Expanding your at-home workforce may have a significant impact on network architecture, cybersecurity, and company culture. Progent has 20 years of experience assisting businesses of all sizes to plan, configure, administer, optimize, and debug IT environments that support at-home workers. Progent can help your Augusta-Richmond County company to pick the right tools and follow best practices in creating and operating a secure virtual solution for telecommuters that promotes teamwork and returns maximum business value. Progent offers support services ranging from on demand expertise for getting you over occasional IT roadblocks to comprehensive project management to help you carry out mission-critical tasks.
Progent can assist Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia organizations to succeed with any aspect of building a high-functioning telecommuting ecosystem by delivering infrastructure design and configuration services, VoIP PBX troubleshooting, voice/video conferencing support, collaboration platform selection and deployment, public cloud connectivity, helpdesk augmentation, cybersecurity, data protection solutions, and streamlined management.
Infrastructure for Teleworkers
Setting up the network infrastructure needed for a remote work environment can be especially complex if you have to manage a mix of personal hardware such as desktop computers and notebooks, Internet routers, and Wi-Fi appliances from various vendors and with a mix of operating systems and firmware releases. Progent's background delivering online help for both outdated and current technologies in virtual office venues allows you to make cost-effective use of your existing network infrastructure and provides you with ready access to top-tire consultants for making essential upgrades. Services available from Progent to assist your company to implement a productive work-at-home ecosystem include:
IP Voice Integration for an At-Home Workforce
Extending the corporate PBX environment to include telecommuters is critical to supporting an effective work-at-home solution. A variety of cloud-centric IP voice products are used by small and mid-size businesses to server remote users. Many larger organizations rely on Cisco's current or older products for VoIP solutions. Progent can assist businesses of any size to design or tune a telecommuter IP voice service that provides the versatility, transparency and protection needed for telecommuters. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE IP Voice experts offer high-level support to assist organizations optimize their existing Cisco IP voice systems to handle an expanding remote workforce.
Voice/Video Conferencing for an At-Home Workforce
A broad range of video conferencing products from leading vendors support online discussions, video and voice conferencing, chat, and screen/content sharing for both local workers and teleworkers. Many organizations use multiple conferencing products to accommodate their various partners and customers. Progent can help your organization to manage your existing voice/video conferencing ecosystem and optimize the engagement of your at-home employees.
Microsoft Collaboration Software for Telecommuters
Microsoft's collaboration products are closely integrated with Microsoft's familiar Office and Microsoft 365 suites, offering a powerful ecosystem of productivity apps that deliver a consistent user experience for sharing data and ideas across a corporate network and on a wide range of endpoints. Progent has delivered online consulting support for Microsoft SharePoint and Exchange Server since their original releases and can help your company to configure these critical collaboration platforms to maximize the productivity of your remote workers.
SharePoint utilizes web entities to promote collaboration and knowledge delivery by offering policy-based delivery of data, workflow, and utilities for searching through enterprise-wide business data. SharePoint permits you to create protected web portals that enables remote workforce to see and edit consolidated corporate intelligence via Wikis, Blogs, social sites, and Web Parts. For information about Progent's SharePoint expertise, refer to 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 information about Progent's Exchange expertise, refer to integration expertise for Microsoft Exchange Server.
OneDrive is Microsoft's shared cloud storage service, comparable to GoogleDrive. Remote users can save files to OneDrive, and colleagues anywhere can retrieve them safely via a browser. Included with Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365, OneDrive enables at-home employees to co-edit documents. Revisions made offline are synced when you reconnect to the Internet. To find out about Progent's support services for Microsoft OneDrive, see Onedrive configuration consulting.
Cloud Integration for Teleworkers
Progent can provide advanced online support for enabling organizations to create, manage and optimize integrated hybrid network models that incorporate physical data centers, telecommuters, branch offices, and public cloud services. Progent offers top-tier consultant for all modes of public cloud service including Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Progent can help telecommuters fix problems with cloud access, identity, and cybersecurity.
Microsoft Azure is a popular platform for cloud software and services that allows you to use infrastructure, servers, and critical apps hosted on Microsoft's massive cloud. Azure includes over 100 cloud-based services such as hosting for Windows and Linux-powered VMs, scalable cloud storage, email and messaging, application development with Visual Studio, and data protection. Progent can help you to set up virtual machines on Azure Virtual Machines, integrate storage on Azure Storage services, unify identity management with Azure Active Directory, and design backup and restore systems with Azure Backup. Progent's cloud experts can also show you how to establish protected access to Azure for remote workers by configuring and debugging firewalls and VPN IPsec tunnels. For information about Progent's consulting expertise for Azure, refer to Microsoft Azure expertise.
