Technology News and Progent Business Solutions

Cisco unveiled new solutions intended especially for small company IT networks and engineered to provide exceptional protection and collaboration at a budget-friendly cost. Products announced by Cisco included Cisco's Spam and Virus Blocker, the Small Business series NSS2000 and NSS3000 Network Storage Systems, and the 1.4 version of the SBCS.

The Cisco Spam and Virus Blocker is a dedicated antispam and antivirus security device that virtually eradicates email attacks as shipped. The Cisco NSS2000 and NSS3000 Small Business Network Storage Systems are economical small-footprint network-attached storage devices that offer protection for valuable information and allow workers to share information effortlessly. Cisco's Smart Business Communications System Release 1.4, a complete collaboration and communications system that easily connects sites, workers, and clients however dispersed. Cisco's current version features the debut of a cordless small-footprint Internet Protocol (IP) phone with Bluetooth support. To view Cisco's news release, refer to Cisco Introduces Connectivity and Collaboration Solutions for Small Companies.

Cisco Spam and Virus Blocker Appliance
The Spam Blocker protects small businesses by providing powerful protection against spam, viruses and worms and other email-borne attacks to secure your system and business data while enhance productivity. Since the device blocks spam and viruses right out of the box and updates automatically, it does away with the cost and hassle required for initial configuration and continuing and administration. By eliminating unwanted email, Cisco's Spam Blocker helps the performance of networks, servers, and computers. The Spam and Virus Blocker appliance represents a comprehensive defense against email attacks by including hardware, intelligent software, ongoing updates, and technical assistance in a single package.

Notable features of Cisco's Spam and Virus Blocker are:

• Efficiency: Helps to make sure that email-borne attacks and spam are intercepted and legitimate email is accepted.
• Continuous self-installed patches: Constant interaction with SenderBase services, an online database of email safety risks, ensures that the Spam & Virus Blocker incorporates the latest patches to safequard your corporate email.
• Easy installation and use: User-friendly browser-based setup wizards allow you to configure Cisco's Spam Blocker in nearly any environment within minutes, providing immediate security for your business network.
• Streamlined administration: From the moment you deploys the Cisco's Spam Blocker, you benefit from spam and virus filtering with minimal extra hassle demanded of your IT group.

Cisco Small Business NSS2000 and 3000
The Cisco NSS2000 and NSS3000 Network Storage Systems provide the dependable security and advanced backup capabilities that your company needs, at a cost small companies can handle. The Cisco NSS3000 supports up to 4 terabytes of data and up to 15 simultaneous users per chassis, provides the ideal answer for storing, accessing, and backing up your mission-critical business information. Unlike less advanced NAS alternatives, the Cisco Small Business NSS3000 provides the state-of-the-art archiving, encryption, client validation, and high uptime your business needs.

The NSS3000 four-Bay Gigabit Storage Chassis handles any approved hard drive. The enclosure offers a range of features in a desktop footprint engineered specifically for small businesses. The Small Business NSS3000 Storage System enclosure also provides you the flexibility to configure the system without any attached disk drives, to reconfigure the product at any time, and to chain multiple NAS chassis with one another, offering a platform that can smoothly grow with your business.

You can use the Cisco Small Business NSS2000 or 3000 Network Storage Systems to:

• Automatically back up vital data from every desktop and application server on your network
• Offer centralized preservation and distribution of key files
• Run Continuous Data Protection to back up automatically each revision of every file saved by employees, allowing you to restore data with ease
• Record and save video from your surveillance cameras

Cisco Smart Business Communications System (SBCS)
The Cisco Smart Business Communications System Version 1.4 is an easy-to-manage and complete collaboration and communications system that permits small organizations to connect telecommuters, mobile workers and employees in disparate locations to enhance their options to communicate with clients and teammates. In the new release, the aggressively priced system offers enhanced wireless support including the industry's first wireless desktop VoIP phone with built-in Bluetooth, the Cisco SPA525G VoIP device, which allows companies to expand cost-effectively by adding phones in places where traditional phone wires or Ethernet wiring is not present or cannot conveniently be added.

Other innovative components of the Cisco Smart Business Communications System (SBCS) Release 1.4 are:

• The Cisco Model 520 Secure Router to help protect the company's infrastructure and provide workers secure connectivity to the Internet and key business data from inside or outside the office
• The Cisco Configuration Assistant v. 1.9 to permit stakeholders to simplify the setup and installation of solutions designed custom for certain companies

How Progent's Cisco-certified Professionals Can Help You to Benefit from Cisco Technology
Progent's Cisco-qualified consultants and Cisco CCIE engineers can assist you to assess the latest Cisco technologies to understand their business value for your IT system, set up Cisco security and communication platforms to improve the protection and performance of your information network, and troubleshoot Cisco devices both onsite and remotely to keep your IT network operating dependably. Progent's consulting experts can provide a variety of cost-effective support services to enhance the dependability, protection, performance, and maintainability of a small business information network:

Immediate Access to Cisco CCIE Engineers
Progent delivers easy, immediate, and cost-effective help from registered CCIE engineers. CCIEs are elite networking gurus who are awarded this top-level accreditation only after comprehensive testing by Cisco. CCIEs can tackle even the most complex issues surrounding IT network architecture, integration, troubleshooting, and maintenance. Progent’s CCIE professionals work closely with Cisco engineers in analyzing problems with Cisco's IOS software and finding fixes or obtaining patches to correct problems. Progent can provide immediate contact with a CCIE by telephone so you can get emergency assistance for tough network troubles that are undermining business productivity but are outside the expertise of your local network support providers. Progent's CCIE consulting professionals can link to your environment using advanced remote support tools in order to provide fast and affordable analysis and remediation of critical infrastructure problems.

