Brooklyn Remote Workers Configuration Support

Enlarging your telecommuter workforce can have a major effect on IT infrastructure, security, and corporate culture. Progent has 20 years of experience assisting SMBs to design, deploy, administer, tune, and debug IT networks that incorporate at-home workers. Progent can help your Brooklyn company to select the appropriate technologies and follow best practices in creating and maintaining a safe virtual office ecosystem for teleworkers that facilitates collaboration and returns maximum value. Progent offers support services ranging from on demand expertise for getting you over occasional IT roadblocks to full project management to help you successfully complete business-critical initiatives.

Progent can help Brooklyn, New York organizations to with any aspect of building a high-functioning remote work environment by delivering network infrastructure configuration services, VoIP PBX troubleshooting, voice/video conferencing integration, collaboration platform customization and training, public cloud connectivity, helpdesk services, cybersecurity, backup/restore solutions, and unified management.

Infrastructure for a Remote Workforce
Configuring the network infrastructure required to support a remote workforce can be particularly complex if you have to accommodate a combination of worker-owned equipment like PCs and notebooks, Internet routers, and Wi-Fi APs from different manufacturers and with a mix of OS software and firmware releases. Progent's experience delivering remote help for both legacy as well as current technologies in virtual office venues allows you to make cost-effective use of your existing network infrastructure and provides you with fast access to expertise for implement essential upgrades. Support services available from Progent to help your company to create a high-functioning telecommuting ecosystem include:

• VPN connectivity allows you to create a secure connection for authorized at-home workers to access IT assets located at your corporate data center or in the cloud. Progent can help you to deploy and maintain VPN access between your at-home workforce and your various network resources by providing remote VPN integration consulting. For businesses with Cisco's ASA security appliances, Progent's Cisco ASA consultants can help your at-home workers to utilize Cisco's AnyConnect software to provide safe VPN tunneling for a wide range of devices such as Windows, Mac, Apple iOS, Linux, and Google Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure products enable a teleworker to see and interact with a data center PC's desktop. This technology gives network managers more control over the computing ecosystem of telecommuters and ensures remote users a familiar experience. Progent's VDI services include Windows Remote Desktop support and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops VDI consulting.
• Routers connect at-home networks to the Internet and typically support VPN tunnels, home wireless connectivity, and firewall services. Progent offers expert online consulting for configuring home routers from a range of manufacturers. See router integration support from Cisco-certified experts.
• Home Wireless networks, often supporting families and guests, are frequently used by telecommuters to access their router for work. This can cause performance as well as cybersecurity issues. Progent can assist businesses to mitigate these problems by providing services like Aironet integration expertise, Cisco-certified Meraki WiFi deployment expertise, and Ubiquiti Unifi WiFi AP setup help.
• Internet connectivity solutions affect the speed and reliability of connections between at-home workers and the company data center. Vital processes might demand redundant Internet access in case the primary connection breaks. Progent offers expertise for selecting Internet service providers, picking sensible service offerings, and integrating high-availability Internet access. Refer to Internet connectivity integration services.

IP Voice Integration for At-Home Workers
Extending the corporate PBX environment to accommodate remote users is critical to supporting an effective at-home workforce. A broad range of cloud-centric IP voice products are popular with SMBs to support remote users. Many enterprises rely on Cisco's current or older platforms for IP voice management. Progent can help businesses of all sizes to design or maintain a telecommuter IP voice service that delivers the versatility, convenience and protection required for remote users. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE Voice experts offer advanced support to assist businesses tune their current Cisco IP voice environments to support a growing at-home workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM) extends advanced IP telephony features to devices like VoIP phones, media processing products, Voice over IP gateways, and mixed media applications used throughout the network. Unified Communications Manager supports additional mixed media services such as unified messaging, video conferencing, and team interaction networks. For more information about Progent's CUCM support, see Cisco Unified CM consultants.
• CallManager is Cisco's legacy call-processing software and has been superseded by Cisco Unified CM or CUCM. Progent's consultants can assist your company to maintain your existing CallManager environment or migrate efficiently to Cisco's current IP telephony products. To find out about Progent's support services for Cisco CallManager and Cisco's other legacy IP voice platforms, visit Cisco CallManager consulting.
• Cisco IP Gateways provide connectivity with PSTN networks and with clients working outside the corporate perimeter such as telecommuters. Progent can provide consulting expertise for Cisco's legacy IP gateways such as the UC520, UC540 and UC560 products and for current Cisco SIP gateways. See Cisco SIP gateway configuration consulting.
• Other VoIP Platforms supported by Progent's consultants include Vonage, RingCentral and 8x8. Progent can help you to enhance your wide area network infrastructure to support these VoIP solutions and deliver online configuration and debugging expertise.

