Desktop Support Services

Enlarging your telecommuter workforce can have a major impact on IT infrastructure, security, and company processes. Progent has two decades of background assisting small and mid-size businesses to design, configure, administer, tune, and troubleshoot IT networks that support work-from-home employees. Progent can help your company to pick the appropriate tools and follow best practices in creating and operating a secure virtual solution for telecommuters that promotes collaboration and returns maximum value. Progent can provide support services ranging from on demand expertise for helping you past occasional technical roadblocks to full project management to help you carry out business-critical initiatives.

Progent can help you to succeed with any facet of creating a high-functioning work-from-home environment by delivering network infrastructure configuration services, IP voice troubleshooting, voice/video conferencing support, collaboration platform selection and deployment, public cloud connectivity, Call Desk services, endpoint security, data protection solutions, and streamlined management.

Network Infrastructure for Teleworkers
Integrating the network infrastructure needed for an at-home work environment can be especially challenging if you must manage a mix of personal equipment like desktop computers and notebooks, Internet routers, and wireless appliances from an assortment of manufacturers and with a variety of operating systems and firmware releases. Progent's background providing online support for both outdated and modern IT products in virtual office venues enables you to make cost-effective use of your available infrastructure and offers fast access to top-tire consultants for implement essential updates. Support services available from Progent to help your company to implement a high-functioning work-at-home ecosystem include:

• Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology makes it possible to establish a secure connection for authenticated remote employees to use IT resources situated at your company data center or in the cloud. Progent can assist your company to configure and manage VPN access between your at-home workforce and your key network resources by providing remote VPN integration consulting. For businesses with Cisco's ASA security appliances, Progent's Cisco-certified ASA Firewall consultants can help your telecommuters to utilize Cisco's AnyConnect software for safe VPN tunneling for a wide range of devices including Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux, and Google Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure platforms allow a teleworker to see and use a data center PC's desktop. This provides network managers significant control over the computing ecosystem of at-home employees and ensures them a consistent and more productive experience. Progent's virtual desktop consulting services include Windows Remote Desktop support and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops VDI solutions.
• Routers attach home networks to the Internet and typically support VPN connections, local wireless connectivity, and firewall services. Progent offers expert remote support for deploying home routers from a variety of vendors. See router integration support from Cisco-certified consultants.
• Home Wi-Fi networks, typically shared by the whole family and guests, are frequently used by at-home employees to access their router for work. This can cause performance as well as cybersecurity issues. Progent can help you to mitigate these issues by delivering services that include Cisco Aironet integration expertise, Cisco Meraki WiFi deployment consulting, and Ubiquiti WiFi access point setup assistance.
• Internet connectivity methods affect the performance and availability of connections between at-home workers and the company data center. Mission-critical processes might demand redundant Internet access in case the normal connection breaks. Progent can provide guidance for identifying service providers, picking sensible bandwidth and data volume offerings, and configuring redundant Internet access. See Internet connectivity integration services.

VoIP Integration for Telecommuters
Extending the corporate phone environment to include telecommuters is critical to supporting an effective work-at-home solution. A variety of cloud-based VoIP platforms are used by small and mid-size businesses to server teleworkers. Many enterprises depend on Cisco's modern or legacy platforms for IP voice management. Progent can assist organizations of any size to plan or maintain a telecommuter VoIP service that delivers the versatility, convenience and protection needed for remote users. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE Voice consultants can provide high-level support to help businesses optimize their current Cisco VoIP environments to handle an expanding at-home workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM) delivers advanced IP telephony features to devices like VoIP phones, media processing platforms, VoIP gateways, and multimedia applications deployed throughout the network. CUCM supports additional mixed media services such as unified messaging, video conferencing, and team interaction networks. For more information about Progent's Unified Communications Manager support, visit Cisco Unified CM consultants.
• Cisco CallManager is Cisco's earlier call-processing agent and has been superseded by CUCM. Progent can help your company to maintain your existing CallManager environment or upgrade smoothly to Cisco's modern IP telephony solutions. To learn about Progent's expertise for CallManager and Cisco's other older VoIP products, refer to Cisco CallManager consulting.
• Cisco IP Gateways provide connectivity with PSTN networks and with clients operating outside the corporate firewall such as at-home workers. Progent offers expert support for Cisco's earlier generation IP gateways like the UC520, UC540 and UC560 series and for modern Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateways. See Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateway integration consulting.
• Other VoIP Products supported by Progent include Vonage, RingCentral and 8x8. Progent can help you to enhance your WAN architecture to support these VoIP solutions and provide on-demand integration and debugging expertise.

