Boston Remote Workforce Configuration Consulting

Expanding your at-home workforce may have a major impact on network infrastructure, security, and company processes. Progent has two decades of background assisting small and mid-size businesses to plan, deploy, manage, tune, and troubleshoot IT networks that incorporate work-from-home employees. Progent can assist your Boston company to select the appropriate tools and adhere to best practices in building and operating a safe virtual office solution for telecommuters that promotes collaboration and delivers maximum business value. Progent can provide support services that go from on demand guidance for helping you over challenging technical bottlenecks to comprehensive project management or co-management to help you carry out mission-critical tasks.

Progent can assist Boston, Massachusetts businesses to succeed with any aspect of creating a high-performing work-at-home environment by providing infrastructure design and configuration services, IP voice expertise, voice/video conferencing integration, collaboration platform customization and training, public cloud integration, Help Desk services, security monitoring, backup/restore solutions, and centralized management.

Network Infrastructure for Teleworkers
Configuring the network infrastructure needed for an at-home work environment can be particularly complicated if you must manage a mix of personal hardware such as desktop computers and laptops, routers, and wireless APs from an assortment of manufacturers and with a mix of OS software and firmware releases. Progent's experience delivering remote help for both outdated and current technologies in virtual office venues allows you to make efficient use of your existing network infrastructure and provides you with fast access to top-tire consultants for implement essential updates. Support services available from Progent to assist you to create a high-functioning telecommuting ecosystem include:

• VPN technology allows you to create a safe connection for authorized remote workers to use IT resources situated at your company data center or in a public cloud. Progent can help your company to deploy and manage VPN access between your at-home workforce and your key network resources by providing online VPN configuration support. For businesses with Cisco's ASA security appliances, Progent's Cisco-certified ASA consultants can help your at-home workers to utilize Cisco's popular AnyConnect client software for secure VPN tunneling for a wide range of devices including Windows, Mac, iOS, Linux, and Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) products allow a telecommuter to view and use a remote PC's desktop. This technology provides IT managers substantial control over the computing environment of telecommuters and offers them a familiar work experience. Progent's virtual desktop services include Windows Remote Desktop integration and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops VDI solutions.
• Routers connect at-home computer networks to the Internet and typically support VPN tunnels, local wireless networks, and firewall services. Progent can provide expert online consulting for deploying home routers from a range of vendors. See router integration services from Cisco-certified experts.
• Home Wi-Fi networks, often shared by an entire household and visitors, are frequently used by telecommuters to connect to their Internet router for work. This can create performance and security problems. Progent can assist you to mitigate these issues by delivering expertise that include Cisco Aironet integration consulting, Cisco-certified Meraki WiFi deployment expertise, and Ubiquiti Unifi wireless AP integration help.
• Internet connectivity methods affect the speed and reliability of connections between telecommuters and the corporate network. Vital processes might demand redundant Internet connections in the event the primary connection fails. Progent offers expertise for identifying Internet service providers, picking appropriate service offerings, and integrating fault-tolerant Internet access. See Internet access integration services.

VoIP Solutions for an At-Home Workforce
Expanding the corporate PBX system to include remote users is critical to supporting a productive work-at-home solution. A broad range of cloud-centric IP voice platforms are popular with SMBs to server teleworkers. Many larger organizations depend on Cisco's current or older products for VoIP management. Progent can assist businesses of all sizes to design or tune a telecommuter VoIP service that delivers the flexibility, convenience and security needed for at-home workers. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE Voice experts can provide high-level support to assist businesses optimize their existing Cisco IP voice systems to handle a growing at-home workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) delivers enterprise IP telephony features to devices such as IP phones, media processing platforms, VoIP gateways, and multimedia apps deployed throughout the network. CUCM manages other combined media services like unified messaging, video conferencing, and team collaboration networks. For details about Progent's Unified Communications Manager support, see Cisco Unified Communications Manager consultants.
• Cisco CallManager is Cisco's earlier call-processing agent and has been superseded by CUCM. Progent's consultants can help your company to maintain your current CallManager environment or migrate efficiently to Cisco's modern IP telephony products. To learn about Progent's expertise for CallManager and Cisco's other early VoIP products, refer to Cisco CallManager consulting.
• Cisco IP Gateways provide connectivity with public telephony networks and with users working outside the corporate firewall like at-home workers. Progent offers expert support for Cisco's earlier generation IP gateways such as the UC520, UC540 and UC560 product lines as well as for current Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateways. See Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateway configuration expertise.
• Additional VoIP Products supported by Progent's consultants include Vonage, Intermedia Unite and 8x8. Progent can help you to update your wide area network infrastructure to support these solutions and provide online integration and debugging expertise.

