On-premises and Remote Computer Network Consulting and Troubleshooting

Fast Remote Technical Support for Chicago Illinois Networks
For organizations in Chicago Illinois, Progent provides online technical support for computer systems based on Microsoft, Cisco, Apple macOS and OS X, or Linux technology. Progent's Microsoft Premier professionals have provided remote troubleshooting to companies in all 50 states in the United States. (See recommendations from Progent's customers.) In addition, Progent can furnish the consultation services of Cisco CCIE network specialists to help with complex networking problems, as well as the services of CISSP-certified security experts to help with advanced security architecture and diagnostic issues.

Progent's remote support engineers offer excellent leverage due to the fact that they have the practical background and have access to the sophisticated tools required to resolve most information system issues quickly. This lowers immediate expenses because solutions require minimal billable consulting minutes. Online help also avoids the cost of sending an engineer to your location. Your organization saves even more with incidental expenses by reducing or avoiding network outages and related costs stemming from business disruption, disgruntled clients, unproductive workers, and de-focused management. Progent's extensive remote technical support expertise is especially valuable for businesses that rely on public clouds for critical network infrastructure or software like Microsoft Azure, Exchange Online, Amazon AWA, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), or where onsite IT support may not be an option.

Progent's pricing policy for online help is structured to leverage your IT service dollar. Progent charges on a per-minute basis for phone consulting, so you owe only for the support that you actually get. In contrast to many remote service companies, Progent asks for no service activation charge or minimum payments. Progent's one-minute granularity and clean policy for billing eliminate scenarios where fast repairs somehow end up as substantial tabs. Progent's penchant for disposing of problems efficiently means you saves money.

Progent's Remote Consulting and Troubleshooting Expertise
Over time, Progent has mastered a collection of customized tools and proven methodologies that permit the maximum degree of efficiency for remote consulting and troubleshooting for information networks of all sizes. Progent's online support team can communicate with your computer system without violating corporate security.

Progent's proven technical support database system maintains thorough documentation describing all support that Progent's customers have received. Progent's staff service personnel have access to the specifics of assistance delivered to every client by every Progent engineer. This archive of issues and responses is structured as a quickly retrievable internal knowledge base that allows Progent's online support engineers to communicate their experiences company-wide to ensure that the value of Progent's support improves daily. Progent's high-level accreditations and close relationships with key vendors including Cisco and Microsoft open up other vast support knowledge bases and allow priority response from vendors' in-house engineering staff so Progent's online service experts can arrive at the best resolutions in the least time.

Remote technical services provided by Progent to clients in Chicago Illinois include:

• Certified MS Windows Experts
  Progent's Microsoft-premier online support engineers can deliver computer problem solving and consulting assistance for all Microsoft server products. Progent is a Microsoft Certified Partner and can provide your business the expertise of consulting professionals who can assist your company with a wide variety of platform support such as Microsoft Windows Server 2022 planning and integration services, Windows Server 2019 migration, Windows Server 2016 configuration for hybrid cloud environments, Windows Server 2012 R2 planning and deployment, Windows Server 2008 R2 maintenance, MS Exchange Server 2019 planning and configuration, Microsoft Exchange 2016 migration, Microsoft Exchange 2013 configuration, Exchange 2010 management, SharePoint 2019 planning and integration, SharePoint 2016 migration and hybrid integration consulting services, Microsoft Teams integration, Skype for Business migration consulting, Microsoft Lync Server integration, and Office Communications Server 2007 troubleshooting, Microsoft Forefront TMG management and ISA Server migration, MS SQL Server 2019 integration expertise, Microsoft SQL Server 2017 consulting, Microsoft SQL Server 2016 integration and development and SQL Server 2014 support, Systems Center Operations Manager (SCOM) system monitoring and reporting, Project Server and Project Server Online planning, Microsoft Access Development and Training, Small Business Server consulting, and Windows Essentials migration and cloud integration.

  Progent in addition can deliver a broad array of cost-effective desktop services to help your company to install, configure, repair, and administer workstations and notebooks powered by Microsoft Windows. Progent's PC desktop support services cover areas such as offering Windows 11 planning and migration assistance and Windows 10 configuration consulting, as well as Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager design and installation, System Center 2016 Configuration Manager (SCCM 2016) cloud integration, and Intune expertise to centralize the administration of your desktops along with your cloud-connected mobile devices.

