Boston Remote Workers Solutions Consulting

Expanding your telecommuter workforce may have a significant impact on network architecture, security/compliance, and corporate processes. Progent has two decades of background helping businesses of all sizes to design, deploy, administer, tune, and debug IT environments that support work-from-home employees. Progent can help your Boston company to select the appropriate technologies and adhere to best practices in creating and operating a safe virtual ecosystem for teleworkers that facilitates collaboration and delivers top business value. Progent offers support services ranging from on demand expertise for helping you over challenging technical roadblocks to comprehensive project management or co-management to help you carry out mission-critical initiatives.

Progent's consultants can assist Boston, Massachusetts companies to with any facet of building a high-functioning work-from-home environment by providing network infrastructure configuration services, VoIP PBX expertise, voice/video conferencing integration, collaboration platform customization and training, cloud integration, Call Desk augmentation, cybersecurity, backup/restore solutions, and centralized management.

Network Infrastructure for Teleworkers
Setting up the network infrastructure required for a remote work environment can be particularly complicated if you must accommodate a mix of worker-owned equipment such as PCs and notebooks, routers, and wireless APs from various manufacturers and with a variety of OS software and firmware releases. Progent's experience delivering remote help for both outdated and current IT products in remote office solutions allows you to make cost-effective use of your existing network infrastructure and offers ready access to top-tire consultants for making essential upgrades. Support services available from Progent to help your company to create a high-functioning work-at-home ecosystem include:

• VPN technology allows you to establish a safe tunnel for authorized remote workers to access IT resources located at your company datacenter or in the cloud. Progent can help your company to deploy and manage VPN connections between your teleworkers and your key network resources by providing remote VPN integration support. For businesses using Cisco's ASA firewalls, Progent's Cisco-certified ASA experts can assist your remote workers to set up Cisco's popular AnyConnect software to provide secure VPN connections for a broad selection of devices including Microsoft Windows, macOS, Apple iOS, Linux, and Google Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure platforms allow an at-home worker to view and interact with a remote computer's desktop. This technology gives IT managers substantial control over the digital ecosystem of telecommuters and offers remote users a familiar work experience. Progent's VDI consulting services include Windows Remote Desktop support and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops VDI expertise.
• Routers attach home computer networks to the Internet and typically support VPN connections, local Wi-Fi networks, and firewalls. Progent offers top-tier remote consulting for deploying routers from all major manufacturers. See router integration services from Cisco-certified consultants.
• Home Wireless networks, often shared by families and guests, are commonly utilized by telecommuters to access their Internet router for work. This can cause performance and security problems. Progent can help you to mitigate these problems by delivering services that include Cisco Aironet integration consulting, Cisco-certified Meraki wireless installation expertise, and Ubiquiti WiFi access point integration help.
• Internet connectivity solutions impact the speed and reliability of connections between at-home workers and the company data center. Business-critical processes might demand backup Internet connections in case the normal connection breaks. Progent can provide expertise for identifying ISPs, selecting sensible service packages, and configuring fault-tolerant Internet access. Refer to Internet connectivity solutions.

IP Voice Solutions for Remote Workers
Extending the business PBX system to accommodate telecommuters is vital to maintaining a productive at-home workforce. A variety of cloud-based IP voice platforms are used by small and mid-size businesses to server remote users. Many enterprises depend on Cisco's modern or legacy products for VoIP management. Progent can help businesses of all sizes to plan or tune a telecommuter IP voice environment that provides the versatility, transparency and security needed for remote users. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE Voice consultants can provide advanced support to help businesses tune their existing Cisco VoIP environments to support an expanding remote workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM) extends advanced IP telephony features to devices like VoIP phones, media processing platforms, VoIP gateways, and mixed media apps deployed throughout the network. CUCM supports additional mixed media services such as unified messaging, video conferencing, and team collaboration networks. For details about Progent's Unified Communications Manager support, visit Cisco Unified CM expertise.
• Cisco CallManager is Cisco's earlier call-processing agent and has been replaced by CUCM. Progent can help you to maintain your existing CallManager environment or migrate smoothly to Cisco's modern IP telephony solutions. To find out about Progent's support services for Cisco CallManager and Cisco's other early VoIP products, see CallManager consulting.
• Cisco IP Gateways enable connectivity with public telephony networks and with users operating beyond the corporate perimeter such as at-home workers. Progent can provide consulting expertise for Cisco's legacy IP gateways including the UC520, UC540 and UC560 series and for current Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateways. See Cisco SIP gateway integration expertise.
• Additional VoIP Products supported by Progent include Vonage, RingCentral and 8x8. Progent can assist you to update your wide area network infrastructure to work with these VoIP solutions and provide on-demand integration and troubleshooting expertise.

