Expanding your telecommuter workforce may have a significant impact on network architecture, security/compliance, and corporate culture. Progent has two decades of background helping SMBs to design, deploy, manage, optimize, and troubleshoot IT networks that support a remote workforce. Progent can assist your Barra da Tijuca organization to pick the right tools and follow best practices in building and maintaining a secure virtual ecosystem for telecommuters that promotes teamwork and returns top value. Progent can provide support services ranging from on demand guidance for getting you over occasional technical roadblocks to comprehensive project management or co-management to help you successfully complete mission-critical initiatives.

Progent's consultants can help Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro organizations to succeed with any aspect of building a high-performing work-at-home environment by providing network infrastructure design and configuration services, IP voice troubleshooting, voice/video conferencing integration, collaboration platform selection and deployment, public cloud integration, Call Desk outsourcing, data security, data protection solutions, and centralized management.

Network Infrastructure for an At-Home Workforce
Setting up the physical and software infrastructure required for a remote work environment can be particularly complicated if you have to manage a mix of personal equipment such as PCs and notebooks, routers, and Wi-Fi APs from various vendors and with a variety of OS software and firmware levels. Progent's background delivering online help for both legacy as well as current IT products in virtual office solutions allows you to make efficient use of your available infrastructure and provides you with ready access to top-tire consultants for implement essential upgrades. Services available from Progent to help you to implement a productive telecommuting infrastructure include:

  • Virtual Private Network technology makes it possible to create a safe connection for authorized remote workers to access IT resources situated at your corporate datacenter or in the cloud. Progent can assist you to configure and manage VPN connections between your teleworkers and your key IT resources by providing online VPN configuration consulting. For businesses with Cisco's ASA security appliances, Progent's Cisco ASA consultants can help your remote workers to set up Cisco's popular AnyConnect software to provide secure VPN tunneling for a wide selection of devices such as Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux, and Google Android.
  • Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) platforms allow a teleworker to see and interact with a remote PC's desktop. This gives IT managers significant control over the digital environment of telecommuters and offers them a consistent and more productive work experience. Progent's virtual desktop services include Windows Remote Desktop support and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops VDI expertise.
  • Routers connect at-home networks to the Internet and support VPN connections, home wireless connectivity, and firewall services. Progent offers expert remote support for deploying routers from all major manufacturers. See router integration support from Cisco-certified consultants.
  • Home Wireless networks, typically supporting the whole family and visitors, are frequently used by at-home employees to connect to their router for work. This can cause throughput as well as cybersecurity problems. Progent can help businesses to resolve these problems by delivering services like Cisco Aironet configuration consulting, Cisco Meraki wireless deployment consulting, and Ubiquiti wireless AP integration assistance.
  • Internet access solutions impact the speed and availability of connections between telecommuters and the corporate network. Line-of-business applications might demand backup Internet connections in case the primary connection breaks. Progent can provide guidance for picking service providers, choosing sensible bandwidth and data volume bundles, and integrating high-availability Internet connections. Refer to Internet access integration services.

VoIP Integration for At-Home Workers
Extending the business phone environment to include telecommuters is vital to supporting an effective at-home workforce. A variety of cloud-based digital PBX platforms are popular with small and mid-size businesses to support telecommuters. Many enterprises depend on Cisco's current or legacy platforms for VoIP solutions. Progent can assist organizations of all sizes to design or tune a remote VoIP environment that delivers the flexibility, convenience and protection needed for teleworkers. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE Voice consultants can provide advanced support to assist organizations tune their current Cisco VoIP systems to handle an expanding at-home workforce.

  • Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM or CUCM) extends advanced telephony capabilities to devices like IP phones, media processing products, VoIP gateways, and mixed media software used across the network. CUCM manages other mixed media services like messaging, video conferencing, and customer interaction networks. For details about Progent's CUCM expertise, see Cisco Unified CM expertise.
  • Cisco CallManager is Cisco's earlier call-processing agent and has been superseded by Cisco Unified CM or CUCM. Progent can assist you to support your current CallManager deployment or upgrade smoothly to Cisco's current IP telephony solutions. To learn about Progent's support services for CallManager and Cisco's other older VoIP platforms, see Cisco CallManager consulting.
  • Cisco IP Gateways enable integration with PSTN networks and with users working outside the corporate firewall such as at-home workers. Progent can provide consulting expertise for Cisco's earlier generation IP gateways including the UC520, UC540 and UC560 products and for modern Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateways. See Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateway integration consulting.
  • Other VoIP Platforms supported by Progent include Vonage, Intermedia Unite and 8x8. Progent can help you to enhance your WAN architecture to work with these solutions and provide as-needed deployment and troubleshooting expertise.

Video Conferencing for Teleworkers
A wide selection of voice/video conferencing platforms from leading technology companies support virtual discussions, video and voice conferencing, chat sessions, and content sharing for both local workers and telecommuters. Many organizations utilize a mix of conferencing products to accommodate their various partners and clients. Progent's communications experts can assist you to maintain your current conferencing ecosystem and optimize the engagement of your remote workforce.

  • Skype for Business is Microsoft's popular communications platform that enables presence, IM, voice and video calling and conferencing as well as the transparent integration of these capabilities within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 productivity software including PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook. Progent can provide the expertise of Microsoft-certified consultants who can assist your company to deploy and manage Skype for Business clients to support your at-home workforce. For details about Progent's support expertise for Skype for Business, see Skype for Business integration services.
  • FaceTime is Apple's multiuser video phone app for compatible iOS, iPadOS, iPod and macOS devices. FaceTime runs on Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Newer versions of FaceTime allow as many as 32 concurrent users for voice/video sessions. For details about Progent's support services for FaceTime, refer to Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
  • Webex Meeting Center provides online conferencing for virtually all computing devices. Offered via Cisco's Webex Cloud, Webex capabilities include sharing discrete content or screens, presentations that incorporate rich media such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Flash videos, network-based recording, plus editing and playback for future reference and training. For details about Progent's support services for Webex as well as for additional IP video solutions from Cisco, see Progent's Webex Meeting Center support services.
  • Teams is Microsoft's follow-up for Skype for Business. Teams provides a portal for conferencing, contacts, and information with features that include IP voice and video conferencing, persistent threaded chat, plus data sharing. To learn more about Progent's support services for Teams and for additional Microsoft 365 products, see Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
  • Other Conferencing Apps supported by Progent include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can provide integration and troubleshooting services for these conferencing platforms and assist your business to tune your WAN architecture to run them.

Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Software for At-Home Workers
Microsoft's collaboration products are closely integrated with Microsoft's familiar Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365 suites, offering a rich ecosystem of applications that deliver a cohesive user experience for exchanging information across a corporate network and on a wide selection of endpoints. Progent has provided online consulting support for SharePoint and Exchange since their first publication and can assist your company to deploy these critical collaboration platforms to optimize the effectiveness of your remote workers.

SharePoint Integration Experts for At-Home WorkersSharePoint utilizes web sites to promote collaboration and knowledge sharing by offering policy-driven delivery of content, workflow, and utilities for looking through enterprise-wide information silos. SharePoint enables you to create secure portals that allows at-home workforce to see and update consolidated corporate intelligence by means of Wikis, Blogs, social web sites, and Web Parts (Widgets). To find out about Progent's SharePoint consulting services, visit SharePoint integration and application development expertise.

Exchange Configuration 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. To find out about Progent's Exchange consulting expertise, refer to planning and configuration consulting for Microsoft Exchange.