• Contact a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert for Complex Infrastructure Problem Solving
  The Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification is the premier accreditation for network consultants, and validates an individual's network technology knowledge at the expert level. Cisco CCIEs know how to resolve the most stubborn problems surrounding network infrastructure planning, integration, maintenance, security, and troubleshooting. Cisco CCIEs operate closely with Cisco's internal engineers in isolating problems with IOS Software network management tools and developing workarounds or identifying program patches. Cisco CCIEs offer excellent value since their deep expertise permits them to fix problems rapidly. In many instances, less qualified engineers can wrestle for many hours or even days with identical tasks that a CCIE can resolve in minutes. Progent's Cisco CCIE certified consultants can connect to your environment using the latest remote troubleshooting technology to provide fast, secure, and affordable analysis and remediation.

  Chicago Metro Area Contact Information:
  Progent offers consulting services and onsite technical support throughout the Chicago Metro Area.
  

  Progent locations in Chicago Metro Area

  City	Address	Phone	Link
  Chicago	500 North Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60611 United States	(312) 800-0223	Chicago Network Support Services
  Downers Grove	1431 Opus Place, Suite 110 Downers Grove, IL 60515 United States	(331) 251-1422	Downers Grove Network Support Services
  Schaumburg	1900 E Golf Rd, Suite 950 Schaumburg, IL 60173 United States	(847) 944-8599	Schaumburg Network Support Services
  Skokie	5250 Old Orchard Rd, Suite 300 Skokie, IL 60077 United States	(224) 534-2088	Skokie Network Support Services

  
  
  

  Progent's Cisco CCIEs can provide expertise in all of Cisco's industry-leading selection of networking appliances. Cisco technology support offered by Progent includes ASA 5500-X Next Generation firewalls with Firepower Services integration and debugging, Cisco routers consulting, Catalyst switch support, Nexus switch consulting, Meraki switches integration, Cisco Unified Communications Manager and CallManager integration and technical support, Cisco Voice over IP phones and IP video desktop phones solutions and wireless IP phones integration, Cisco Meraki wireless AP planning and set up, Aironet Wireless APs consulting services, Cisco WiFi controllers support Services, Cisco VPN and Security Integration services, and SIP and CUBE integration solutions for SIP PSTN trunks and Cisco CUBE integration expertise. Progent can also provide online and on-premises Wi-Fi site surveys to help you to optimize your Wi-Fi infrastructure.

• Ransomware 24x7 Hot Line: Call 800-462-8800
  Progent's Ransomware 24x7 Hot Line is designed to help you to complete the urgent first phase in mitigating a ransomware assault by containing the malware. Progent's remote ransomware engineer can assist you to identify and isolate infected servers and endpoints and guard clean assets from being penetrated. If your Chicago system has been penetrated by any version of ransomware, don't panic. Get immediate help by calling Progent's Ransomware Hot Line at 800-462-8800. For more information, visit Progent's Ransomware 24x7 Hot Line.

• Ransomware Cleanup Services
  Progent's ransomware recovery consultants can help your Chicago company to restore a system breached by a ransomware crypto-worm such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, DopplePaymer, Conti or Egregor. Progent's team of cybersecurity specialists have the wide selection of skills required to reconstruct all vital components of a targeted network quickly and with minimal loss of data. To learn more, see Progent's ransomware removal and business restoration experts.

• CISSP, ISSAP, and CISM Premier Network Security Specialists
  Progent's qualified CISSP and CISSP-ISSAP cybersecurity experts offer a range of security services that can enhance the defenses of your Microsoft Windows, macOS and OS X, Linux, or UNIX network against assaults or assist your business to recuperate rapidly following a serious breach. Security services offered by Progent include: in depth information security and compliance analysis utilizing utilities such as GFI LANguard, EEYE Vulnerability Scanner, and products from Solar Winds tools and Netcat; rapid cleanup after malicious attacks; configuring firewalls; establishing secure techniques for off-site and mobile connectivity; securing your email infrastructure against viruses, spam and DHA attacks; and setting up 24x7 proactive monitoring.

