Enlarging your remote workforce may have a significant effect on IT infrastructure, security/compliance, and corporate workflows. Progent has two decades of experience assisting small and mid-size businesses to design, deploy, manage, tune, and debug IT networks that support work-from-home employees. Progent can help your Des Moines company to pick the appropriate technologies and adhere to leading practices in creating and maintaining a secure virtual office solution for telecommuters that promotes collaboration and returns maximum value. Progent can provide support services that go from on demand guidance for getting you over challenging technical bottlenecks to comprehensive project management to help you successfully complete business-critical tasks.
Progent's consultants can help Des Moines, Iowa businesses to with any aspect of building a high-performing remote work environment by delivering network infrastructure configuration services, IP voice expertise, video conferencing integration, collaboration platform selection and deployment, public cloud connectivity, helpdesk augmentation, security monitoring, backup/restore solutions, and streamlined management.
Infrastructure for Teleworkers
Integrating the physical and software infrastructure required to support a remote workforce can be especially complicated if you must manage a mix of worker-owned equipment like desktop computers and laptops, Internet routers, and Wi-Fi appliances from different vendors and with a variety of operating systems and firmware releases. Progent's experience providing online help for both outdated as well as current technologies in virtual office venues allows you to make efficient use of your existing network infrastructure and offers fast access to top-tire consultants for implement essential updates. Services available from Progent to assist you to implement a high-functioning work-at-home infrastructure include:
VoIP Solutions for Remote Workers
Extending the corporate PBX system to include remote users is critical to supporting a productive work-at-home solution. A variety of cloud-centric VoIP platforms are popular with SMBs to server teleworkers. Many larger organizations depend on Cisco's current or older platforms for IP voice management. Progent can help businesses of any size to design or maintain a telecommuter VoIP service that delivers the versatility, transparency and security required for telecommuters. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE IP Voice consultants offer advanced support to assist businesses optimize their current Cisco IP voice environments to handle a growing remote workforce.
Voice/Video Conferencing for an At-Home Workforce
A broad selection of voice/video conferencing products from leading vendors support online meetings, video conferencing, chat, and screen/content sharing for both onsite workers and teleworkers. Many organizations use multiple products to accommodate their different partners and customers. Progent can assist your organization to manage your existing voice/video conferencing ecosystem and optimize the engagement of your at-home workforce.
Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Software for Telecommuters
Microsoft's collaboration products are tightly integrated with Microsoft's familiar Office suites, offering a powerful environment of applications that deliver a cohesive user interface for sharing data and ideas throughout multiple sites and on a broad range of endpoints. Progent has delivered online consulting support for SharePoint and Exchange since their original publication and can assist your company to configure these critical collaboration platforms to optimize the effectiveness 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 with Microsoft 365 and supports third-party cloud services to provide real-time collaboration and communication. Developed as a substitute for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium can support chat, audio/video meetings with screen sharing, phone calls, cloud voicemail, group email, plus file and application sharing. Teams is tightly integrated with Microsoft 365 and relies on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Azure Entra (previously called Azure Active Directory) for delivering its complete range of capabilities. For additional information about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Teams, see solution design and configuration expertise for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium.
SharePoint utilizes web sites to enable collaboration and knowledge delivery by providing policy-driven access to data, workflow, and utilities for searching through enterprise-wide information silos. SharePoint permits you to create secure portals that allows at-home workforce to see and update aggregated corporate intelligence via Wikis, Blogs, social web sites, and Web Parts (Widgets). To learn about Progent's SharePoint support services, visit SharePoint integration and application development expertise.
Exchange and Exchange Online offer secure collaboration features including public folders, shared mailboxes, and shared calendars and contacts. Progent's Microsoft certified Exchange experts can show you how to activate and utilize these features for your at-home workers. For information about Progent's Exchange expertise, visit deployment consulting for Exchange.
OneDrive is Microsoft�s collaborative cloud file hosting and synchronization service, similar to GoogleDrive. At-home users can store files to the OneDrive service, and co-workers anywhere can share them safely via a browser. Provided with Microsoft 365, OneDrive enables remote employees to co-author documents. Revisions made offline are synced when you reconnect to the Internet. To find out about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft OneDrive, refer to Onedrive integration experts.
Cloud Integration Services for Telecommuters
Progent can provide fast and affordable online support for helping organizations to create, manage and troubleshoot integrated network models that include physical data centers, teleworkers, branch offices, plus public cloud services. Progent can provide top-tier consultant for all modes of cloud service delivery including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service. Progent can help at-home workers fix issues with public cloud connectivity, authentication, and security.
