Network management tools assist companies to deploy infrastructure efficiently, access user information rapidly, monitor system operation, debug problems, protect against and respond to cyber attacks, and optimize performance. Network management tools can help detect inefficient or inappropriate uses of network services like streaming multimedia or peer-to-peer file sharing that can burn up bandwidth, lower employee productivity or enable data leakage. A well crafted network management solution can also assist organizations to make informed capacity planning moves by exposing trends in resource usage for different periods or activities.

Cisco Meraki Dashboard Consulting Experts

The Meraki Dashboard offers simplified cloud management for Cisco network appliances

Cisco offers a rich and growing portfolio of infrastructure management solutions that allow centralized management for on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid network models. With Cisco's newer generation of security, switching, and wireless infrastructure devices, you can run Meraki, DNA Center, or CLI management platforms for network management. For example, you can interface the latest Catalyst or Meraki switches and Catalyst or Meraki WiFi 6/6E access points to the Meraki dashboard to manage vital layers of your IT infrastructure from the cloud. Progent's Cisco Catalyst WiFi AP consultants, Meraki Wi-Fi AP experts, Catalyst switches consulting experts, and Meraki switches consulting experts can assist your organization to design, implement and optimize an up-to-date solution for network management.

Traditional Network Management Tools from Cisco and Others
Cisco Network Management Solutions SupportA wealth of network management products from Cisco and other vendors underscores the value and complexity of network management. Progent's Cisco qualified network management consultants are experienced at assisting businesses design network management strategies based on Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Syslog, and NetFlow protocols to create powerful tools for network utilization and network latency, monitoring important router and switch operational metrics, and recognizing traffic patterns, applications, and devices that use network resources. Progent can assist customers to deploy a broad selection of open source and proprietary management products to manage a Cisco-powered environment. Tools familiar to Progent's consultants include MRTG, Cacti, Nagios, PRTG, Cisco Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager, Cisco Network Assistant, CiscoWorks, Cisco Security Manager, OpenView, Wireshark/Ethereal, Concord E-Health, AlterPoint DeviceAuthority, Adventnet Netflow, Big Brother, and Necordia NetMRI. Network management platforms can enable IT administrators to understand current network utilization and intelligently prepare for downstream traffic expansion. Network management utilities can also be used to identify poor or inappropriate uses of system resources, for example streaming multimedia, peer-to-peer file sharing, etc. that can use up expensive and limited network bandwidth. A carefully planned network management solution can also assist organizations to make informed decisions on wide and local area network upgrades after they recognize the amount of network resources actually required at any one time. Putting an effective network management platform in operation in advance is critical to avoid severe problems that can result from Denial Of Service attacks and malicious viruses. These events can render the network unusable and in the absence of appropriate tools it can be difficult, if not practically impossible, to find the location of the trouble. Network Management Products from Cisco
Cisco has created an assortment of powerful tools that should be the basis for any management solution. Used in combination with appropriate outside vendor applications, Cisco's network management software can enhance the competitive value of network infrastructures for companies of any size by addressing important areas such as resource utilization, throughput, availability, security, repair, and capacity planning. Cisco's top network management tools include: Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager is a browser-based utility that permits you configure and monitor the management utilities on network devices. Adaptive Security Device Manager is installed by the adaptive security appliance, and enables you to configure, monitor, and manage the device. Cisco Monitor Manager is a management and monitoring application developed to meet the needs of small and midsize businesses (SMBs). Cisco Monitor Manager continuously checks key device processes on voice/data environments used by 5 to 250 users and equipped with as many as 250 Voice over IP phones. The application offers:

  • Up-to-date scanning of important appliance parameters on SMB-class routers and switches, Communications Manager Express, Unity Express, security appliances, access points, and VoIP phones
  • Ability to manage the Unified Communications 500 communications appliance for organizations with up to 50 users
Monitor Manager monitors the network on a 24x7 cycle and periodically polls and collects inventory and performance-tracking information from the monitored devices in the system. Monitor Manager is a Windows-based utility and is completely invisible to IT operations and does not deploy any agent on managed devices. The application offers a variety of valuable features and benefits including:
  • Network discovery and physical topology
  • Device and process looks at Unified Communications deployment
  • Networkwide device identification collection and reporting
  • Highly secure and reliable communication
  • Device performance tracking
  • Cisco Unified IP Telephony tracking
  • Interface status and traffic monitoring
  • Immediate alarms and notifications
  • Documentation
  • Configuration log
Cisco Network Assistant is a PC-based management application optimized for wired and wireless LANs (WLANs) for expanding businesses with as many as 40 switches and routers. By running Cisco's Smartports mechanism, the application streamlines setup, deployment, and ongoing management and support of Cisco-based networks. Cisco Network Assistant offers a centralized system view and allows network managers to deploy its features across Cisco switches, routers, and WAPs. Security Manager is a powerful but simple to operate solution for centrally provisioning all facets of appliance configuration and policies for PIX and ASA firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs), and Intrusion Prevention Systems. Cisco Security Manager effectively handles even small environments consisting of no more than than ten appliances, but also expands to manage enterprise networks with thousands of appliances. Expansion is achieved via intelligent policy-driven control procedures that can streamline administrative overhead. Key features of Security Manager are:
  • Supports provisioning for Cisco routers running a Cisco IOS security image, ASA 5500 Series firewalls, Cisco PIX security appliances, Cisco IPS 4200 Series inline security appliances, and Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series security services modules
  • Respond more quickly to threats: specify and assign new security policies to many hundreds of devices in a few simple steps
  • Rich GUI provides exceptional ease-of-use
  • A variety of looks that offer flexible methods to control appliances and policies including the option to manage the security network visually on a system topology image
  • Extensive video help for the new operator to reduce training period
  • Centrally call out which policies are common and inherited by new devices to ensure corporate policies are configured consistently, while offering optional versatility to modify policies at the individual appliance level
  • Ability to build a single rule table for all 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 links with a VPN wizard
  • Integration with Cisco ACS for low-level role based access management to appliances and management functions
  • Integration with security MARS to compare monitored data with related firewall rules to help with quicker management decisions and enhanced system availability
  • Capability to assign particular jobs to every manager in the course of the implementation of a rule, with formal change management and logging; permits the security and network operations staff to act cooperatively as a cohesive group with efficient coordination
How Progent's Consultants Can Help You with Network Management
Progent's Cisco-Premier network consultants can show you how to utilize Cisco's management utilities alongside an array of powerful open source and proprietary programs to develop a complete management toolkit to keep your infrastructure functioning smoothly, conserve valuable resources, guard your data, recover quickly from equipment failure or malicious assaults, and enable you to expand or repurpose system hardware effectively and economically as your business evolves. Progent can also show you how to utilize network management tools to monitor and categorize system data to implement traffic shaping, which permits you to set up routers to impose different throughput constraints on designated classes of activity based on the importance you specify. By buffering and sorting excess packets above your committed rates, and by giving preference to the most important applications, traffic shaping can keep service provider overage charges from spinning out of control and/or avoid lost productivity resulting from indiscriminate policing of your network bandwidth restrictions during peak demand. Progent's CISM and CISSP security specialists can show you how to develop an end-to-end security plan that incorporates your network management processes, and Progent's remote and on-site network specialists and Cisco CCIE and CNA qualified consultants can utilize the latest network monitoring and analysis tools to identify and fix trouble rapidly to keep your IT system running smoothly. For additional details about Progent's consulting support for Cisco networking products, select a subject:

In order to ask Progent about engineering expertise for Cisco networking, phone 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.

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