Cloud Solutions
Microsoft Azure Consulting:
Planning, Integration and Technical Support for Microsoft Azure
Progent has assisted businesses of all sizes to design, configure, and manage networks that use a range of hybrid architectures that combine Azure cloud-based resources with physical facilities, private clouds, and additional public clouds like Amazon AWS or Google Cloud Platform. Progent is unmatched in the ability to offer immediate and economical online access to Technology consulting experts to assist you to understand the possible benefits of different Azure products and services for your specific business. Progent's virtualization consultants can assist you to configure virtual machines on Azure Virtual Machines. Progent's certified information security consultants can help you centralize identity management using Azure Active Directory. Progent's data protection experts can help you to design backup and restore systems based on Azure Backup. Also, Progent's VPN and security appliance specialists can show you how to create safe and reliable connections to Azure.
About Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure, formerly branded Windows Azure, is a leading public cloud service that lets you utilize IT infrastructure, virtual servers, and key applications residing on Microsoft's massive public cloud. Microsoft Azure offers dozens of cloud-based services such as the ability to host Windows and Linux-based virtual machines (VMs), on-demand storage, messaging, development, and backup/restore. Azure services are offered by subscription and provided dynamically, so you can instantly expand or ratchet down processing and data storage capacity. Because you are billed only for the capacity you need, utilization is very high, which is the key of cloud computing.
Key Microsoft Azure Cloud Products and Services
Microsoft Azure provides more than 60 IaaS and platform products and hundreds of cloud services. This growing catalog of cloud-based services addresses virtually all facets of information technology such as compute, data and storage, network infrastructure, administration, cybersecurity, web hosting, mobile, applications, and software development. Additional Microsoft products such as Office 365 Exchange Online depend Microsoft Azure network infrastructure. (Visit Microsoft Office 365 Exchange Online consulting and troubleshooting consulting services.)
Key Azure products and services for which Progent can deliver advanced consulting expertise and technical support services include:
Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines allows you to provision, expand and administer virtual machines on the Azure cloud. Your Azure Storage account provides storage for the OS disk and associated data disks. Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines works with Microsoft Windows Server, major distributions of Linux, SAP, Oracle Database, and additional leading platforms. Various classes of virtual machines (VMs) are offered and priced according to processor performance, memory and disk size, and I/O throughput. You can connect with Azure VMs through RDP. The Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) functionality of Azure Virtual Machines allows organizations to run Windows workloads such as SQL Server, Exchange, and Microsoft Dynamics as well as major Linux distributions like Red Hat, Debian, CoreOS, and RancherOS.
The current deployment model for Azure Virtual Machines, referred to as Azure Resource Manager and introduced in 2014, replaces what is now called Azure Classic and offers streamlined VM management by allowing VM groups with a shared lifecycle. Before, Microsoft Azure services for deploying, scaling, and administering VMs had to be handled one VM at a time. Resource Manager provisioning features include a cloud portal, Azure Resource Manager template, Azure PowerShell, and Visual Studio support. Progent's Azure specialists can help you create and administer Microsoft Azure solutions efficiently and affordably by providing expertise with all these technologies for managing Azure Virtual Machines.
Azure Storage offers dynamic scale and load balancing for primary storage hosted on the Azure cloud. A General Purpose Storage account gives Azure clients access to storage services for Blobs, Tables, Files, Queues, and virtual machine disks. Each account includes a 500 terabyte storage maximum. For higher performance, you can upgrade to Azure's Premium storage class and run VM workloads on solid state disks.
Azure Blob storage for General Purpose Storage accounts is designed for large volumes of unstructured data like documents, social media, backups, web content, and system logs. Blobs are arranged as containers, which makes it simpler to designate policies to groups of objects. To send blobs that are impractical to upload via an Internet connection, you can mail physical media to Microsoft.
A separate category of Blob Storage is intended for apps that use only block or append blob storage. You can specify frequently used or infrequently used access characteristics for block and append blobs (not page blobs). The ability to define access characteristics in Microsoft Azure Storage allows you to achieve an appropriate trade-off between price and performance.
Table storage is low-cost storage for developers creating schemaless metadata like address books, device information, or web applications. Table Storage supports the OData protocol for advanced querying and supports JSON and XML-based AtomPub formats. Queue storage simplifies the creation of messaging solutions by handling asynchronous communication between software components across cloud and physical environments. Microsoft Azure File storage supports SMB file shares, which simplifies moving legacy apps to the Azure cloud.
