Enlarging your telecommuter workforce may have a significant impact on IT architecture, security, and company culture. Progent has 20 years of experience helping SMBs to design, deploy, administer, optimize, and debug IT networks that incorporate at-home workers. Progent can assist your Detroit company to select the appropriate tools and adhere to best practices in creating and operating a secure virtual office solution for telecommuters that promotes teamwork and delivers top value. Progent offers support services ranging from on demand expertise for getting you over occasional technical bottlenecks to comprehensive project management or co-management to help you carry out mission-critical initiatives.

Progent can assist Detroit, Michigan companies to with any aspect of building a high-functioning remote work ecosystem by delivering network infrastructure design and configuration services, IP voice expertise, video conferencing support, collaboration platform selection and deployment, public cloud connectivity, helpdesk services, data security, data protection solutions, and centralized management.

Network Infrastructure for Telecommuters
Integrating the physical and software infrastructure required for a remote work environment can be especially complicated if you must accommodate a combination of worker-owned equipment like desktop computers and laptops, routers, and Wi-Fi appliances from an assortment of manufacturers and with a variety of operating systems and firmware releases. Progent's background providing remote support for both outdated as well as current technologies in virtual office venues allows you to make cost-effective use of your existing network infrastructure and provides you with ready access to expertise for making essential upgrades. Services offered by Progent to assist your company to implement a productive work-at-home ecosystem include:

  • Virtual Private Network connectivity allows you to create a secure connection for authorized remote workers to use IT resources situated at your corporate datacenter or in the cloud. Progent's consultants can help you to deploy and maintain VPN connections between your at-home workforce and your key network resources by providing online VPN integration support. For organizations with Cisco's ASA security appliances, Progent's Cisco-certified ASA Firewall experts can help your remote workers to utilize Cisco's AnyConnect client software for secure VPN tunneling for a broad selection of devices including Microsoft Windows, macOS, Apple iOS, Linux, and Android.
  • Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) platforms allow a teleworker to see and interact with a data center computer's desktop. This technology gives network managers substantial control over the digital ecosystem of telecommuters and offers remote users a familiar experience. Progent's virtual desktop consulting services include Windows Remote Desktop integration and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops expertise.
  • Routers connect home computer networks to the Internet and typically support VPN tunnels, home Wi-Fi connectivity, and firewall services. Progent offers top-tier remote support for deploying home routers from a variety of manufacturers. See router integration support from Cisco-certified consultants.
  • Home Wireless networks, typically shared by the whole family and guests, are frequently utilized by telecommuters to access their Internet router for work. This can create performance and cybersecurity issues. Progent can help businesses to mitigate these problems by providing expertise like Aironet integration consulting, Cisco Meraki WiFi deployment consulting, and Ubiquiti wireless access point setup help.
  • Internet connectivity solutions impact the performance and reliability of connections between telecommuters and the corporate data center. Mission-critical processes might require redundant Internet connections in case the primary connection breaks. Progent offers expertise for picking Internet service providers, selecting appropriate service packages, and integrating fault-tolerant Internet access. See Internet access integration services.

VoIP Integration for Teleworkers
Extending the business PBX system to include remote users is critical to supporting a productive work-at-home solution. A broad range of cloud-based digital PBX products are used by small and mid-size businesses to server remote users. Many enterprises depend on Cisco's current or older platforms for VoIP management. Progent can help organizations of any size to design or maintain a remote VoIP environment that provides the flexibility, convenience and security needed for remote users. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE IP Voice experts can provide advanced support to assist organizations optimize their current Cisco VoIP systems to support a growing at-home workforce.

  • Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM or CUCM) extends high-end IP telephony capabilities to devices like VoIP phones, media processing products, Voice over IP gateways, and multimedia applications used across the network. Unified Communications Manager manages other mixed media services such as messaging, video conferencing, and customer collaboration networks. For more information about Progent's CUCM support, visit Cisco Unified CM consulting services.
  • CallManager is Cisco's earlier call-processing agent and has been superseded by CUCM. Progent can help you to support your existing CallManager deployment or migrate smoothly to Cisco's modern IP telephony solutions. To learn about Progent's support services for CallManager and Cisco's other early IP voice products, visit CallManager consulting.
  • Cisco IP Gateways enable connectivity with public telephony networks and with clients operating beyond the corporate perimeter like at-home workers. Progent offers expert support for Cisco's earlier generation IP gateways including the UC520, UC540 and UC560 products and for current Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateways. See Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateway integration consulting.
  • Additional VoIP Platforms supported by Progent's consultants include Vonage, Intermedia Unite and 8x8. Progent can assist you to update your wide area network infrastructure to work with these solutions and provide as-needed integration and troubleshooting services.

Video Conferencing for Remote Workers
A broad selection of video conferencing products from leading vendors support online discussions, video and voice conferencing, chat, and content sharing for both onsite users and at-home workers. Many organizations utilize multiple conferencing products to meet the needs of their different partners and clients. Progent can help your organization to maintain your existing voice/video conferencing environment and optimize the productivity of your remote workforce.

  • Skype for Business is Microsoft's popular unified communications product that enables real-time presence, instant messaging, audio and video calling and conferencing plus the seamless integration of these functions within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 productivity software including PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. Progent can provide the expertise of Microsoft-certified consultants who can assist you to deploy and manage Skype for Business client software to accommodate your at-home employees. For details about Progent's consulting services for Skype for Business, refer to Skype for Business consulting services.
  • FaceTime is Apple's multiuser video phone app for iOS and Mac devices. FaceTime works over Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Later editions of FaceTime support as many as 32 simultaneous users for video sessions. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Apple FaceTime, visit Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
  • Webex Meeting Center provides remote conferencing for most desktop or mobile devices. Delivered through Cisco's Webex Cloud, Webex services include sharing specific content or computer screens, presentations that embed rich media including Microsoft PowerPoint, session capture, plus editing and playback for training. To learn more about Progent's consulting expertise for Webex as well as for additional video conferencing products from Cisco, see Progent's Webex Meeting Center support services.
  • Teams is Microsoft's next-generation replacement for Skype for Business. Teams acts as a portal for conversations, contacts, and information with capabilities such as video calling, persistent threaded chat, plus data sharing. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Teams as well as for additional Microsoft 365 products, refer to Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
  • Other Voice/Video Conferencing Apps supported by Progent's conferencing experts include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can provide configuration and troubleshooting expertise for these products and assist you to optimize your network infrastructure to run them.

Microsoft Collaboration Software for Telecommuters
Microsoft's collaboration platforms are closely integrated with Microsoft's familiar Office and Microsoft 365 suites, offering a rich ecosystem of productivity apps that deliver a cohesive user interface for exchanging data and ideas throughout multiple sites and on a wide selection of endpoint devices. Progent has delivered remote consulting support for Microsoft SharePoint and Exchange since their original releases and can help businesses to tune these flagship collaboration platforms to optimize the effectiveness of your remote workers.

SharePoint Server Configuration Experts for Remote WorkersSharePoint utilizes web entities to allow collaboration and knowledge delivery by providing policy-driven access to data, workflow, and utilities for looking through enterprise-wide business data. SharePoint enables you to create secure portals that permits remote workforce to view and update consolidated corporate intelligence by means of Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social sites, and Web Parts (Widgets). To find out about Progent's SharePoint consulting services, visit SharePoint integration and development expertise.

Exchange Configuration Consultants for Remote WorkersExchange and Exchange Online offer secure collaboration features including public folders, shared mailboxes, and shared calendars and contacts. Progent's Microsoft certified Exchange experts can show you how to activate and utilize these features for your at-home workers. To find out about Progent's Exchange expertise, visit deployment expertise for Microsoft Exchange.

Onedrive Integration Consultants for At-Home WorkersOneDrive is Microsoft's shared cloud file hosting and synchronization service, comparable to GoogleDrive. At-home workers can save files to the OneDrive service, and co-workers can retrieve them securely through a web browser. Included with Office and Microsoft 365, OneDrive enables home employees to jointly author files. Edits made offline are synced when you reconnect to the Internet. To learn about Progent's expertise for Microsoft OneDrive, refer to Onedrive configuration experts.