Microsoft Onedrive Configuration Consultants for Remote WorkersOneDrive is Microsoft's collaborative cloud-based storage service, comparable to GoogleDrive. Remote users can save files to the OneDrive service, and colleagues can share them securely through a browser. Provided with Office and Microsoft 365, OneDrive allows at-home employees to co-author files. Revisions created offline are uploaded when you go back online. For information about Progent's support services for Microsoft OneDrive, go to Microsoft Onedrive configuration consulting.

Cloud Integration for Teleworkers
Progent can provide advanced online support for helping businesses to create, maintain and optimize integrated network architectures that include internal data centers, at-home workers, branch offices, plus cloud services. Progent can provide top-tier consultant for all modes of public cloud service including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Progent can help teleworkers fix issues with public cloud access, authentication, and security.

Azure Integration Services for At-Home WorkersMicrosoft Azure is a popular family of public cloud services that allows you to utilize infrastructure, virtual servers, and key applications running on Microsoft's massive cloud. Azure features more than 100 services services including the ability to host Windows and Linux-based VMs, scalable cloud storage, email and messaging, app development with Visual Studio, and data protection. Progent can help you to deploy VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, configure cloud-based storage on Azure Storage services, unify identity management with Azure AD, and design data backup and recovery systems with Azure Backup. Progent can also help you create secure access to Azure for at-home workers by configuring and debugging firewalls and VPN IPsec tunnels. To learn about Progent's expertise for Microsoft Azure, refer to Microsoft Azure expertise.

Microsoft 365 Integration Services for Remote WorkersMicrosoft 365, previously called Office 365, is Microsoft's popular family of client productivity applications and cloud services available on a subscription basis. Microsoft applications and cloud services are marketed in a variety of plans intended for customers ranging from individuals and small offices to large corporations. Progent can provide fast and easy remote access to consultants familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible clients based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android technology. Progent's experts can assist you to assess the various subscription bundles available for Microsoft 365 and configure 365 applications for your at-home workers in a way that delivers maximum business value. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft 365, visit Microsoft 365 consulting services.

Exchange Online Integration Services for TelecommutersExchange Online is one of the most widely used cloud-based applications in the Microsoft 365 product suite. Exchange Online provides the benefits of lower costs for physical infrastructure, simplified management, dynamic scaling, high reliability, and other advantages inherent with cloud computing. Microsoft has designed Microsoft 365 Exchange Online to operate seamlessly with local Exchange environments, allowing customers to build hybrid networks. Progent's certified Exchange experts can provide occasional help to get you through challenging technical bottlenecks and also offer end-to-end project management services to ensure your telecommuters have easy and secure access to your Exchange Online environment. For details Progent's expertise for Microsoft 365 Exchange Online, go to Exchange Online integration and troubleshooting consulting.

Amazon AWS Integration for Remote WorkersAmazon Web Services (AWS) is a pioneer in the public cloud arena and is the world's biggest provider of cloud-based services. Progent can provide rapid and affordable online contact with cloud connectivity experts who can help your business to plan, implement, maintain, and debug hybrid information networks that incorporate Amazon AWS cloud services with on-premises resources and with other popular cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure. Progent also offers the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking consultants to assist you to create a high-uptime network model to make sure your employees have a productive computing experience regardless of whether they are working from your headquarters, a branch office, from home, or on the road. For details about Progent's support services for Amazon AWS, visit Amazon AWS integration support.

Google Cloud Platform Integration Services for Remote WorkersGoogle Cloud is a popular set of cloud services that provides Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) products. Progent's Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can assist your business to expand your existing IT resources with the Google Cloud, and Progent's database experts can help you make your mission-critical applications cloud friendly so your remote workers can benefit fully from Google Cloud services. Progent's consultants can assist your business to set up virtual machines on Google Cloud Compute Engine, design an efficient storage solution with GCP Storage services, and simplify access control for teleworkers with Google Cloud Identity services. Progent can also help your organization to utilize GCP's management technology to administer and monitor your GCP ecosystem. To learn, refer to Google Cloud Platform consulting expertise.