Microsoft Azure Active Directory is a cloud directory and authentication control service that provides password synchronization and single sign-on (SSO) spanning on-premises and cloud-hosted infrastructure. Microsoft Azure Active Directory is built into Office 365, Salesforce.com, Concur, Dynamics 365, and thousands of other popular applications. Features include multi-factor identification, device registration, self-service password synchronization across cloud-hosted and on-premises systems, privileged account management, granular role-based access control, auditing, security monitoring and reporting, and automatic alerts. Microsoft Azure AD works transparently with your Windows Server AD to make it easy to combine local and cloud-based identities. Azure offers high availability by storing your directories on at least three geo-dispersed datacenters.
The Azure AD Connect tool has replaced Windows Azure Active Directory Sync (DirSync), Azure AD Sync and Forefront Identity Manager as the preferred means to connect local directories and synchronize identity information with AD, Office 365 and SaaS cloud-hosted apps.
Azure Backup is an automated cloud-based backup service that simplifies offsite backup of on-premises, cloud, and hybrid cloud/local data. Three copies of backup data are stored in a single Azure datacenter, and three additional copies of target data can be stored at a geographically separate Azure region. Microsoft offers SLAs for 99.9% reliability, and archiving in Azure can be as long as 99 years. Backups can be scheduled for daily, monthly, weekly, and yearly cycles, and recovery time is faster and more affordable than traditional tape-based solutions. Backups are encrypted before to being sent over a protected connection to the Azure cloud, and backups are retained in their encrypted state. The encryption key is stored and managed locally for enhanced compliance. Additional features include throttling to utilize low-traffic hours, compression to improve performance and reduced storage requirements, and incremental backups to save bandwidth. Azure Import/Export allows you to perform your initial backup on-premises and send a physical storage device to the nearest Azure facility.
Azure Backup integrates closely with System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) to provide specialized support for Microsoft's mission-critical platforms like Exchange, SQL Server, SharePoint Server, and Hyper-V. System Center Data Protection Manager works seamlessly with Hyper-V VSS to backup VMs without disrupting their accessibility. SCDPM also offers product-specific granular restore capability like mailbox restoration for Exchange, database-level recovery for SQL Server, and Item Level Recovery for SharePoint. Azure Backup solutions integrated with Data Protection Manager can be monitored with SCOM to watch over system health, throughput, and utilization.
How Progent's Experts Can Assist You with Microsoft Azure Environments
If you intend to migrate your organization's IT infrastructure to the Azure cloud or create a hybrid environment that combines on-premises and Azure components, Progent can help you assess the advantages of the Microsoft Azure family of products and services vs. competing public clouds or alternative networking models like colocation. Progent can help your business with any stage of Azure integration including benefits assessment, system design, pilot testing, deployment, unified management, performance tuning, license control, disaster recovery strategies, cybersecurity solutions, and regulatory compliance analysis.
Progent can assist you to determine which of your line-of-business applications are appropriate for Microsoft Azure and help you make your legacy applications are cloud compatible. Progent offers cost-effective as-needed expertise so you can immediately get past occasional technical hurdles or Progent can provide end-to-end project management outsourcing expertise to ensure your Microsoft Azure integration initiative is completed on time and on budget.
For setting up unified management of a hybrid cloud environment that includes Microsoft Azure services, Progent offers Microsoft System Center consulting services including System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) consulting, System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) support services, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) expertise, System Center Virtual Machine Manager hybrid cloud management expertise, and Microsoft Intune mobility management consulting.
Hybrid cloud solutions must furnish a secure, easy-to-manage, seamless, and reliable environment for user to connect to both on-premises cloud applications and services. Progent has a wealth of experience deploying IPsec VPN tunnels and implementing or debugging firewalls to connect to Microsoft Azure. Progent can provide rapid online access to Cisco-certified CCIE network integration consultants and to firewall experts certified by leading suppliers such as Symantec, Barracuda, and Check Point to help you to configure or troubleshoot firewalls for integrating your on-premises network with Azure. Progent also supports mobile users by offering the help of Apple iPhone and iPad technology consultants as well as Google Android integration experts to assist you to configure and administer smartphones and tablets that utilize your Azure environment. When you come up against glitches with your Azure solution, Progent has experience teaming with Microsoft's Azure technical personnel to fix problems with Azure.