Voice/Video Conferencing for Remote Workers
A wide selection of voice/video conferencing products from leading vendors enable virtual discussions, video and voice conferencing, chat sessions, and content sharing for both onsite workers and at-home workers. Many organizations use multiple products to meet the needs of their various partners and customers. Progent's communications experts can help your organization to manage your existing voice/video conferencing ecosystem and optimize the engagement of your at-home workforce.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's leading communications product that supports real-time presence, instant messaging, voice and video conferencing as well as the transparent integration of these capabilities within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 productivity software including PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook. Progent can provide the skills of Microsoft-certified consultants who can assist your company to deploy and manage Skype for Business client software to accommodate your remote employees. For details about Progent's consulting services for Skype for Business, refer to Skype for Business consulting services.
• FaceTime is Apple's group video calling app for compatible iOS, iPadOS, iPod and macOS devices. FaceTime works on Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Later versions of FaceTime allow up to 32 simultaneous users for video sessions. For details about Progent's support expertise for Apple FaceTime, visit Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center provides online conferencing for most computing devices. Delivered through Cisco's Webex Cloud platform, Webex capabilities include sharing granular content or screens, presentations that incorporate rich media such as Microsoft PowerPoint, network-based recording, plus revision and playback for future reference. To learn more about Progent's support expertise for Webex as well as for other video conferencing 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 conversations, contacts, and content with capabilities such as voice/video conferencing, persistent chat, plus file sharing. For details about Progent's support expertise for Microsoft Teams and for additional Microsoft 365 products, refer to Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
• Additional Conferencing Platforms supported by Progent's conferencing experts include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can provide configuration and troubleshooting expertise for these products and help you to tune your network infrastructure to run them.

Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Platforms for Remote Workers
Microsoft's collaboration platforms are tightly integrated with Microsoft's popular Office and Microsoft 365 families, providing a rich ecosystem of productivity apps that create a consistent user experience for exchanging information across multiple sites and on a broad range of endpoint devices. Progent has delivered remote consulting support for Microsoft SharePoint and Exchange since their original publication and can help businesses to deploy these flagship collaboration products to optimize the effectiveness of your at-home workers.

SharePoint uses web entities to allow collaboration and knowledge delivery by offering policy-based access to content, workflow, and utilities for searching through company-wide information silos. SharePoint permits you to build protected web portals that enables at-home workers to view and edit consolidated business intelligence via Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social web sites, and Web Parts (Widgets). For information about Progent's SharePoint consulting services, refer to SharePoint configuration and development expertise.

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 consulting services, refer to integration consulting services for Exchange.

OneDrive is Microsoft’s collaborative cloud-based storage service, comparable to GoogleDrive. Remote users can save files to the OneDrive service, and co-workers anywhere can share them securely via a web browser. Included with Microsoft 365, OneDrive enables home workers to jointly author documents. Revisions created offline are automatically synced when you reconnect to the Internet. For information about Progent's support services for Microsoft OneDrive, go to Onedrive integration experts.

Cloud Integration Services for Remote Workers
Progent can provide advanced online support for enabling organizations to create, maintain and optimize integrated hybrid network models that include internal data centers, at-home workers, branches, plus cloud services. Progent can provide top-tier consultant for all modes of cloud service such as Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Progent can help remote workers fix issues with cloud connectivity, authentication, and cybersecurity.

Azure is a leading platform for public cloud software and services that allows you to utilize IT infrastructure, virtual servers, and key apps running on Microsoft's extensive cloud. Azure offers over 100 cloud-based services such as the ability to host Windows and Linux-based virtual machines, scalable cloud storage, email and messaging, application development with Visual Studio, and backup/restore. Progent can assist you to set up VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, integrate cloud-based storage on Azure Storage services, streamline identity management with Azure Active Directory, and plan data backup and recovery systems with Azure Backup. Progent can also show you how to create protected access to Azure services for at-home workers by setting up and troubleshooting firewall appliances and VPN IPsec tunnels. To find out about Progent's support services for Azure, go to Microsoft Azure consulting services.

