Enlarging your telecommuter workforce may have a significant impact on IT architecture, security/compliance, and corporate workflows. Progent has two decades of experience helping SMBs to plan, deploy, administer, tune, and troubleshoot IT environments that support a remote workforce. Progent can assist your Albany company to pick the appropriate tools and adhere to leading practices in building and operating a secure virtual office solution for teleworkers that promotes collaboration and returns top business value. Progent offers services that go from as-needed expertise for helping you past occasional IT bottlenecks to comprehensive project management to help you carry out mission-critical tasks.
Progent's consultants can assist Albany, New York businesses to succeed with any aspect of creating a high-performing telecommuting environment by providing infrastructure configuration services, VoIP PBX expertise, video conferencing support, collaboration platform selection and deployment, public cloud connectivity, Help Desk outsourcing, cybersecurity, backup/restore solutions, and unified management.
Network Infrastructure for Teleworkers
Integrating the physical and software infrastructure needed for a remote work environment can be particularly complex if you must accommodate a mix of worker-owned hardware like desktop computers and laptops, routers, and Wi-Fi APs from various vendors and with a mix of OS software and firmware releases. Progent's background providing remote support for both legacy and current IT products in virtual office solutions allows you to make cost-effective use of your available network infrastructure and offers ready access to expertise for making necessary updates. Services available from Progent to assist you to create a high-functioning telecommuting ecosystem include:
IP Voice Integration for an At-Home Workforce
Expanding the business PBX system to accommodate teleworkers is vital to supporting a productive work-at-home solution. A variety of cloud-based VoIP platforms are popular with small and mid-size businesses to server teleworkers. Many larger organizations rely on Cisco's modern or legacy platforms for VoIP solutions. Progent can help organizations of all sizes to design or maintain a remote VoIP service that provides the flexibility, convenience and security required for telecommuters. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE IP Voice experts offer high-level support to help organizations tune their existing Cisco IP voice environments to handle an expanding at-home workforce.
Video Conferencing for Telecommuters
A broad selection of video conferencing products from leading technology companies support virtual discussions, video and voice conferencing, chat, and content sharing for both onsite users and teleworkers. Many organizations utilize multiple products to meet the needs of their various partners and clients. Progent can help your organization to maintain your current voice/video conferencing environment and optimize the productivity of your at-home employees.
Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Platforms for At-Home Workers
Microsoft's collaboration platforms are closely integrated with Microsoft's popular Office and Microsoft 365 families, providing a rich ecosystem of applications that create a consistent user interface for sharing information across multiple sites and on a broad selection of endpoint devices. Progent has provided online consulting support for SharePoint and Exchange Server since their first publication and can assist your company to configure these critical collaboration platforms to maximize the effectiveness of your at-home workers.
Microsoft's collaboration platforms are tightly integrated with Microsoft's popular Office suite, providing a rich ecosystem of applications that deliver a consistent user experience for sharing information across multiple sites and on a wide variety of endpoint devices. Progent has provided remote consulting services for SharePoint and Exchange since their initial releases and can help at-home workers set up and use these flagship collaboration platforms to maximize productivity.
Microsoft Teams works on top of Microsoft 365 and integrates with third-party cloud services to deliver real-time collaboration. Developed as a substitute for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams can enable chat, video meetings with screen sharing, calling, cloud voicemail, group email, as well as file and application sharing. Teams is tightly integrated with Microsoft 365 and relies on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Azure Entra (formerly branded Azure Active Directory) for delivering its complete range of features. For additional information about Progent's support services for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium, see planning and configuration expertise for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium.
SharePoint utilizes web entities to facilitate collaboration and information delivery by providing policy-driven access to data, workflow, and utilities for looking through company-wide information silos. SharePoint permits you to build protected web portals that enables remote workforce to view and edit consolidated corporate intelligence via Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social sites, and Web Parts (Widgets). For information about Progent's SharePoint consulting services, see SharePoint integration and development expertise.
Exchange and Exchange Online offer secure collaboration features including public folders, shared mailboxes, and shared calendars and contacts. Progent's Microsoft certified Exchange experts can show you how to activate and utilize these features for your at-home workers. For details about Progent's Exchange consulting expertise, go to planning and configuration expertise for Microsoft Exchange.
OneDrive is Microsoft�s shared cloud-based file hosting and synchronization service, similar to GoogleDrive. Remote workers can save files to the OneDrive service, and colleagues can access them safely via a browser. Provided with Office 365, OneDrive allows at-home employees to jointly author files. Revisions created offline are automatically uploaded when you go back online. For details about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft OneDrive, visit Microsoft Onedrive configuration experts.
