Enlarging your telecommuter workforce may have a major impact on network infrastructure, security/compliance, and corporate culture. Progent has 20 years of experience assisting businesses of all sizes to design, deploy, manage, tune, and troubleshoot IT networks that support work-from-home employees. Progent can help your Allentown organization to pick the appropriate tools and follow best practices in creating and maintaining a safe virtual office solution for teleworkers that facilitates collaboration and delivers top business value. Progent offers support services that go from as-needed expertise for getting you over occasional IT bottlenecks to full project management or co-management to help you carry out mission-critical initiatives.

Progent's consultants can help Allentown, Pennsylvania companies to with any facet of building a high-functioning work-from-home environment by providing infrastructure configuration services, VoIP PBX troubleshooting, voice/video conferencing integration, collaboration platform selection and deployment, cloud integration, Call Desk outsourcing, cybersecurity, backup/restore solutions, and centralized management.

Infrastructure for Telecommuters
Integrating the network infrastructure needed for an at-home work environment can be especially complicated if you have to accommodate a mix of worker-owned hardware such as desktop computers and notebooks, routers, and Wi-Fi APs from various manufacturers and with a variety of OS software and firmware releases. Progent's background providing remote help for both outdated and current technologies in virtual office solutions enables you to make cost-effective use of your available infrastructure and offers ready access to expertise for making necessary updates. Services available from Progent to help your company to create a high-functioning work-at-home ecosystem include:

  • VPN connectivity makes it possible to create a safe connection for authorized remote workers to use IT assets located at your company datacenter or in a public cloud. Progent's consultants can help you to deploy and manage VPN access between your at-home workforce and your key network resources by providing remote VPN configuration consulting. For businesses using Cisco's ASA firewalls, Progent's Cisco-certified ASA Firewall consultants can assist your remote workers to set up Cisco's AnyConnect software to provide safe VPN connections for a broad range of devices including Windows, macOS, Apple iOS, Linux, and Google Android.
  • Virtual Desktop Infrastructure platforms enable a telecommuter to see and interact with a data center computer's desktop. This technology gives network managers substantial control over the computing ecosystem of at-home employees and offers them a consistent and more productive work experience. Progent's VDI consulting services include Windows Remote Desktop integration and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops expertise.
  • Routers attach home networks to the Internet and typically support VPN tunnels, local Wi-Fi connectivity, and firewall services. Progent offers top-tier online consulting for integrating home routers from all major manufacturers. See router integration support from Cisco-certified consultants.
  • Home Wi-Fi networks, typically shared by the whole family and visitors, are frequently used by telecommuters to connect to their Internet router for work. This can create performance and security problems. Progent can assist businesses to mitigate these problems by providing expertise like Aironet configuration expertise, Cisco Meraki wireless installation expertise, and Ubiquiti WiFi access point setup assistance.
  • Internet access methods affect the speed and availability of connections between at-home workers and the company data center. Line-of-business processes may demand backup Internet connections in the event the primary connection fails. Progent offers guidance for selecting ISPs, selecting sensible service packages, and configuring redundant Internet access. See Internet access solutions.

VoIP Integration for Remote Workers
Expanding the business phone system to accommodate telecommuters is critical to supporting an effective at-home workforce. A broad range of cloud-based VoIP platforms are popular with SMBs to server teleworkers. Many enterprises depend on Cisco's current or legacy products for VoIP management. Progent can assist businesses of all sizes to design or tune a remote IP voice service that delivers the versatility, transparency and protection needed for telecommuters. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE IP Voice consultants offer advanced support to assist businesses tune their current Cisco IP voice environments to handle an expanding at-home workforce.

  • Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM) delivers high-end telephony capabilities to devices like IP phones, media processing products, Voice over IP gateways, and mixed media apps deployed across the network. Unified Communications Manager manages additional combined media services like messaging, voice/video conferencing, and team collaboration networks. For details about Progent's CUCM support, visit Cisco Unified CM consulting services.
  • Cisco CallManager is Cisco's legacy call-processing software and has been superseded by Cisco Unified CM. Progent's consultants can assist your company to maintain your existing CallManager environment or migrate smoothly to Cisco's modern IP telephony products. To find out about Progent's support services for CallManager and Cisco's other legacy VoIP products, visit Cisco CallManager expertise.
  • Cisco IP Gateways enable connectivity with public telephony networks and with clients working beyond the corporate firewall like at-home workers. Progent offers consulting expertise for Cisco's legacy IP gateways including the UC520, UC540 and UC560 series and for modern Cisco SIP gateways. See Cisco SIP gateway configuration expertise.
  • Additional VoIP Products supported by Progent include Vonage, RingCentral and 8x8. Progent can assist you to enhance your wide area network architecture to support these VoIP solutions and provide on-demand deployment and debugging services.

Voice/Video Conferencing for Teleworkers
A wide range of voice/video conferencing platforms from leading technology companies support online discussions, video conferencing, chat, and screen sharing for both local users and teleworkers. Many organizations use a mix of products to accommodate their different partners and clients. Progent's communications experts can assist you to manage your current conferencing ecosystem and enhance the engagement of your at-home workforce.

  • Skype for Business is Microsoft's popular communications product that enables real-time presence, IM, audio and video calling and conferencing plus the seamless integration of these functions within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 applications including PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook. Progent offers the expertise of Microsoft-certified consultants who can assist your company to deploy and maintain Skype for Business client software to support your at-home employees. To learn more about Progent's consulting services for Skype for Business, refer to Skype for Business integration services.
  • FaceTime is Apple's multiuser video calling app for iOS and macOS devices. FaceTime works on Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Current versions of FaceTime allow as many as 32 concurrent users for voice/video sessions. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Apple FaceTime, see Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
  • Webex Meeting Center supports online conferencing for most desktop or mobile devices. Delivered through Cisco's Webex Cloud platform, Webex services include sharing discrete content or screens, presentations that embed rich media including Microsoft PowerPoint and Flash videos, session recording, plus editing and playback for future reference. For details about Progent's support services for Cisco Webex and for additional video conferencing solutions from Cisco, refer to Progent's Webex Meeting Center support services.
  • Teams is Microsoft's next-generation replacement for Skype for Business. Teams provides a portal for conversations, contacts, and information with capabilities such as voice/video calling, threaded chat, plus data sharing. To learn more about Progent's support expertise for Teams as well as for other Microsoft 365 products, refer to Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
  • Other Conferencing Platforms supported by Progent's conferencing experts include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can deliver integration and debugging expertise for these products and help your business to tune your WAN infrastructure to host them.

Microsoft Collaboration Software for Remote Workers
Microsoft's collaboration platforms are tightly integrated with Microsoft's popular Office and Microsoft 365 families, offering a rich environment of applications that create a cohesive user experience for exchanging information throughout multiple sites and on a wide selection of endpoint computers. Progent has delivered remote consulting services for Microsoft SharePoint and Exchange since their first releases and can assist your company to tune these critical collaboration platforms to maximize the productivity of your at-home workforce.

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 Integration Consultants for TelecommutersMicrosoft Teams works on top of Microsoft 365 and supports third-party cloud services to deliver real-time collaboration. Designed as a substitute for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium can enable chat, video meetings with screen sharing, phone calls, cloud voicemail, group email, as well as file and app sharing. Teams is tightly integrated with Microsoft 365 and relies on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Entra (formerly branded Azure Active Directory) for supporting its complete range of features. To learn more about Progent's support services for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium, visit solution design and configuration expertise for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium.

SharePoint Server Configuration Experts for At-Home WorkersSharePoint uses web sites to enable collaboration and information sharing by providing policy-driven delivery of data, business processes, and tools for searching through company-wide business data. SharePoint permits you to build protected portals that enables remote workers to view and update consolidated corporate intelligence via Wikis, Blogs, social web sites, and Web Parts. To find out about Progent's SharePoint expertise, see SharePoint configuration and application development consulting.

Exchange Deployment Consultants for Remote WorkersExchange 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 services, visit planning and configuration expertise for Exchange.

Microsoft Onedrive Deployment Consultants for Remote WorkersOneDrive is Microsoft�s shared cloud-based storage service, comparable to GoogleDrive. Remote workers can store files to OneDrive, and co-workers anywhere can share them safely via a browser. Included with Office 365, OneDrive allows home employees to co-edit documents. Revisions made offline are uploaded when you go back online. To find out about Progent's support services for OneDrive, visit Onedrive integration experts.

