Expanding your telecommuter workforce may have a significant impact on IT architecture, security/compliance, and company processes. Progent has two decades of background helping small and mid-size businesses to plan, configure, manage, optimize, and debug IT environments that incorporate at-home workers. Progent can assist your Detroit organization to select the right technologies and adhere to leading practices in creating and operating a safe virtual office ecosystem for telecommuters that promotes collaboration and returns maximum value. Progent can provide support services ranging from as-needed guidance for helping you over challenging technical bottlenecks to comprehensive project management or co-management to help you carry out business-critical initiatives.
Progent can help Detroit, Michigan businesses to with any facet of creating a high-functioning telecommuting environment by providing network infrastructure configuration services, VoIP PBX troubleshooting, voice/video conferencing support, collaboration platform selection and deployment, public cloud connectivity, Call Desk services, data security, data protection solutions, and unified management.
Infrastructure for a Remote Workforce
Integrating the physical and software infrastructure required for an at-home work environment can be particularly complex if you have to accommodate a combination of worker-owned equipment such as PCs and laptops, routers, and wireless appliances from different manufacturers and with a mix of operating systems and firmware releases. Progent's background providing online support for both legacy and modern technologies in virtual office solutions allows you to make cost-effective use of your available infrastructure and offers ready access to expertise for implement essential upgrades. Services offered by Progent to help you to implement a high-functioning telecommuting infrastructure include:
IP Voice Integration for an At-Home Workforce
Extending the corporate PBX environment to accommodate telecommuters is critical to supporting a productive work-at-home solution. A variety of cloud-based digital PBX products are used by SMBs to support teleworkers. Many enterprises rely on Cisco's modern or legacy platforms for VoIP management. Progent can assist businesses of all sizes to plan or tune a remote VoIP service that provides the versatility, transparency and protection needed for at-home workers. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE Voice experts can provide advanced support to assist businesses optimize their current Cisco IP voice environments to support a growing at-home workforce.
Voice/Video Conferencing for Remote Workers
A broad selection of video conferencing products from leading technology companies enable online meetings, video and voice conferencing, chat, and screen/content sharing for both onsite workers and telecommuters. Many organizations use multiple conferencing products to accommodate their different partners and clients. Progent's communications experts can assist your organization to manage your current conferencing environment and enhance the engagement of your remote workforce.
Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Platforms for Remote Workers
Microsoft's collaboration products are closely integrated with Microsoft's familiar Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365 families, providing a rich environment of applications that create a cohesive user experience for sharing information across a corporate network and on a broad selection of endpoint devices. Progent has delivered remote consulting services for Microsoft SharePoint and Exchange since their initial publication and can help businesses to deploy these critical collaboration products to optimize the productivity of your at-home workforce.
SharePoint utilizes web sites to facilitate collaboration and information delivery by offering policy-driven access to data, workflow, and tools for searching through company-wide information silos. SharePoint allows you to create secure portals that enables at-home workers to view and update consolidated business intelligence by means of Wikis, Blogs, social sites, and Web Parts (Widgets). To find out about Progent's SharePoint expertise, see SharePoint configuration and development consulting.
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, see planning and configuration consulting for Exchange Server.
OneDrive is Microsoft's shared cloud file hosting and synchronization service, similar to GoogleDrive. Remote users can save files to the OneDrive service, and colleagues anywhere can retrieve them safely through a browser. Provided with Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365, OneDrive allows home employees to co-author documents. Edits made offline are uploaded when you go back online. To find out about Progent's consulting services for OneDrive, visit Onedrive integration experts.
Cloud Integration Services for Teleworkers
Progent can provide affordable online assistance for enabling businesses to build, maintain and troubleshoot cohesive network models that incorporate physical data centers, remote workers, branches, and cloud resources. Progent can provide top-tier consultant for all modes of cloud service delivery including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service (SaaS). Progent can help remote workers resolve issues with public cloud access, identity, and security.
