Cloud Integration Consulting Services

Microsoft 365 (previously branded Office 365) is Microsoft's expanding line of productivity applications and cloud-based services available on a subscription basis. Microsoft 365 applications and cloud services are available in a selection of bundles, known as subscription plans, targeted at markets ranging from students and households to global enterprises.

The most popular Microsoft 365 apps can be deployed on a variety of computers such as PCs, Apple Macs, tablets, and iPhones and Android smartphones. Multi-device apps include Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook. PC-only applications include Access for database management and Publisher for desktop publishing. To address users who have multiple computing devices, many Microsoft 365 packages allow you to install Microsoft 365 apps on several devices. As an example, Microsoft 365 Business and ProPlus subscription plans permit each Office application to be run on up to five customer devices.

Progent can provide fast and affordable remote access to a support consultant with expert knowledge of Microsoft, Mac, Apple iOS, and Android products. Progent can assist you to understand the many packages offered with Microsoft 365 and integrate your IT system with Microsoft 365 in a way that delivers the highest possible strategic value. Progent can help you manage multi-vendor networks that include Windows, Apple macOS or OS X, and Linux technology. Progent can also help you to build and manage hybrid networks that transparently integrate local and cloud resources.

Microsoft 365 Applications and Cloud Services
Microsoft 365 subscription plans are available for a wide range of markets such as businesses of all sizes, schools, government, and home. Some plans, such as Microsoft 365 Business Essentials, includes no applications but only Azure-based services. Others, like Microsoft 365 Business, includes apps but provides only the OneDrive cloud service. The top-of-the-line Microsoft 365 Enterprise E5 subscription plan includes seven apps and seven cloud services. Progent's consultants can assist your organization to pick an Microsoft 365 package that's right for your business, assist you to migrate from outdated versions of Microsoft Office apps, and show you how to simplify the management of Microsoft 365 and other network resources to create an efficient, protected and productive IT environment.

Major Microsoft 365 Apps
The obvious difference between Microsoft 365 applications and their associated Microsoft Office editions is that Microsoft 365 applications are subscription based instead of sold. In addition, traditionally licensed Microsoft Office applications are allowed to be installed on only a single device at a time and are not updated automatically or replaced for free when a major new edition is released. As an example, upgrading from Office Word 2013 to Word 2019 requires you to purchase a brand new copy of Word. Minor updates to Office applications are provided Microsoft 365 users faster than to users of permanently licensed editions. Also, Office suites purchased with a permanent license do not come with the Azure-based services that are included with Microsoft 365.

Client applications offered with different Microsoft 365 bundles include:

Microsoft 365 Word offers the ability to create and review Office documents across Microsoft Windows, Google Android, Mac, and iOS computers while presenting a common look and feel. Users can also share documents, see which colleagues are editing shared projects, and observe changes made by team members in real time. As with Microsoft 365 Excel and Microsoft 365 PowerPoint, you can instantly share from within your documents. In addition, you can review who has rights to view or edit a specific document and who is now working on the document. For your own documents, you can quickly modify authoring permissions. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Word consulting expertise.

Microsoft 365 Excel permits you to employ the standard Exponential Smoothing (ETS) algorithm to create forecasts for projecting trends based on past data. New linked data types that are tied to remote sources include Stock and Geography. The Stock data type downloads the current stock price, price change, and other stock market information. The Geography data type allows you to select a region and retrieve specified demographic or economic information like population or gas costs. As with Microsoft 365 Word and PowerPoint, Microsoft 365 Excel also can handle Scalable Vector Graphics images. These images can be turned, colored, and resized instantaneously with no deterioration in quality. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Excel consulting expertise.

Microsoft 365 PowerPoint supports three dimensional models and provides an expanded library of animation functions like swinging and turning. Like Office Excel and Office Word, Microsoft 365 PowerPoint enables you to transform sketches into uniform shapes for flow charts, diagrams, and various other objects. Microsoft 365 PowerPoint for Mac includes the ability to embed and edit movies from within PowerPoint. PowerPoint's Media Browser offers easy access to a broad selection of sources like iPhoto galleries, iTunes playlists, and iMovie libraries plus standard shapes, Clip Art, and other graphics.

