Enlarging your remote workforce may have a significant impact on IT infrastructure, security, and company processes. Progent has 20 years of background helping businesses of all sizes to design, deploy, administer, optimize, and troubleshoot IT networks that incorporate a remote workforce. Progent can assist your Albany organization to pick the appropriate technologies and adhere to leading practices in building and maintaining a safe virtual office solution for teleworkers that facilitates teamwork and delivers top business value. Progent can provide support services that go from on demand guidance for getting you over occasional technical bottlenecks to full project management to help you successfully complete business-critical tasks.
Progent's consultants can help Albany, New York organizations to succeed with any facet of building a high-functioning work-at-home environment by providing infrastructure design and configuration services, IP voice troubleshooting, voice/video conferencing integration, collaboration platform customization and training, public cloud connectivity, helpdesk outsourcing, security monitoring, backup/restore solutions, and centralized management.
Infrastructure for a Remote Workforce
Setting up the physical and software infrastructure required to support an at-home work environment can be particularly complicated if you have to accommodate a combination of worker-owned hardware such as desktop computers and notebooks, routers, and Wi-Fi appliances from various vendors and with a mix of OS software and firmware releases. Progent's experience delivering remote help for both outdated as well as current technologies in remote office venues allows you to make efficient use of your existing network infrastructure and offers fast access to top-tire consultants for implement essential updates. Support services available from Progent to assist you to implement a productive telecommuting ecosystem include:
IP Voice Integration for Teleworkers
Expanding the corporate phone system to accommodate telecommuters is critical to supporting a productive work-at-home solution. A broad range of cloud-centric digital PBX products are popular with SMBs to server telecommuters. Many enterprises rely on Cisco's modern or legacy products for VoIP management. Progent can assist organizations of all sizes to design or maintain a remote IP voice service that provides the flexibility, convenience and security needed for telecommuters. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE Voice consultants offer high-level support to assist organizations tune their existing Cisco IP voice systems to support an expanding remote workforce.
Voice/Video Conferencing for Remote Workers
A wide selection of voice/video conferencing platforms from major technology companies support virtual discussions, video and voice conferencing, chat sessions, and screen/content sharing for both local workers and teleworkers. Many companies utilize a mix of products to accommodate their different partners and customers. Progent can assist your organization to maintain your existing voice/video conferencing ecosystem and optimize the engagement of your remote workforce.
Microsoft Collaboration Software for Telecommuters
Microsoft's collaboration products are closely integrated with Microsoft's popular Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365 families, offering a rich environment of applications that create a cohesive user interface for sharing information throughout a corporate network and on a broad range of endpoint computers. Progent has provided remote consulting support for Microsoft SharePoint and Exchange since their first publication and can assist your company to deploy these critical collaboration platforms to optimize the productivity of your remote workers.
SharePoint uses web sites to enable collaboration and information delivery by providing policy-driven access to content, workflow, and tools for looking through company-wide business data. SharePoint enables you to build protected portals that allows at-home workers to see and update consolidated business intelligence via Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social networking sites, and Web Parts. To find out about Progent's SharePoint support services, see SharePoint configuration 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. To find out about Progent's Exchange support services, refer to deployment consulting for Microsoft Exchange Server.
OneDrive is Microsoft�s shared cloud storage service, comparable to GoogleDrive. At-home users can save files to the OneDrive service, and co-workers anywhere can retrieve them safely through a browser. Provided with Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365, OneDrive enables home workers to jointly author documents. Revisions made offline are uploaded when you reconnect to the Internet. For information about Progent's support services for OneDrive, refer to Onedrive integration consulting.
Cloud Integration Services for At-Home Workers
Progent can provide affordable online support for enabling businesses to build, maintain and troubleshoot integrated hybrid network models that incorporate internal data centers, remote workers, branch offices, plus public cloud resources. Progent can provide top-tier consultant for all modes of public cloud service such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service. Progent can help teleworkers resolve problems with cloud connectivity, authentication, and cybersecurity.