Some examples of online consulting services Progent has delivered to businesses to build and manage their Azure-connected information systems include:
- Set up and debug IPsec VPN tunnels forsecure access to Microsoft Azure
- Plan or provide guidance for the system architecture of hybrid Azure/on-premises network models
- Assemble VM images for Windows or Linux technology to be located on Microsoft Azure
- Implement Azure AD, Azure AD Connect, and AD Federation Services
- Plan and test backup/restore solutions that utilize Azure Backup services
- Set up and debug virtual hard disks for Microsoft Azure
- Specify and implement policies
- Fix issues with IP addresses
- Fix synchronization problems associated with Office 365
- Configure, update, and troubleshoot firewalls from Cisco, Barracuda, WatchGuard and other security appliance providers
- Configure Cisco AnyConnect for accessing Microsoft Azure products and services
- Simplify software license management
- Resolve issues with certificates
- Select and deploy centralized management, monitoring and reporting solutions that span hybrid cloud/on-premises networks
- Implement System Center Configuration Manager to deploy apps
- Install System Center Virtual Machine Manager locally and on Microsoft Azure
- Plan and implement hybrid Exchange solutions
- Tune query speed on SQL Server hosted by Microsoft Azure
- Migrate Citrix XenDesktop to Azure
- Resolve PowerShell problems for loading modules to Azure
If you need assistance with any facet of integrating your IT network with Azure or other public cloud platform, call Progent at
Additional Public Cloud Services Supported by Progent
Products and services offered on public clouds are expanding rapidly in volume and complexity. Selecting the right options is increasingly difficult. The majority of large businesses maintain hybrid IT networks that utilize multiple public cloud and at the same time manage on-premises facilities. Office 365 family of applications, including Exchange Online and Skype for Business Online, depend on Azure infrastructure and offer alternatives to Azure's Infrastructure-as-a-Service products. Progent's cloud experts can assist your organization to assess the business advantages of the service portfolios of the leading public clouds and help you plan, configure, and administer network environments that include an assortment of public and private clouds along with on-premises facilities.
Additional public clouds supported by Progent include:
Microsoft has made a strong effort to enable seamless hybrid environments that combine Office 365 Exchange Online and on-premises Exchange. This allows you to have certain mailboxes hosted at your on-premises datacenter or private cloud and other mailboxes resident on Office 365. Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can assist your organization with any facet of designing, integrating and troubleshooting your hybrid Exchange solution. Progent's Exchange specialists can deliver as-needed expertise to help you through challenging technical problems and also offer extensive project management outsourcing or co-sourcing to make sure your hybrid Office 365/Exchange initiative is successfully completed on schedule and within budget. To learn more about Progent's online consulting services for integrating Office 365 and on-premises Exchange systems, refer to Exchange Online integration solutions with on-premises Exchange.
Progent's Office and Office 365 experts can help businesses to incorporate Office desktop and Office 365 apps including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Microsoft Access, Visio and OneNote into a cohesive productivity solution that provides fast return on investment and enables improved business outcomes. Progent can assist you to interface Office or Office 365 applications with one another and with other core Microsoft platforms including SharePoint, Exchange Server and SQL Server running on-premises or in the cloud. Progent's consultants can also help you to resolve compatibility issues between various releases of Office and offers customized online Office and Office 365 instruction to individual users and groups.
Progent's Amazon AWS planning and integration consultants can provide affordable remote consulting to assist businesses of any size to access Amazon AWS cloud services such as Amazon EC2 for virtual machine hosting, Amazon S3 for scalable low-latency storage, and Amazon Glacier for value-priced long-term archiving. Progent can help you with every aspect of Amazon AWS migration and troubleshooting including needs analysis, readiness evaluation, system design and review, testing, deployment, administration, performance tuning, software license management, disaster recovery solutions, and security and compliance. Progent can provide advanced expertise with firewalls and VPN technology and can show you how to deploy cloud-based or hybrid ecosystems that efficiently incorporate Amazon AWS cloud services. Progent offers as-needed consulting or Progent can deliver comprehensive project management outsourcing or co-sourcing to help you move smoothly to the Amazon AWS cloud.
