Cisco Expert Network Consultants

Network management systems help companies to deploy network infrastructure efficiently, look up client information rapidly, track network health, troubleshoot issues, defend against and respond to cyber attacks, and maximize responsiveness. Network management systems can help detect inefficient or improper uses of network resources like streaming multimedia or peer-to-peer file sharing that can burn up bandwidth, lower employee output or leave you vulnerable to data leaks. A prudently crafted network management environment can also help companies to make smart capacity planning decisions by showing trends in network demand for various periods or tasks.

Cisco offers a diverse and growing catalog of infrastructure management platforms that support centralized management for local, cloud-based, or hybrid network architectures. With Cisco's later security, switching, and Wi-Fi networking devices, you can run Meraki, DNA Center, or CLI management platforms for network monitoring and management. For example, you can interface newer Catalyst or Meraki switches and Catalyst or Meraki WiFi 6/6E access points to the Meraki dashboard to monitor and manage vital components of your IT infrastructure from the cloud. Progent's Cisco Catalyst Wi-Fi access point experts, Cisco Meraki Wi-Fi AP consultants, Catalyst switches consulting experts, and Cisco Meraki switches experts can help your organization to design, deploy and tune an up-to-date solution for network management.

Traditional Network Management Platforms from Cisco and Others
A wealth of network management products from Cisco and other vendors highlights the value and complexity of supporting IT infrastructure. Progent's Cisco qualified network management engineers are experienced at assisting businesses develop management strategies based on Simple Network Management Protocol, Syslog, and Cisco Netflow protocols to create powerful mechanisms for tracking network utilization and network latency, viewing key router and switch performance characteristics, and recognizing traffic patterns, applications, and devices that use available resources.

Progent can assist customers to deploy a broad range of open source and proprietary management solutions to maintain a Cisco-powered environment. Utilities familiar to Progent's consultants include MRTG, Nagios, PRTG, Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM), Cisco Monitor Manager, Cisco Network Assistant, CiscoWorks, Cisco Security Manager, OpenView, AlterPoint DeviceAuthority, Adventnet Netflow, Big Brother, Solarwinds Orion, and NetMRI.

Network management tools can help organizations to be aware of current system utilization and intelligently prepare for downstream traffic increases. Management utilities can also be deployed to identify inefficient or improper utilization of system resources, for example streaming video, peer-to-peer file exchange, etc. that can eat up expensive or limited network bandwidth. A carefully crafted network management solution can also aid organizations to arrive at informed choices on network improvements once they recognize how much system resources historically needed at specific times.

Putting an efficient network management system in operation beforehand is vital to avoid severe disruptions that can follow Denial Of Service (DoS) attacks and dangerous viruses/Trojans. These events can render the network unusable and without appropriate utilities it can be difficult, and in some cases virtually impossible, to find the location of the trouble.

Network Management Tools from Cisco
Cisco provides a variety of powerful utilities that should form the basis for any network management solution. Used in conjunction with the top outside vendor applications, Cisco's network management software can improve the business value of network infrastructures for organizations of all sizes by addressing key areas such as resource utilization, throughput, availability, protection, repair, and scalability. Cisco's most familiar network management products include:

Cisco ASDM is a web Java applet that permits you set up and operate the software on network appliances. Adaptive Security Device Manager is installed by the Cisco device, and enables you to configure, track, and control the unit.

Cisco Monitor Manager is a management and monitoring solution developed for the needs of small and midsize businesses. Cisco Monitor Manager continuously checks key appliance parameters on voice and data networks serving five to 250 workers and equipped with up to 250 IP phones. The application offers:

• Real-time monitoring of key appliance parameters on small and midsize business-class network appliances, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express, Unity Express, security appliances, WAPs, and IP phones
• Ability to manage the Unified Communications 500 communications appliance for businesses with up to 50 workers

• Network discovery and topology
• Physical and service level looks at Unified Communications implementation
• Networkwide inventory logging and reporting
• Advanced security and dependable communication
• Device operations tracking
• Cisco Unified IP Telephony monitoring
• Interface status and traffic monitoring
• Real-time alerts and notices
• Reports
• Setup log

Network Assistant is a PC-hosted network management tool optimized for wired and wireless LANs (WLANs) for expanding businesses that have up to 40 Cisco switches and routers. By running Smartports, Network Assistant simplifies configuration, deployment, and continuing management and support of Cisco-powered environments. It provides a centralized network view and allows network managers to employ its functions among Cisco switches, routers, and wireless access points.

