About Progent

Progent: The Microsoft and Cisco Certified IT Consulting Experts
For more than 20 years, Progent's computer support experts have been the premiere source of affordable Microsoft and Cisco network integration and IT consulting services for businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout Northern California. Progent is also a pioneer in providing remote consulting and emergency troubleshooting and has successfully delivered online support to small businesses in every state in the U.S. (see Progent's customer testimonials.)

Whether your business needs a support technician, IT consultant, applications programmer, security specialist, or a Cisco-certified CCIE network engineer, Progent is the smart choice for a full spectrum of computer help including email migration and support, security and compliance, Help Desk outsourcing, network infrastructure design, project planning and documentation, configuring Cisco routers and switches, smartphone integration and management, backup and recovery solutions, and Linux application support.

Progent offers businesses of any size enterprise-class network consulting services plus remote or onsite technical support, Microsoft Windows 7 expertise, Microsoft Windows 8 migration services, Windows Vista and Windows XP maintenance, Windows 2008 Server R2 integration, Windows Server 2003 support, Microsoft Exchange 2010 migration and integration, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 support, Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 upgrades, and Microsoft SQL Server integration and development.

Remote Possibilities
Traditional delivery of IT support services to small businesses is based on the efforts of a local on-site consultant on whom a client company relies for virtually all network assistance. This on-site model is fraught with problems due to the absence of a complementary remote support organization. Many issues that could be resolved immediately via a skilled team of remote support engineers are often unnecessarily prolonged while waiting for a local consultant to show up in person. The resulting losses in productivity are often compounded by a cost structure that typically requires minimum on-site charges that can turn a 10-minute problem into a 2-hour expense. Progent’s business model of billing by the minute and charging only for service actually delivered allows Progent’s remote support experts to solve hundreds of small problems daily at the lowest possible cost. Further, the confidence of having ready access to a large team of technical professionals opens the door to a new realm of powerful IT solutions that many small organizations might otherwise shy away from for fear of having inadequate support resources.

Backed by Popular Demand
The complexities of today’s office network infrastructures combined with competition for dependable local talent has motivated companies to seek new avenues for obtaining the support they need to build and maintain productive, secure and reliable information systems. Thousands of businesses have entrusted their IT support needs to Progent’s engineers who specialize in providing affordable, enterprise-level expertise to small businesses. Progent has delivered remote support to customers in all 50 US states, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, Bahamas, Grand Cayman, England, Australia, Barbados, and St. Thomas. Remote support tools and high-speed Internet connectivity have matured to the point that there are very few IT support tasks that cannot be performed remotely.

Progent’s Value Proposition
Progent has built a team of top technology experts across the US, Canada, and Europe. Many IT support organizations have pursued a path of cost reduction by outsourcing expertise to countries where labor is cheap but where language and cultural barriers pose significant challenges to providing effective support. Progent has succeeded by leveraging a proven, state-of-the art virtual office infrastructure and an efficient remote support model to provide one of the best value propositions available to small businesses. Progent’s engineers know how to work effectively with a company’s in-house support personnel to deliver fast solutions that minimize both consulting fees and lost productivity due to network downtime.

A Model of Efficient Support
Progent's team of 80+ engineers includes IT generalists together with subject matter experts, making it possible for clients to get the most expedient, efficient, and cost effective IT support possible. Rather than having IT generalists flail around with niche technologies with they may have little expertise, Progent's engineers can call upon seasoned consultants who can draw upon their deep technical knowledge to deal with complex problems and who follow industry best practices to provide solutions that represent a solid foundation for today’s requirements and for future growth.