Voice/Video Conferencing for At-Home Workers
A broad selection of voice/video conferencing platforms from leading technology companies enable virtual discussions, video conferencing, chat sessions, and screen sharing for both local workers and teleworkers. Many organizations use a mix of products to meet the needs of their different partners and customers. Progent's communications experts can assist you to maintain your existing voice/video conferencing environment and optimize the productivity of your remote employees.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's popular communications platform that supports real-time presence, instant messaging, voice and video calling and conferencing as well as the seamless integration of these functions within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 productivity software including PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook. Progent can provide the expertise of Microsoft-certified specialists who can help you to deploy and manage Skype for Business clients to accommodate your at-home employees. For details about Progent's consulting services for Skype for Business, visit Skype for Business consulting experts.
• FaceTime is Apple's multiuser video phone app for compatible iOS and Mac devices. FaceTime works on Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Current versions of FaceTime support as many as 32 simultaneous users for voice/video calls. To learn more about Progent's support expertise for Apple FaceTime, refer to Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center provides remote conferencing for virtually all desktop or mobile devices. Delivered via Cisco's Webex Cloud platform, Webex capabilities include sharing specific content or screens, presentations that embed rich media such as Microsoft PowerPoint, network-based capture, plus revision and playback for future reference. For details about Progent's support expertise for Webex and for other IP video solutions from Cisco, visit Progent's Webex Meeting Center support services.
• Teams is Microsoft's next-generation replacement for Skype for Business. Teams acts as a hub for conferencing, contacts, and information with features such as IP voice and video conferencing, persistent threaded chat, plus data sharing. To learn more about Progent's consulting expertise for Teams and for other Microsoft 365 apps, see Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
• Other Voice/Video Conferencing Platforms supported by Progent include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can deliver integration and debugging services for these products and help you to optimize your network infrastructure to run them.

Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Software for At-Home Workers
Microsoft's collaboration products are closely integrated with Microsoft's familiar Office and Microsoft 365 families, offering a powerful environment of productivity apps that deliver a cohesive user interface for exchanging information across a corporate network and on a wide selection of endpoint devices. Progent has delivered remote consulting services for Microsoft SharePoint and Exchange since their first releases and can assist businesses to configure these flagship collaboration products 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 on top of Microsoft 365 and supports third-party cloud services to deliver real-time collaboration and communication. Designed as a replacement for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams can enable chat, audio/video meetings that include screen sharing, phone calls, cloud voicemail, group email, as well as file and application sharing. Teams is tightly integrated with Microsoft 365 and relies on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Entra (formerly branded Azure Active Directory) for supporting its full range of features. For details about Progent's support services for Microsoft Teams, see solution design and configuration expertise for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium.

SharePoint utilizes web sites to promote collaboration and information delivery by offering policy-based delivery of data, business processes, and utilities for looking through company-wide information silos. SharePoint permits you to create protected web portals that permits remote workforce to view and update consolidated corporate intelligence via Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social networking sites, and Web Parts. For information about Progent's SharePoint consulting services, go to 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, visit planning and configuration expertise for Exchange.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s shared cloud storage service, similar to GoogleDrive. Remote users can store files to the OneDrive service, and colleagues anywhere can share them securely via a browser. Included with Microsoft 365, OneDrive allows at-home employees to co-edit files. Edits created offline are uploaded when you go back online. To learn about Progent's expertise for OneDrive, see Onedrive integration consulting.