Cloud Integration Services for At-Home Workers
Progent offers advanced online assistance for enabling businesses to create, maintain and troubleshoot integrated hybrid network architectures that incorporate physical data centers, at-home workers, branches, and public cloud services. Progent offers expertise for all modes of public cloud service delivery including Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service (SaaS). Progent can help remote workers fix problems with cloud connectivity, authentication, and security.
Microsoft Azure is a popular platform for public cloud services that allows you to utilize infrastructure, servers, and key applications running on Microsoft's extensive cloud. Microsoft Azure includes over one hundred services services including the ability to host Windows and Linux-based virtual machines, scalable cloud storage, messaging, app development with Visual Studio, and backup/restore. Progent can help you to deploy VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, integrate cloud-based storage on Azure Storage services, unify identity control with Azure AD, and plan data backup and recovery systems with Azure Backup. Progent can also show you how to create secure connections to Azure for teleworkers by configuring and debugging firewalls and VPN tunnels. For details about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Azure, see Microsoft Azure consulting.
Microsoft 365, previously branded Office 365, is Microsoft's growing family of client productivity applications and cloud services offered on a subscription basis. Office apps and services are marketed in a variety of plans intended for customers ranging from students and small offices to major corporations. Progent can provide quick and easy online access to experts knowledgeable about Microsoft 365-compatible endpoints running Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent can assist you to evaluate the numerous subscription bundles available for Microsoft 365 and deploy 365 applications for your at-home workers in a way that delivers top business value. To learn about Progent's support services for Microsoft 365, refer to Microsoft 365 consulting expertise.
Exchange Online is one of the most popular cloud-based applications in Azure-hosted Microsoft 365 product suite. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online provides the advantages of lower costs for physical infrastructure, simplified management, on-demand scaling, high reliability, and additional benefits associated with cloud computing. Microsoft has engineered Microsoft 365 Exchange Online to run smoothly with local deployments of Exchange, allowing customers to create hybrid cloud/onsite networks. Progent's certified Exchange consultants are available for as-needed help to guide you through tough IT roadblocks and can also provide comprehensive project management services to ensure your at-home workers have convenient and secure access to your Exchange Online deployment. To learn Progent's consulting services for Exchange Online, see Microsoft 365 Exchange Online integration and support consulting.
Amazon AWS is a trailblazer in the public cloud arena and is the world's top source of cloud-based services. Progent offers fast and affordable online contact with cloud integration experts who can help your business to design, deploy, maintain, and troubleshoot hybrid IT networks that incorporate Amazon AWS cloud services with on-premises resources and with other public clouds such as Azure. Progent also offers access to Cisco-certified CCIE networking consultants to assist you to create a high-availability network architecture so your users have a consistent computing experience regardless of whether they are working from your main office, a remote branch, from home, or on the road. For information about Progent's support services for Amazon AWS, see Amazon AWS consulting expertise.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a leading collection of cloud computing services that offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service products. Progent's certified Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can help your business to expand your current IT assets with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's database consultants can show you how to make your mission-critical apps cloud ready so your teleworkers can benefit fully from Google Cloud Platform services. Progent can help your business to set up virtual machines on Google Cloud Compute Engine, design an efficient storage solution with Google Cloud Storage, and streamline identity management for remote workers with Google Cloud Identity services. Progent's experts can also assist your business to use GCP's management technology to administer and monitor your GCP ecosystem. To find out, go to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) integration expertise.
Help Desk Call Center Services for Telecommuters
A sudden, enterprise-wide changeover to a telecommuter business model, which could be motivated by an epidemic or as a component of a business continuity plan, can overstretch even a high-performing in-house Help Desk. Progent's Help Desk services allow businesses to outsource or augment their Help Desk Call Center with Progent's remote Technical Response Center (TRC) team.
Security and Compliance for Remote Workers
Work-from-Home (WFH) staff members commonly utilize their personal devices and usually operate in a poorly secured physical space. This increases their susceptibility to cyber threats and requires careful deployment of corporate firewalls, AV tools, multi-factor authentication, remote endpoint monitoring, extensive end-user education, and the development of policies based on leading practices. Progent's seasoned roster of cybersecurity support consultants can help you to plan, configure and maintain a compliant security solution that protects critical information resources in networks that include telecommuters.
Firewalls allow companies to build a network environment that can be safely utilized by on-premises users and by an at-home workforce, mobile employees, vendors, clients, and the public. Modern firewall appliances permit you to configure and manage appropriate access rights to various groups of users and to expand your IT network and modify your security profile as your company evolves and as network attacks grow more sophisticated. Progent works with both current and older firewall devices from all leading manufacturers like Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, WatchGuard, Juniper, SonicWall and Fortinet. To learn more about Progent's firewall integration expertise, visit firewall configuration and support services.