Public Cloud Integration Services for Telecommuters
Progent can provide advanced online support for helping organizations to build, manage and troubleshoot cohesive hybrid network architectures that include internal data centers, at-home workers, branch offices, and public cloud resources. Progent can provide top-tier consultant for all modes of cloud service delivery including Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Progent can help at-home workers fix problems with cloud access, authentication, and cybersecurity.

Microsoft Azure Integration Services for At-Home WorkersAzure is a leading platform for cloud software and services that enables you to utilize infrastructure, virtual servers, and critical applications running on Microsoft's massive cloud. Azure includes more than 100 services services including hosting for Windows and Linux-based virtual machines, scalable cloud storage, messaging, app development with Visual Studio, and data backup. Progent can help you to set up VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, configure cloud-based storage on Azure Storage services, streamline identity management with Azure Active Directory, and plan data backup and recovery systems with Azure Backup. Progent can also show you how to establish secure access to Azure services for teleworkers by setting up and debugging firewall appliances and VPN IPsec tunnels. For details about Progent's support services for Azure, refer to Azure expertise.

Microsoft 365 Integration for TelecommutersMicrosoft 365, formerly called Office 365, is Microsoft's growing suite of client productivity applications and cloud services available on a subscription basis. Office apps and services are provided in a selection of bundles designed for customers ranging from students and small offices to major corporations. Progent offers quick and easy online contact with consultants knowledgeable about Microsoft 365-compatible endpoints based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent's experts can help you to assess the numerous subscription plans available for Microsoft 365 and deploy 365 applications for your teleworkers to achieve maximum business value. To find out about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft 365, visit Microsoft 365 integration services.

Exchange Online Integration for TelecommutersMicrosoft 365 Exchange Online is one of the most widely used cloud-based applications in Azure-hosted Microsoft 365 product suite. Exchange Online offers the advantages of lower costs for data center infrastructure, easier management, dynamic scaling, high reliability, and additional benefits inherent with cloud computing. Microsoft has engineered Microsoft 365 Exchange Online to run smoothly with on-premises Exchange environments, enabling customers to create hybrid cloud/onsite networks. Progent's Exchange consultants can provide occasional help to get you past tough IT bottlenecks and also offer comprehensive project management outsourcing to make sure your remote workers have convenient and safe access to your Microsoft 365 Exchange Online deployment. To learn Progent's expertise for Exchange Online, visit Exchange Online configuration and troubleshooting consulting.

Amazon AWS Integration for TeleworkersAmazon AWS is a trailblazer in the public cloud arena and is the industry's top source of cloud-based services. Progent can provide quick and affordable online contact with cloud connectivity experts who can assist your organization to plan, deploy, maintain, and troubleshoot hybrid information networks that integrate Amazon AWS cloud services with local data centers and with other public clouds like Azure. Progent also offers access to Cisco-certified CCIE networking consultants to help your company to create a high-availability network model so your employees have a productive computing experience regardless of whether they are working from your main office, a branch office, from home, or on the move. To find out about Progent's consulting services for Amazon AWS, visit Amazon AWS consulting services.

Google Cloud Platform Integration for TeleworkersGoogle Cloud (GCP) is a popular collection of cloud services that offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service products. Progent's Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can assist your business to expand your current IT assets with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's database consultants can show you how to make your mission-critical apps cloud friendly so your remote workers can take full advantage of Google Cloud Platform services. Progent can help your business to deploy VMs on GCP Compute Engine, plan an efficient storage solution with GCP Storage services, and simplify identity control for telecommuters with Google Cloud Identity services. Progent can also assist your organization to use GCP's management tools to administer and monitor your GCP ecosystem. To find out, go to Google Cloud Platform integration support.

Help Desk Call Center Services for Remote Workers
A rapid, enterprise-wide switchover to a from-home business model, which might be activated by an epidemic or as part of a disaster recovery/business continuity preparedness plan, can overstretch even a well-staffed internal Help Desk. Progent's Help Desk services make it possible for organizations of any size to outsource or expand their Call Desk with Progent's online Technical Response Center (TRC) team.