Azure is a popular platform for public cloud services that enables you to use IT infrastructure, servers, and key apps running on Microsoft's extensive cloud. Microsoft Azure offers more than one hundred services services such as the ability to host Windows and Linux-based virtual machines, on-demand cloud storage, email and messaging, application development with Visual Studio, and backup/restore. Progent can help you to deploy VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, configure storage on Azure Storage services, streamline identity management with Azure AD, and design data backup and recovery systems with Azure Backup. Progent can also help you create protected access to Azure services for telecommuters by setting up and debugging firewall appliances and VPN IPsec tunnels. To learn about Progent's support services for Azure, go to Microsoft Azure consulting.
Microsoft 365, previously called Office 365, is Microsoft's popular family of client productivity software and cloud services offered on a subscription basis. Microsoft applications and cloud services are provided in a variety of bundles intended for users ranging from individuals and households to large corporations. Progent offers quick and easy remote contact with consultants familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible client devices based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android technology. Progent's experts can help your business to assess the numerous subscription plans available for Microsoft 365 and deploy 365 applications for your telecommuters in a way that delivers maximum business value. For information about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft 365, go to Microsoft 365 integration expertise.
Exchange Online is among the most widely used applications in Azure-hosted Microsoft 365 product line. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online offers the advantages of lower spending for physical infrastructure, easier management, dynamic scaling, high reliability, and other advantages inherent with cloud computing. Microsoft has engineered Microsoft 365 Exchange Online to run seamlessly with local deployments of Exchange, enabling you to create hybrid cloud/onsite networks. Progent's Exchange experts can provide as-needed help to guide you past challenging IT roadblocks and can also provide end-to-end project management services to ensure your telecommuters have convenient and safe access to your Microsoft 365 Exchange Online environment. To learn Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft 365 Exchange Online, refer to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online integration and troubleshooting consulting.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a pioneer in the public cloud computing arena and is the world's top provider of cloud-based services. Progent can provide fast and affordable online contact with cloud integration consultants who can help your organization to design, implement, maintain, and troubleshoot hybrid information networks that incorporate Amazon AWS cloud services with on-premises data centers and with other popular cloud platforms such as Azure. Progent also can provide the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking experts to assist you to build a high-availability network architecture so your employees have a consistent computing experience whether they are working from your main office, a branch office, at home, or on the move. For information about Progent's consulting expertise for Amazon AWS, refer to Amazon AWS integration services.
Google Cloud (GCP) is a leading set of cloud services that provides Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service products. Progent's Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can assist you to expand your current IT resources with the Google Cloud, and Progent's database experts can show you how to make your key apps cloud friendly so your teleworkers can benefit fully from Google Cloud services. Progent can help your organization to deploy virtual machines on Google Cloud Compute Engine, design an efficient storage system with GCP Storage services, and streamline access management for remote workers with GCP Cloud Identity services. Progent's experts can also assist your business to utilize GCP's unified management tools to administer and track your Google Cloud environment. To find out, refer to Google Cloud Platform integration support.
Help Desk Call Center Services for Telecommuters
A rapid, company-wide switchover to a telecommuter business model, which might be driven by an epidemic or as an element of a disaster recovery plan, can overstretch even a well-staffed internal Help Desk. Progent's Call Center services allow businesses to outsource or expand their Call Center by using Progent's online Technical Response Center team.
Security and Compliance for Remote Workers
At-home staff members typically utilize their personal computing devices and often work in a poorly secured physical space. This situation increases their vulnerability to cyber threats and calls for careful configuration of firewalls, AV tools, multi-factor authentication, remote endpoint monitoring, intensive user education, and the creation of policies based on leading practices. Progent's seasoned group of data security solutions consultants can assist you to design, configure and manage an effective security solution that guards vital information assets in networks that include an at-home workforce.
Firewalls enable you to build a network that can be safely accessed by on-premises users as well as by at-home workers, mobile employees, vendors, clients, and the public. Next-generation firewall devices permit you to configure and control appropriate permissions to different groups of users and to scale your IT network and adjust your security as your business evolves and as network attacks grow increasingly sophisticated. Progent supports both current and legacy firewall appliances from all leading vendors like Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, WatchGuard, Juniper, SonicWall and Fortinet. To learn more about Progent's firewall configuration expertise, refer to firewall support services.
