Enlarging your at-home workforce may have a major impact on network architecture, cybersecurity, and corporate processes. Progent has two decades of background helping SMBs to plan, configure, administer, tune, and debug IT networks that support work-from-home employees. Progent can help your Alpharetta organization to pick the right tools and follow leading practices in building and operating a secure virtual office solution for telecommuters that promotes collaboration and delivers top business value. Progent can provide support services ranging from as-needed guidance for getting you past challenging IT roadblocks to full project management or co-management to help you carry out mission-critical tasks.

Progent can help Alpharetta, Georgia businesses to succeed with any aspect of creating a high-performing work-from-home environment by delivering network infrastructure configuration services, VoIP PBX expertise, video conferencing support, collaboration platform customization and training, public cloud integration, helpdesk outsourcing, security monitoring, data protection solutions, and streamlined management.

Network Infrastructure for an At-Home Workforce
Integrating the network infrastructure needed to support a remote workforce can be especially complex if you have to accommodate a mix of worker-owned hardware like desktop computers and notebooks, routers, and wireless appliances from various vendors and with a variety of operating systems and firmware levels. Progent's experience delivering remote support for both outdated and modern IT products in remote office venues allows you to make efficient use of your existing network infrastructure and provides you with fast access to expertise for implement essential upgrades. Services offered by Progent to help your company to create a productive telecommuting infrastructure include:

  • VPN technology allows you to create a safe tunnel for authenticated at-home employees to access IT assets located at your company data center or in a public cloud. Progent can help you to configure and manage VPN connections between your teleworkers and your key IT resources by providing remote VPN integration support. For organizations using Cisco's ASA firewalls, Progent's Cisco ASA Firewall experts can assist your remote workers to set up Cisco's popular AnyConnect software for safe VPN connections for a broad range of endpoint devices such as Microsoft Windows, Mac, iOS, Linux, and Android.
  • Virtual Desktop Infrastructure products enable a teleworker to view and interact with a remote PC's desktop. This technology provides IT managers significant control over the computing environment of at-home employees and ensures them a consistent and more productive work experience. Progent's virtual desktop services include Windows Remote Desktop integration and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops expertise.
  • Routers connect at-home computer networks to the Internet and typically support VPN tunnels, local wireless connectivity, and firewalls. Progent offers expert online consulting for configuring home routers from a variety of vendors. See router configuration support from Cisco-certified experts.
  • Home Wi-Fi networks, often shared by an entire household and visitors, are commonly used by at-home employees to access their router for work. This can cause throughput as well as security problems. Progent can assist businesses to resolve these issues by providing services that include Cisco Aironet integration expertise, Cisco-certified Meraki wireless installation consulting, and Ubiquiti Unifi WiFi access point integration assistance.
  • Internet connectivity solutions impact the performance and reliability of connections between at-home workers and the corporate data center. Line-of-business processes may require backup Internet connections in the event the primary connection fails. Progent can provide expertise for selecting ISPs, choosing sensible bandwidth and data volume offerings, and setting up fault-tolerant Internet access. See Internet connectivity integration services.

VoIP Integration for Remote Workers
Expanding the corporate PBX system to accommodate telecommuters is vital to maintaining a productive at-home workforce. A variety of cloud-centric digital PBX platforms are popular with SMBs to support teleworkers. Many larger organizations rely on Cisco's modern or older products for IP voice solutions. Progent can assist organizations of all sizes to plan or maintain a telecommuter IP voice environment that provides the versatility, convenience and security required for telecommuters. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE Voice experts offer advanced support to help businesses tune their current Cisco IP voice environments to handle an expanding remote workforce.

  • Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM) extends high-end IP telephony capabilities to devices like IP phones, media processing platforms, Voice over IP gateways, and multimedia apps deployed throughout the network. Unified Communications Manager manages other combined media services such as unified messaging, voice/video conferencing, and team collaboration networks. For more information about Progent's Cisco Unified CM or CUCM support, visit Cisco Unified CM consultants.
  • CallManager is Cisco's earlier call-processing software and has been superseded by Cisco Unified CM. Progent can assist your company to maintain your current CallManager environment or upgrade smoothly to Cisco's modern IP telephony solutions. To learn about Progent's support services for CallManager and Cisco's other legacy IP voice products, see CallManager consulting.
  • Cisco IP Gateways provide connectivity with public telephony networks and with users operating beyond the corporate perimeter like at-home workers. Progent offers consulting expertise for Cisco's legacy IP gateways such as the UC520, UC540 and UC560 product lines as well as for modern Cisco SIP gateways. See Cisco SIP gateway integration expertise.
  • Additional VoIP Platforms supported by Progent's consultants include Vonage, Intermedia Unite and 8x8. Progent can help you to enhance your wide area network architecture to work with these solutions and deliver online deployment and debugging services.

Video Conferencing for Telecommuters
A wide range of voice/video conferencing products from major technology companies support online discussions, video and voice conferencing, chat, and content sharing for both local workers and telecommuters. Many companies utilize a mix of conferencing products to meet the needs of their various partners and clients. Progent's communications experts can help your organization to manage your current voice/video conferencing environment and enhance the productivity of your at-home employees.

  • Skype for Business is Microsoft's leading communications product that enables real-time presence, instant messaging, voice and video calling and conferencing plus the seamless integration of these capabilities within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 applications including PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. Progent offers the expertise of Microsoft-certified consultants who can help you to set up and maintain Skype for Business client software to support your at-home workforce. For details about Progent's support expertise for Skype for Business, visit Skype for Business consulting experts.
  • FaceTime is Apple's group video calling app for compatible iOS, iPadOS, iPod and macOS devices. FaceTime works on Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Later versions of FaceTime support up to 32 concurrent users for video calls. To learn more about Progent's consulting services for Apple FaceTime, refer to Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
  • Webex Meeting Center provides remote conferencing for most computing devices. Delivered via Cisco's Webex Cloud platform, Webex capabilities include sharing specific content or screens, presentations that incorporate rich media including Microsoft PowerPoint, session recording, plus editing and playback for future reference and training. For details about Progent's support services for Webex and for additional IP video products from Cisco, see Progent's Webex Meeting Center support services.
  • Teams is Microsoft's next-generation replacement for Skype for Business. Teams acts as a hub for conversations, contacts, and content with features that include IP voice and video conferencing, persistent threaded chat, plus file sharing. For details about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Teams as well as for other Microsoft 365 products, refer to Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
  • Other Conferencing Apps supported by Progent's conferencing experts include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can deliver configuration and troubleshooting expertise for these conferencing platforms and help your business to optimize your WAN architecture to host them.

Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Platforms for At-Home Workers
Microsoft's collaboration products are tightly integrated with Microsoft's popular Office and Microsoft 365 suites, providing a rich environment of productivity apps that deliver a consistent user experience for exchanging data and ideas throughout multiple sites and on a broad range of endpoint devices. Progent has provided online consulting services for SharePoint and Exchange since their initial releases and can assist your company to configure these critical collaboration platforms to maximize the effectiveness of your remote 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 and Teams Premium Solutions Experts for TelecommutersMicrosoft Teams works with Microsoft 365 and supports third-party cloud services to provide real-time collaboration and communication. Developed as a replacement for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams can support chat, audio/video meetings with screen sharing, phone calls, cloud voicemail, group email, as well as file and app sharing. Teams is closely integrated with Microsoft 365 and depends on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Azure Entra (previously branded Azure Active Directory) for delivering its full range of capabilities. To learn more about Progent's support services for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium, see planning and configuration consulting for Microsoft Teams.

SharePoint Server Configuration Experts for At-Home WorkersSharePoint uses web entities to promote collaboration and information sharing by offering policy-driven access to data, workflow, and tools for searching through company-wide information silos. SharePoint allows you to create protected web portals that permits at-home workers to view and edit aggregated corporate intelligence by means of Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social networking web sites, and Web Parts (Widgets). To find out about Progent's SharePoint expertise, refer to SharePoint configuration and application development consulting.

Exchange Integration Experts for At-Home 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. To find out about Progent's Exchange consulting expertise, visit deployment consulting services for Microsoft Exchange.