Cisco VoIP Phone and IP Video Phone Integration
Progent's Cisco CCIE-certified VoIP phone and video IP phone experts can help you to configure, maintain, and troubleshoot Cisco IP phones, video IP phones and wireless IP phones. Progent can provide support for all models of Cisco's IP phones from discontinued Voice over IP products to the newest media phones. Progent's consultants can also assist you to integrate your VoIP phones and video IP phones with Cisco Unified CM, formerly branded CallManager, or with Unified CM Express (CME) to create a an advanced IP-PBX environment for unified messaging and company-wide collaboration. Progent's consultants can provide expertise with all aspects of Cisco IP Phone integration including designing dial plans, solving IP phone registration issues, setting up SIP trunking, installing ISR G2 routers with CUBE VoIP networking capability, and creating Cisco UCS server clustering and Cisco SRST solutions for survivability. For additional information on Progent's engineering help for Cisco's collaboration technology, refer to Cisco VoIP and Unified Communications Professional Support.

Cisco Unified Communications Manager and CallManager Collaboration
Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM), previously known as CallManager, is the heart of Cisco's collaboration portfolio. Unified CM and Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express (CME) offer a location-independent IP-PBX solution by integrating tightly with apps like Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM and Presence Service with Jabber support, Unity Express for voicemail, Mobile Connect for Single Number Reach, and Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise for creating an advanced customer contact center. Progent's CCIE-certified CUCM experts can assist with any aspect of Unified Communications Manager setup and troubleshooting in areas that include integrating Cisco Voice over IP phones and video IP phones, reviewing dial plans, setting up SIP connections and PSTN support, deploying ISR routers with CUBE networking support, creating UCS server failover solutions for survivability, and integration with Microsoft Exchange Server and Skype for Business.

Cisco ASA and PIX Firewall Consulting Expertise
Progent’s certified Cisco network security consultants provide expert PIX and ASA Firewall engineering support covering architecture, integration, and support of Cisco firewall and Cisco security solutions. The PIX and ASA Series of Cisco firewall products delivers robust user and software policy enforcement, sophisticated attack protection, and secure connectivity services. Ranging from economical, plug-and-play desktop devices for small and home businesses to scalable enterprise-grade appliances, Cisco PIX and ASA Firewalls offer a high level of protection, performance, and excellent reliability for network environments of all sizes. PIX and ASA Firewalls are based on a proven, purpose-built platform, minimizing common OS-specific security holes.

Security Inventory and Evaluation Packages
Progent's CISM and CISSP-premier security consultants can deliver a range of budget-friendly network security Inventory service bundles and security evaluation bundles designed to offer businesses of all sizes a chance to receive a professional look at the quality of their protection profile. These packages vary from ultra-affordable external network security scan and internal security scan options for small companies up to a high-end security assessment solution for enterprises who have to comply with security levels demanded by government regulators or by vendors. For each security inventory or evaluation package, engineers with top security accreditations analyze and report on collected data and provide suggestions for efficient remediation.

SIP Connectivity Solutions: SIP Trunks and CUBE Configuration Consulting
Progent's Cisco CCIE-certified SIP trunk experts and Cisco CUBE integration consultants can assist you to plan, deploy, maintain, debug and upgrade Cisco's SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) infrastructure technology and Cisco's CUBE-connected SIP trunks. Progent offers affordable online or onsite expertise to help businesses to migrate smoothly to an advanced communications ecosystem that offers fast ROI. Progent's Gold-certified Microsoft collaboration experts can assist you to set up connections between Cisco's CUBE Session Border Controller and Microsoft's rich media platforms like Skype for Business Server or Lync Server for connectivity to a SIP PSTN trunk.

Consulting and Support Consulting and Troubleshooting Expertise for Cisco Wireless Solutions
Progent can give you access to a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert or certified CCNP to help you to develop a comprehensive wireless network design and implementation strategy that integrates a broad array of wireless appliances and technologies and offers the same security, expandability, and ease of management you demand from your wired network. Progent can assist you to achieve seamless integration between Cisco wireless products and wireless devices and software from other suppliers to give your company the features you require plus the most protected, reliable, and economical WLAN solution available. Progent's CISM, CISSP, and ISSAP security specialists can show you how to design protection into your WLAN and into your company's operations.

Automated Administration Solutions for Cisco-based IT Network Infrastructure
Progent's Cisco-Premier network consultants can provide help with Cisco's management technology along with a variety of powerful third-party applications to create a complete management automation solution to keep your network operating reliably, fully utilize limited resources, guard your data, revive quickly from device breakdown or deliberate attacks, and enable you to expand or repurpose valuable resources sensibly and economically as your company evolves.

To learn additional information about Progent's support for Cisco connectivity and security products, phone 1-800-993-9400 or refer to Contact Progent.