Boston Offsite Workforce Connectivity Consulting Partner

Expanding your at-home workforce can have a major effect on network architecture, cybersecurity, and company culture. Progent has two decades of background assisting businesses of all sizes to design, configure, manage, tune, and debug IT networks that incorporate at-home workers. Progent can help your Boston company to pick the appropriate tools and adhere to best practices in building and maintaining a safe virtual office solution for telecommuters that facilitates collaboration and delivers top value. Progent can provide support services that go from as-needed expertise for getting you past occasional technical bottlenecks to full project management or co-management to help you successfully complete mission-critical tasks.

Progent can assist Boston, Massachusetts companies to succeed with any aspect of building a high-performing telecommuting ecosystem by providing network infrastructure configuration services, IP voice troubleshooting, voice/video conferencing support, collaboration platform selection and deployment, cloud integration, helpdesk services, cybersecurity, backup/restore solutions, and centralized management.

Infrastructure for an At-Home Workforce
Integrating the physical and software infrastructure required to support an at-home workforce can be particularly challenging if you have to accommodate a combination of worker-owned equipment like PCs and laptops, routers, and Wi-Fi appliances from various manufacturers and with a variety of operating systems and firmware levels. Progent's experience delivering online help for both outdated as well as current IT products in remote office venues enables you to make cost-effective use of your available infrastructure and provides you with ready access to expertise for making essential updates. Services available from Progent to help your company to create a productive work-at-home ecosystem include:

• Virtual Private Network technology makes it possible to establish a secure tunnel for authenticated remote workers to access IT assets located at your company datacenter or in the cloud. Progent can assist your company to deploy and manage VPN connections between your teleworkers and your various IT resources by providing remote VPN integration consulting. For businesses with Cisco's ASA security appliances, Progent's Cisco-certified ASA Firewall consultants can assist your telecommuters to utilize Cisco's popular AnyConnect software for secure VPN connections for a broad selection of endpoint devices including Windows, Mac, iOS, Linux, and Google Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure products allow a teleworker to view and interact with a remote computer's desktop. This technology gives network managers substantial control over the computing environment of at-home employees and offers remote users a familiar experience. Progent's VDI services include Windows Remote Desktop support and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops VDI consulting.
• Routers connect home computer networks to the Internet and support VPN tunnels, home wireless connectivity, and firewalls. Progent can provide top-tier online consulting for integrating routers from a range of vendors. See router configuration support from Cisco-certified consultants.
• Home Wireless networks, typically supporting an entire household and guests, are frequently utilized by telecommuters to connect to their Internet router for work. This can cause throughput as well as cybersecurity issues. Progent can assist businesses to mitigate these problems by delivering expertise that include Cisco Aironet configuration consulting, Cisco Meraki wireless deployment consulting, and Ubiquiti wireless access point integration help.
• Internet access solutions affect the performance and availability of connections between telecommuters and the corporate data center. Business-critical processes might require redundant Internet connections in the event the normal connection fails. Progent can provide guidance for identifying ISPs, selecting appropriate service offerings, and setting up redundant Internet access. See Internet access integration services.

VoIP Solutions for Telecommuters
Expanding the business PBX system to accommodate remote users is critical to supporting a productive work-at-home solution. A variety of cloud-based IP voice products are popular with small and mid-size businesses to support teleworkers. Many enterprises depend on Cisco's current or older platforms for VoIP management. Progent can assist businesses of any size to plan or tune a remote IP voice environment that provides the versatility, convenience and protection needed for remote users. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE IP Voice experts can provide high-level support to help businesses tune their current Cisco IP voice environments to handle an expanding remote workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) extends enterprise IP telephony capabilities to devices such as IP phones, media processing platforms, Voice over IP gateways, and multimedia applications used across the network. CUCM manages other combined media services such as unified messaging, voice/video conferencing, and customer interaction networks. For details about Progent's Cisco Unified CM or CUCM expertise, refer to CUCM expertise.
• 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 environment or migrate smoothly to Cisco's current IP telephony products. For details about Progent's support services for Cisco CallManager and Cisco's other legacy VoIP platforms, refer to Cisco CallManager consulting.
• Cisco IP Gateways provide integration with PSTN networks and with users operating beyond the corporate firewall such as telecommuters. Progent can provide consulting expertise for Cisco's legacy 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 configuration consulting.
• Other VoIP Products supported by Progent's consultants include Vonage, Intermedia Unite and 8x8. Progent can help you to enhance your WAN infrastructure to support these VoIP solutions and provide on-demand configuration and debugging expertise.

