A wealth of network management utilities from Cisco and third-party vendors highlights the importance and complexity of maintaining networks. Progent's Cisco qualified network management engineers are experienced at helping businesses design management strategies based on Simple Network Management Protocol, SYSLOG services, and Cisco NetFlow to build powerful mechanisms for understanding network utilization and network latency, viewing key router and switch operational metrics, and identifying traffic profiles, applications, and devices utilizing network services.
Progent can help customers to utilize a rich selection of free and license-based monitoring and management products to maintain a Cisco network. Tools used by Progent's engineers include MRTG, Cacti, Nagios, PRTG, Cisco Cisco ASDM, Cisco Monitor Manager, CiscoWorks, Cisco Security Manager, OpenView, Wireshark/Ethereal, Concord E-Health, Advent and Firewall Analyzer, Solarwinds Orion, and Necordia NetMRI.
Network management tools can allow organizations to understand existing network usage and intelligently plan for future capacity expansion. Management tools can also be used to identify inefficient or inappropriate uses of network services, such as streaming audio and video, peer-to-peer file sharing, etc. that can use up valuable or scarce network resources. A well planned network management solution can also aid organizations to arrive at intelligent choices on system improvements after they understand the amount of network resources actually required at specific times.
Putting an efficient network management platform in place beforehand is essential to avoid major problems that can result from DoS attacks and malicious viruses. Such events can leave the network unstable and without proper utilities it can be difficult, and in some cases virtually impossible, to find the source of the trouble.
Network Management Solutions from Cisco
Cisco provides a variety of powerful tools that should be the basis for any management strategy. Utilized in conjunction with the top third-party applications, Cisco's network management software can enhance the business value of networks for organizations of any size by dealing with important areas such as system utilization, performance, resilience, security, repair, and capacity planning. Cisco's most popular network management tools include:
Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM) is a web utility that allows you to set up and operate the management utilities built into network appliances. Cisco ASDM is loaded by the Cisco device, and allows you to configure, track, and manage the unit.
Cisco Monitor Manager is a management and monitoring application designed to handle the requirements of small and midsize organizations. Monitor Manager actively tracks key device parameters on voice/data networks used by five to 250 workers and with up to 250 Voice over IP phones. Cisco Monitor Manager offers:
Network Assistant is a desktop-based network management tool designed for for wired and wireless LANs (WLANs) for growing companies with up to 40 switches and routers. By using Smartports technology, Cisco Network Assistant streamlines configuration, deployment, and continuing management and maintenance of Cisco-based networks. It offers a unified network view and permits IT managers to deploy its features among Cisco switches, routers, and WAPs.
Cisco Security Manager is a highly functional but simple to operate application for managing all aspects of device configuration and security policies for firewalls, VPNs, and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS). Cisco Security Manager effectively manages even small networks consisting of no more than than ten appliances, but also scales to control enterprise networks composed of thousands of Cisco routers, security appliances, and switch services modules. Expansion is achieved via smart policy-driven management techniques that can streamline administrative overhead. Highlights of Security Manager are:
Progent can also assist you to utilize network management applications to analyze and classify system data to implement traffic shaping, which permits you to configure routers to enforce different throughput restrictions on certain classes of activity according to the priorities you assign. By buffering and queuing data packets above your committed rates, and by giving preference to business-critical applications, traffic shaping can keep ISP overage charges from spinning out of reach and/or avoid lost worker productivity resulting from brute force enforcement of your network traffic volume restrictions during periods of heavy demand.
Progent's CISA and ISSAP security consultants can show you how to create a comprehensive security plan that encompasses your network management solution, and Progent's remote and on-premises support experts and Cisco CCIE-certified consultants can utilize the latest network management tools to identify and remediate problems quickly to keep your network in business.
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