Cloud Integration Services for Remote Workers
Progent can provide fast and affordable online assistance for enabling businesses to build, maintain and repair integrated network architectures that include internal data centers, telecommuters, branch offices, plus public cloud resources. Progent offers expertise for all types of public cloud service such as Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service (SaaS). Progent can help telecommuters fix problems with public cloud connectivity, authentication, and cybersecurity.

Azure is a popular platform for cloud services that enables you to use IT infrastructure, servers, and key applications running on Microsoft's massive cloud. Azure features more than 100 cloud-based services including the ability to host Windows and Linux-based virtual machines, scalable cloud storage, messaging, application development with Visual Studio, and data protection. Progent can assist you to set up virtual machines on Azure Virtual Machines, configure storage on Azure Storage services, unify identity management with Azure Active Directory, and design data backup and restore systems with Azure Backup. Progent's cloud experts can also help you create protected access to Azure for telecommuters by configuring and debugging firewall appliances and VPN IPsec tunnels. To learn about Progent's support services for Azure, go to Azure expertise.

Microsoft 365, previously branded Office 365, is Microsoft's popular suite of business productivity software and cloud services available by subscription. Office applications and services are marketed in a selection of bundles intended for customers ranging from individuals and small offices to large corporations. Progent offers fast and easy online access to consultants knowledgeable about Microsoft 365-compatible clients based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android technology. Progent can help your business to assess the various subscription plans offered with Microsoft 365 and deploy 365 applications for your remote workers to achieve top business value. To find out about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft 365, refer to Microsoft 365 consulting expertise.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online is among the most widely used cloud-based applications in the Microsoft 365 product line. Exchange Online provides the benefits of lower costs for physical infrastructure, easier management, dynamic scaling, high reliability, and additional benefits inherent with cloud computing. Microsoft has engineered Microsoft 365 Exchange Online to run seamlessly with on-premises Exchange environments, allowing customers to build hybrid networks. Progent's Exchange consultants can provide as-needed help to guide you past challenging IT bottlenecks and can also provide comprehensive project management outsourcing to make sure your teleworkers have easy and secure access to your Microsoft 365 Exchange Online deployment. For details Progent's consulting expertise for Exchange Online, go to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online configuration 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 rapid and affordable online contact with cloud connectivity experts who can help your business to design, deploy, maintain, and debug hybrid IT networks that integrate Amazon AWS cloud-based services with local resources and with other public clouds like Azure. Progent also offers the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking experts to assist you to build a high-uptime network model so your users have a productive computing experience regardless of whether they are working from your main office, a remote branch, at home, or on the move. To learn about Progent's consulting services for Amazon AWS, see Amazon AWS consulting support.

Google Cloud Platform is a popular collection of public cloud services that offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service products. Progent's Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco experts can assist you to expand your existing IT resources with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's DBA experts can help you make your critical apps cloud ready so your telecommuters can benefit fully from Google Cloud Platform services. Progent can assist your organization to deploy virtual machines on GCP Compute Engine, plan an efficient storage solution with GCP Storage services, and streamline access management for at-home workers with GCP Cloud Identity services. Progent can also assist your business to utilize GCP's unified management tools to administer and monitor your GCP ecosystem. To find out, refer to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) consulting services.

Help Desk Support for Remote Workers
A fast, organization-wide switchover to a telecommuter business model, which might be the result of a pandemic or as an element of a business continuity process, can overwhelm even a high-performing internal Call Center. Progent's Call Center services allow organizations of any size to outsource or expand their Call Desk by using Progent's online Technical Response Center (TRC) services.