• Hybrid Cloud Integration Solutions
  Progent offers expert online consulting services to help organizations of all sizes connect their IT infrastructure with popular public cloud platforms such as Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Progent can assist your IT team to plan and administer hybrid environments that support Windows and Linux systems and apps in either cloud-centric systems or in hybrid topologies that combine on-premises resources as well as public clouds. To help you to incorporate public cloud services with physical datacenters, Progent offers a variety of public cloud integration services that include Microsoft 365 integration with on-premises Exchange deployments, Azure hybrid cloud planning and integration services, Amazon Web Services (AWS) hybrid cloud solutions, Amazon Web Marketing Service programming and debugging, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) integration expertise. Progent has over two decades of experience delivering high-level consulting support remotely, and Progent can make sure you successfully carry out your cloud migration projects on schedule and affordably.

• VMware Site Recovery Manager Planning and Deployment
  VMware's Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is an extension to VMware vCenter that allows you to define, automate and test a repeatable process for restoring applications and services rapidly following a breakdown. SRM supports centrally controlled and automated disaster recovery, application mobility, plus transparent site relocation, failback and site re-protect. Site Recovery Manager also supports non-disruptive testing for site recovery, upgrades and fixes and can produce audit reports to verify complete service restoration, validate SLAs and demonstrate compliance. Progent offers the support of a VCDX certified VMware SRM consulting expert to assist your organization to plan, deploy, test and administer a DR solution based on VMware Site Recovery Manager.

  Progent's VMware vSphere and vCloud experts offer in-depth understanding of VMware vCloud Director (vCD), VMware vRealize Automation (vRA), vRealize Orchestrator (vRO) and vCloud Suite used for managing private and public cloud and hybrid cloud environments that deliver maximum availability, data security, and disaster recovery. Progent also offers advanced VMware NSX expertise from a VCDX-NV certified network architect to assist your organization to plan and deploy a completely virtualized Software Defined Data Center (SDDC) that can be provisioned or re-purposed instantly and managed with a high level of automation regardless of the hardware used by the basic IP network.

• UNIX, Linux, Sun Solaris, and macOS and OS X Expertise
  Progent's UNIX, Linux experts and macOS and OS X technology specialists offer remote consulting services to address a wide range of information technologies such as network architecture, messaging solutions, network and operational security, plus UNIX and Microsoft Windows integration. For server economization and simplified administration in environments that combine Linux-based systems with Microsoft Windows, Progent offers VMware vSphere integration and Citrix XenServer support. Progent can also help with migration from legacy systems to Microsoft Windows or Linux solutions. Progent's team-based approach to resolving network issues enables quick escalation, if necessary, to consultants with appropriate experience to tackle complex scenarios. This accelerates solutions of critical problems, minimizes network downtime, and lowers service expense.

  Progent's UNIX and Linux consultants can provide urgent phone-based help diagnosing problems within UNIX/Linux networks powered by leading derivatives of UNIX such as:
  — Apple Mac OS X
  — Solaris
  — IBM AIX OS
  — HP-UX (Hewlett Packard UNIX)
  — BSD
  — Silicon Graphics IRIX
  

Progent's ProSight Subscription-based Services for Small and Mid-size Organizations
Progent provides a family of low-cost, fixed-price services intended to enable small and medium-size organizations to utilize the same advanced IT solutions used by some of the industry's leading corporations. The ProSight line of network monitoring and management services covers all critical facets of modern networking such as email content filtering, security and compliance, cloud-based backup/recovery, infrastructure management, VM cloud hosting, and network asset documentation management. ProSight managed services include:

• ProSight LAN Watch: Server and Desktop Remote Monitoring Services
  ProSight LAN Watch is Progent's server and desktop monitoring service that incorporates advanced remote monitoring and management techniques to help keep your network running efficiently by checking the state of critical assets that drive your business network. When ProSight LAN Watch uncovers a problem, an alarm is transmitted immediately to your designated IT personnel and your assigned Progent engineering consultant so that any potential problems can be resolved before they can disrupt productivity Learn more about ProSight LAN Watch server and desktop remote monitoring consulting.