Microsoft 365 Outlook offers significant enhancements to previous releases of the Outlook email and calendar app by adding features like audio cues, automatic downloading of OneDrive cloud attachments, display replies to a conference request for people other than meeting organizers, simplified email organizing, plus more intuitive group creation and shared calendars. Additionally, Microsoft 365 Outlook users can have their messages read aloud as the portions being read are visibly highlighted. Office intelligent services, when activated, allows Microsoft 365 Outlook clients to dictate emails. Microsoft 365 Outlook for Mac now supports push email, online archiving, the ability to suggest a different meeting time in response to a meeting request, and multiple calendar display. Full Screen Mode allows multiple open messages and enables subscribers to run two Outlook instances in split-screen view. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Outlook and Outlook on the web configuration and troubleshooting expertise.

Microsoft 365 OneNote for Windows 10 is included in the majority of Microsoft 365 bundles, installed by default in Windows 10, and offered for download as a no-cost mobile app. The older OneNote 2016 version, which has some functions not initially available in OneNote for Windows 10 such as Record Video, is still available at no cost but is no longer being updated with new features. OneNote for Windows 10 introduces a fresh configurable GUI consistent for Windows 10, Apple Mac, iOS, Google Android, and Web. Other functionality available only on OneNote for Windows 10 include improved ink-to-text capability, a notification center that shows changes in open and recently used notebooks, automatic transformation of drawings into standardized shapes, and a virtual ruler to create straight lines and measure distance.

Microsoft 365 Access, offered only for Windows PCs, enables you to use Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and a rich set of templates to streamline business processes and build advanced forms and management reports. Microsoft 365 Access comes with the connector library to extract data from a broad range of leading business applications and data sources for generating quality reports from within the familiar Access interface. The ability to store Access data in both SQL Server as well as Microsoft Azure SQL provides a world-class back end plus SQL syntax for Access apps hosted either on premises or in the Azure cloud. Microsoft Access 365 now includes an improved Linked Table Manager, lets you add new forms and reports, and permits you to link or import data from Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Access development and troubleshooting expertise.

Microsoft 365 Publisher, available exclusively for Windows PCs, is a popular entry-level desktop publishing tool that leverages the familiar Microsoft Office interface to provide an intuitive platform for creating and sharing professional-looking publications like datasheets and white papers that call for exact object placement control. Because documents can be saved to the cloud, you can deliver a document simply by sending a link. Publisher's wide use and ease of use make it possible to meet deadlines on time-sensitive jobs without having to depend on instant access to a desktop publishing professional for implementing last-minute changes.

Microsoft 365 Cloud Services
Microsoft 365 cloud services allow organizations to take advantage of Microsoft's vast cloud infrastructure to host business-critical servers like Exchange, Teams and Skype for Business. These services provide high levels of availability and security while reducing the substantial investment expense and management hassle required for setting up and maintaining complex local datacenters. For cases that require some systems to be located onsite for compliance, throughput, or other reasons, the majority of Microsoft 365 server products can be implemented with hybrid architectures that seamlessly combine local and cloud-hosted infrastructure.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online offers email hosting and supports user mailbox sizes from 50 GB to unlimited. Key features include custom domain addresses, shareable calendars and contact lists, the Outlook Web app, one-click archiving, and easy creation of collaboration groups. The online Exchange admin center lets you control email settings for your organization and provides full control over critical areas including permissions, security and compliance, mail flow, making mailboxes and defining limits, team work, contact lists, Unified Messaging, monitoring and reporting, and backup. Learn about Progent's Microsoft 365 Exchange Online configuration and management consulting.

Microsoft 365 OneDrive is Microsoft's popular file synchronization and share service. Microsoft 365 subscription plans usually come with 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage, allowing you to save, retrieve, and share data across Windows, Mac, or iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. By automatically syncing your files to your desktop, OneDrive lets you modify documents even when you are offline. OneDrive simplifies sharing and collaboration, keeping track all changes to avoid inconsistency problems. You can begin a co-authoring project on any computer and move smoothly to another computer at any time. For enhanced collaboration, an array of utilities allow you to annotate and highlight shared documents. Advanced discovery features allow you to locate files quickly, and analysis tools provide insights such as how many people accessed or shared a file.

Microsoft 365 Skype for Business Online offers cloud-based IP voice, video, and conferencing. Online Plan 1 offers instant messaging, real-time presence, VoIP, and HD video, plus federation and directory search. Online Plan 2 includes pre-scheduled and ad hoc conferencing with A/V calling plus screen and app sharing on Apple iOS and Google Android devices, PCs, and Mac computers. For hybrid environments that combine a local Skype for Business Server with Skype for Business Online services, you can create a cohesive solution using a Split Domain deployment. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Skype for Business planning and integration consulting.