• Progent's Standard Call Desk support services leverage Progent's extensive network of remote technical support specialists combined with world-class trouble ticketing and follow-up technology to provide an affordable, advanced Help Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services offer an end-to-end solution that handles all facets of online Level 1 desktop support from initial help requests through ticket generation, screen sharing, issue resolution, and reporting. A web-based User's Service Portal allows at-home employees to track or edit the status of their active trouble tickets, enter details, and upload screen captures or relevant files. Technical support services are provided at a substantial price reduction off Progent's ordinary Level 1 technical support charges, and Progent offers optional rapid hand-off to Level 2 and Level 3 support specialists to resolve complex problems. For details, go to Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services for small and mid-size businesses.
• Progent's Support Desk Supplemental Service enables your company to expand your existing Support Desk staff by splitting delivery of Call Desk services transparently between your regular IT support personnel and Progent's nationwide team of desktop support engineers and subject matter experts. Progent's shared Call Desk service uses a collective support solution based on the number one professional services automation platform for handling help requests and ticketing, establishing ownership, monitoring progress, and generating reports. For information about how Progent's Call Desk Supplementation Services can enable your company to deliver best-in-class IT support to your at-home employees, refer to Progent's Call Center supplementation Services.

Security for Telecommuters
Work-from-Home workers commonly utilize their own devices and usually work in an unsecured physical area. This multiplies their susceptibility to malware threats and requires judicious deployment of firewalls, anti-malware tools, MFA-based identity verification, remote endpoint monitoring, extensive end-user training, and the creation of policies built on leading practices. Progent's veteran team of cybersecurity support experts can help you to plan, deploy and manage an effective cybersecurity solution that protects critical IT assets in networks that incorporate at-home workers.

Firewalls enable companies to create a network that can be safely accessed by on-premises users and by teleworkers, mobile employees, suppliers, customers, and the public. Modern firewall appliances permit you to configure and control different access rights to different classes of users and to expand your IT network and adjust your security profile as your business evolves and as network attacks become more sophisticated. Progent supports both new and legacy security devices from all leading manufacturers including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, WatchGuard, Juniper, and Fortinet. For details about Progent's firewall configuration expertise, see firewall configuration and support expertise.

Online Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it easy to watch over the disparate computers utilized by telecommuters and either block or identify and respond to the latest threats like ransomware. With Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint software agent is put on every protected endpoint, monitoring all activity and utilizing advanced AI technology from SentinelOne to identify new threats on arrival. When an attack is spotted, ProSight Active Security Monitoring instantly isolates the infected endpoint device from the network to quarantine the malware. Because the ProSight Active Security Monitoring agent is autonomous, endpoints remain secure even when they are disconnected from the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. To learn more about ProSight ASM, go to remote endpoint monitoring for at-home workers.

Progent's Duo MFA Managed Services utilize Cisco's Duo technology to protect against password theft through the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo supports one-tap identity confirmation on iOS, Google Android, and other personal devices. Using Duo 2FA, when you log into a protected application and enter your password you are requested to confirm your identity on a device that only you have and that is accessed using a different ("out-of-band") network channel. A broad range of devices can be utilized as this added means of ID validation including a smartphone or wearable, a hardware/software token, a landline phone, etc. You may register several validation devices. For more information about ProSight Duo identity authentication services, go to Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for teleworkers.

Security Audits can assess the exposure of your network to all classes of external and internal security threats for a network that includes remote workers. Progent can deploy remote, automated cybersecurity inventory software for rapidly and economically detecting a broad range of security holes that can be surfaced over the Internet. Progent's endpoint security assessment experts, which can be provided by security professionals with top credentials including CISM, CISSP, and GIAC, can assist you to evaluate your processes and policies and assess your IT architecture to enable you to implement top-level protection for your an at-home workforce.