Remote Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it possible to watch over the disparate devices utilized by an at-home workforce and either block or identify and respond to the latest cyber attacks like ransomware. With Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint agent is put on every protected endpoint, monitoring all activity and utilizing advanced machine learning and full execution context from SentinelOne to detect zero-day attacks before they can spread. When an attack is discovered, ProSight Active Security Monitoring immediately disconnects the targeted endpoint from the corporate network to contain the malware. Because the ProSight Active Security Monitoring software agent is autonomous, endpoints stay secure even if they are not connected to the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. To find out more about ProSight Active Security Monitoring, visit remote endpoint monitoring for telecommuters.
Progent's Duo MFA Service Plans utilize Cisco's Duo technology to defend against compromised passwords through the use of two-factor authentication. Duo enables single-tap identity verification on iOS, Google Android, and other out-of-band devices. With 2FA, when you sign into a protected application and give your password you are requested to verify who you are via a device that only you have and that is accessed using a different network channel. A wide selection of out-of-band devices can be used for this added form of ID validation such as an iPhone or Android or wearable, a hardware token, a landline telephone, etc. You can designate multiple verification devices. For more information about ProSight Duo two-factor identity validation services, see Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services for telecommuters.
Security Audits can evaluate the vulnerability of your information system to all classes of outside and local security threats for an environment that includes teleworkers. Progent can deploy remote, automated security analysis software for rapidly and economically uncovering a broad range of security gaps that can be found over the Internet. Progent's security assessment experts, which can be managed by security experts with advanced credentials such as CISM, CISSP, and GIAC, can help you to audit your procedures and governance policies and review your network architecture to enable you to implement the highest level of security for your remote workers.
Horizon3.ai's NodeZero PEN Testing Platform is a cutting-edge penetration test (pentest) product family that supports autonomous testing of your work-from-home environment and your internal and perimeter networks to help you uncover, prioritize, fix, and confirm security vulnerabilities before threat actors can exploit them. Progent can help you to use NodeZero to perform thorough pentests of your perimeter and your internal network in order to determine your present security profile. Progent can also assist you to strengthen your network security and can assist you to design and implement a cohesive cybersecurity strategy that simplifies management and delivers maximum protection for on-premises, multi-cloud, at-home, and perimeter IT resources. To find out more details about Progent's threat assessment services based on on NodeZero's penetration test products, visit Consulting Support for NodeZero's Pentest Products.
Download White Paper: Protecting a Work-From-Home (WFH) Network
To read or download a white paper describing critical things to concentrate on for securing a network that incorporates telecommuters, click:
Securing a Work-From-Home Environment White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)
Data Protection for Telecommuters
The field of Data Protection covers saving and restoring vital data so as to prevent data loss and reduce restoration time in case of storage system problems due to hardware breakdowns, software glitches, user error, malware, or other causes. Dependable data protection strategies can be particularly challenging to design and maintain in hybrid networks that incorporate local data centers, public clouds, and an at-home workforce.
Unified Management for Teleworkers
Microsoft has rebranded and reshuffled its endpoint management platforms under the name Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which encompasses Intune for cloud management of mobile and remote devices and Configuration Manager for managing on-premises computers. Endpoint Manager provides a unified environment for protecting corporate data by managing onsite, mobile, and home-based endpoint devices.
Microsoft Intune
Intune is part of Microsoft's Endpoint Management family that also includes Microsoft Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud service for managing and protecting mobile devices and applications. Managed endpoint devices can be user owned or company owned. Network admins managing the endpoint computers of teleworkers can use Intune to provision and authenticate apps on managed devices, push updates and certificates, configure policies for accessing information and resources, manage passwords, establish VPN connections, determine how home-based workers share data, set up threat defense, verify compliance, and delete sensitive data from missing, stolen or deactivated devices. Intune can be used with iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS/OS X devices. To learn about Microsoft Intune and how Progent can help your company to use Microsoft's Endpoint Management to administer the devices of your at-home workforce, see Intune remote endpoint management expertise.
VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is a feature-rich centralized Mobile Device Management product that helps network administrators to keep remote endpoints current and protected. Workspace ONE incorporates VMware AirWatch for unified endpoint administration combined with VMware's Horizon virtual application delivery platform for authorization control, application management, and configuration management of endpoint devices. Workspace ONE operates with devices based on Windows 10, macOS, iOS, Google Android, Chrome OS, or popular distributions of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is offered by subscription as a cloud service or as an on-site deployment through a one-time purchase. Top capabilities of Workspace ONE include fast over-the-air deployment of new laptops, immediate onboarding of new users, policy setting and enforcement for all classes of endpoints, aggregated management reporting and performance analytics, an email encryption gateway, and integration with Microsoft applications and cloud-based services. To find out about Progent's support services for VMware Workspace ONE, go to VMware Workspace ONE remote endpoint management consultants.
Contact Progent for Remote Workforce Support Services
To contact Progent about building and managing an efficient telecommuter solution for your Albany, New York business, phone