• ProSight WAN Watch: Network Infrastructure Remote Monitoring and Management
  ProSight WAN Watch is an infrastructure management service that makes it simple and affordable for smaller organizations to map out, monitor, enhance and troubleshoot their networking appliances such as routers, firewalls, and access points as well as servers, endpoints and other devices. Using state-of-the-art RMM technology, WAN Watch makes sure that network maps are kept updated, captures and manages the configuration information of virtually all devices connected to your network, monitors performance, and sends alerts when potential issues are detected. By automating complex network management processes, ProSight WAN Watch can cut hours off common chores like network mapping, expanding your network, locating appliances that need important updates, or identifying the cause of performance issues. Learn more details about ProSight WAN Watch infrastructure monitoring and management consulting.

• ProSight Reporting: Real-time Reporting for Ticketing and Network Monitoring Platforms
  ProSight Reporting is a growing family of in-depth reporting tools created to work with the industry's leading ticketing and network monitoring applications including ConnectWise Manage, ConnectWise Automate, Customer Thermometer, Auvik, and SentinelOne. ProSight Reporting uses Microsoft Graph and features color coding to highlight and contextualize critical issues like inconsistent support follow-up or machines with missing patches. By exposing ticketing or network health concerns clearly and in near-real time, ProSight Reporting enhances network value, lowers management hassle, and saves money. For more information, visit ProSight Reporting for ticketing and network monitoring platforms.

• ProSight Data Protection Services: Managed Backup and Recovery
  Progent has partnered with leading backup technology vendors to create ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a selection of subscription-based offerings that deliver backup-as-a-service. ProSight DPS services manage and monitor your backup operations and allow non-disruptive backup and rapid restoration of critical files, applications, images, and virtual machines. ProSight DPS helps your business recover from data loss caused by equipment breakdown, natural calamities, fire, cyber attacks like ransomware, user mistakes, malicious insiders, or application glitches. Managed backup services available in the ProSight DPS family include ProSight DPS Altaro VM Backup, ProSight 365 Total Backup (formerly Altaro Office 365 Backup, ProSight DPS ECHO Backup using Barracuda dedicated hardware, and ProSight DPS MSP360 Hybrid Backup. Your Progent consultant can help you to determine which of these managed backup services are most appropriate for your network.

• ProSight Email Guard: Inbound and Outbound Spam Filtering and Data Leakage Protection
  ProSight Email Guard is Progent's spam filtering and email encryption service that incorporates the infrastructure of top information security vendors to provide centralized management and comprehensive protection for your inbound and outbound email. The hybrid structure of Progent's Email Guard managed service integrates cloud-based filtering with a local security gateway appliance to provide advanced protection against spam, viruses, Denial of Service Attacks, DHAs, and other email-borne malware. Email Guard's Cloud Protection Layer serves as a first line of defense and keeps most threats from making it to your network firewall. This reduces your exposure to inbound threats and conserves system bandwidth and storage. Email Guard's onsite security gateway device adds a deeper layer of analysis for inbound email. For outbound email, the on-premises gateway offers anti-virus and anti-spam protection, policy-based Data Loss Prevention, and email encryption. The onsite security gateway can also help Exchange Server to track and safeguard internal email traffic that originates and ends inside your security perimeter. For more information, see Email Guard spam and content filtering.

• ProSight Multi-Factor Authentication with Duo: Identity Validation, Endpoint Remediation, and Secure Single Sign-on
  Progent's Duo MFA services utilize Cisco's Duo cloud technology to defend against compromised passwords through the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo supports one-tap identity confirmation on iOS, Android, and other personal devices. With 2FA, when you sign into a secured application and enter your password you are asked to confirm your identity via a unit that only you possess and that is accessed using a different network channel. A wide selection of out-of-band devices can be used for this added means of ID validation such as a smartphone or wearable, a hardware token, a landline phone, etc. You can designate several verification devices. For details about Duo two-factor identity authentication services, see Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication services.

• ProSight Co-Managed Help Desk: Outsourced and Shared Call Center Services
  Progent's Co-managed Help Desk Service offers a seamless supplement to your internal IT support staff. End user access to the Service Desk, delivery of support services, escalation, trouble ticket creation and updates, efficiency metrics, and management of the support database are cohesive whether issues are taken care of by your internal IT support group, by Progent's team, or both. Your business has unrestricted versatility to expand or shrink your part of IT support work as needed. Progent provides startup installation and provisioning of the professional services automation software plus documentation, testing and education. For details about ProSight Co-Managed Support, see ProSight Co-Managed Help Desk.