Azure is a leading platform for public cloud services that allows you to utilize IT infrastructure, virtual servers, and critical apps running on Microsoft's extensive cloud. Azure includes more than 100 services services including the ability to host Windows and Linux-based virtual machines, scalable cloud storage, messaging, app development with Visual Studio, and backup/restore. Progent can help your organization to set up VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, configure cloud-based storage on Azure Storage services, unify identity control with Azure Active Directory, and design data backup and restore solutions with Azure Backup. Progent can also help you establish secure access to Azure services for at-home workers by setting up and debugging firewall appliances and VPN IPsec tunnels. For details about Progent's consulting services for Azure, visit Microsoft Azure consulting.
Microsoft 365, formerly branded Office 365, is Microsoft's popular family of client productivity applications and cloud services available by subscription. Microsoft applications and services are marketed in a variety of bundles designed for customers ranging from students and small offices to large corporations. Progent can provide fast and easy online access to consultants knowledgeable about Microsoft 365-compatible endpoint devices based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android technology. Progent's experts can help you to assess the numerous subscription plans offered with Microsoft 365 and configure 365 apps for your remote workers to achieve maximum business value. For details about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft 365, go to Microsoft 365 consulting expertise.
Microsoft 365 Exchange Online is one of the most popular cloud-based applications in Azure-hosted Microsoft 365 product line. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online offers the advantages of lower costs for data center infrastructure, easier management, dynamic scaling, high reliability, and additional advantages associated with cloud computing. Microsoft has engineered Microsoft 365 Exchange Online to operate seamlessly with local deployments of Exchange, allowing you to build hybrid networks. Progent's Exchange consultants are available for as-needed assistance to guide you through tough technical bottlenecks and also offer comprehensive project management services to ensure your telecommuters have easy and secure access to your Microsoft 365 Exchange Online environment. For details Progent's consulting services for Microsoft 365 Exchange Online, refer to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online integration and support expertise.
Amazon AWS is a trailblazer in the public cloud computing market and is the world's top source of cloud-based services. Progent can provide rapid and economical online contact with cloud connectivity experts who can help your organization to plan, implement, maintain, and debug hybrid IT networks that incorporate Amazon AWS cloud services with local data centers and with other popular cloud platforms such as Azure. Progent also offers access to Cisco-certified CCIE networking experts to assist you to build a high-uptime network model to make sure your employees have a consistent computing environment regardless of whether they are working from your headquarters, a remote branch, from home, or on the road. For information about Progent's expertise for Amazon AWS, see Amazon AWS consulting services.
Google Cloud (GCP) is a leading collection of public cloud services that offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) products. Progent's Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can assist your organization to scale your existing IT resources with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's database consultants can show you how to make your critical apps cloud ready so your remote workers can take full advantage of Google Cloud services. Progent can assist you to deploy VMs on Google Cloud Compute Engine, plan a cost-effective storage solution with GCP Storage services, and streamline access management for telecommuters with Google Cloud Identity services. Progent's experts can also assist you to utilize GCP's unified management technology to control and track your Google Cloud environment. For information, see Google Cloud Platform consulting support.
Help Desk Services for Remote Workers
A sudden, company-wide transition to a telecommuter workforce, which might be driven by an epidemic or as an element of a disaster recovery plan, can overstretch even the most efficient internal Support Desk. Progent's Help Desk services allow organizations to outsource or supplement their Call Desk by using Progent's online Technical Response Center (TRC) team.
Security and Compliance for At-Home Workers
Work-from-Home (WFH) employees commonly use their personal computing devices and usually work in an unsecured physical area. This multiplies their susceptibility to cyber attacks and requires judicious deployment of firewalls, AV tools, MFA-based identity verification, remote endpoint monitoring, thorough end-user education, and the creation of security policies built on best practices. Progent's seasoned roster of cybersecurity support experts can help you to design, configure and manage an effective security solution that guards critical information resources in networks that incorporate at-home workers.
Firewalls allow you to create a network that can be securely accessed by on-premises users and by at-home workers, mobile workers, suppliers, clients, and the public. Modern firewall appliances allow you to configure and manage appropriate access rights to different classes of users and to expand your network and adjust your security as your company evolves and as cyber threats grow increasingly complex. Progent works with both current and legacy security devices from all leading manufacturers including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, Juniper, and Fortinet. For more information about Progent's firewall configuration expertise, visit firewall integration and support services.