  • Progent's Standard Call Desk support services leverage Progent's extensive network of remote technical support experts combined with world-class trouble ticketing and follow-up technology to offer an economical, advanced Support Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services provide a comprehensive solution that addresses all aspects of online Level 1 desktop support from service requests to trouble ticket generation, screen sharing, issue resolution, and reporting. A web-based User's Service Portal allows from-home workers to monitor or edit their active tickets, enter information, and append screenshots and attachments. Technical support services are delivered at a substantial price reduction off Progent's normal Level 1 desktop support charges, and Progent offers the option of fast escalation to Level 2 and Level 3 support experts to resolve complex issues. To find out more, see Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services outsourcing for small and mid-size businesses.
  • Progent's Call Desk Supplemental Service enables your company to augment your existing Call Desk staff by sharing responsibilities for Call Desk support services transparently between your regular IT support organization and Progent's nationwide team of PC support technicians and subject matter experts. Progent's shared Help Desk Call Center service uses a collective support solution utilizing the number one PSA platform for handling service requests and ticketing, assigning ownership, tracking progress, and generating management reports. To find out how Progent's Support Desk Augmentation Services can enable your company to provide best-in-class IT support to your at-home employees, go to Progent's Call Desk augmentation Services.

Cybersecurity for Teleworkers
At-home employees typically use their own computers and often work in an unsecured physical environment. This increases their susceptibility to malware attacks and calls for judicious deployment of corporate firewalls, anti-malware tools, multi-factor authentication, remote endpoint monitoring, intensive user education, and the development of security policies built on best practices. Progent's seasoned roster of IT security support experts can help your business to design, configure and maintain a compliant cybersecurity solution that protects vital IT assets in environments that incorporate telecommuters.

Firewall Integration Services for At-Home WorkersFirewalls allow companies to create a network that can be safely utilized by on-premises users and by an at-home workforce, mobile workers, suppliers, clients, and the public. Modern firewall devices allow you to assign and manage appropriate permissions to various groups of users and to expand your IT network and modify your cybersecurity posture as your company evolves and as network attacks become more sophisticated. Progent works with both new and older security appliances from all major vendors like Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, WatchGuard, Juniper, SonicWall and Fortinet. To find out more about Progent's firewall configuration expertise, go to firewall support expertise.

Remote Security Monitoring for TelecommutersRemote Endpoint Monitoring makes it possible to track the various computers utilized by teleworkers and either block or spot and mitigate the latest threats such as ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint software agent is put on each secured endpoint device, watching all activity and using state-of-the-art behavioral threat analysis from SentinelOne to identify zero-day attacks at inception. When a cyberattack is spotted, ProSight Active Security Monitoring immediately disconnects the targeted endpoint from the network to quarantine the threat. Because the ProSight Active Security Monitoring agent is autonomous, endpoints stay protected even when they are disconnected from the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. To find out more about ProSight Active Security Monitoring, go to remote endpoint security monitoring for teleworkers.

Two-factor Authentication (2FA) Services for At-Home WorkersProgent's Duo MFA Services utilize Cisco's Duo technology to protect against password theft through the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo enables one-tap identity confirmation on iOS, Android, and other personal devices. Using 2FA, whenever you log into a secured application and enter your password you are requested to verify who you are via a unit that only you possess and that is accessed using a separate network channel. A broad range of out-of-band devices can be used for this added form of ID validation including an iPhone or Android or wearable, a hardware/software token, a landline telephone, etc. You can register several validation devices. For more information about ProSight Duo identity authentication services, refer to Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for teleworkers.

Security Audit Services for At-Home WorkersSecurity Audits can assess the vulnerability of your network to all types of outside and internal security threats for an environment that includes at-home workers. Progent can run remote, automated cybersecurity inventory scanning for rapidly and economically detecting a wide variety of security holes that can be surfaced via the Internet. Progent's security assessment consulting services, which can be managed by data security professionals with advanced credentials including CISA, ISSAP, and GIAC, can assist your business to evaluate your procedures and policies and assess your IT architecture to enable you to design the highest level of protection for your an at-home workforce.