• ProSight Active Security Monitoring: Endpoint Protection and Ransomware Defense
  Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring is an endpoint detection and response (EDR) solution that incorporates SentinelOne's next generation behavior-based analysis tools to defend endpoints and servers and VMs against modern malware assaults like ransomware and file-less exploits, which easily get by traditional signature-based AV tools. ProSight Active Security Monitoring protects on-premises and cloud-based resources and offers a unified platform to automate the entire malware attack lifecycle including protection, detection, mitigation, cleanup, and post-attack forensics. Top capabilities include one-click rollback using Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service and automatic system-wide immunization against newly discovered threats. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. Read more about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring endpoint protection and ransomware recovery based on SentinelOne technology.

• ProSight Enhanced Security Protection (ESP): Physical and Virtual Endpoint Security and Exchange Filtering
  ProSight Enhanced Security Protection managed services deliver affordable multi-layer protection for physical servers and virtual machines, workstations, mobile devices, and Microsoft Exchange. ProSight ESP utilizes adaptive security and advanced heuristics for round-the-clock monitoring and responding to security threats from all vectors. ProSight ESP provides firewall protection, penetration alerts, endpoint management, and web filtering via leading-edge tools incorporated within a single agent managed from a single console. Progent's security and virtualization experts can help you to design and implement a ProSight ESP environment that addresses your company's unique needs and that helps you demonstrate compliance with legal and industry information protection standards. Progent will assist you define and configure security policies that ProSight ESP will enforce, and Progent will monitor your network and respond to alerts that call for immediate action. Progent can also help your company to set up and test a backup and disaster recovery solution like ProSight Data Protection Services so you can get back in business rapidly from a potentially disastrous cyber attack such as ransomware. Find out more about Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection unified physical and virtual endpoint security and Exchange filtering.

• Progent's Patch Management: Patch Management Services
  Progent's support services for patch management offer organizations of all sizes a flexible and affordable alternative for evaluating, testing, scheduling, applying, and tracking software and firmware updates to your ever-evolving information network. Besides maximizing the security and reliability of your computer environment, Progent's patch management services free up time for your IT staff to concentrate on more strategic initiatives and tasks that deliver maximum business value from your information network. Find out more about Progent's software/firmware update management support services.

• ProSight Virtual Hosting: Hosted VMs at Progent's World-class Data Center
  With Progent's ProSight Virtual Hosting service, a small or mid-size organization can have its critical servers and applications hosted in a secure Tier III data center on a high-performance virtual machine host set up and maintained by Progent's network support professionals. Under the ProSight Virtual Hosting model, the client owns the data, the OS platforms, and the applications. Since the environment is virtualized, it can be ported easily to a different hosting solution without requiring a lengthy and difficult reinstallation procedure. With ProSight Virtual Hosting, your business is not tied a single hosting provider. Find out more about ProSight Virtual Hosting services.

• ProSight IT Asset Management: Network Documentation and Password Management Services
  Progent's ProSight IT Asset Management service is an IT infrastructure documentation management service that allows you to create, update, find and safeguard data about your network infrastructure, processes, business apps, and services. You can instantly find passwords or IP addresses and be alerted about impending expirations of SSL certificates or domains. By cleaning up and organizing your IT documentation, you can eliminate up to half of time wasted searching for critical information about your IT network. ProSight IT Asset Management includes a common repository for holding and collaborating on all documents related to managing your network infrastructure such as recommended procedures and How-To's. ProSight IT Asset Management also supports advanced automation for gathering and associating IT information. Whether you're planning enhancements, doing regular maintenance, or reacting to an emergency, ProSight IT Asset Management gets you the information you need the instant you need it. Learn more details about Progent's ProSight IT Asset Management service.

The ProSight Ransomware Preparedness Report Service
The ProSight Ransomware Preparedness Report is an affordable service built around a brief phone discussion with a Progent information assurance expert. The fact-finding interview is designed to assess your company's ability to block or recover rapidly following an assault by a ransomware variant such as Ryuk, WannaCry, NotPetya, or Hermes. Progent will consult with you directly to collect information about your current cybersecurity posture and backup system, and Progent will then deliver a custom Basic Security and Best Practices Report document describing how you can follow best practices to deploy an efficient security and backup/recovery system that meets your company's needs. For details, visit The ProSight Ransomware Preparedness Report.