Microsoft 365 SharePoint Online combines content management with intranet publishing to enable organizations to distribute and share information and to promote teamwork. SharePoint's admin center has been enhanced with usage reports, Message Center posts, and a Service Health dashboard designed to streamline administrative tasks. In addition, you are able to link current SharePoint team sites to Microsoft 365 Groups, enhancing your existing SharePoint sites with shared conversations, schedules, and project planning. Features to support cloud coexistence now include hybrid taxonomy and auditing as well as an updated development model for creating SharePoint solutions on-premises, in hybrid implementations, and in Microsoft 365. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 SharePoint Online integration and development expertise.

Microsoft Teams is the successor of Skype for Business, offering a single portal for conversations, contacts, and content with persistent chat, file sharing, plus integrated voice and video conferencing. Microsoft has enhanced the cloud infrastructure that hosts Teams to deliver quicker conference join times than Skype for Business and to allow integration with Cognitive Services such as text-to-voice, translation, speech recognition, and machine learning. Progent's consultants can help you to try out Microsoft 365 Teams to evaluate the benefits of utilizing this new communication platform. Find out more about Progent's Microsoft Teams solution design expertise.

Microsoft 365 Yammer is a social network product intended to be used within an enterprise and limited to users with an authorized corporate email address. Postings can be files, links, videos, PowerPoint presentations, and SharePoint content. The Discovery feed makes it easy to find content relevant to your job or interests as indicated by the groups you belong to, conversations you contribute to, and colleagues you correspond with. You can locate discussions, files, groups, followers, and other information associated with a particular co-worker. Group Insights show you how events like publishing, reading, and liking are trending historically. Notifications inform you about pertinent events such as new postings in your groups, input to your discussions, and new participants.

Microsoft 365 Power BI is a set of online services integrated with Microsoft 365 that allows you to build and share dashboards and custom management reports that offer real-time consolidated views into key aspects of your business. Microsoft 365 Power BI dashboards can consolidate data from multiple local and external sources such as Excel, on-premises SQL Server Analysis Service, Azure, or popular sources like QuickBooks, Google Analytics and Salesforce. Dashboards and reports created by Power BI can be refreshed continually via data streaming. You can store and share your dashboards in the cloud with OneDrive. Native Power BI mobile applications are available for Windows computers plus iOS and Google Android smartphones and tablets. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Power BI Online integration consulting and training.

Key Planning Activities for Microsoft 365 Migration
Progent offers the support of a Microsoft Cloud Solutions Architect to assist you to design a smooth migration to Microsoft 365 tailored to your environment. Before proposing this migration plan, Progent's cloud expert will carry out a series of information gathering tasks that include running tools such as IdFix, the Exchange Best Practices Analyzer (ExBPA), and specialized scripts for viewing your Active Directory, messaging, and Mobile Device Management setup. Key information that cannot be discovered using these methods will be determined via interviews with your IT team.

Activities performed by Progent in creating an efficient Microsoft 365 migration plan can include:

• Lead a Project Kickoff meeting with your IT staff to define project objectives, services to be procured/provisioned, client and contractor responsibilities, schedules, etc.
• Develop a Risk and Issue Tracking document.
• Develop an Exchange Hybrid migration plan explaining how new services and required changes to the IT environment will be made.
• Examine the existing Azure Active Directory Connect Identity Management configurations and uncover any gaps.
• Identify and develop a plan for mail-enabled applications such as multifunction printers, monitoring systems, and other systems that currently submit SMTP messages.
• Develop end-user alerts to be published by your Help Desk.
• Identify existing Exchange mailbox sizes and item counts to inform plan for email migrations.
• Examine your network bandwidth measurements to make sure there is adequate bandwidth and nominal latency to support Microsoft 365.
• Assess your current Mobile Device Management system to make sure it will align with the Microsoft 365 services and capabilities.
• Utilize the IdFix Tool to identify possible AD problems and detect duplicate email (SMTP) addresses and UPNs, invalid characters for object attributes, and UPNs that have non-routable domains.
• Conduct an Architecture Review session with your IT team to determine problems that could prevent a successful migration.
• Develop a way to permit mail to be sent to Dynamic Distribution Groups.
• Compile a list of ports and IP ranges for creating firewall rules.
• Help you to identify mailboxes that have been granted elevated rights to another mailbox.
• Develop an execution plan that defines the processes associated with migrating to Microsoft 365.