Voice/Video Conferencing for Remote Workers
A broad selection of voice/video conferencing platforms from major vendors enable online meetings, video and voice conferencing, chat, and screen/content sharing for both local users and at-home workers. Many organizations utilize a mix of conferencing products to accommodate their different partners and clients. Progent can assist you to manage your current voice/video conferencing ecosystem and optimize the productivity of your at-home workforce.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's popular unified communications platform that supports real-time presence, IM, audio and video conferencing plus the transparent integration of these functions within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 productivity software including PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook. Progent offers the expertise of Microsoft-certified specialists who can help your company to configure and maintain Skype for Business clients to support your at-home workforce. For details about Progent's support expertise for Skype for Business, visit Skype for Business integration experts.
• FaceTime is Apple's multiuser video calling platform for iOS, iPadOS, iPod and Mac computers and smartphones. FaceTime works on Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Later versions of FaceTime support as many as 32 simultaneous users for video sessions. To learn more about Progent's support expertise for Apple FaceTime, see Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center supports remote conferencing for most computing devices. Offered via Cisco's Webex Cloud platform, Webex services include sharing discrete content or computer screens, presentations that embed rich media such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Flash videos, network-based capture, plus revision 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 next-generation replacement for Skype for Business. Teams provides a hub for conversations, contacts, and content with capabilities that include video calling, persistent chat, plus file sharing. To learn more about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft Teams as well as for other Microsoft 365 products, refer to Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
• Other Voice/Video Conferencing Platforms supported by Progent include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can deliver integration and troubleshooting services for these conferencing platforms and assist you to optimize your network architecture to host them.

Microsoft Collaboration Software for At-Home Workers
Microsoft's collaboration products are closely integrated with Microsoft's familiar Office families, providing a powerful ecosystem of productivity apps that create a consistent user interface for sharing information across a corporate network and on a wide selection of endpoint computers. Progent has provided remote consulting support for Microsoft SharePoint and Exchange Server since their first publication and can help your company to configure these critical collaboration products 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 works on top of Microsoft 365 and integrates with third-party cloud services to deliver real-time collaboration. Designed as a substitute for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams can support chat, audio/video meetings that include screen sharing, calling, cloud voicemail, group email, plus file and app sharing. Teams is closely integrated with Microsoft 365 and relies on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Azure Entra (formerly branded Azure Active Directory) for supporting its full range of features. For additional information about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Teams, see solution design and configuration consulting for Microsoft Teams.

SharePoint utilizes web entities to allow collaboration and information delivery by providing policy-driven access to content, business processes, and tools for looking through enterprise-wide business data. SharePoint allows you to create secure web portals that enables at-home workforce to view and update consolidated business intelligence by means of Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social sites, and Web Parts (Widgets). For information about Progent's SharePoint consulting services, go to SharePoint configuration and development expertise.

Exchange and Exchange Online offer secure collaboration features including public folders, shared mailboxes, and shared calendars and contacts. Progent's Microsoft certified Exchange experts can show you how to activate and utilize these features for your at-home workers. To find out about Progent's Exchange support services, go to integration consulting services for Microsoft Exchange Server.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s collaborative cloud-based file hosting and synchronization service, similar to GoogleDrive. Remote users can store files to OneDrive, and co-workers anywhere can share them securely through a web browser. Included with Office 365, OneDrive allows at-home workers to co-edit documents. Edits created offline are automatically synced when you go back online. For information about Progent's consulting expertise for OneDrive, visit Onedrive integration experts.