Additional Support Programs Available from Progent
Progent offers the services of world-class remote consulting professionals for contract IT projects. Progent's charges for longer-term development or consulting projects are determined according to the level of expertise of the engineers required. Progent's background in these special fields of information technology enables customers to complete critical projects economically and on schedule. Progent's special remote engineering services include:

• Help Desk Expertise
  Progent's Call Center service offerings for organizations with networks that incorporate Microsoft, Cisco, macOS and OS X, or UNIX/Linux products include comprehensive Help Desk services, shared Helpdesk support services, and Help Desk consulting. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services provide smaller organizations a complete service desk solution that handles all facets of online Level 1 desktop support from initial requests through ticketing, remote desktop control, progress tracking, problem resolution, and reporting. Progent provides help desk services at a significant discount from Progent's normal Level 1 desktop service rates, and Progent can provide the additional option of fast as-needed escalation to Level 2 and Level 3 experts to resolve complex issues.

  Progent's Help Desk consulting services can guide you in creating an effective new Help Desk Call Center or enhancing your established one, selecting or customizing Help Desk software to address the particular needs of your business, or providing temporary online personnel to reinforce your existing Help Desk Call Center group during demanding scenarios such as software transitions, mass upgrades, or installing brand new applications.

  Progent's Help Desk team of seasoned network consultants offers your clients in Chicago Illinois instant communication with an effective technical support resource with substantial experience delivering phone consulting and online repair service for computer environments powered by Microsoft, Cisco, Apple macOS and OS X, or UNIX/Linux components. Progent's focus is to give the Help Desk Call Center perception as a major contributor to business performance, and Progent's target is to resolve instead of just document IT issues.

• Business Applications Support: Training, Development, and Troubleshooting
  Progent's Applications Consulting Team offers online advanced engineering expertise and training in key business application areas that include ERP, Manufacturing Requirements Planning, customizing accounting packages, and Customer Relationship Management. Progent also can provide consulting expertise, programming, and training for Microsoft business applications including Microsoft CRM, MS Project, Office Word, and Office Excel. To read additional information concerning Progent's consulting, custom programming, and education offerings, go to Progent's Applications Experts Group.

• Unified and Streamlined Management of Hybrid Cloud Networks
  System Center unifies and automates the administration of hybrid cloud environments by offering comprehensive integration with Windows Server 2022, Windows 10 and Windows 11; cohesive management of mixed-OS environments that incorporate Linux, Hyper-V and VMware; and better cloud support including tighter integration with Intune for iPhone and Google Android smartphone administration plus built-in integration with Microsoft Operations Management Suite (OSM) for cloud-enhanced analytics and reporting. Progent's System Center consulting experts can provide advanced remote and on-premises expertise for all elements of System Center2including Operations Manager (SCOM), Configuration Manager, Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM), Data Protection Manager, Orchestrator, and Service Manager. Progent can help you to plan and install a new deployment of Microsoft System Center2, expand or tune your current one, upgrade efficiently from an earlier version of System Center, or troubleshoot your System Center environment.

• Remote IT Infrastructure Monitoring and Reporting Services
  Progent offers organizations in Chicago Illinois remote hybrid network monitoring by providing System Center Operations Manager consulting services. Progent can adapt SCOM to accommodate your environment so that your computer maintenance is proactive rather than reactive. By uncovering looming issues before they evolve into full-scale emergencies, proactive monitoring can avoid disruptive and costly service breakdowns. Progent can also utilize network monitoring tools like Nagios and MRTG to analyze UNIX/Linux, Solaris, or Apple macOS and OS X networks, Microsoft Windows systems, or systems powered by a combination of OS platforms.

Even if your Chicago business works with a regular independent support technician or maintains a full time organization that can handle typical computer problems, Progent's Microsoft certified engineers are available to provide a convenient and transparent virtual expansion of your local resources in cases when your regular service personnel either lack the bandwidth or the expertise to solve unexpected system emergencies or particularly complex integration projects.