Help Desk Call Center Support for Teleworkers
A rapid, company-wide changeover to a teleworker workforce, which could be the result of a pandemic or as a component of a business continuity plan, can overstretch even a high-performing in-house Help Desk. Progent's Help Desk services make it possible for organizations of any size to outsource or supplement their Call Center by using Progent's remote Technical Response Center services.

  • Progent's Standard Help Desk Call Center services leverage Progent's nationwide team of online technical support specialists along with world-class ticketing and follow-up software to offer an affordable, advanced Call Center. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services offer an end-to-end solution that addresses all aspects of online Level 1 PC support from initial help requests to ticket creation, desktop sharing, problem resolution, and incident reporting. A browser-based User's Service Portal allows at-home employees to check or update the status of their active trouble tickets, add details, and append screenshots and relevant files. Desktop support services are delivered at a substantial price reduction off Progent's normal Level 1 technical service rates, and Progent makes available the option of rapid hand-off to Level 2 and Level 3 IT specialists to deal with advanced problems. For details, go to Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services for small businesses.
  • Progent's Call Center Augmentation Service allows your company to expand your current Support Desk team by splitting responsibilities for Support Desk support services seamlessly between your in-house support personnel and Progent's nationwide roster of desktop support engineers and subject matter specialists. Progent's co-managed Help Desk service is based on a collective support solution utilizing the leading professional services automation platform for handling help requests and trouble tickets, establishing responsibility, monitoring progress, and generating reports. To find out how Progent's Call Desk Supplementation Services can enable your business to deliver world-class IT support to your from-home workers, refer to Progent's Call Desk augmentation Services.

Cybersecurity for Telecommuters
Work-from-Home (WFH) staff members commonly utilize their personal computing devices and usually operate in an unsecured physical space. This increases their vulnerability to malware threats and requires careful configuration of firewalls, AV tools, multi-factor authentication, remote monitoring, thorough end-user education, and the creation of security policies built on best practices. Progent's seasoned roster of cybersecurity support consultants can assist your business to design, deploy and manage an effective security solution that guards vital information assets in environments that incorporate an at-home workforce.

Firewall Integration Services for At-Home WorkersFirewalls allow companies to create a network environment that can be safely accessed by local users and by an at-home workforce, mobile employees, suppliers, customers, and the public. Next-generation firewall appliances permit you to configure and manage appropriate permissions to different groups of users and to expand your network and adjust your cybersecurity posture as your company evolves and as cyber threats grow more complex. Progent supports both new and older security devices from all major manufacturers like Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, Juniper, and Fortinet. To learn more about Progent's firewall integration services, visit firewall integration and support services.

Remote Security Monitoring Services for At-Home WorkersOnline Endpoint Monitoring makes it possible to track the disparate devices utilized by teleworkers and either block or spot and respond to modern cyber attacks like ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint agent is installed on every protected endpoint device, monitoring all activity and utilizing state-of-the-art machine learning and full execution context from SentinelOne to identify new attacks before they can spread. When a cyberattack is discovered, ProSight ASM instantly isolates the targeted endpoint from the corporate network to contain the malware. Because the ProSight Active Security Monitoring software agent is autonomous, endpoint devices stay protected even when they are offline. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. To find out more about ProSight Active Security Monitoring, visit remote endpoint monitoring for at-home workers.

Two-factor Authentication Services for TeleworkersProgent's Duo MFA managed services utilize Cisco's Duo technology to defend against stolen passwords through the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo enables one-tap identity verification with Apple iOS, Google Android, and other personal devices. With Duo 2FA, whenever you log into a secured application and give your password you are asked to confirm who you are via a unit that only you possess and that is accessed using a separate network channel. A broad range of out-of-band devices can be used for this second means of ID validation such as an iPhone or Android or watch, a hardware token, a landline phone, etc. You can register several validation devices. For more information about Duo identity authentication services, refer to Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for remote workers.