Onedrive Integration Consultants for At-Home WorkersOneDrive is Microsoft�s shared cloud storage service, comparable to GoogleDrive. Remote workers can store files to the OneDrive service, and colleagues can share them safely via a browser. Provided with Microsoft 365, OneDrive enables remote workers to co-edit files. Edits created offline are synced when you reconnect to the Internet. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for OneDrive, see Onedrive configuration consulting.

Cloud Integration Services for At-Home Workers
Progent can provide advanced online support for enabling organizations to create, maintain and troubleshoot cohesive hybrid network models that incorporate internal data centers, teleworkers, branch offices, and public cloud resources. Progent offers top-tier consultant for all types of cloud service delivery including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Progent can help remote workers resolve problems with public cloud access, identity, and security.

Azure Integration for At-Home WorkersAzure is a leading platform for public cloud services that allows you to utilize IT infrastructure, virtual servers, and critical apps running on Microsoft's extensive cloud. Azure offers more than 100 cloud-based services including hosting for Windows and Linux-powered VMs, on-demand cloud storage, messaging, application development with Visual Studio, and data protection. Progent can assist your organization to deploy virtual machines on Azure Virtual Machines, integrate cloud-based storage on Azure Storage services, unify identity management with Azure AD, and design data backup and recovery systems with Azure Backup. Progent's cloud experts can also show you how to establish secure connections to Azure services for remote workers by setting up and debugging firewall appliances and VPN tunnels. To find out about Progent's support services for Microsoft Azure, go to Microsoft Azure expertise.

Microsoft 365 Integration for At-Home WorkersMicrosoft 365, previously called Office 365, is Microsoft's growing family of business productivity applications and cloud services available by subscription. Microsoft apps and services are provided in a selection of plans intended for customers ranging from individuals and small offices to major enterprises. Progent offers fast and affordable remote access to consultants familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible endpoints running Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android technology. Progent's experts can help you to evaluate the various subscription plans offered with Microsoft 365 and configure 365 apps for your remote workers to achieve top business value. To find out about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft 365, see Microsoft 365 integration support.

Exchange Online Integration for Remote WorkersMicrosoft 365 Exchange Online is among the most widely used applications in Azure-hosted Microsoft 365 product line. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online provides the benefits of reduced spending for physical infrastructure, simplified management, on-demand scaling, high reliability, and other benefits inherent with cloud computing. Microsoft has designed Exchange Online to operate transparently with on-premises deployments of Exchange, enabling customers to build hybrid cloud/onsite networks. Progent's certified Exchange consultants are available for occasional help to guide you through challenging technical roadblocks and can also provide comprehensive project management outsourcing to ensure your remote workers have easy and safe access to your Microsoft 365 Exchange Online environment. For details Progent's support services for Microsoft 365 Exchange Online, visit Microsoft 365 Exchange Online integration and troubleshooting consulting.

Amazon AWS Integration for Remote WorkersAmazon Web Services (AWS) is a trailblazer in the public cloud computing arena and is the world's biggest provider of cloud services. Progent can provide rapid and economical online access to cloud connectivity experts who can help your organization to design, implement, maintain, and troubleshoot hybrid information networks that integrate Amazon AWS cloud services with on-premises resources and with other public clouds such as Microsoft Azure. Progent also can provide the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking consultants to help you to build a high-availability network architecture so your users have a consistent computing environment whether they are working from your main office, a remote branch, at home, or on the road. For information about Progent's support services for Amazon AWS, visit Amazon AWS integration services.

Google Cloud Integration for At-Home WorkersGoogle Cloud Platform (GCP) is a leading set of cloud computing services that offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service products. Progent's Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can assist your organization to extend your current IT assets with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's DBA experts can show you how to make your key applications cloud ready so your teleworkers can benefit fully from Google Cloud services. Progent's consultants can assist you to deploy VMs on Google Cloud Compute Engine, plan a cost-effective storage solution with Google Cloud Storage services, and streamline access control for teleworkers with GCP Cloud Identity services. Progent can also help you to utilize GCP's management technology to administer and track your GCP environment. For details, refer to Google Cloud Platform integration support.

Help Desk Support for Remote Workers
A rapid, company-wide transition to a telecommuter workforce, which could be driven by an epidemic or as a component of a disaster recovery/business continuity process, can overstretch even the most efficient in-house Help Desk. Progent's Help Desk Call Center services make it possible for organizations of any size to outsource or augment their Help Desk by using Progent's remote Technical Response Center team.