Progent's ProSight family of Remote Management and Monitoring (RMM) Services
Progent provides a family of low-cost, fixed-price services designed to allow small and mid-size businesses to benefit from the same best-of-breed technology used by some of the world's leading enterprises. The ProSight suite of network monitoring and management services addresses all key aspects of modern networking such as email content filtering, security and compliance, cloud-based backup/recovery, infrastructure monitoring and management, virtual server cloud hosting, and network resources documentation management. Learn more about Progent's remote management and monitoring (RMM) services.

Contact Progent for Microsoft 365 Integration and Support
If you are trying to find a Microsoft 365 consultant, call Progent at 800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.

Public Cloud Integration Services from Progent
The choices available for public cloud products and services are expanding rapidly, making it difficult for information system managers to select the best cloud solution for their business. Progent has in-depth experience helping companies ranging from startups to large enterprises to plan, implement, and maintain hybrid environments that combine multiple cloud services from major public clouds. Progent's cloud integration consultants can assist you to assess the relative benefits and shortcomings of competing public cloud offerings and can show you how to build a cloud-centric or hybrid ecosystem that provides maximum business value.

Public cloud products and services supported by Progent include:

Progent's Azure planning and integration experts can assist you with any stage of Azure cloud integration such as requirements definition, prerequisites assessment, solution design, pilot testing, implementation, automated administration, performance optimization, software license controls, disaster recovery strategies, security policy enforcement, and compliance assessment. Progent can assist your IT staff to configure and debug firewalls and VPN tunnels so your users can securely access to Azure resources, and Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can assist you integrate critical Microsoft technologies to run in Azure including Windows Server, Exchange, SQL and Skype for Business. Progent can also assist your organization to create a hybrid environment that transparently combines on-premises datacenters with Azure-based services.

Microsoft has made a strong effort to enable transparent hybrid environments that integrate Microsoft 365 Exchange Online and on-premises Exchange deployments. This permits you to have some mailboxes hosted at your corporate datacenter or private cloud and other mailboxes resident on Microsoft 365. Progent's certified Exchange consulting team can help you with any facet of designing, integrating and debugging your hybrid Exchange solution. Progent's Exchange specialists can deliver occasional support to help you resolve stubborn technical problems and also can provide comprehensive project management outsourcing or co-sourcing to make sure your hybrid Exchange solution is successfully completed on schedule and on budget. To learn more about Progent's online consulting expertise for hybrid Microsoft 365 Exchange and on-premises Exchange environments, visit Microsoft 365 Exchange Online integration with on-premises Exchange.

Progent's Amazon AWS integration consultants can provide affordable remote consulting to assist businesses to access Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud services such as Amazon EC2 for virtual server hosting, Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) for expandable high-performance storage, and Amazon Glacier for value-priced archival storage. Progent can help you with every phase of Amazon AWS integration including needs analysis, preparedness assessment, system design, testing, configuration, administration, performance optimization, software license management, backup/restore mechanisms, and security. Progent can provide advanced expertise with firewall configuration and VPN connections and can show you how to deploy cloud-centric or hybrid ecosystems that seamlessly integrate Amazon AWS resources. Progent can provide occasional consulting or Progent can deliver project management outsourcing or co-sourcing services to help you move smoothly to the Amazon AWS platform.

Amazon Marketplace Web Service (Amazon MWS) is a library of APIs that allows Amazon sellers to improve the efficiency of their operations by automating key sales functions such as listings, orders, payments, inbound and outbound fulfillment, and reports. By tapping into Amazon's vast online ecosystem and automating their sales processes, merchants can broaden their reach, lower their operating costs, accelerate reaction time to customers, and add to their bottom line. Progent's Amazon Marketplace Web Service (Amazon MWS) consultants can collaborate with your development team and provide application programming, workflow integration, project management support, and mentoring so you can cut development time and costs and get to market quickly.

Progent's Google Cloud Platform (GCP) integration experts offer cost-effective remote and onsite support to assist companies of any size to migrate all or part of their core IT resources to Google Cloud Platform services. This can save management hassle and equipment expense and allow access to Google's state-of-the-art AI and machine learning technology. Progent can help you with every phase of Google Cloud Platform integration including requirements analysis, readiness evaluation, architectural design, testing, configuration, centralized administration, performance tuning, software license management, disaster recovery mechanisms, and security and compliance.