Azure is a popular platform for cloud services that allows you to utilize IT infrastructure, virtual servers, and key applications hosted on Microsoft's massive cloud. Azure includes more than 100 cloud-based services such as hosting for Windows and Linux-powered VMs, scalable cloud storage, email and messaging, app development with Visual Studio, and data backup. Progent can help you to deploy virtual machines on Azure Virtual Machines, configure cloud-based storage on Azure Storage services, streamline identity control with Azure AD, and plan backup and recovery systems with Azure Backup. Progent's cloud experts can also help you establish secure connections to Azure services for remote workers by setting up and troubleshooting firewalls and VPN tunnels. To learn about Progent's support services for Azure, refer to Microsoft Azure consulting.
Microsoft 365, formerly branded Office 365, is Microsoft's popular family of business productivity applications and cloud-based services available on a subscription basis. Office apps and services are marketed in a selection of plans intended for users ranging from students and households to major enterprises. Progent can provide fast and easy online contact with experts familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible devices based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent's experts can assist your business to evaluate the numerous subscription bundles offered with Microsoft 365 and deploy 365 apps for your telecommuters to achieve maximum business value. For information about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft 365, refer to Microsoft 365 consulting support.
Exchange Online is among the most widely used cloud-based applications in Azure-hosted Microsoft 365 product suite. Exchange Online provides the benefits of lower costs for data center infrastructure, simplified management, dynamic scaling, high reliability, and other advantages associated with public clouds. Microsoft has engineered Exchange Online to operate transparently with on-premises Exchange environments, enabling customers to create hybrid networks. Progent's certified Exchange consultants are available for occasional assistance to guide you through challenging technical bottlenecks and also offer comprehensive project management services to make sure your teleworkers have convenient and safe access to your Microsoft 365 Exchange Online environment. To find out Progent's support services for Microsoft 365 Exchange Online, refer to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online integration and troubleshooting expertise.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a trailblazer in the public cloud computing arena and is the world's leading provider of cloud-based services. Progent can provide quick and affordable online contact with cloud connectivity consultants who can assist your organization to plan, deploy, maintain, and debug hybrid IT networks that integrate Amazon AWS cloud services with local resources and with other public clouds like Microsoft Azure. Progent also can provide the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking consultants to assist you to create a high-uptime network architecture to make sure your employees have a productive computing experience regardless of whether they are working from your main office, a remote branch, at home, or on the move. For information about Progent's consulting expertise for Amazon AWS, visit Amazon AWS consulting services.
Google Cloud Platform is a popular collection of cloud computing services that provides Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service products. Progent's Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can assist your business to expand your current IT resources with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's database experts can show you how to make your mission-critical applications cloud friendly so your remote workers can take full advantage of Google Cloud services. Progent's consultants can assist your organization to set up virtual machines on GCP Compute Engine, plan a cost-effective storage solution with Google Cloud Storage, and simplify access management for telecommuters with GCP Cloud Identity services. Progent can also help your business to utilize GCP's management technology to control and monitor your GCP environment. To learn, go to Google Cloud Platform integration services.
Help Desk Call Center Services for Remote Workers
A fast, enterprise-wide switchover to a from-home workforce, which might be the result of a pandemic or as a component of a disaster recovery process, can overstretch even the most efficient internal Call Center. Progent's Help Desk Call Center services make it possible for organizations to outsource or augment their Help Desk Call Center by using Progent's remote Technical Response Center services.
Security and Compliance for Teleworkers
Work-from-Home (WFH) workers commonly utilize their personal computing devices and often work in a poorly secured physical environment. This multiplies their vulnerability to malware attacks and requires careful deployment of firewalls, AV tools, MFA-based identity verification, remote monitoring, extensive user training, and the creation of policies built on leading practices. Progent's veteran team of cybersecurity solutions consultants can assist you to plan, implement and manage a compliant cybersecurity solution that protects vital information resources in networks that incorporate telecommuters.
Firewalls enable companies to build a network that can be safely accessed by local users and by at-home workers, mobile workers, suppliers, clients, and the public. Next-generation firewall appliances allow you to configure and control appropriate access rights to different groups of users and to expand your IT network and adjust your cybersecurity posture as your business evolves and as network attacks grow more sophisticated. Progent works with both current and legacy firewall appliances from all leading vendors including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, Juniper, and Fortinet. For details about Progent's firewall configuration services, visit firewall configuration and support services.
