Enlarging your remote workforce can have a significant effect on IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, and corporate workflows. Progent has two decades of experience helping SMBs to plan, configure, administer, tune, and troubleshoot IT environments that support at-home workers. Progent can help you to select the right tools and adhere to best practices in building and maintaining a secure virtual office solution for teleworkers that promotes teamwork and delivers top value. Progent can provide support services ranging from on demand expertise for helping you over challenging IT roadblocks to full project management or co-management to help you carry out business-critical initiatives.
Progent can assist you to succeed with any facet of creating a high-performing work-from-home ecosystem by providing infrastructure design and configuration services, IP voice expertise, video conferencing support, collaboration platform customization and training, public cloud connectivity, Call Desk outsourcing, data security, backup/restore solutions, and unified management.
Infrastructure for a Remote Workforce
Configuring the network infrastructure required to support an at-home work environment can be especially challenging if you have to accommodate a mix of worker-owned hardware such as PCs and notebooks, routers, and wireless APs from an assortment of manufacturers and with a variety of operating systems and firmware releases. Progent's background providing online support for both legacy and modern IT products in remote office solutions enables you to make efficient use of your existing infrastructure and offers ready access to expertise for implement necessary updates. Support services available from Progent to help your company to create a productive work-at-home ecosystem include:
IP Voice Integration for Teleworkers
Extending the company phone system to include remote users is vital to maintaining an effective at-home workforce. A broad range of cloud-based VoIP platforms are popular with SMBs to server teleworkers. Many enterprises rely on Cisco's modern or older platforms for IP voice management. Progent can help organizations of any size to design or tune a telecommuter IP voice environment that delivers the flexibility, transparency and security needed for remote users. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE IP Voice consultants can provide advanced support to help businesses optimize their current Cisco IP voice systems to handle a growing at-home workforce.
Voice/Video Conferencing for an At-Home Workforce
A wide selection of voice/video conferencing products from major vendors support online discussions, video and voice conferencing, chat sessions, and screen/content sharing for both local workers and at-home workers. Many organizations use a mix of products to accommodate their various partners and customers. Progent's communications experts can assist your organization to maintain your existing voice/video conferencing environment and enhance the engagement of your at-home employees.
Microsoft Collaboration Software for Teleworkers
Microsoft's collaboration platforms are tightly integrated with Microsoft's popular Office families, providing a powerful ecosystem of productivity apps that create a consistent user experience for exchanging information throughout a corporate network and on a wide range of endpoint computers. Progent has delivered online consulting support for SharePoint and Exchange since their original publication and can assist businesses to tune these flagship collaboration products to maximize the productivity of your remote 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 provide real-time collaboration and communication. Developed as a replacement for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams can support chat, audio/video meetings with screen sharing, phone calls, cloud voicemail, group email, as well as file and app sharing. Teams is tightly integrated with Microsoft 365 and depends on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Azure Entra (formerly called Azure Active Directory) for supporting its complete range of features. For details about Progent's support services for Microsoft Teams, visit solution design and configuration consulting for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium.
SharePoint uses web sites to allow collaboration and information delivery by offering policy-driven access to data, business processes, and utilities for looking through enterprise-wide business data. SharePoint allows you to build protected web portals that enables remote workforce to view and update consolidated business intelligence by means of Wikis, Blogs, social networking web sites, and Web Parts (Widgets). For information about Progent's SharePoint support 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. For details about Progent's Exchange support services, go to planning and configuration consulting for Exchange.
OneDrive is Microsoft�s collaborative cloud file hosting and synchronization service, comparable to GoogleDrive. Remote workers can save files to OneDrive, and colleagues can share them safely through a web browser. Provided with Office 365, OneDrive allows remote workers to co-edit files. Revisions created offline are automatically uploaded when you go back online. To find out about Progent's support services for Microsoft OneDrive, refer to Microsoft Onedrive integration experts.
Public Cloud Integration for At-Home Workers
Progent can provide affordable remote support for enabling businesses to build, maintain and troubleshoot integrated hybrid network architectures that combine internal data centers, teleworkers, branch offices, plus cloud resources. Progent can provide top-tier consultant for all modes of cloud service delivery such as Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service (SaaS). Progent can help telecommuters resolve problems with cloud access, authentication, and security.