Advantages of Progent's Network Help for Organizations in Chicago Illinois
Progent's remote IT consulting services enable your Chicago organization to enjoy the benefits of immediate, enterprise-grade network support without the expense of managing an in-house IT organization. Your information system will acquire added strategic worth by becoming increasingly available, productive, and secure. Benefits to your business include:

• Seamless remote extension of your on-site support resources
  With most organizations in Chicago Illinois, nearby network service providers, whether consisting of independent consultants or an internal maintenance staff, can resolve the majority of network issues. However, major troubles may strike when your regular resources are overstretched or unavailable, and some problems may be associated with technology that is beyond the scope of your onsite service people. In these instances, Progent's on-call service specialists give you a convenient, quick, and budget-friendly way to augment your regular resources and to convey valuable information to improve your ability to handle future issues in-house.

• Less Dependence on Individual Consultants
  For IT maintenance, smaller organizations often rely on individual freelance consultants. Although independent consultants carry less overhead than larger consulting firms and can often charge marginally less, they are occasionally stretched too thin, making it difficult to respond rapidly to urgent situations. If a freelance service provider is occupied with another client, sick, on vacation, or in training, the absence of fallback help may force your company to wait for assistance during an IT crisis. As your business grows, system unavailability and problems with vital applications are more expensive. The money you thought you were conserving on an independent can be eaten up fast by lost productivity. Progent provides a ready source of backup support experts to insure your network stays available.

• Build a Solid Foundation for Smooth Growth
  Organizations often begin with an IT system created on a modest budget. Lacking a robust infrastructure, slap-dash fixes can get thrown on top of a weak foundation. When a network grows, reliability and expandability issues can hinder the productivity of the organization. These poorly designed systems need careful assessment, intelligent strategic planning, and broad-based technical knowledge to upgrade to a network architecture able to offer the stable foundation to meet current business demands and facilitate future expansion.

• Work with Solution Providers Rather Than Product Resellers
  Smaller companies need guidance and technical education to negotiate an ever more complex maze of product alternatives available for accelerating business growth and enhancing productivity. Businesses do not need a computer consultant who is motivated to sell a specific vendor's products. Network consulting and product sales can result in a scenario where the proposed solution is built around a predetermined product rather than the true needs of a business. Progent eliminates these conflicts by offering only services rather than products. This allows Progent to align IT consulting with the best needs of customers.

How Is Progent Different from Other Support Organizations?
Progent is a Microsoft Certified Partner support firm and Progent's staff size, breadth of IT expertise, fine tuned support tools, and familiarity with enterprise networking allow offices to escape the limitations associated with excessive reliance on smaller consulting organizations, individual freelance consultants, or over-stretched in-house resources.

Progent adds value by offering:

• Best Practices
  Progent's team of Microsoft and Cisco Premier Certified consultants average more than a decade of real-world industry background, at the front lines of network service, performing a broad variety of technical projects for a large array of businesses. Each Progent support professional shares a refined collection of personal best practices which are incorporated into company-wide leading practices standards that Progent instills in its consulting personnel. This guarantees that you get not just world-class IT skills, but also a consultant with field-tested methods for applying computer knowledge to repair actual network problems quickly.

• Value Pricing
  Progent's pricing policy is to bill for phone service and in-person visits per minute. As a result, you are charged only for received services. Progent does not impose a more expensive rate for off-hours or urgent support, and within California or in regions where Progent offers in-person support, Progent does not charge for travel time except for urgent calls where on-site work is less than 4 hours. Also, Progent imposes no minimum charge and asks no retainer for services delivered during regular working hours. Many service organizations impose large minimum fees or charge for every quarter hour or longer. Progent's one-minute granularity eliminates large bills for quick fixes so you won't be tempted to permit less critical problems to fester.

• Complete Documentation of Delivered Services
  Progent has developed a comprehensive support reporting system that records and formats complete documentation for all billed support activities. Unlike many independent consultants or local support organizations who provide scant documentation or details of tasks done, every service delivered by Progent is accompanied by comprehensive documentation. Every Progent consultant has use of the support documentation transmitted by each consultant to every client. The discipline of documenting and organizing service activity allows more effective service and eliminates a variety of typical problems such as when a service customer is virtually held captive to a consultant who refuses to let go of vital service information.

• 24x7 Server Monitoring with MS System Center Operations Manager
  Progent is one of the few consulting firms to offer round-the-clock remote monitoring services based on Microsoft Operations Manager. Microsoft System Center Operations Manager causes your computer support to be anticipatory rather than reactive. By uncovering potential problems before they result in downtime, network monitoring can keep your IT network from painful and costly service disruptions.