Cloud Integration for Teleworkers
Progent offers affordable remote assistance for enabling businesses to create, maintain and optimize integrated hybrid network architectures that combine internal data centers, telecommuters, branches, and public cloud resources. Progent can provide expertise for all types of cloud service including Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Progent can help at-home workers resolve issues with cloud access, authentication, and security.

Azure Integration for TeleworkersMicrosoft Azure is a leading platform for public cloud services that allows you to utilize IT infrastructure, servers, and key applications running on Microsoft's massive cloud. Microsoft Azure offers more than 100 cloud-based services such as the ability to host Windows and Linux-based virtual machines, scalable cloud storage, email and messaging, app development with Visual Studio, and data backup. Progent can assist your organization to set up VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, configure storage on Azure Storage services, streamline identity management with Azure Active Directory, and plan backup and recovery systems with Azure Backup. Progent can also help you establish secure access to Azure services for telecommuters by setting up and debugging firewalls and VPN IPsec tunnels. For details about Progent's support services for Azure, refer to Azure expertise.

Microsoft 365 Integration Services for TelecommutersMicrosoft 365, previously called Office 365, is Microsoft's popular family of business productivity applications and cloud services available on a subscription basis. Office apps and cloud services are provided in a variety of bundles intended for users ranging from individuals and small offices to major corporations. Progent offers fast and easy online access to consultants familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible devices based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent's experts can assist your business to assess the numerous subscription bundles offered with Microsoft 365 and configure 365 applications for your teleworkers to achieve maximum business value. For information about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft 365, see Microsoft 365 integration expertise.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online Integration for TeleworkersExchange Online is one of the most widely used cloud-based applications in Azure-hosted Microsoft 365 product suite. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online offers the advantages of lower spending for data center infrastructure, simplified management, on-demand scaling, high reliability, and other benefits inherent with public clouds. Microsoft has engineered Microsoft 365 Exchange Online to operate transparently with on-premises Exchange environments, allowing you to create hybrid information systems. Progent's Exchange consultants can provide occasional help to get you past challenging IT roadblocks and also offer comprehensive project management outsourcing to ensure your telecommuters have convenient and safe access to your Exchange Online environment. For information Progent's consulting services for Exchange Online, visit Microsoft 365 Exchange Online configuration and support consulting.

Amazon AWS Integration for TeleworkersAmazon Web Services (AWS) is a trailblazer in the public cloud market and is the industry's biggest source of cloud services. Progent offers rapid and affordable online contact with cloud connectivity experts who can assist your business to plan, implement, manage, and debug hybrid information networks that incorporate Amazon AWS cloud services with on-premises resources and with other public clouds like Microsoft Azure. Progent also can provide the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking consultants to help you to create a high-availability network architecture so your employees have a consistent computing experience whether they are working from your headquarters, a remote branch, at home, or on the move. To find out about Progent's support services for Amazon AWS, visit Amazon AWS consulting expertise.

Google Cloud Integration for At-Home WorkersGoogle Cloud (GCP) is a popular set of public cloud services that offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service products. Progent's certified Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can assist your organization to expand your current IT resources with the Google Cloud, and Progent's database experts can show you how to make your key applications cloud friendly so your remote workers can take full advantage of Google Cloud services. Progent's consultants can assist your organization to deploy virtual machines on GCP Compute Engine, plan a cost-effective storage system with Google Cloud Storage, and simplify access management for at-home workers with GCP Cloud Identity services. Progent's experts can also assist your business to utilize GCP's unified management tools to administer and track your Google Cloud ecosystem. To learn, go to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) consulting support.

Help Desk Call Center Services for At-Home Workers
A rapid, organization-wide switchover to a telecommuter workforce, which could be motivated by an epidemic or as an element of a disaster recovery/business continuity plan, can overwhelm even the most efficient in-house Support Desk. Progent's Help Desk Call Center services allow businesses of any size to outsource or expand their Call Desk with Progent's online Technical Response Center (TRC) services.