Remote Endpoint Monitoring makes it possible to track the various computers utilized by remote workers and either block or identify and mitigate the latest threats like ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) services, a small-footprint agent is put on every protected endpoint device, watching all activity and using state-of-the-art behavioral threat analysis from SentinelOne to detect zero-day attacks on arrival. When an attack is spotted, ProSight ASM immediately isolates the infected endpoint device from the network to quarantine the threat. Since the ProSight Active Security Monitoring software agent is autonomous, endpoint devices remain protected even when they are not connected to the Internet. For details about ProSight ASM, visit remote endpoint security monitoring for telecommuters.
Progent's Duo authentication services incorporate Cisco's Duo cloud technology to protect against compromised passwords through the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo supports single-tap identity confirmation on Apple iOS, Google Android, and other personal devices. Using Duo 2FA, when you sign into a secured application and give your password you are asked to confirm your identity on a device that only you have and that uses a separate network channel. A broad selection of devices can be used as this second form of ID validation including an iPhone or Android or wearable, a hardware/software token, a landline telephone, etc. You can register multiple validation devices. To find out more about ProSight Duo identity authentication services, visit Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services for an at-home workforce.
Security Audits can assess the vulnerability of your information system to all classes of external and internal security attacks for a network that includes remote workers. Progent can run online, automated cybersecurity analysis software for rapidly and economically detecting a broad range of security holes that can be found over the Internet. Progent's security assessment experts, which can be provided by network security professionals with advanced credentials including CISA, ISSAP, and GIAC, can help you to evaluate your workflows and governance policies and review your IT infrastructure to enable you to design the highest level of protection for your teleworkers.
Download White Paper: Protecting a Work-From-Home Environment
To view or download a white paper about key areas to concentrate on for protecting an IT environment that supports telecommuters, click:
Protecting a Work-From-Home (WFH) Environment White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)
Data Protection for Telecommuters
Data Protection covers saving and recovering vital data so as to avoid data loss and minimize restoration time in the event of storage system problems due to hardware issues, programming glitches, human error, cyber attack, or other causes. Reliable data protection strategies can be particularly challenging to architect and maintain in hybrid environments that combine in-house data centers, public clouds, and at-home workers.
Unified Management for an At-Home Workforce
Microsoft has renamed and reshuffled its endpoint management products under the title Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which includes Intune for cloud-based management of remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing on-premises computers. Endpoint Manager features a unified solution for safeguarding corporate data by managing on-premises, mobile, and home-based endpoints.
Microsoft Intune
Intune is part of Microsoft's Endpoint Management suite that also includes Microsoft Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud service for managing and protecting off-premises devices and software. Managed endpoint devices can be user owned or company owned. IT admins managing the enrolled endpoint devices of at-home workers can use Intune to provision and authenticate apps on devices, push updates and certificates, set up rules for accessing information and resources, manage passwords, establish VPN tunnels, determine how telecommuters share data, set up threat defense, verify compliance, and erase sensitive data from missing, stolen or decommissioned devices. Microsoft Intune can be used with iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS devices. To learn about Intune and how Progent can help your company to use Microsoft's Endpoint Management to manage the devices of your telecommuters, visit Intune mobile device management experts.
VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced centralized MDM product that helps network administrators to keep remote endpoints current and protected. Workspace ONE uses VMware AirWatch technology for unified endpoint administration along with VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery platform for identity control, application management, and setup management of endpoints. Workspace ONE operates with devices powered by 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 features of VMware Workspace ONE include fast over-the-air provisioning of out-of-the-box laptops, quick onboarding of new employees, policy setting and enforcement for all classes of endpoints, aggregated management reporting and analytics, an email encryption gateway, and integration with Microsoft applications and cloud-based products. For information about Progent's expertise for VMware Workspace ONE, visit VMware Workspace ONE mobile device management expertise.
Contact Progent for Remote Workforce Support Services
To get in touch with Progent about building and managing a productive telecommuter environment for your Albany, New York business, phone