Remote Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it easy to track the various computers utilized by telecommuters and either block or spot and respond to modern cyber attacks such as ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) services, a small-footprint agent is put on every protected endpoint, monitoring all activity and using state-of-the-art machine learning and full execution context from SentinelOne to identify new threats before they can spread. When an attack is spotted, ProSight ASM immediately disconnects the targeted endpoint from the network to quarantine the threat. Since the ProSight ASM software agent is autonomous, endpoint devices remain secure even if they are not connected to the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. To learn more about ProSight Active Security Monitoring, refer to remote endpoint monitoring for remote workers.
Progent's Duo authentication service plans incorporate Cisco's Duo technology to defend against password theft by using two-factor authentication. Duo supports one-tap identity confirmation with Apple iOS, Google Android, and other personal devices. With 2FA, when you sign into a secured application and give your password you are requested to verify who you are via a unit that only you have and that is accessed using a different network channel. A wide selection of out-of-band devices can be used for this second form of ID validation such as a smartphone or wearable, a hardware/software token, a landline telephone, etc. You can register several verification devices. For details about Duo identity validation services, see Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for teleworkers.
Security Audits can evaluate the exposure of your information system to all classes of external and local security threats for an environment that includes remote workers. Progent can deploy online, automated cybersecurity analysis software for quickly and affordably detecting a broad range of security weaknesses that can be found via the Internet. Progent's endpoint security audit consulting services, which can be provided by data security experts with advanced credentials including CISA, CISSP, and GIAC, can assist your company to evaluate your workflows and policies and assess your IT infrastructure to enable you to design the highest level of security for your at-home workers.
Download White Paper: Securing a Work-From-Home (WFH) Environment
To view or download a white paper describing key things to concentrate on for securing an IT environment that includes work-from-home staff, click:
Protecting a Work-From-Home (WFH) Environment White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)
Data Protection for Telecommuters
Data Protection involves saving and recovering vital information in order to avoid data loss and reduce recovery time and effort in the event of storage system problems due to equipment breakdowns, programming glitches, human error, malware, or other causes. Dependable data protection solutions can be particularly challenging to architect and maintain in hybrid environments that combine in-house data centers, cloud resources, and an at-home workforce.
Unified Management for Teleworkers
Microsoft has rebranded and reshuffled its endpoint management products under the title Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which encompasses Intune for cloud management of remote devices and Configuration Manager for managing onsite computers. Microsoft Endpoint Manager offers a unified solution for protecting critical data by managing local, mobile, and home-based endpoint devices.
Microsoft Intune
Intune is a component of Microsoft's Endpoint Management suite that also includes Microsoft Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud-based service for managing and protecting mobile computers and software. Managed endpoint devices can be personally owned or business owned. Network administrators managing the enrolled endpoint devices of teleworkers can utilize Intune to provision and validate apps on managed devices, push patches and certificates, configure rules for accessing information and resources, manage passwords, create VPN connections, determine how telecommuters share information, establish threat defense, verify security compliance, and delete corporate data from missing, stolen or deactivated devices. Intune runs with iOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS/OS X endpoints. For details about Intune and how Progent can help you to use this platform to administer the endpoint computers of your at-home workforce, go to Intune teleworker endpoint management consultants.
VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is a feature-rich unified Mobile Device Management platform that helps network managers to keep remote endpoints up to date and protected. Workspace ONE uses VMware AirWatch for unified endpoint management plus VMware's Horizon virtual application delivery platform for access control, application management, and configuration management of endpoint devices. Workspace ONE runs with devices powered by Windows 10, macOS, Apple iOS, Android, Chrome OS, or leading distributions of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is available by subscription as a cloud-based service or as an on-site deployment through a perpetual license. Key capabilities of Workspace ONE include fast remote deployment of new notebooks, immediate onboarding of new users, policy set up and enforcement for all classes of devices, unifies management reporting and performance analytics, email encryption, and tight integration with Microsoft applications and cloud-based products. For details about Progent's support services for VMware Workspace ONE, go to VMware Workspace ONE remote device management expertise.
Contact Progent for At-Home Worker Support Services
To contact Progent about creating and managing an efficient work-from-home environment for your Detroit, Michigan organization, phone