  • Progent's Standard Call Desk support services utilize Progent's extensive team of online IT support experts combined with enterprise-class trouble ticketing and tracking technology to provide an economical, modern Help Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services provide an end-to-end solution that addresses all facets of remote Level 1 desktop technical support from initial help requests to trouble ticket generation, desktop sharing, problem resolution, and reporting. A browser-based User's Service Portal enables telecommuters to monitor or update their active trouble tickets, add information, and upload screenshots or attachments. Technical support services are delivered at a substantial discount off Progent's normal Level 1 technical support charges, and Progent makes available optional rapid hand-off to Level 2 and Level 3 support specialists to deal with advanced issues. For details, refer to Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services outsourcing for small companies.
  • Progent's Call Center Supplemental Service enables you to expand your current Support Desk team by sharing responsibilities for Call Center support services seamlessly between your in-house support staff and Progent's nationwide roster of PC support engineers and subject matter experts. Progent's shared Help Desk service is based on a collective support solution utilizing the number one professional services automation platform for handling help requests and trouble tickets, establishing responsibility, monitoring progress, and producing reports. For information about how Progent's Call Desk Supplementation Services can enable your business to provide best-in-class IT support to your from-home workers, visit Progent's Call Center supplementation Services.

Security for Remote Workers
At-home employees typically use their personal computers and usually operate in an unsecured physical area. This increases their vulnerability to cyber threats and requires careful configuration of firewalls, anti-malware tools, MFA-based identity verification, remote endpoint monitoring, thorough user training, and the creation of policies built on leading practices. Progent's seasoned group of IT security solutions experts can assist you to design, configure and manage an effective cybersecurity solution that guards critical information resources in environments that include at-home workers.

Firewall Integration Services for At-Home WorkersFirewalls enable you to create a network environment that can be securely utilized by on-premises users as well as by telecommuters, mobile users, vendors, clients, and other stakeholders. Modern firewall devices allow you to configure and control different permissions to various classes of users and to expand your IT network and modify your security profile as your business evolves and as cyber threats grow more complex. Progent works with both current and legacy firewall devices from all major vendors like Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, Juniper, and Fortinet. To find out more about Progent's firewall configuration services, see firewall support expertise.

Remote Security Monitoring for TelecommutersOnline Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it easy to track the disparate computers utilized by remote workers and either block or identify and mitigate modern cyber attacks such as ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) services, a small-footprint agent is put on each secured endpoint, watching all activity and utilizing state-of-the-art machine learning from SentinelOne to detect zero-day threats before they can spread. When a cyberattack is discovered, ProSight Active Security Monitoring instantly disconnects the impacted device from the corporate network to contain the threat. Because the ProSight ASM agent is self-contained, endpoints remain protected even when they are offline. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. For details about ProSight Active Security Monitoring, refer to remote endpoint monitoring for an at-home workforce.

Two-factor Authentication Services for TelecommutersProgent's Duo MFA Services utilize Cisco's Duo cloud technology to protect against compromised passwords through the use of two-factor authentication. Duo enables one-tap identity verification on Apple iOS, Google Android, and other out-of-band devices. With Duo 2FA, when you log into a protected online account and enter your password you are asked to confirm who you are on a device that only you possess and that is accessed using a different ("out-of-band") network channel. A broad range of out-of-band devices can be used as this second means of ID validation such as an iPhone or Android or watch, a hardware/software token, a landline phone, etc. You can designate several verification devices. For more information about Duo two-factor identity authentication services, visit Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for at-home workers.

Security Audit Services for At-Home WorkersSecurity Audits can assess the vulnerability of your network to all types of external and internal security attacks for an environment that includes at-home workers. Progent can run remote, automated cybersecurity inventory scanning for rapidly and economically uncovering a broad range of security gaps that can be surfaced over the Internet. Progent's endpoint security audit consulting services, which can be managed by security professionals with advanced credentials such as CISA, ISSAP, and GIAC, can help your business to audit your operations and policies and review your WAN infrastructure to enable you to design the highest level of protection for your telecommuters.