  • Progent's Standard Call Desk services leverage Progent's extensive team of remote IT support specialists along with world-class trouble ticketing and tracking software to offer an affordable, advanced Call Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services offer a comprehensive solution that addresses all facets of online Level 1 desktop support from service requests to ticket generation, desktop sharing, problem resolution, and reporting. A browser-based User's Service Portal allows at-home employees to monitor or edit the status of their active trouble tickets, add details, and upload screenshots and relevant files. Technical support services are provided at a significant price reduction off Progent's normal Level 1 technical support charges, and Progent offers optional fast hand-off to Level 2 and Level 3 IT experts to deal with advanced problems. To find out more, refer to Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services outsourcing for small and mid-size companies.
  • Progent's Support Desk Augmentation Service enables you to expand your existing Call Desk staff by sharing responsibilities for Support Desk support services seamlessly between your in-house support personnel and Progent's nationwide roster of desktop support technicians and subject matter experts. Progent's co-managed Help Desk service uses a co-sourcing support solution utilizing the number one professional services automation tool for managing help requests and ticketing, assigning ownership, tracking progress, and generating reports. To find out how Progent's Help Desk Supplementation Services can enable your business to deliver best-in-class technical support to your teleworkers, see Progent's Call Desk supplementation Services.

Security and Compliance for Teleworkers
At-home employees commonly use their personal computers and usually operate in a poorly secured physical space. This situation increases their susceptibility to malware attacks and calls for judicious deployment of firewalls, anti-malware tools, multi-factor authentication, remote endpoint monitoring, intensive user training, and the development of policies based on leading practices. Progent's veteran group of cybersecurity support consultants can assist you to design, implement and manage a compliant security solution that protects critical information resources in networks that include an at-home workforce.

Firewall Integration Services for At-Home WorkersFirewalls enable you to build a network environment that can be securely utilized by on-premises users as well as by an at-home workforce, mobile employees, suppliers, customers, and the public. Next-generation firewall appliances allow you to assign and manage appropriate permissions to different groups of users and to expand your network and modify your security as your business evolves and as network attacks become increasingly sophisticated. Progent supports both new and older firewall appliances from all major vendors including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, Juniper, SonicWall and Fortinet. To learn more about Progent's firewall integration expertise, visit firewall configuration and support expertise.

Remote Security Monitoring for At-Home WorkersRemote Endpoint Monitoring makes it easy to watch over the various computers utilized by remote workers and either block or spot and mitigate modern threats such as ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) services, a lightweight agent is installed on each protected endpoint device, watching all activity and using state-of-the-art AI technology from SentinelOne to identify zero-day threats at inception. When an attack is spotted, ProSight ASM instantly disconnects the targeted device from the network to contain the malware. Since the ProSight ASM software agent is self-contained, endpoints stay protected even if they are offline. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. To find out more about ProSight Active Security Monitoring, refer to remote endpoint security monitoring for telecommuters.

Two-factor Authentication Services for TeleworkersProgent's Duo MFA Service Plans utilize Cisco's Duo cloud technology to protect against stolen passwords through the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo supports single-tap identity verification with Apple iOS, Android, and other personal devices. With 2FA, whenever you log into a secured online account and enter your password you are requested to confirm your identity on a unit that only you possess and that is accessed using a different network channel. A wide selection of out-of-band devices can be utilized as this second form of authentication such as an iPhone or Android or wearable, a hardware token, a landline telephone, etc. You may designate multiple verification devices. For more information about ProSight Duo two-factor identity validation services, visit Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for at-home workers.

Security Audit Services for At-Home WorkersSecurity Audits can assess the exposure of your information system to all types of external and internal security attacks for a network that includes remote workers. Progent can run remote, automated security inventory software for quickly and affordably detecting a broad range of security holes that can be found via the Internet. Progent's security assessment consulting services, which can be provided by data security professionals with advanced credentials such as CISA, CISSP, and GIAC, can assist your company to evaluate your operations and policies and assess your IT architecture to enable you to implement top-level protection for your telecommuters.