Video Conferencing for Remote Workers
A broad selection of voice/video conferencing products from major vendors enable virtual meetings, video and voice conferencing, chat, and screen/content sharing for both onsite users and at-home workers. Many organizations use multiple conferencing products to meet the needs of their different partners and clients. Progent can assist your organization to maintain your current conferencing ecosystem and enhance the experience of your remote workforce.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's popular unified communications product that supports presence, instant messaging, voice and video conferencing as well as the seamless integration of these functions within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 applications including PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook. Progent can provide the skills of Microsoft-certified specialists who can help your company to deploy and manage Skype for Business clients to accommodate your remote workforce. To learn more about Progent's consulting services for Skype for Business, visit Skype for Business integration services.
• FaceTime is Apple's group video phone platform for iOS and macOS computers and smartphones. FaceTime runs on Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Later editions of FaceTime allow as many as 32 simultaneous users for video calls. To learn more about Progent's support expertise for Apple FaceTime, visit Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center supports remote conferencing for most desktop or mobile devices. Delivered via Cisco's Webex Cloud platform, Webex services include sharing granular content or computer screens, presentations that embed rich media such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Flash videos, session capture, plus editing and playback for training. For details about Progent's support services for Webex as well as for additional IP video products from Cisco, refer to Progent's Webex Meeting Center support services.
• Teams is Microsoft's next-generation replacement for Skype for Business. Teams acts as a portal for conferencing, contacts, and information with capabilities such as IP voice and video conferencing, persistent chat, plus file sharing. For details about Progent's support services for Teams and for other Microsoft 365 products, visit 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 integration and debugging services for these products and assist you to optimize your network architecture to host them.

Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Software for At-Home Workers
Microsoft's collaboration platforms are tightly integrated with Microsoft's popular Office and Microsoft 365 suites, offering a rich environment of applications that deliver a consistent user interface for exchanging information throughout multiple sites and on a broad selection of endpoint computers. Progent has delivered online 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 workers.

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 substitute 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 closely integrated with Microsoft 365 and depends on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Entra (formerly called Azure Active Directory) for delivering its complete range of capabilities. For details about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium, visit solution design and configuration expertise for Microsoft Teams.

SharePoint utilizes web sites to facilitate collaboration and information delivery by providing policy-driven access to data, workflow, and tools for looking through company-wide business data. SharePoint enables you to create secure portals that allows remote workforce to see and edit consolidated business intelligence via Wikis, Blogs, social web sites, and Web Parts. To find out about Progent's SharePoint support services, see 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 information about Progent's Exchange consulting expertise, see planning and configuration consulting for Exchange.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s shared cloud-based file hosting and synchronization service, similar to GoogleDrive. Remote workers can save files to the OneDrive service, and co-workers can access them securely through a web browser. Provided with Office 365, OneDrive enables at-home workers to co-edit documents. Revisions created offline are synced when you reconnect to the Internet. To find out about Progent's expertise for OneDrive, visit Onedrive configuration experts.

