Cisco Certified Expert Network Consultants

An abundance of network management products from Cisco and third-party vendors underscores the importance and complexity of network management. Progent's seasoned network management engineers are expert at assisting companies design network management solutions utilizing on Simple Network Management Protocol, SYSLOG services, and Cisco Netflow protocols to create powerful mechanisms for understanding network bandwidth usage and latency, monitoring key router and switch performance characteristics, and identifying traffic patterns, applications, and devices that use network resources.

Progent can help businesses to deploy a broad selection of free and license-based monitoring and management products to maintain a Cisco network. Tools used by Progent's consultants include MRTG, Nagios, PRTG, Cisco Cisco ASDM, Cisco Monitor Manager, Cisco Security Manager, OpenView, Wireshark/Ethereal, AlterPoint DeviceAuthority, Adventnet Netflow, Big Brother, and NetMRI.

Network management tools can enable IT administrators to understand existing network usage and intelligently prepare for future capacity increases. Network management tools can also be used to identify poor or improper uses of network resources, for example streaming audio and video, peer-to-peer sharing, etc. that can eat up valuable and limited network resources. A carefully designed network management solution can also enable companies to make informed decisions on system improvements after they understand how much network resources historically required at specific times.

Putting an effective network management solution in place beforehand is essential to avoid severe disruptions that can be due to Denial Of Service (DoS) attacks and malicious viruses/Trojans. Such events can leave the network unstable and in the absence of appropriate tools it can be difficult, and in some cases virtually impossible, to discover the location of the problem.

Network Management Products from Cisco
Cisco offers a variety of effective tools that should form the foundation for any network management solution. Used in conjunction with the top outside vendor products, Cisco's network management software can enhance the competitive value of network infrastructures for companies of all sizes by helping with key areas such as resource utilization, performance, availability, security, repair, and scalability. Cisco's most familiar network management products include:

Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager is a browser-based utility that allows you to set up and operate the management utilities on security devices. Cisco ASDM is installed by the Cisco device, and enables you to set up, track, and manage the device.

Cisco Monitor Manager is a management and monitoring solution intended to address the requirements of small and medium-sized companies. Monitor Manager continuously scans important device processes on voice and data environments used by 5 to 250 users and equipped with up to 250 VoIP phones. Cisco Monitor Manager provides:

• Real-time scanning of key device processes on small and midsize business-class network appliances, Unified Communications Manager Express, Cisco Unity Express, security devices, access points, and Cisco Unified IP Phones
• Ability to manage the Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series appliance for companies with as many as 50 workers

• Network discovery and topology
• Physical and service level views of Unified Communications deployment
• System wide device identification logging and reporting
• Highly secure and reliable communication
• Device performance monitoring
• VoIP Telephony monitoring
• Connection status and traffic monitoring
• Immediate alarms and notices
• Documentation
• Configuration archive

Network Assistant is a PC-based network management application optimized for wired and wireless LANs (WLANs) for growing companies that have up to 40 Cisco switches and routers. By utilizing Smartports technology, the application simplifies configuration, deployment, and continuing management and maintenance of Cisco-based networks. Network Assistant provides a centralized system view and allows IT administrators to deploy its functions among switches, routers, and access points.

Cisco Security Manager is a highly functional but easy-to-use solution for centrally provisioning all aspects of device set up and policies for Cisco PIX and ASA security appliances, virtual private networks (VPNs), and Intrusion Prevention Systems. Security Manager effectively handles even small environments with fewer than ten appliances, but also expands to manage large-scale networks with thousands of devices. Scalability is achieved via intelligent policy-driven management techniques that can simplify administration. Highlights of Security Manager are:

• Supports provisioning for Cisco routers configured with a Cisco IOS security image, Cisco ASA 5500 Series adaptive security appliances, Cisco PIX firewalls, IPS 4200 Series inline security appliances, and Cisco Catalyst 6500 security modules
• Reacts faster. more rapidly to attacks: define and apply new security policies to many hundreds of devices in a few easy steps
• Intuitive GUI provides superior ease-of-use
• Multiple views that offer versatile ways to control appliances and security policies such as the capability to administer the security network graphically on a topology map
• Extensive animated training for the new user to speed up training period
• Centrally call out which policies are shared and inherited by additional devices to make sure company-wide policies are configured regularly, at the same time offering sufficient versatility to modify policies at the local appliance level
• Ability to create a common firewall rule database for Cisco platforms with intelligent analysis of firewall policies to detect anomalies within the rule base
• Quickly configure location-to-location, hub-spoke, full mesh, or extranet Virtual Private Network interfaces with a few mouse clicks
• Compatibility with Cisco ACS for granular role based access control to devices and administration functions
• Operation with security MARS system to associate monitored data with corresponding security appliance rules to help with faster decision making and increased network up time
• Capability to allocate specific tasks to each administrator during the implementation of a rule, with structured change management and logging; allows the security and network operations staff to act together as a cohesive unit with efficient teamwork

Progent can also assist you to utilize network management applications to monitor and classify network data to enable traffic shaping, which allows you to set up Cisco routers to enforce a variety of throughput constraints on designated types of processes based on the priorities you specify. By buffering and sorting data packets that exceed your contracted rates, and by assigning preference to critical processes, traffic shaping can prevent Internet Service Provider excess usage penalties from spinning out of reach and/or eliminate lost productivity caused by indiscriminate enforcement of your network traffic volume restrictions during periods of heavy demand.

Progent's CISM, CISSP, and ISSAP security professionals can assist you to create a comprehensive security strategy that incorporates your network management processes, and Progent's remote and in person network specialists and Cisco CCIE and CNA qualified engineers can utilize the latest network monitoring and analysis tools to identify and remediate trouble quickly to keep your IT system productive.

To learn additional details about Progent's engineering support for Cisco technology, choose a topic:

• Introduction to Cisco Expertise
• Timely Remote Access to a Cisco CCIE Network Engineer
• Cisco Firepower Firewalls: Integration and Troubleshooting Support
• Cisco ASA 5500-X Firewalls with Firepower: Configuration and Troubleshooting Expertise
• Cisco ASA 5500 Firewalls Engineering Help
• Cisco PIX Firewall Consulting Support
• Cisco Routers Configuration and Troubleshooting Expertise
• Cisco Wireless Consulting Expertise
• Cisco Aironet Wireless Access Points Deployment Expertise
• Cisco Small Business 100, 300 and 500 WiFi Access Points Consulting Services
• Catalyst 802.11ax Access Points Planning, Configuration and Troubleshooting Services
• Cisco WiFi Controllers Integration Consulting
• Meraki APs Engineering Support
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and CallManager Integration and Technical Support
• Cisco Voice over IP Phones and IP Video Phones Expertise and Wireless IP Phone Solutions
• Cisco Jabber Integration Services
• Catalyst Switches Configuration and Maintenance Expertise
• Cisco Nexus Switches Configuration and Maintenance Services
• Cisco Meraki MS Switches Deployment Services
• Cisco VPN Engineering Support
• SIP and CUBE Integration Solutions: SIP Trunks and Cisco CUBE Integration Consulting
• Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for teleworkers
• Design Expertise for Cisco-based Datacenters
• Network Design Services for Internet Service Providers