NodeZero Pentetration Testing for Work-from-Home EnpointsHorizon3.ai's NodeZero PEN Testing Platform is a breakthrough penetration test (pentest) product family that supports autonomous threat assessment of your work-from-home environment as well as your internal and perimeter networks so you can find, prioritize, fix, and verify cybersecurity weaknesses before malicious hackers can take advantage of them. Progent's pentest experts can assist you to use NodeZero to perform thorough penetration tests of your perimeter and your internal network in order to determine your present security posture. Progent's NodeZero experts can also help you to strengthen your network security and can assist you to plan and deploy a cohesive cybersecurity strategy that simplifies management and provides optimum protection for on-prem, cloud-based, at-home, and perimeter IT assets. To learn additional information about Progent's threat analysis services powered by on NodeZero's penetration test products, visit Consulting Support for NodeZero's PEN Test Platform.

Download White Paper: Protecting a Work-From-Home (WFH) Environment
To view or download a white paper describing key things to concentrate on for securing an IT environment that supports telecommuters, click:
Securing a Work-From-Home Environment White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)

Data Protection Solutions for Teleworkers
Data Protection involves backing up and restoring critical information in order to prevent data loss and minimize recovery time in case of storage failures due to hardware issues, software hiccups, user mistakes, cyber attack, or other causes. Reliable data protection solutions can be particularly challenging to design and maintain in hybrid networks that incorporate in-house data centers, cloud resources, and at-home workers.

  • Backup/Restore strategies for telecommuters must cover multiple types of personally owned endpoint devices. Progent can provide quick remote help from consultants knowledgeable about a wide range of products for protection Microsoft Windows, Apple and Linux/UNIX powered servers and desktops as well as laptops, tablets and handhelds. Popular backup/restore products supported by Progent's data protection experts include Barracuda Backup, Microsoft Azure Backup, DoubleTake Software, CrashPlan, Retrospect, and Time Machine. To back up data spread throughout a wide area network, Progent can provide ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a backup/recovery service that utilizes cloud storage and features fine-grained restore and centralized management capabilities.
  • Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity strategies commonly anticipate scenarios that call for a quick switch to an at-home workforce. Progent's senior disaster recovery preparedness experts and business continuity planning consultants can assist you to create, document and validate a DR/BC strategy that includes the logistics of moving to an at-home workforce.

Unified Management for Telecommuters
Microsoft has renamed and reshuffled its endpoint management products under the name Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which includes Intune for cloud-based management of remote devices and Configuration Manager for managing local endpoints. Endpoint Manager offers a unified solution for protecting critical information by controlling on-premises, mobile, and at-home endpoints.

Intune
Intune is part of Microsoft's Endpoint Management suite that also includes Microsoft Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud-based service for managing and securing mobile devices and software. Managed endpoint devices can be personally owned or business owned. IT administrators managing the enrolled endpoint computers of teleworkers can use Intune to deploy and authenticate applications on managed devices, push patches and certificates, configure policies for permission to access data and resources, manage passwords, create VPN tunnels, control how teleworkers share information, establish threat defense, ensure compliance, and erase corporate data from lost, stolen or decommissioned devices. Microsoft Intune can be used with Apple iOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS endpoints. To learn about Microsoft Intune and how Progent can assist your company to use this platform to manage the devices of your at-home workforce, visit Intune telecommuter device management expertise.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced unified Mobile Device Management product that allows network administrators to keep offsite endpoints current and secure. Workspace ONE incorporates VMware AirWatch for unified endpoint administration combined with VMware's Horizon virtual application delivery technology for identity control, application management, and configuration management of endpoints. Workspace ONE runs with endpoints based on Windows 10, macOS, Apple iOS, Android, Chrome OS, or popular distributions of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is available by subscription as a cloud service or as an on-site deployment via a one-time purchase. Top capabilities of VMware Workspace ONE include fast remote provisioning of new notebooks, immediate onboarding of new users, policy setting and enforcement for all categories of devices, unifies reporting and performance analytics, an email encryption gateway, and seamless integration with Microsoft apps and cloud-based services. For details about Progent's expertise for VMware Workspace ONE, visit VMware Workspace ONE remote device management consultants.

Contact Progent for Telecommuter Support Services
To get in touch with Progent about building and managing a productive telecommuter environment for your Allentown, Pennsylvania business, call 1-800-993-9400 or refer to Contact Progent.