Microsoft Azure is a popular family of public cloud software and services that allows you to use infrastructure, servers, and critical apps running on Microsoft's massive cloud. Azure includes more than 100 cloud-based services such as the ability to host Windows and Linux-based virtual machines, scalable cloud storage, messaging, application development with Visual Studio, and data protection. Progent can help your organization to deploy VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, integrate storage on Azure Storage services, unify identity management with Azure AD, and plan data backup and recovery systems with Azure Backup. Progent's cloud experts can also help you establish secure access to Azure for teleworkers by setting up and troubleshooting firewall appliances and VPN tunnels. For information about Progent's support services for Azure, go to Azure consulting.
Microsoft 365, formerly branded Office 365, is Microsoft's popular suite of client productivity software and cloud-based services offered by subscription. Microsoft apps and cloud services are provided in a selection of plans intended for customers ranging from individuals and households to large enterprises. Progent can provide quick and affordable remote contact with experts familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible client devices running Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent's experts can assist you to evaluate the various subscription plans available for Microsoft 365 and configure 365 applications for your teleworkers to achieve top business value. To find out about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft 365, see Microsoft 365 integration expertise.
Exchange Online is among the most popular applications in the Microsoft 365 product line. Exchange Online provides the benefits of reduced spending for physical infrastructure, simplified management, on-demand scaling, high availability, and other benefits inherent with public clouds. Microsoft has designed Microsoft 365 Exchange Online to operate smoothly with on-premises deployments of Exchange, enabling customers to create hybrid information systems. Progent's Exchange consultants can provide as-needed help to guide you past tough IT roadblocks and also offer end-to-end project management outsourcing to make sure your at-home workers have easy and safe access to your Microsoft 365 Exchange Online deployment. For details Progent's consulting expertise for Exchange Online, visit Microsoft 365 Exchange Online configuration and support expertise.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a pioneer in the public cloud market and is the world's leading source of cloud services. Progent offers rapid and affordable online contact with cloud connectivity experts who can help your organization to plan, deploy, maintain, and troubleshoot hybrid information networks that incorporate Amazon AWS cloud services with on-premises resources and with other public clouds like Microsoft Azure. Progent also can provide the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking consultants to help you to build a high-availability network architecture to make sure your users have a productive computing experience regardless of whether they are working from your main office, a branch office, from home, or on the road. For details about Progent's expertise for Amazon AWS, visit Amazon AWS consulting support.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a leading set of cloud services that provides Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) products. Progent's certified Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can assist your organization to expand your existing IT resources with the Google Cloud, and Progent's DBA consultants can help you make your critical apps cloud friendly so your remote workers can take full advantage of Google Cloud Platform services. Progent's consultants can help your organization to set up VMs on GCP Compute Engine, plan a cost-effective storage solution with GCP Storage services, and simplify access management for telecommuters with GCP Cloud Identity services. Progent can also help your business to utilize GCP's management technology to control and monitor your GCP environment. To learn, see Google Cloud Platform (GCP) consulting expertise.
Help Desk Services for At-Home Workers
A rapid, company-wide switchover to a telecommuter workforce, which might be the result of a pandemic or as part of a disaster recovery plan, can overstretch even the most efficient in-house Support Desk. Progent's Help Desk Call Center services make it possible for businesses to outsource or expand their Call Desk with Progent's remote Technical Response Center (TRC) team.
Security for Remote Workers
Work-from-Home workers commonly use their own computers and usually work in a poorly secured physical space. This multiplies their vulnerability to cyber attacks and calls for careful deployment of firewalls, anti-malware tools, MFA-based identity verification, remote endpoint monitoring, extensive end-user training, and the creation of policies built on best practices. Progent's veteran group of cybersecurity solutions consultants can help you to plan, deploy and maintain an effective security solution that guards vital information assets in environments that incorporate at-home workers.
Firewalls allow companies to create a network environment that can be securely utilized by on-premises users as well as by an at-home workforce, mobile users, suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders. Next-generation firewall devices permit you to assign and control appropriate access rights to different groups of users and to scale your network and modify your security profile as your company evolves and as network attacks grow increasingly complex. Progent works with both new and older firewall appliances from all major manufacturers including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, WatchGuard, Juniper, SonicWall and Fortinet. For details about Progent's firewall integration services, visit firewall support expertise.
Online Endpoint Monitoring makes it easy to watch over the disparate computers used by remote workers and either block or identify and respond to modern cyber attacks like ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint agent is installed on every secured endpoint device, watching all activity and utilizing state-of-the-art AI technology from SentinelOne to detect new attacks before they can spread. When an attack is spotted, ProSight ASM immediately disconnects the impacted endpoint device from the corporate network to contain the threat. Because the ProSight Active Security Monitoring agent is autonomous, endpoint devices remain secure even when they are not connected to 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 telecommuters.