Security Audit Services for At-Home WorkersSecurity Audits can evaluate the exposure of your information system to all types of external and local security attacks for a network that incorporates teleworkers. Progent can run online, automated security analysis software for rapidly and affordably detecting a broad range of security holes that can be found over the Internet. Progent's security assessment consulting services, which can be managed by security professionals with top credentials such as CISA, ISSAP, and GIAC, can help your business to audit your workflows and governance policies and review your IT infrastructure to allow you to design the highest level of security for your an at-home workforce.

Download White Paper: Securing a Work-From-Home (WFH) Network
To view or download a white paper about critical things to focus on for protecting a network that incorporates telecommuters, click:
Protecting a Work-From-Home Network White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)

Data Protection Solutions for Remote Workers
Data Protection covers backing up and recovering vital information so as to prevent data loss and reduce recovery time in the event of storage system problems resulting from hardware breakdowns, programming glitches, user mistakes, cyber attack, or other causes. Dependable data protection solutions can be particularly challenging to architect and manage in hybrid environments that incorporate local data centers, public clouds, and an at-home workforce.

  • Backup/Recovery strategies for remote workers must cover diverse types of personally owned endpoint devices. Progent offers quick online help from experts knowledgeable about a broad array of products for protection Windows, Apple and Linux/UNIX servers and desktop computers as well as notebooks, iOS and Android tablets and handhelds. Leading backup/restore products maintained by Progent's data protection consultants include Barracuda Backup, Azure Backup, DoubleTake Software, CrashPlan, Mozy, and Time Machine. To back up data distributed throughout a wide area network, Progent offers ProSight Data Protection Services, a backup/recovery subscription service that utilizes cloud-based storage and includes granular recovery and unified management.
  • Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity strategies typically envision circumstances that call for a rapid changeover to telecommuting. Progent's expert disaster recovery preparedness consultants and business continuity planning consultants can help your business to create, document and validate a DR/BC strategy that includes the process of switching to an at-home workforce.

Unified Management for Remote Workers
Microsoft has rebranded and reshuffled its endpoint management products under the name Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which encompasses Intune for cloud-based management of remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing local endpoints. Endpoint Manager offers a centralized environment for safeguarding corporate information by managing local, mobile, and home-based endpoint devices.

Microsoft Intune
Intune is part of Microsoft's Endpoint Management suite that also includes Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud-based service for managing and protecting remote computers and software. Remote endpoint computers can be user owned or company owned. IT admins managing the endpoint computers of telecommuters can use Intune to provision and authenticate apps on managed devices, push updates and certificates, configure policies for accessing data and resources, manage passwords, establish VPN connections, determine how teleworkers share data, establish threat defense, verify security compliance, and wipe sensitive data from lost, stolen or decommissioned devices. Intune runs with Apple iOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS/OS X devices. For details about Microsoft Intune and to find out how Progent can assist your company to use this platform to administer the endpoint devices of your teleworkers, go to Intune telecommuter device management expertise.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced centralized Mobile Device Management (MDM) platform that helps network managers to keep offsite endpoints up to date and secure. Workspace ONE incorporates VMware AirWatch technology for unified endpoint administration combined with VMware's Horizon virtual application delivery platform for access control, app management, and setup management of endpoint devices. Workspace ONE operates with devices based on Windows 10, macOS, iOS, Google 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 Workspace ONE include rapid remote provisioning of out-of-the-box laptops, quick onboarding of new employees, policy set up and enforcement for all categories of endpoints, aggregated management reporting and analytics, email encryption, and integration with Microsoft apps and cloud products. To learn about Progent's expertise for VMware Workspace ONE, see VMware Workspace ONE remote device management consultants.

Contact Progent for Remote Workforce Support Services
To contact Progent about building and maintaining a productive telecommuter solution for your Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro organization, call 1-800-993-9400 or refer to Contact Progent.