Cloud Integration for At-Home Workers
Progent can provide advanced online support for enabling organizations to create, manage and optimize integrated hybrid network architectures that incorporate physical data centers, at-home workers, branch offices, plus cloud resources. Progent can provide expertise for all modes of cloud service delivery such as Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service. Progent can help at-home workers resolve problems with public cloud connectivity, authentication, and cybersecurity.

Microsoft Azure is a leading family of cloud software and services that enables you to use IT infrastructure, servers, and critical applications running on Microsoft's extensive cloud. Azure offers over 100 services services such as hosting for Windows and Linux-based virtual machines, on-demand cloud storage, messaging, app development with Visual Studio, and backup/restore. Progent can help you to set up VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, configure storage on Azure Storage services, streamline identity management with Azure Active Directory, and design backup and recovery systems with Azure Backup. Progent can also show you how to create secure connections to Azure for telecommuters by setting up and troubleshooting firewall appliances and VPN tunnels. For information about Progent's consulting services for Azure, refer to Microsoft Azure consulting.

Microsoft 365, formerly called Office 365, is Microsoft's popular family of client productivity software and cloud-based services available on a subscription basis. Office apps and cloud services are marketed in a variety of bundles intended for customers ranging from individuals and households to large enterprises. Progent can provide fast and easy remote access to consultants familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible devices based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent can assist you to evaluate the various subscription bundles available for Microsoft 365 and deploy 365 apps for your at-home workers to achieve maximum business value. To find out about Progent's support services for Microsoft 365, refer to Microsoft 365 consulting services.

Exchange Online is one of the most popular applications in the Microsoft 365 product suite. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online offers the benefits of reduced costs for data center infrastructure, simplified management, on-demand scaling, high availability, and other advantages associated with cloud computing. Microsoft has engineered Microsoft 365 Exchange Online to operate smoothly with on-premises Exchange environments, allowing you to build hybrid cloud/onsite information systems. Progent's certified Exchange experts can provide as-needed help to get you through tough IT bottlenecks and also offer end-to-end project management services to ensure your telecommuters have convenient and secure access to your Microsoft 365 Exchange Online environment. For information Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft 365 Exchange Online, go to Exchange Online integration and support expertise.

Amazon AWS is a trailblazer in the public cloud computing market and is the industry's leading provider of cloud-based services. Progent can provide quick and affordable online access to cloud integration experts who can assist your organization to design, deploy, maintain, and debug hybrid IT networks that incorporate Amazon AWS cloud services with on-premises data centers and with other popular cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure. Progent also offers the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking experts to help you to build a high-uptime network architecture to make sure your users have a consistent computing experience regardless of whether they are working from your main office, a remote branch, at home, or on the road. For information about Progent's consulting services for Amazon AWS, refer to Amazon AWS consulting services.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a leading set of cloud services that offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) products. Progent's certified Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can help your business to expand your existing IT resources with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's DBA consultants can help you make your mission-critical applications cloud ready so your at-home workers can take full advantage of Google Cloud services. Progent's consultants can assist your organization to set up VMs on Google Cloud Compute Engine, design an efficient storage solution with GCP Storage services, and streamline identity control for remote workers with Google Cloud Identity. Progent's consultants can also assist your organization to use GCP's management technology to administer and monitor your Google Cloud ecosystem. To find out, visit Google Cloud Platform (GCP) consulting services.

Help Desk Call Center Support for Teleworkers
A fast, organization-wide switchover to a from-home workforce, which could be the result of an epidemic or as part of a business continuity preparedness plan, can overwhelm even a well-staffed in-house Call Center. Progent's Help Desk Call Center services allow organizations to outsource or expand their Help Desk by using Progent's remote Technical Response Center (TRC) services.