Cloud Integration Services for Teleworkers
Progent can provide fast and affordable remote support for enabling businesses to create, manage and troubleshoot integrated hybrid network models that include physical data centers, remote workers, branch offices, plus public cloud services. Progent can provide top-tier consultant for all modes of public cloud service delivery such as Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service. Progent can help telecommuters fix problems with public cloud access, identity, and security.

Azure is a popular family of public cloud services that allows you to utilize infrastructure, servers, and key applications running on Microsoft's massive cloud. Microsoft Azure includes over one hundred cloud-based services such as the ability to host Windows and Linux-powered VMs, scalable cloud storage, messaging, app development with Visual Studio, and data protection. Progent can help you to set up virtual machines on Azure Virtual Machines, integrate cloud-based storage on Azure Storage services, streamline identity control with Azure Active Directory, and design backup and recovery solutions with Azure Backup. Progent's cloud experts can also help you create protected connections to Azure services for at-home workers by setting up and troubleshooting firewall appliances and VPN IPsec tunnels. For information about Progent's expertise for Microsoft Azure, refer to Microsoft Azure consulting.

Microsoft 365, formerly called Office 365, is Microsoft's popular family of business productivity applications and cloud-based services available on a subscription basis. Office apps and services are provided in a variety of bundles designed for customers ranging from students and small offices to large corporations. Progent offers fast and affordable remote access to experts knowledgeable about Microsoft 365-compatible devices based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent's experts can assist you to evaluate the various subscription bundles offered with Microsoft 365 and configure 365 apps for your at-home workers in a way that delivers maximum business value. To learn about Progent's expertise for Microsoft 365, go to Microsoft 365 consulting support.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online is among the most widely used cloud-based applications in Azure-hosted Microsoft 365 product line. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online provides the advantages of lower costs for data center infrastructure, easier management, on-demand scaling, high availability, and additional benefits inherent with cloud computing. Microsoft has designed Exchange Online to operate transparently with on-premises deployments of Exchange, allowing you to create hybrid cloud/onsite networks. Progent's certified Exchange consultants can provide as-needed help to get you past tough technical bottlenecks and also offer end-to-end project management services to ensure your remote workers have convenient and safe access to your Exchange Online deployment. To find out Progent's consulting services for Microsoft 365 Exchange Online, refer to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online configuration and support expertise.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a pioneer in the public cloud market and is the world's top provider of cloud services. Progent can provide quick and economical online contact with cloud integration experts who can help your business to plan, deploy, maintain, and troubleshoot hybrid information networks that incorporate Amazon AWS cloud-based services with on-premises data centers and with other public clouds like Microsoft Azure. Progent also offers the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking experts to help your company to create a high-availability network architecture to make sure your users have a productive computing experience regardless of whether they are working from your headquarters, a branch office, at home, or on the road. For details about Progent's support services for Amazon AWS, visit Amazon AWS consulting services.

Google Cloud is a leading suite of public cloud services that offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service products. Progent's Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can help your organization to scale your existing IT assets with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's database consultants can show you how to make your key applications cloud ready so your telecommuters can benefit fully from Google Cloud services. Progent's consultants can assist your business to set up VMs on GCP Compute Engine, plan a cost-effective storage solution with GCP Storage services, and streamline identity control for teleworkers with GCP Cloud Identity services. Progent's consultants can also help your business to utilize GCP's management tools to administer and monitor your GCP environment. For details, refer to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) integration support.

Help Desk Services for Teleworkers
A fast, company-wide switchover to a telecommuter business model, which might be motivated by an epidemic or as a component of a disaster recovery/business continuity plan, can overstretch even a well-staffed in-house Call Desk. Progent's Help Desk services make it possible for businesses of any size to outsource or expand their Support Desk with Progent's remote Technical Response Center (TRC) services.