Amazon Marketplace Web Service (Amazon MWS) is an integrated collection of APIs that allows Amazon sellers to streamline their business processes by automating crucial sales activities including listings, orders, payments, inbound and outbound fulfillment, and reports. By leveraging Amazon's vast online ecosystem and automating their sales processes, merchants can broaden their market, reduce their cost of sales, accelerate reaction time to customers, and increase their profits. Progent's Amazon Marketplace Web Service (Amazon MWS) consultants can work with your development staff and provide application programming, workflow integration, project management support, and training to help you cut development time and costs and get to market quickly.
Progent's Google Cloud Platform (GCP) integration experts offer affordable remote and on-premises support to assist organizations to move any part of their core IT infrastructure to Google Cloud Platform (GCP). This can save management hassle and equipment costs and enable the use of Google's cutting edge machine learning tools. Progent can help you with every phase of Google Cloud Platform migration and troubleshooting including requirements analysis, preparedness assessment, architectural design, testing, deployment, centralized administration, performance optimization, licensing management, disaster recovery mechanisms, and security and compliance.
An index of content::
Aironet 4800 Access Point Consulting Services
Aironet AP Management Consultant Services
Progent's Cisco certified wireless networking consultants can provide economical remote and onsite help for end-of-life and modern 802.11ac Aironet Wi-Fi access points and Progent can help you to plan and maintain Wi-Fi environments that incorporate indoor and outdoor/industrial Aironet access points.
Small Business System Recovery
Computer Support Small Offices
Progent provides the services of Microsoft and Cisco-Certified network consulting professionals to show clients affordable ways to help businesses optimize the benefits of Microsoft and Cisco technology. For environments that span from small offices to nationwide corporations, Progent's network consultants can assist you to enhance your network's e-mail infrastructure, security, availability, performance, and IT administration.
Polycom OTX Telepresence Specialists
Radvision XT5000 Consulting
Progent can provide the expertise of a senior specialist with extensive hands-on experience installing, maintaining, and upgrading telepresence platforms from top-tier vendors such as Cisco, TANDBERG, Polycom, LifeSize, and Radvision. Progent can coordinate with your internal network support team, your ISP, and your video conferencing platform vendor to assist your company increase the strategic value of your telepresence ecosystem.
Bandwidth Throttling Test Lab Specialist
Services Herakles/QTS Test Lab
The Progent Test and Training Lab at the QTS (formerly Herakles) Internet Data Center can be used for piloting mission-critical applications, developing cost-effective migration procedures, evaluating and optimizing performance, planning or validating disaster recovery solutions, mitigating compatibility problems, and building training environments for new technologies. For Progent clients without adequate internal resources to configure proper test systems, the lab cuts capital outlay and technical risk and helps keep critical IT initiatives on schedule.
SCCM Software Inventory Remote Troubleshooting
24 Hour SCCM Software Inventory On-site Support
System Center Configuration Manager automates application and device provisioning at scale, simplifies security and compliance settings control, inventories network assets, guards against corporate data leakage, performs health monitoring, allows safe self service, and offers a single point of control for administering mixed-OS ecosystems running on-premises, cloud, or hybrid deployment models. Progent's Microsoft-certified SCCM consulting team and Azure cloud integration specialists can assist your organization with any facet of planning, installing, using and repairing a SCCM solution for local, cloud-based, or hybrid environments.
Work at Home Endpoint Management Engineer
Award Winning IT Consultant Offsite Employees Endpoint Management
Progent can assist small and mid-size businesses to configure efficient remote endpoint management and monitoring tools for administering endpoint devices operated by offsite workers.
domain management Specialist
password management Consulting
Progent's ProSight IT Asset Management is an IT infrastructure documentation management service that allows you to capture, update, retrieve and safeguard information about your IT infrastructure, procedures, business apps, and services. You can instantly locate passwords or serial numbers and be alerted about upcoming expirations of SSLs ,domains or warranties. By updating and managing your network documentation, you can eliminate as much as half of time spent searching for vital information about your IT network. ProSight IT Asset Management features a common location for holding and collaborating on all documents related to managing your business network such as recommended procedures and How-To's. ProSight IT Asset Management also supports advanced automation for gathering and associating IT data. Whether you’re making improvements, performing regular maintenance, or reacting to a crisis, ProSight IT Asset Management delivers the information you require when you need it.
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