• Progent's Standard Help Desk services utilize Progent's extensive team of remote IT support experts along with world-class ticketing and follow-up software to offer an economical, modern 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 service requests to trouble ticket creation, screen sharing, issue resolution, and reporting. A browser-based User's Service Portal enables at-home employees to track or revise the status of their current tickets, add details, and append screen captures and attachments. Technical support services are provided at a substantial price reduction off Progent's normal Level 1 technical service rates, and Progent offers the option of fast hand-off to Level 2 and Level 3 IT experts to resolve complex problems. To learn more, see Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services outsourcing for small companies.
• Progent's Call Center Augmentation Service enables your company to expand your existing Support Desk staff by sharing responsibilities for Help Desk support transparently between your in-house support personnel and Progent's nationwide pool of desktop support engineers and subject matter specialists. Progent's shared Support Desk service is based on a collaborative support model based on the leading professional services automation (PSA) tool for managing help requests and trouble tickets, establishing responsibility, tracking progress, and producing reports. For details about how Progent's Help Desk Augmentation Services can enable your company to provide world-class technical support to your teleworkers, go to Progent's Support Desk supplementation Services.

Cybersecurity for At-Home Workers
At-home workers commonly utilize their own computers and usually work in an unsecured physical environment. This multiplies their susceptibility to malware attacks and requires judicious configuration of firewalls, AV tools, multi-factor authentication, remote monitoring, extensive user education, and the creation of security policies built on best practices. Progent's veteran roster of cybersecurity support consultants can assist you to design, implement and manage an effective security solution that guards critical IT assets in environments that incorporate telecommuters.

Firewalls allow you to build a network that can be safely utilized by local users as well as by teleworkers, mobile users, vendors, customers, and the public. Next-generation firewall devices allow you to configure and manage different permissions to various classes of users and to expand your network and modify your security profile as your company evolves and as cyber threats grow more sophisticated. Progent works with both new and older security appliances from all major manufacturers including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, WatchGuard, Juniper, and Fortinet. To learn more about Progent's firewall integration services, refer to firewall integration and support services.

Online Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it easy to watch over the various computers used by an at-home workforce and either reject or identify and mitigate the latest threats such as ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a lightweight agent is installed on each secured endpoint device, watching all activity and using state-of-the-art machine learning from SentinelOne to identify new attacks at inception. When a cyberattack is spotted, ProSight ASM instantly disconnects the impacted device from the network to quarantine the threat. Because the ProSight Active Security Monitoring agent is self-contained, endpoint devices stay protected even if they are disconnected from the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. To learn more about ProSight Active Security Monitoring, visit remote endpoint monitoring for remote workers.

Progent's Duo MFA Services incorporate Cisco's Duo cloud technology to defend against compromised passwords by using two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo enables one-tap identity confirmation on Apple iOS, Google Android, and other personal devices. With Duo 2FA, whenever you log into a secured online account and give your password you are requested to verify your identity via a device that only you have and that is accessed using a different network channel. A broad selection of out-of-band devices can be utilized as this second form of ID validation including a smartphone or watch, a hardware token, a landline telephone, etc. You may designate several verification devices. To find out more about ProSight Duo identity authentication services, refer to Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for telecommuters.

Security Audits can evaluate the vulnerability of your information system to all classes of external and local security attacks for an environment that includes teleworkers. Progent can run remote, automated cybersecurity analysis scanning for rapidly and affordably detecting a broad range of security holes that can be surfaced over the Internet. Progent's security audit consulting services, which can be managed by data security professionals with top credentials such as CISA, CISSP, and GIAC, can assist you to evaluate your procedures and governance policies and assess your IT architecture to allow you to design the highest level of protection for your an at-home workforce.

Horizon3.ai's NodeZero Penetration Testing Platform is a leading-edge penetration test (pentest) product family that supports autonomous testing of your work-from-home connectivity solution and your internal and perimeter networks so you can find, rank, remediate, and confirm security weaknesses before malicious hackers can take advantage of them. Progent can assist you to use NodeZero to carry out comprehensive pentests of your network perimeter and your internal IT infrastructure in order to determine your present security profile. Progent's NodeZero experts can also help you to harden your existing network security and can assist you to design and implement a cohesive cybersecurity ecosystem that streamlines management and delivers optimum cyber defense for on-premises, cloud-based, at-home, and perimeter IT assets. To learn more information about Progent's threat analysis solutions powered by on NodeZero's PEN test platform, refer to Consulting Services for NodeZero's PEN Test Platform.