Security Manager is a powerful but easy-to-use solution for centrally provisioning all facets of device set up and policies for Cisco PIX and ASA security appliances, virtual private networks, and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS). Security Manager efficiently manages even small networks with no more than than ten appliances, but also expands to control enterprise networks with thousands of Cisco routers, security appliances, and switch services modules. Scalability is enabled via smart policy-based management techniques that can streamline administration. Key features of Cisco Security Manager are:

• Allows provisioning for Cisco routers running an IOS security software image, ASA 5500 Series firewalls, PIX firewalls, Cisco IPS 4200 Series sensors, and Catalyst 6500 Series security modules
• Respond more quickly to threats: define and apply updated policies to thousands of devices in a few easy steps
• Rich graphical user interface provides exceptional ease-of-use
• A variety of views that offer flexible methods to control appliances and security policies such as the option to administer the security environment graphically on a system topology image
• Comprehensive animated help for the new user to speed up learning time
• Centrally call out which policies are shared and inherited by new appliances to make sure corporate policies are configured regularly, at the same time offering optional versatility to customize policies at the local appliance level
• Ability to create a common rule table for all Cisco platforms with smart analysis of firewall policies to detect anomalies within the rule base
• Easily set up location-to-location, hub-and-spoke, full-mesh IPsec, or extranet Virtual Private Network connections with a few mouse clicks
• Integration with Cisco Access Control Server (ACS) for granular role based access control to devices and administration services
• Integration with security MARS system to correlate monitored data with corresponding firewall rules to help with quicker decision making and enhanced system up time
• Ability to allocate specific jobs to each administrator in the course of the deployment of a policy, with structured change control and logging; allows the security and network operations team to work together as a single unit with efficient teamwork

Progent can also assist you to use network management applications to analyze and categorize network data to enable traffic shaping, which permits you to configure routers to impose different throughput constraints on designated classes of processes according to the importance you assign. By storing and sorting data packets above your contracted volume, and by assigning priority to the most important processes, traffic shaping can prevent service provider overage charges from spiraling out of control and/or avoid gaps in productivity resulting from brute force enforcement of your network bandwidth restrictions during peak use.

Progent's CISA and ISSAP security specialists can help you to develop a comprehensive security strategy that incorporates your network management solution, and Progent's remote and in person network experts and Cisco CCIE-certified engineers can use advanced network monitoring and analysis technology to isolate and remediate problems quickly to keep your IT system productive.

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

• Overview of Progent's Cisco Support
• Timely Online Support from a Cisco CCIE Engineer
• Cisco Firepower NGFW Series Firewalls: Integration and Management Services
• ASA 5500-X Series Firewall with Firepower Services: Integration and Management Expertise
• ASA 5500 Series Firewall Management Services
• PIX Firewall Maintenance Services
• Cisco Routers Engineering Services
• Cisco Wireless Deployment Support
• Cisco Aironet APs Engineering Services
• Cisco Small Business Wireless APs Deployment Help
• Catalyst Wi-Fi 6/6E Wireless Access Points Solution Design, Deployment and Debugging Expertise
• Cisco WiFi Controllers Consulting
• Cisco Meraki Access Points Engineering Services
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and Cisco CallManager Consulting and Technical Support
• Cisco Voice over IP Phones and IP Video Desktop Phones Consulting Services and Cisco Wireless VoIP Phone Solutions
• Cisco Jabber and Management Expertise
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Consulting and Support Services
• Cisco Nexus Switches Configuration and Maintenance Services
• Meraki Switches Support and Troubleshooting Services
• Cisco VPN and Network Security Integration Services
• SIP and CUBE Integration Solutions: SIP Trunking and Cisco CUBE Integration Consulting
• Cisco Duo MFA Two-factor Authentication (2FA) Services for Remote Workers
• Infrastructure Design for Cisco-based Datacenters and Colocation Centers
• Infrastructure Optimization Expertise for ISPs