NodeZero Pen Testing for At-Home WorkersHorizon3.ai's NodeZero Pentest Platform is a cutting-edge penetration test (pentest) product family that can deliver automated threat assessment of your at-home connectivity solution and your internal and perimeter networks so you can expose, prioritize, fix, and confirm cybersecurity weaknesses before malicious hackers can exploit them. Progent can help you to use NodeZero to carry out comprehensive penetration tests of your network perimeter and your internal IT infrastructure in order to evaluate your current security posture. Progent can also assist you to harden your network security and can help you to design and implement a unified cybersecurity ecosystem that simplifies management and delivers optimum cyber defense for on-premises, cloud-based, at-home, and perimeter IT assets. To learn more details about Progent's threat analysis solutions powered by on NodeZero's PEN test platform, see Consulting Services for NodeZero's Penetration Test Products.

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

Data Protection for Remote Workers
Data Protection covers backing up and recovering critical data so as to prevent data loss and reduce restoration time and effort in case of storage failures due to hardware issues, programming hiccups, human mistakes, cyber attack, or other causes. Reliable data protection solutions can be especially challenging to architect and maintain in hybrid networks that incorporate local data centers, public clouds, and at-home workers.

  • Backup/Recovery strategies for remote workers must cover diverse types of personally owned endpoint devices. Progent offers fast online access to experts knowledgeable about a wide array of products for protection Microsoft Windows, Apple and Linux/UNIX powered servers and desktops as well as laptops, iPads and smartphones. Leading backup/restore solutions maintained by Progent's data protection consultants include Barracuda Backup, Azure Backup, Symantec Backup Exec, CrashPlan, Retrospect, and Time Machine. To back up data spread throughout a hybrid network, Progent can provide ProSight Data Protection Services, a managed backup/recovery service that utilizes cloud-based storage and includes fine-grained recovery and unified management.
  • Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity plans typically anticipate circumstances that require a rapid changeover to a work-at-home environment. Progent's expert disaster recovery preparedness consultants and business continuity planning consultants can assist your company to produce, document and validate a DR/BC strategy that includes the logistics of switching to telecommuting.

Unified Management for Telecommuters
Microsoft has renamed and rebundled its endpoint management platforms under the title Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which encompasses Intune for cloud management of remote devices and Configuration Manager for managing local endpoints. Endpoint Manager provides a centralized solution for safeguarding critical information by managing on-premises, mobile, and at-home endpoints.

Intune
Intune is part of Microsoft's Endpoint Management suite that also includes Microsoft Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud service for managing and protecting off-premises devices and software. Managed endpoint devices can be personally owned or business owned. Network admins managing the endpoint devices of at-home workers can use Intune to deploy and authenticate applications on devices, push updates and certificates, configure rules for permission to access information and networks, set passwords, create VPN connections, determine how telecommuters share information, set up threat protection, ensure compliance, and erase corporate information from missing, stolen or decommissioned endpoint devices. Intune can be used with iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS computers. To learn about Intune and how Progent can assist you to use this platform to manage the endpoint computers of your at-home workforce, see Intune teleworker endpoint management experts.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced centralized Mobile Device Management (MDM) platform that helps network managers to keep off-premises endpoint devices current and protected. Workspace ONE incorporates VMware AirWatch for centralized endpoint administration plus VMware's Horizon virtual application delivery technology for authorization control, app management, and setup management of endpoint devices. Workspace ONE runs with endpoints powered by Windows 10, macOS, 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-premises deployment through a one-time purchase. Top capabilities of VMware Workspace ONE include fast remote deployment of new laptops, quick onboarding of new employees, policy set up and enforcement for all classes of devices, unifies management reporting and performance analytics, an email encryption gateway, and integration with Microsoft apps and cloud-based products. To find out about Progent's expertise for VMware Workspace ONE, refer to VMware Workspace ONE remote device management expertise.

Contact Progent for Telecommuter Support Services
To get in touch with Progent about building and maintaining an efficient work-from-home solution for your Detroit, Michigan organization, call 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.