Download White Paper: Protecting a Work-From-Home (WFH) Environment
To view or download a white paper about key areas to concentrate on for securing an IT environment that includes work-from-home staff, click:
Securing a Work-From-Home (WFH) Environment White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)

Data Protection for At-Home Workers
Data Protection involves saving and restoring vital information in order to avoid data loss and reduce restoration time and effort in the event of storage system problems due to hardware breakdowns, programming glitches, operator mistakes, cyber attack, or other causes. Dependable data protection strategies can be particularly challenging to design and maintain in hybrid environments that incorporate local data centers, cloud resources, and an at-home workforce.

• Backup/Recovery solutions for teleworkers must address multiple types of user-owned endpoints. Progent can provide fast remote help from experts familiar with a broad array of platforms for backing up Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac and Linux/UNIX powered servers and desktops as well as laptops, iOS and Android tablets and smartphones. Leading backup/recovery solutions supported by Progent's data protection experts include Barracuda Backup, Microsoft Azure Backup, Symantec Backup Exec, Acronis Backup and Recovery, Retrospect, and Time Machine. To back up resources distributed across a wide area network, Progent can provide ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a backup/recovery service that utilizes cloud-based storage and includes granular restore and centralized management.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity strategies typically envision circumstances that call for a rapid changeover to telecommuting. Progent's senior disaster recovery planning experts and business continuity consultants can assist you to produce, document and validate a DR/BC strategy that includes the logistics of switching to an at-home workforce.

Unified Management for Telecommuters
Microsoft has renamed and rebundled its endpoint management platforms under the title Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which encompasses Intune for cloud-based management of mobile and remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing onsite endpoints. Microsoft Endpoint Manager provides a unified environment for safeguarding critical data by controlling on-premises, mobile, and home-based endpoints.

Intune
Intune is a component of Microsoft's Endpoint Management suite that also features Microsoft Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud-based service for managing and protecting off-premises devices and software. Managed endpoint devices can be personally owned or company owned. IT admins managing the enrolled endpoint computers of teleworkers can use Intune to deploy and authenticate apps on devices, push patches and certificates, set up rules for permission to access data and networks, set passwords, establish VPN tunnels, determine how teleworkers share information, set up threat defense, verify compliance, and erase sensitive data from missing, stolen or decommissioned endpoint devices. Microsoft Intune works with iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS devices. To find out about Intune and how Progent can help your company to use Microsoft's Endpoint Management to administer the devices of your at-home workers, go to Intune mobile endpoint management consultants.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced centralized Mobile Device Management (MDM) platform that helps network managers to keep offsite endpoints up to date and secure. Workspace ONE incorporates VMware AirWatch for unified endpoint management along with VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery technology for identity control, app management, and setup management of endpoint computers. Workspace ONE operates with endpoints based on Windows 10, macOS, iOS, Google Android, Chrome OS, or leading distros of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is offered by subscription as a cloud service or as an on-premises product via a perpetual license. Key features of VMware Workspace ONE include rapid over-the-air deployment of out-of-the-box notebooks, immediate onboarding of new employees, policy set up and enforcement for all classes of devices, unifies management reporting and performance analytics, email encryption, and tight integration with Microsoft apps and cloud services. To find out about Progent's support for VMware Workspace ONE, visit VMware Workspace ONE mobile device management consultants.

Contact Progent for Remote Workforce Support Services
To get in touch with Progent about building and maintaining a productive work-from-home environment for your Boston, Massachusetts organization, phone 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.