troubleshooting Support
• ASA 5500-X Firewall with Cisco Firepower Services: Setup and Troubleshooting Services
• ASA 5500 Firewall Consulting Expertise
• PIX 500 Firewall Upgrade. Migration Help
• Cisco Routers Consulting Support
• Cisco Wireless Deployment Support
• Cisco Aironet Wireless Access Points Deployment Expertise
• Cisco Small Business Wireless Access Points System Design Help
• Catalyst Wi-Fi 6/6E Wireless APs Solution Design, Deployment and Debugging Consulting
• Cisco WiFi Controllers Support Services
• Meraki APs Design Services
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and Cisco CallManager Consulting and Troubleshooting
• Cisco VoIP Phones and IP Video Phones Consulting and Wireless IP Phone Configuration
• Cisco Jabber and Management Expertise
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Configuration and Maintenance Expertise
• Nexus Switches Support and Troubleshooting Expertise
• Cisco Meraki MS Switches Configuration and Maintenance Expertise
• Cisco VPN Setup and Troubleshooting Services
• SIP and CUBE Infrastructure Solutions: SIP Trunks and CUBE Integration Expertise
• Cisco Duo MFA Two-factor Authentication Services for At-Home Workers
• Design and Support for Cisco-based Datacenters
• Network Optimization Expertise for Internet Service Providers