• Progent's Standard Call Desk services utilize Progent's nationwide team of remote IT support experts combined with enterprise-class ticketing and tracking technology to provide an affordable, modern Call Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services provide a comprehensive solution that handles all facets of remote Level 1 PC support from initial service requests through ticket generation, desktop sharing, problem resolution, and reporting. A web-based User's Service Portal enables at-home employees to check or update their active tickets, enter details, and append screenshots and attachments. Technical support services are delivered at a substantial discount off Progent's ordinary Level 1 technical service charges, and Progent makes available optional fast hand-off to Level 2 and Level 3 IT specialists to resolve advanced issues. For more information, go to Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services outsourcing for small companies.
• Progent's Help Desk Call Center Supplemental Service enables your business to supplement your current Support Desk organization by sharing delivery of Call Desk services transparently between your regular support personnel and Progent's extensive roster of desktop support technicians and subject matter specialists. Progent's shared Call Desk service uses a co-sourcing support solution based on the number one professional services automation (PSA) tool for handling service requests and trouble tickets, assigning responsibility, monitoring progress, and generating management reports. For information about how Progent's Support Desk Supplementation Services can enable your company to deliver world-class desktop support to your from-home workers, see Progent's Call Desk supplementation Services.

Security for At-Home Workers
Work-from-Home (WFH) workers typically utilize their own computers and often work in an unsecured physical space. This multiplies their susceptibility to cyber threats and calls for careful configuration of firewalls, anti-malware tools, MFA-based identity verification, remote endpoint monitoring, thorough user education, and the creation of security policies based on leading practices. Progent's veteran roster of IT security support experts can assist your business to plan, implement and maintain an effective security solution that guards critical IT resources in networks that include telecommuters.

Firewalls allow companies to create a network environment that can be safely utilized by local users as well as by teleworkers, mobile employees, suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders. Modern firewall devices permit you to configure and manage appropriate permissions to different groups of users and to expand your network and adjust your security as your business evolves and as cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated. Progent supports both new and older security appliances from all major vendors like Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, WatchGuard, Juniper, SonicWall and Fortinet. For more information about Progent's firewall integration services, go to firewall support services.

Online Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it easy to watch over the various computers utilized by an at-home workforce and either block or spot and respond to the latest threats such as ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) services, a small-footprint agent is put on every protected endpoint device, watching all activity and using state-of-the-art AI technology from SentinelOne to identify zero-day attacks before they can spread. When a cyberattack is discovered, ProSight ASM immediately isolates the infected device from the corporate network to quarantine the malware. Since the ProSight ASM agent is autonomous, endpoints stay protected even when they are offline. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. For details about ProSight Active Security Monitoring, see remote endpoint monitoring for an at-home workforce.

Progent's Duo authentication Services utilize Cisco's Duo technology to protect against compromised passwords through the use of two-factor authentication. Duo enables single-tap identity confirmation on Apple iOS, Google Android, and other out-of-band devices. Using Duo 2FA, whenever you log into a secured online account and enter your password you are asked to confirm who you are on a device that only you have and that uses a different network channel. A wide range of devices can be used as this added means of ID validation such as an iPhone or Android or watch, a hardware token, a landline telephone, etc. You can designate multiple validation devices. For details about ProSight Duo identity validation services, see Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for at-home workers.

Security Audits can assess the vulnerability of your information system to all classes of external and local security threats for a network that incorporates an at-home workforce. Progent can run online, automated security inventory software for rapidly and economically uncovering a wide variety of security gaps that can be found via the Internet. Progent's security assessment consulting services, which can be managed by data security professionals with top credentials such as CISA, CISSP, and GIAC, can help your company to evaluate your procedures and governance policies and review your WAN infrastructure to allow you to design the highest level of security for your at-home workers.