NodeZero Pentetration Testing for At-Home WorkersHorizon3.ai's NodeZero Pentest Platform is a breakthrough penetration test (pentest) product family that can deliver autonomous threat assessment of your at-home environment as well as your internal and perimeter networks to help you identify, prioritize, remediate, and verify cybersecurity vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can take advantage of them. Progent can help you to deploy NodeZero to carry out thorough penetration tests of your perimeter and your internal IT infrastructure in order to determine your present security posture. Progent can also help you to strengthen your network security and can assist you to plan and deploy a unified cybersecurity ecosystem that streamlines management and provides maximum protection for on-prem, multi-cloud, remote, and perimeter IT assets. To learn more information about Progent's threat assessment solutions based on on NodeZero's pentest platform, visit Consulting Support for NodeZero's Pentest Platform.

Download White Paper: Securing a Work-From-Home (WFH) Environment
To view or download a white paper describing key areas to focus on for securing a network that supports work-from-home staff, click:
Securing a Work-From-Home Network White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)

Data Protection for Teleworkers
The field of Data Protection covers saving and restoring vital data in order to prevent data loss and minimize recovery time in the event of storage system failures resulting from hardware breakdowns, software hiccups, human error, malware, or any other reason. Reliable data protection solutions can be especially challenging to architect and maintain in hybrid networks that incorporate local data centers, public clouds, and an at-home workforce.

  • Backup/Restore solutions for teleworkers must cover multiple types of personally owned endpoint devices. Progent offers quick online help from experts knowledgeable about a broad array of products for backing up Windows, Apple Mac and Linux/UNIX servers and desktop computers as well as laptops, tablets and smartphones. Leading backup/restore products supported by Progent's data protection experts include Barracuda Backup, Azure Backup, DoubleTake Software, Acronis Backup and Recovery, Retrospect, and Time Machine. To back up data spread across a hybrid network, Progent offers ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a backup/recovery subscription service that utilizes cloud-based storage and features granular recovery and centralized management.
  • Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity strategies typically envision scenarios that require a quick switch to an at-home workforce. Progent's senior disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity specialists can assist you to create, document and validate a DR/BC strategy that addresses the process of switching to an at-home workforce.

Unified Management for At-Home Workers
Microsoft has renamed and rebundled its endpoint management platforms under the title Endpoint Manager, which encompasses Intune for cloud-based management of mobile and remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing onsite computers. Endpoint Manager provides a centralized solution for safeguarding corporate data by managing local, mobile, and home-based endpoints.

Microsoft Intune
Intune is a component of Microsoft's Endpoint Management family that also includes Microsoft Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud-based service for managing and protecting remote devices and software. Managed endpoint computers can be personally owned or company owned. Network administrators managing the endpoint devices of telecommuters can use Intune to provision and validate apps on devices, push updates and certificates, set up policies for permission to access data and resources, set passwords, create VPN tunnels, control how home-based workers share information, establish threat protection, ensure compliance, and erase sensitive information from missing, stolen or deactivated devices. Microsoft Intune can be used with iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS devices. For details about Intune and to find out how Progent can help you to use Microsoft's Endpoint Management to manage the endpoint computers of your teleworkers, go to Intune mobile endpoint management consultants.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced unified MDM product that allows network administrators to keep off-premises endpoint devices up to date and protected. Workspace ONE uses VMware AirWatch technology for centralized endpoint administration combined with VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery technology for identity control, application management, and setup management of endpoint devices. Workspace ONE operates with endpoints based on Windows 10, macOS, Apple iOS, Android, Chrome OS, or leading distros of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is offered by subscription as a cloud service or as an on-site product through a one-time purchase. Key capabilities of VMware Workspace ONE include fast over-the-air deployment of new laptops, immediate onboarding of new users, policy setting and enforcement for all classes of devices, unifies reporting and analytics, an email encryption gateway, and tight integration with Microsoft applications and cloud-based products. To find out about Progent's support for VMware Workspace ONE, refer to VMware Workspace ONE remote endpoint management expertise.

Contact Progent for Telecommuter Support Services
To get in touch with Progent about creating and managing an efficient telecommuter environment for your Alpharetta, Georgia business, call 1-800-993-9400 or refer to Contact Progent.