Online Endpoint Monitoring makes it easy to track the various devices used by teleworkers and either block or spot and respond to modern threats such as ransomware. With Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint agent is put on every protected endpoint, watching all activity and using state-of-the-art behavioral threat analysis from SentinelOne to detect new threats at inception. When an attack is spotted, ProSight Active Security Monitoring immediately disconnects the impacted endpoint device from the network to quarantine the malware. Because the ProSight ASM software agent is autonomous, endpoint devices remain secure even when they are disconnected from the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. For more information about ProSight Active Security Monitoring, refer to remote endpoint monitoring for at-home workers.
Progent's Duo authentication Services incorporate Cisco's Duo technology to protect against stolen passwords through the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo enables single-tap identity verification with Apple iOS, Android, and other out-of-band devices. With 2FA, whenever you log into a protected application and give your password you are asked to confirm who you are via a unit that only you have and that is accessed using a separate network channel. A broad range of devices can be utilized as this added means of authentication including an iPhone or Android or watch, a hardware token, a landline telephone, etc. You may designate multiple verification devices. For details about ProSight Duo two-factor identity authentication services, go to Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for telecommuters.
Security Audits can evaluate the vulnerability of your network to all types of outside and local security attacks for an environment that incorporates at-home workers. Progent can run online, automated security analysis software for quickly and affordably detecting a wide variety of security holes that can be surfaced via the Internet. Progent's endpoint security assessment consulting services, which can be managed by network security professionals with top certifications including CISM, ISSAP, and GIAC, can assist your business to audit your processes and policies and review your network architecture to enable you to implement top-level protection for your an at-home workforce.
Horizon3.ai's NodeZero PEN Testing Platform is a leading-edge 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 uncover, rank, fix, and confirm security weaknesses before threat actors can take advantage of them. Progent can assist you to use NodeZero to perform comprehensive pentests of your network perimeter and your internal IT infrastructure in order to evaluate your present security posture. Progent can also assist you to harden your existing network security and can assist you to plan and implement a unified cybersecurity ecosystem that simplifies management and provides maximum protection for on-premises, multi-cloud, at-home, and perimeter IT resources. To find out more information about Progent's threat analysis solutions based on on NodeZero's penetration test products, refer to Consulting Support for NodeZero's Penetration Test Products.
Download White Paper: Securing a Work-From-Home (WFH) Network
To read or download a white paper describing key areas to concentrate on for protecting an IT environment that includes telecommuters, click:
Protecting a Work-From-Home Network White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)
Data Protection for Remote Workers
The field of Data Protection covers backing up and recovering vital data in order to prevent data loss and minimize restoration time in the event of storage failures due to hardware issues, software glitches, operator error, cyber attack, or other causes. Dependable data protection strategies can be especially difficult to architect and manage in hybrid environments that combine local data centers, public clouds, and an at-home workforce.
Unified Management for Remote Workers
Microsoft has renamed and rebundled its endpoint management products under the title Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which includes Intune for cloud management of remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing onsite endpoints. Microsoft Endpoint Manager offers a centralized platform for safeguarding critical information by managing local, mobile, and home-based endpoint devices.
Microsoft Intune
Intune is a component of Microsoft's Endpoint Management family that also includes Microsoft Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud service for managing and securing remote devices and software. Remote endpoint devices can be user owned or business owned. IT administrators managing the enrolled endpoint computers of teleworkers can use Intune to provision and authenticate apps on managed devices, push updates and certificates, configure rules for accessing information and networks, manage passwords, establish VPN tunnels, determine how home-based workers share data, establish threat protection, ensure security compliance, and wipe sensitive data from lost, stolen or deactivated devices. Microsoft Intune runs with iOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS/OS X devices. For details about Intune and how Progent can assist your company to use this platform to manage the endpoint computers of your at-home workers, see Intune remote endpoint management experts.
VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is a feature-rich unified Mobile Device Management (MDM) product that helps network administrators to keep offsite endpoints up to date and secure. Workspace ONE uses VMware AirWatch for centralized endpoint administration along with VMware's Horizon virtual application delivery technology for authorization control, app management, and setup management of endpoints. Workspace ONE operates with devices based on Windows 10, macOS, Apple iOS, Android, Chrome OS, or popular distros of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is offered by subscription as a cloud service or as an on-premises product via a perpetual license. Key capabilities of VMware Workspace ONE include fast remote provisioning of new notebooks, quick onboarding of new users, policy set up and enforcement for all categories of endpoints, aggregated management reporting and performance analytics, email encryption, and seamless integration with Microsoft applications and cloud products. For information about Progent's support services for VMware Workspace ONE, go to VMware Workspace ONE mobile endpoint management consultants.
Contact Progent for Remote Workforce Expertise
To contact Progent about creating and maintaining an efficient work-from-home environment for your Des Moines, Iowa organization, phone