Horizon3.ai's NodeZero PEN Testing Platform is a breakthrough penetration test (pentest) product family that can deliver automated threat assessment of your at-home connectivity solution as well as your internal and perimeter networks so you can expose, rank, fix, and verify cybersecurity weaknesses before threat actors can take advantage of them. Progent can assist you to deploy NodeZero to carry out comprehensive pentests of your network perimeter and your internal IT infrastructure so you can determine your current security posture. Progent's NodeZero experts can also help you to strengthen your existing network security and can help you to design and deploy a unified cybersecurity strategy that simplifies management and delivers optimum cyber defense for on-premises, cloud-based, at-home, and perimeter IT assets. To learn more information about Progent's vulnerability analysis services powered by on NodeZero's PEN test platform, see Consulting Services for NodeZero's Pentest Products.

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

Data Protection for At-Home Workers
The field of Data Protection covers saving and recovering vital information so as to avoid data loss and reduce restoration time in the event of storage system failures resulting from hardware issues, software hiccups, human error, cyber attack, or any other reason. Reliable data protection strategies can be particularly difficult to design and manage in hybrid networks that combine local data centers, public clouds, and at-home workers.

• Backup/Restore strategies for teleworkers must address multiple kinds of personally owned endpoints. Progent can provide fast remote access to experts familiar with a broad range of platforms for protection Microsoft Windows, Apple and Linux/UNIX servers and desktop computers as well as notebooks, tablets and handhelds. Leading backup/restore solutions maintained by Progent's data protection experts include Barracuda Backup, Azure Backup, Symantec Backup Exec, Acronis Backup and Recovery, Mozy, and Time Machine. To back up resources distributed across a hybrid network, Progent can provide ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a managed backup/recovery service that utilizes cloud storage and includes granular recovery and centralized management capabilities.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity (DR/BC) strategies commonly envision scenarios that call for a rapid changeover to telecommuting. Progent's expert disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity planning specialists can assist your company to develop, document and test a DR/BC plan that includes the process of switching to an at-home workforce.

Unified Management for Teleworkers
Microsoft has rebranded and reshuffled its endpoint management platforms under the title Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which encompasses Intune for cloud management of mobile and remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing onsite endpoints. Microsoft Endpoint Manager provides a centralized platform for safeguarding corporate data by controlling onsite, mobile, and home-based endpoints.

Intune
Intune is a component of Microsoft's Endpoint Management family that also features Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud-based service for managing and securing mobile devices and applications. Remote endpoint computers can be user owned or business owned. IT administrators managing the enrolled endpoint devices of at-home workers can use Intune to deploy and authenticate apps on managed devices, push updates and certificates, configure policies for accessing information and networks, set passwords, establish VPN tunnels, determine how telecommuters share data, establish threat defense, ensure security compliance, and erase corporate information from missing, stolen or deactivated endpoint devices. Microsoft Intune runs with Apple iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS devices. To find out about Intune and how Progent can help your company to use this platform to manage the endpoint computers of your at-home workforce, refer to Intune telecommuter device management experts.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced centralized Mobile Device Management product that allows network administrators to keep remote endpoint devices current and secure. Workspace ONE uses VMware AirWatch technology for unified endpoint management plus VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery platform for authorization control, app management, and setup management of endpoint devices. Workspace ONE runs with endpoints based on Windows 10, macOS, iOS, Google Android, Chrome OS, or leading distros of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is available by subscription as a cloud service or as an on-site deployment via a perpetual license. Top features of Workspace ONE include rapid remote provisioning of out-of-the-box laptops, immediate onboarding of new employees, policy setting and enforcement for all classes of endpoints, aggregated management reporting and performance analytics, an email encryption gateway, and seamless integration with Microsoft apps and cloud products. For information about Progent's support services for VMware Workspace ONE, see VMware Workspace ONE remote device management expertise.

Contact Progent for Remote Workforce Support Services
To get in touch with Progent about creating and managing an efficient telecommuter environment for your Boston, Massachusetts organization, phone 1-800-993-9400 or go to Contact Progent.