Office 365, now called Microsoft 365, is Microsoft's growing family of business productivity applications and cloud services available by subscription. Microsoft applications and services are provided in a variety of bundles designed for customers ranging from students and small offices to major enterprises. Progent offers quick and affordable online contact with experts familiar with Office 365-compatible client devices based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent's experts can assist your business to evaluate the numerous subscription plans available for Microsoft 365 and configure 365 apps for your remote workers in a way that delivers top business value. To learn about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Office 365, see Microsoft 365 consulting expertise.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online is one of the most popular applications in the Office 365 product product suite. Office 365 Exchange Online offers the benefits of reduced spending for physical infrastructure, simplified management, on-demand scaling, high availability, and additional benefits associated with public clouds. Microsoft has engineered Exchange Online to run seamlessly with local deployments of Exchange, enabling customers to create hybrid cloud/onsite information systems. Progent's Exchange experts are available for occasional assistance to guide you through challenging IT bottlenecks and also offer comprehensive project management outsourcing to ensure your at-home workers have convenient and secure access to your Microsoft 365 Exchange Online environment. For information Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft 365 Exchange Online, see Microsoft 365 Exchange Online configuration and support expertise.

Amazon AWS is a trailblazer in the public cloud market and is the world's leading source of cloud-based services. Progent offers quick and affordable online access to cloud integration experts who can assist your business to design, deploy, manage, and troubleshoot hybrid information networks that integrate Amazon AWS cloud services with on-premises resources and with other popular cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure. Progent also offers access to Cisco-certified CCIE networking experts to assist you to create a high-uptime network architecture so your users have a productive computing experience regardless of whether they are working from your headquarters, a remote branch, from home, or on the road. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Amazon AWS, refer to Amazon AWS integration support.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a popular collection of cloud services that provides Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) products. Progent's Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco experts can assist you to scale your existing IT assets with the Google Cloud, and Progent's DBA experts can help you make your critical applications cloud ready so your telecommuters can take full advantage of Google Cloud services. Progent can help your organization to deploy VMs on Google Cloud Compute Engine, plan a cost-effective storage solution with GCP Storage services, and streamline access management for telecommuters with Google Cloud Identity services. Progent's consultants can also help your business to utilize GCP's unified management tools to administer and track your Google Cloud environment. For details, refer to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) integration support.

Help Desk Call Center Support for Remote Workers
A rapid, enterprise-wide switchover to a from-home workforce, which could be motivated by an epidemic or as a component of a disaster recovery plan, can overwhelm even a well-staffed internal Support Desk. Progent's Call Center services make it possible for organizations of any size to outsource or expand their Help Desk Call Center by using Progent's remote Technical Response Center (TRC) services.

• Progent's Standard Help Desk Call Center services leverage Progent's nationwide network of online IT support experts combined with world-class ticketing and follow-up technology to offer an affordable, modern Support Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services offer a comprehensive solution that handles all facets of remote Level 1 PC support from initial help requests to trouble ticket creation, screen sharing, problem resolution, and incident reporting. A web-based User's Service Portal allows from-home workers to monitor or update the status of their current tickets, add details, and upload screenshots or relevant files. Desktop support services are provided at a significant price reduction off Progent's normal Level 1 desktop service charges, and Progent makes available the option of fast escalation to Level 2 and Level 3 IT experts to deal with advanced issues. For more information, see Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services outsourcing for small and mid-size companies.
• Progent's Call Center Supplemental Service enables your company to supplement your current Call Desk staff by splitting delivery of Call Center support seamlessly between your in-house support personnel and Progent's nationwide pool of desktop support technicians and subject matter experts. Progent's shared Support Desk service is based on a collaborative support solution utilizing the leading professional services automation tool for managing service requests and trouble tickets, assigning ownership, tracking progress, and producing reports. For information about how Progent's Help Desk Augmentation Services can help your company to deliver best-in-class IT support to your at-home workforce, refer to Progent's Support Desk supplementation Services.

Cybersecurity for At-Home Workers
Remote workers commonly run their own equipment and work in an unsecured area. This increases their vulnerability to cyber attacks and requires judicious deployment of security appliances, remote monitoring, and the creation of policies that follow leading practices. Progent's seasoned roster of certified cybersecurity experts can assist your business to plan, implement and manage a modern cybersecurity environment that safeguards vital data in IT networks that incorporate remote workers.

Firewalls allow companies to build a network environment that can be safely utilized by local users and by an at-home workforce, mobile users, vendors, clients, and other stakeholders. Next-generation firewall devices allow you to assign and manage different access rights to different classes of users and to expand your network and adjust your security profile as your company evolves and as network attacks become increasingly sophisticated. Progent supports both current and legacy firewall appliances from all major manufacturers including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, Juniper, and Fortinet. To find out more about Progent's firewall integration expertise, see firewall configuration and support expertise.