Microsoft 365, formerly branded Office 365, is Microsoft's growing suite of client productivity applications and cloud services available on a subscription basis. Office applications and cloud services are provided in a variety of plans designed for customers ranging from individuals and households to large enterprises. Progent offers quick and affordable online access to experts familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible endpoint devices based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent can assist your business to evaluate the various subscription plans available for Microsoft 365 and configure 365 apps for your remote workers in a way that delivers maximum business value. For details about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft 365, go to Microsoft 365 integration expertise.
Exchange Online is one of the most widely used applications in the Microsoft 365 product suite. Exchange Online offers the benefits of lower spending for physical infrastructure, easier management, on-demand scaling, high reliability, and additional advantages inherent with cloud computing. Microsoft has designed Exchange Online to operate transparently with local Exchange environments, enabling you to create hybrid information systems. Progent's certified Exchange consultants can provide as-needed assistance to get you past tough technical roadblocks and can also provide end-to-end project management outsourcing to ensure your telecommuters have easy and secure access to your Exchange Online environment. To find out Progent's support services for Exchange Online, see Exchange Online configuration and troubleshooting consulting.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a trailblazer in the public cloud computing market and is the world's leading source of cloud-based services. Progent can provide fast and economical online contact with cloud connectivity consultants who can help your organization to plan, implement, manage, and debug hybrid IT networks that incorporate Amazon AWS cloud services with on-premises resources and with other popular cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure. Progent also offers the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking consultants to help your company to build a high-availability network model so your users have a consistent computing experience whether they are working from your main office, a branch office, from home, or on the move. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Amazon AWS, go to Amazon AWS integration expertise.
Google Cloud is a popular suite of cloud computing services that offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) products. Progent's certified Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco experts can help your business to expand your existing IT assets with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's database experts can show you how to make your key apps cloud friendly so your remote workers can take full advantage of Google Cloud Platform services. Progent's consultants can help your business to deploy virtual machines on GCP Compute Engine, design an efficient storage system with GCP Storage, and streamline identity control for telecommuters with Google Cloud Identity. Progent's experts can also assist you to utilize GCP's management technology to control and monitor your Google Cloud environment. To learn, see Google Cloud Platform consulting support.
Help Desk Call Center Services for Telecommuters
A sudden, organization-wide transition to a teleworker business model, which could be the result of an epidemic or as part of a disaster recovery plan, can overstretch even the most efficient in-house Support Desk. Progent's Call Center services make it possible for businesses of any size to outsource or supplement their Help Desk Call Center with Progent's online Technical Response Center team.
Security for Telecommuters
Work-from-Home employees typically utilize their own devices and usually operate in a poorly secured physical area. This increases their vulnerability to cyber threats and calls for careful deployment of corporate firewalls, AV tools, MFA-based identity verification, remote monitoring, thorough end-user training, and the development of policies based on best practices. Progent's veteran roster of IT security solutions consultants can help your business to plan, deploy and manage a compliant security solution that protects vital information assets in environments that incorporate remote workers.
Firewalls enable you to create a network that can be safely accessed by local users and by telecommuters, mobile users, vendors, customers, and other stakeholders. Modern firewall appliances permit you to configure and manage different access rights to various classes of users and to scale your IT network and modify your cybersecurity posture as your business evolves and as cyber threats become more sophisticated. Progent supports both new and legacy security 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 support expertise.
Remote Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it easy to track the disparate computers utilized by remote workers and either block or identify and mitigate the latest threats such as ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint agent is installed on each secured endpoint, monitoring all activity and using state-of-the-art machine learning and full execution context from SentinelOne to detect new attacks at inception. When a cyberattack is spotted, ProSight Active Security Monitoring instantly isolates the impacted device from the corporate network to quarantine the threat. Since the ProSight Active Security Monitoring software agent is autonomous, endpoint devices remain secure even when they are disconnected from the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. To find out more about ProSight Active Security Monitoring, refer to remote endpoint monitoring for telecommuters.