Horizon3.ai's NodeZero Pentest Platform is a leading-edge penetration test (pentest) product family that supports autonomous threat assessment of your at-home connectivity solution and your internal and perimeter networks so you can find, prioritize, fix, and verify security vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can take advantage of them. Progent's pentest experts can assist you to deploy NodeZero to carry out comprehensive penetration tests of your perimeter and your internal IT infrastructure so you can determine your current security posture. Progent's NodeZero experts can also help you to harden your network security and can assist you to plan and deploy a unified cybersecurity ecosystem that streamlines management and delivers maximum cyber defense for on-premises, cloud-based, at-home, and perimeter IT resources. To learn more information about Progent's threat assessment solutions powered by on NodeZero's pentest platform, visit Consulting Services for NodeZero's PEN Test Products.

Download White Paper: Securing a Work-From-Home Network
To read or download a white paper describing critical areas to concentrate on for protecting an IT environment that supports telecommuters, click:
Securing a Work-From-Home (WFH) Environment White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)

Data Protection Solutions for Teleworkers
Data Protection involves backing up and recovering vital information in order to prevent data loss and minimize recovery time in the event of storage system problems resulting from equipment issues, programming glitches, human mistakes, malware, or other causes. Dependable data protection solutions can be particularly difficult to design and manage in hybrid networks that combine private data centers, public clouds, and an at-home workforce.

• Backup/Recovery solutions for remote workers must cover multiple types of personally owned endpoints. Progent offers quick online help from experts knowledgeable about a broad range of platforms for backing up Windows, Apple Mac and Linux/UNIX servers and desktop computers as well as notebooks, tablets and smartphones. Popular backup/restore solutions maintained by Progent's data protection consultants include Barracuda Backup, Azure Backup, Symantec Backup Exec, Acronis Backup and Recovery, Mozy, and Time Machine. To back up resources spread throughout a hybrid network, Progent can provide ProSight Data Protection Services, a backup/recovery subscription service that uses cloud-based storage and features fine-grained restore and centralized management capabilities.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity plans typically anticipate circumstances that call for a temporary switch to a work-at-home environment. Progent's senior disaster recovery planning experts and business continuity planning consultants can assist your business to produce, document and validate a DR/BC strategy that addresses the logistics of moving to an at-home workforce.

Unified Management for At-Home Workers
Microsoft has rebranded and rebundled its endpoint management products under the title Endpoint Manager, which encompasses Intune for cloud management of remote devices and Configuration Manager for managing local endpoints. Microsoft Endpoint Manager offers a centralized platform for protecting corporate data by controlling on-premises, mobile, and home-based endpoints.

Intune
Intune is a component 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 applications. Remote endpoint devices can be personally owned or company owned. Network administrators managing the endpoint devices of teleworkers can utilize Intune to provision and authenticate apps on devices, push patches and certificates, set up rules for accessing information and resources, set passwords, create VPN tunnels, control how home-based workers share information, establish threat defense, verify compliance, and erase corporate data from missing, stolen or decommissioned endpoint devices. Intune can be used with iOS/iPadOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS/OS X devices. To learn about Intune and to find out how Progent can assist you to use Microsoft's Endpoint Management to administer the endpoint computers of your at-home workers, refer to Intune mobile endpoint management consultants.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is a feature-rich unified Mobile Device Management platform that helps network administrators to keep off-premises endpoint devices up to date and protected. Workspace ONE uses VMware AirWatch technology for unified endpoint administration along with VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery platform for access control, application management, and setup management of endpoints. Workspace ONE runs with devices powered by Windows 10, macOS, Apple iOS, Android, Chrome OS, or leading distributions of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is offered by subscription as a cloud-based service or as an on-premises product via a perpetual license. Key capabilities of VMware Workspace ONE include rapid over-the-air deployment of new laptops, quick onboarding of new employees, policy set up and enforcement for all classes of devices, unifies reporting and analytics, an email encryption gateway, and tight integration with Microsoft apps and cloud products. For information about Progent's expertise for VMware Workspace ONE, go to VMware Workspace ONE remote endpoint management consultants.

Contact Progent for Remote Workforce Expertise
To contact Progent about building and maintaining a productive work-from-home environment, call 1-800-993-9400 or go to Contact Progent.