Remote Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it possible to watch over the various devices utilized by an at-home workforce and either reject or spot and mitigate the latest threats such as ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint agent is installed on each secured endpoint device, watching all activity and using state-of-the-art AI technology to identify zero-day attacks on arrival. When a cyberattack is discovered, ProSight ASM immediately disconnects the targeted endpoint device from the corporate network to contain the malware. Since the ProSight Active Security Monitoring software agent is self-contained, endpoints remain protected even if they are disconnected from the Internet. For more information about ProSight ASM, visit remote endpoint monitoring for telecommuters.

Progent's Duo authentication managed services utilize Cisco's Duo cloud technology to protect against password theft through the use of two-factor authentication. Duo supports single-tap identity verification on Apple iOS, Android, and other personal devices. With 2FA, whenever you sign into a protected application and enter your password you are requested to confirm who you are via a device that only you possess and that is accessed using a different ("out-of-band") network channel. A wide range of out-of-band devices can be used for this added form of ID validation including an iPhone or Android or wearable, a hardware/software token, a landline phone, etc. You may designate several validation devices. For more information about ProSight Duo two-factor identity authentication services, visit Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services for remote workers.

Security Audits can evaluate the exposure of your information system to all types of outside and local security attacks for an environment that includes an at-home workforce. Progent can run online, automated cybersecurity analysis scanning for rapidly and economically detecting a broad range of security weaknesses that can be found over the Internet. Progent's security audit consulting services, which can be provided by network security professionals with advanced certifications such as CISM, ISSAP, and GIAC, can help you to audit your workflows and governance policies and review your WAN architecture to enable you to design the highest level of protection for your telecommuters.

Data Protection Solutions for Telecommuters
Data Protection covers saving and restoring vital information so as to prevent data loss and minimize recovery time and effort in the event of storage system failures resulting from hardware issues, programming hiccups, user mistakes, cyber attack, or any other reason. Dependable data protection solutions can be particularly challenging to design and maintain in hybrid networks that incorporate local data centers, public clouds, and an at-home workforce.

• Backup/Restore solutions for an at-home workforce must cover diverse types of user-owned endpoints. Progent can provide fast online help from experts familiar with a broad array of products for backing up Microsoft Windows, Apple and Linux/UNIX servers and desktop computers as well as laptops, iPads and handhelds. Popular backup/restore products supported by Progent's backup/recovery consultants include Barracuda Backup, Microsoft Azure Backup, Symantec Backup Exec, CrashPlan, Mozy, and Time Machine. To back up resources spread across a wide area network, Progent can provide ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a managed backup/recovery service that utilizes cloud storage and includes granular restore and centralized management.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity (DR/BC) strategies typically anticipate scenarios that require a quick switch to a work-at-home environment. Progent's expert disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity specialists can help your company to produce, document and test a DR/BC plan that includes the process of moving to telecommuting.

Unified Management for Telecommuters
Microsoft has rebranded and rebundled its endpoint management products under the name Endpoint Manager, which encompasses Intune for cloud-based management of mobile and remote devices and Configuration Manager for managing local endpoints. Endpoint Manager provides a unified environment for safeguarding corporate information by controlling onsite, mobile, and at-home endpoint devices.

Microsoft Intune
Intune is a component of Microsoft's Endpoint Management family that also includes Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud-based service for managing and securing off-premises devices and software. Remote endpoint computers can be user owned or company owned. IT administrators managing the enrolled endpoint computers of telecommuters can utilize Intune to deploy and authenticate apps on devices, push patches and certificates, set up policies for permission to access information and networks, set passwords, establish VPN tunnels, control how home-based workers share data, set up threat protection, verify compliance, and wipe sensitive information from missing, stolen or decommissioned endpoint devices. Microsoft Intune works with iOS/iPadOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS/OS X devices. To find out about Microsoft Intune and how Progent can assist you to use this platform to administer the endpoint computers of your telecommuters, see Intune teleworker device management expertise.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced unified Mobile Device Management product that allows network administrators to keep remote endpoints current and protected. Workspace ONE uses VMware AirWatch for unified endpoint administration plus VMware's Horizon virtual application delivery platform for authorization control, app management, and configuration management of endpoint devices. Workspace ONE runs with endpoints powered by Windows 10, macOS, Apple 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-site product through a perpetual license. Top features of Workspace ONE include fast over-the-air deployment of new notebooks, quick onboarding of new employees, policy setting and enforcement for all categories of devices, aggregated management reporting and performance analytics, an email encryption gateway, and tight integration with Microsoft apps and cloud products. For details about Progent's support for VMware Workspace ONE, go to VMware Workspace ONE mobile endpoint management consultants.

Contact Progent for At-Home Worker Expertise
To get in touch with Progent about creating and managing a productive work-from-home environment for your Boston, Massachusetts company, phone 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.