Progent's Duo authentication Managed Services utilize Cisco's Duo cloud technology to defend against stolen passwords through the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo enables one-tap identity verification with Apple iOS, Android, and other personal devices. With 2FA, whenever you sign into a secured online account and enter your password you are asked to verify who you are on a unit that only you have and that uses a different network channel. A wide range of out-of-band devices can be utilized as this added form of ID validation including an iPhone or Android or watch, a hardware/software token, a landline phone, etc. You may register multiple verification devices. For more information about ProSight Duo two-factor identity validation services, go to Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for teleworkers.
Security Audits can assess the vulnerability of your information system to all types of outside and internal security threats for an environment that incorporates remote workers. Progent can run remote, automated cybersecurity analysis software for rapidly and economically detecting a wide variety of security holes that can be found over the Internet. Progent's endpoint security assessment consulting services, which can be provided by network security professionals with top certifications including CISM, ISSAP, and GIAC, can help your company to evaluate your processes and governance policies and assess your WAN infrastructure to allow you to design the highest level of protection for your remote workers.
Horizon3.ai's NodeZero PEN Testing Platform is a leading-edge penetration test (pentest) product family that can deliver autonomous testing of your work-from-home environment and your internal and perimeter networks so you can uncover, prioritize, fix, and confirm security vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can exploit them. Progent's pentest experts can assist you to use NodeZero to perform thorough pentests of your perimeter and your internal network so you can evaluate your present security profile. Progent can also assist you to harden your existing network security and can help you to plan and deploy a unified cybersecurity ecosystem that simplifies management and delivers optimum protection for on-premises, multi-cloud, at-home, and perimeter IT assets. To learn additional information about Progent's threat analysis services powered by on NodeZero's pentest products, visit Consulting Support for NodeZero's Penetration Test Products.
Download White Paper: Securing a Work-From-Home (WFH) Environment
To read or download a white paper describing critical areas to focus on for securing an IT environment that incorporates telecommuters, click:
Securing a Work-From-Home (WFH) Environment White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)
Data Protection for Telecommuters
The field of Data Protection covers backing up and restoring critical data in order to prevent data loss and minimize restoration time in the event of storage failures resulting from hardware breakdowns, software hiccups, user error, cyber attack, or any other reason. Dependable data protection solutions can be particularly challenging to design and manage in hybrid environments that incorporate private data centers, cloud resources, and an at-home workforce.
Unified Management for At-Home Workers
Microsoft has renamed and reshuffled its endpoint management platforms under the name Endpoint Manager, which includes Intune for cloud management of remote devices and Configuration Manager for managing onsite endpoints. Microsoft Endpoint Manager features a unified environment for protecting corporate data by managing onsite, mobile, and home-based endpoints.
Intune
Intune is part of Microsoft's Endpoint Management family that also features Microsoft Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud service for managing and protecting remote devices and software. Managed endpoint computers can be user owned or company owned. Network administrators managing the enrolled endpoint computers of at-home workers can use Intune to deploy and validate apps on managed devices, push updates and certificates, configure rules for permission to access information and networks, manage passwords, create VPN connections, determine how teleworkers share data, set up threat protection, verify compliance, and delete corporate information from lost, stolen or decommissioned endpoint devices. Microsoft Intune works with iOS/iPadOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS computers. To find out about Intune and to find out how Progent can help your company to use Microsoft's Endpoint Management to administer the endpoint devices of your at-home workforce, refer to Intune remote endpoint management consultants.
VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is a feature-rich unified Mobile Device Management platform that helps network managers to keep offsite endpoint devices up to date and protected. Workspace ONE uses VMware AirWatch for unified endpoint management combined with VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery technology for authorization control, app management, and setup management of endpoint devices. Workspace ONE operates with endpoints based on Windows 10, macOS, Apple iOS, Android, Chrome OS, or popular distros of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is available by subscription as a cloud service or as an on-site product via a one-time purchase. Top features of VMware Workspace ONE include rapid over-the-air deployment of out-of-the-box laptops, quick onboarding of new employees, policy set up and enforcement for all classes of devices, aggregated management reporting and performance analytics, email encryption, and seamless integration with Microsoft applications and cloud services. For information about Progent's expertise for VMware Workspace ONE, refer to VMware Workspace ONE mobile endpoint management consultants.
Contact Progent for Remote Workforce Expertise
To get in touch with Progent about building and maintaining an efficient work-from-home environment for your Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia business, phone