Key Facts About Progent

• Because Progent is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, each Progent MCSE support expert and IT consultant has access to the technical and educational resources needed to deliver the best computer help available.
• Progent's IT outsourcing, Help Desk call center, and temporary staffing services allow small businesses to benefit from the in-depth computer support associated with big companies without the high cost of maintaining a large in-house IT organization.
• Progent's worldwide virtual office infrastructure eliminates needless overhead and ensures that a technician or IT consultant is ready to solve your problems quickly.
• Based in Silicon Valley, CA, Progent offers on-site troubleshooting, IT outsourcing and IT consulting services to businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area, Northern California, and major cities throughout the U.S. However, Progent's team of remote support experts can resolve the vast majority of IT issues online, saving clients the costs and delays associated with on-premise support.
• Progent's founder and chief technologist, Les Kent, was the architect for a Windows network application that won Microsoft's “Best Application of the Year Award.” Mr. Kent, a 30-year computer industry veteran and a former technical editor for InfoWorld magazine, has been responsible for the design and implementation of hundreds of innovative business solutions using Microsoft and Cisco technologies.
• Progent can provide quick online access to a Cisco-certified CCIE network engineer so that you can get immediate help for urgent network problems that are impacting business productivity but are beyond the scope of your local network support resources. Progent's CCIE experts can establish secure remote connections to your system, so it's like having a high-level engineer in front of your computer. Advanced network monitoring and analysis software help Progent's CCIE-certified network consultants to provide quick and affordable fixes to even the most challenging infrastructure problems.
• Progent is experienced in the design, installation, and integration of cohesive networks by combining advanced technology from a variety of top hardware and software vendors that include 3COM, Adaptec, Alcatel-Lucent, APC, Apple, RIM Blackberry, Check Point, Citrix, Cisco, Computer Associates, D-Link, Dell Computers, HP, IBM, Intel, Juniper Networks, Linksys, Microsoft, Netgear, Netopia, Network Associates, Nortel, Novell, Quantum, Seagate, SMC Networks, SonicWall, Symantec, Trend Micro, and WatchGuard.
• Progent offers Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 consulting, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 support, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 expertise to help small businesses maintain their current email environment or migrate to the latest unified communications technology. Progent's BlackBerry experts and Apple iPhone consultants can help you integrate workers with smartphones securely and productively with your messaging solution.
• Progent's Windows Server 2008 R2 experts can help your business benefit fully from the enhancements built into Windows Server 2008 R2 so that your network can be more secure and fault tolerant, easier to virtualize, less expensive to manage, faster, and able to provide a better environment for web hosting.
• Progent's security services include vulnerability scanning and remediation, disaster recovery, malware protection and deletion, spam filtering, firewall technology, ISP relationships, backup procedures, and planning for secure e-commerce.
• Progent can provide a Microsoft-certified IT consulting expert  who can help you plan and manage a seamless move of your IT infrastructure to a new facility or colocation site, including data center design and setup, project management, ISP and telecommunications carrier selection and coordination, and non-disruptive system upgrades — all with comprehensive ongoing support.
• Progent offers a full range of consulting services to support IP voice and video solutions including readiness assessment, product specification, infrastructure optimization, migration from a PBX system or from another VoIP platform, upgrading from older Cisco VoIP technology, configuring management servers and software, installing administrative and user workstations, setting up VPIM networking, resolving QoS issues, extending Cisco VoIP services with Microsoft Exchange and with IM and Presence-enabled applications through Office Communications Server and Microsoft Lync Server 2010 integration, connecting mobile and remote users, troubleshooting your VoIP solution, and training managers and end users.
• Progent's IT consulting experts have extensive experience working with dozens of leading ISPs and telecommunication carriers delivering a broad array of Internet connectivity options, including 2BASE-TL and 10PASS-TSADSL, ATM, commercial cable, DSL, frame relay, SDSL, T1, and T3. Progent's ISP, telecommunication carrier and colocation vendor experience includes AT&T, Cable & Wireless, Cogent, COLOpeople, Colotraq, Covad, Earthlink, Global Crossing, Level 3 Communications, MCI Worldcom/UUNET, Qwest Communications, SAVVIS, Sprint, TW Telecom, Verio, and XO Communications.

If your business needs IT consulting services:
Call 800-993-9400 or send email to information@progent.com

For urgent troubleshooting or desktop support or to find out how to get in touch by phone with a Cisco-certified CCIE for fast assistance with your network infrastructure, visit Progent's Urgent Support.

Find out more biographical information about Les Kent, Progent's founder.