Progent's Duo authentication Service Plans utilize Cisco's Duo technology to defend against compromised passwords through the use of two-factor authentication. Duo enables one-tap identity verification on iOS, Android, and other out-of-band devices. With 2FA, whenever you log into a secured application and give your password you are requested to confirm who you are on a unit that only you possess and that is accessed using a separate network channel. A wide range of devices can be used as this added form of ID validation such as a smartphone or watch, a hardware token, a landline phone, etc. You can register several verification devices. To learn more about Duo identity validation services, refer to Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services for telecommuters.
Security Audits can evaluate the exposure of your information system to all types of outside and local security attacks for a network that includes an at-home workforce. Progent can deploy online, automated cybersecurity inventory scanning for rapidly and affordably detecting a broad range of security weaknesses that can be surfaced over the Internet. Progent's endpoint security audit consulting services, which can be managed by data security professionals with advanced certifications such as CISA, CISSP, and GIAC, can assist your company to evaluate your workflows and governance policies and review your network infrastructure to allow you to design top-level protection for your teleworkers.
Horizon3.ai's NodeZero Pentest Platform is a cutting-edge penetration test (pentest) product family that can deliver autonomous threat assessment of your at-home connectivity solution and your internal and perimeter networks so you can expose, rank, fix, and verify cybersecurity vulnerabilities before threat actors can take advantage of them. Progent can help you to deploy NodeZero to perform comprehensive pentests of your 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 deploy a cohesive cybersecurity ecosystem that streamlines management and provides maximum protection for on-prem, cloud-based, remote, and perimeter IT resources. To find out more details about Progent's vulnerability assessment services powered by on NodeZero's PEN test platform, refer to Consulting Support for NodeZero's Pentest Platform.
Download White Paper: Protecting a Work-From-Home (WFH) Environment
To view or download a white paper describing critical things to focus on for securing a network that supports telecommuters, click:
Securing a Work-From-Home Environment White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)
Data Protection Solutions for Remote Workers
Data Protection covers backing up and restoring critical information in order to prevent data loss and minimize recovery time in the event of storage system failures due to hardware breakdowns, software hiccups, user error, cyber attack, or any other reason. Dependable data protection solutions can be particularly difficult to architect and maintain in hybrid networks that incorporate private data centers, cloud resources, and an at-home workforce.
Unified Management for Telecommuters
Microsoft has rebranded and reshuffled its endpoint management platforms under the title Endpoint Manager, which includes Intune for cloud management of mobile and remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing on-premises computers. Endpoint Manager offers a unified platform for protecting corporate information by controlling on-premises, mobile, and at-home endpoint devices.
Intune
Intune is a component of Microsoft's Endpoint Management family that also includes Microsoft Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud service for managing and securing off-premises computers and applications. Managed endpoint devices can be user owned or business owned. Network administrators managing the enrolled endpoint devices of teleworkers can use Intune to provision and validate apps on managed devices, push patches and certificates, configure rules for accessing data and resources, set passwords, establish VPN tunnels, control how home-based workers share data, set up threat defense, ensure security compliance, and delete sensitive information from lost, stolen or decommissioned devices. Microsoft Intune runs with iOS/iPadOS, Android, Windows, and macOS/OS X devices. For information about Intune and to find out how Progent can assist your company to use Microsoft's Endpoint Management to administer the endpoint devices of your at-home workers, refer to Intune teleworker device management consultants.
VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced centralized Mobile Device Management product that allows network administrators to keep remote endpoint devices up to date and protected. Workspace ONE uses VMware AirWatch for centralized endpoint administration combined with VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery technology for authorization control, app management, and configuration management of endpoints. Workspace ONE runs with devices based on Windows 10, macOS, iOS, Google 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 deployment via a one-time purchase. Top capabilities of VMware Workspace ONE include fast remote deployment of out-of-the-box laptops, quick onboarding of new users, policy setting and enforcement for all classes of endpoints, unifies management reporting and performance analytics, email encryption, and tight integration with Microsoft applications and cloud-based products. For information about Progent's support for VMware Workspace ONE, refer to VMware Workspace ONE mobile device management consultants.
Contact Progent for Telecommuter Expertise
To contact Progent about building and managing an efficient telecommuter environment, call