Voice/Video Conferencing for Telecommuters
A broad selection of voice/video conferencing products from leading vendors support online meetings, video and voice conferencing, chat, and content sharing for both local users and teleworkers. Many companies utilize a mix of products to meet the needs of their various partners and clients. Progent's communications experts can assist your organization to maintain your existing conferencing ecosystem and optimize the experience 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 plus the seamless integration of these functions within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 productivity software including PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. Progent offers the skills of Microsoft-certified consultants who can help your company to deploy and manage Skype for Business clients to support your remote employees. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Skype for Business, refer to Skype for Business consulting experts.
• FaceTime is Apple's multiuser video phone platform for iOS, iPadOS, iPod and macOS computers and smartphones. FaceTime runs over Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Current editions of FaceTime allow as many as 32 concurrent users for video calls. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for FaceTime, refer to Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center supports remote conferencing for virtually all computing devices. Delivered via Cisco's Webex Cloud platform, Webex services include sharing discrete content or screens, presentations that incorporate rich media including Microsoft PowerPoint, network-based capture, plus revision and playback for future reference and training. To learn more about Progent's support services for Webex as well as for additional IP video products from Cisco, see 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 content with features that include video conferencing, persistent chat, plus file sharing. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Teams and for other Microsoft 365 products, visit Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
• Other Conferencing Platforms supported by Progent include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can deliver integration and troubleshooting expertise for these products and help you to tune your network infrastructure to host them.

Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Software for Teleworkers
Microsoft's collaboration products are tightly integrated with Microsoft's popular Office and Microsoft 365 suites, providing a powerful ecosystem of applications that deliver a consistent user experience for sharing information across multiple sites and on a wide selection of endpoint computers. Progent has delivered remote consulting services for SharePoint and Exchange Server since their first releases and can assist your company to configure these critical collaboration platforms 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 with Microsoft 365 and integrates with third-party cloud services to provide real-time collaboration. Designed as a replacement for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium can enable chat, audio/video meetings with 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 Azure Entra (previously called Azure Active Directory) for supporting its full range of capabilities. To learn more about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Teams, visit planning and deployment consulting for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium.

SharePoint utilizes web sites to promote collaboration and knowledge delivery by providing policy-based delivery of content, workflow, and utilities for looking through enterprise-wide business data. SharePoint enables you to build secure portals that enables at-home workers to see and edit consolidated business intelligence via Wikis, Blogs, social web sites, and Web Parts. To find out about Progent's SharePoint consulting services, visit 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. For details about Progent's Exchange support services, go to planning and configuration consulting for Exchange Server.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s collaborative cloud-based file hosting and synchronization service, similar to GoogleDrive. At-home workers can store files to OneDrive, and colleagues anywhere can retrieve them safely through a browser. Included with Microsoft 365, OneDrive allows home workers to co-edit documents. Revisions made offline are automatically uploaded when you go back online. To learn about Progent's expertise for Microsoft OneDrive, refer to Microsoft Onedrive configuration consulting.

Public Cloud Integration Services for Telecommuters
Progent can provide affordable online support for enabling businesses to build, maintain and repair integrated hybrid network architectures that combine physical data centers, at-home workers, branches, and public cloud services. Progent offers expertise for all modes of cloud service delivery such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service (SaaS). Progent can help at-home workers resolve problems with cloud connectivity, identity, and security.

Microsoft Azure is a leading family of public cloud services that allows you to utilize infrastructure, servers, and critical applications running on Microsoft's extensive cloud. Microsoft Azure features more than one hundred services services such as hosting for Windows and Linux-based virtual machines, on-demand cloud storage, email and messaging, application development with Visual Studio, and data backup. Progent can assist your organization to deploy VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, configure storage on Azure Storage services, streamline identity management with Azure Active Directory, and design data backup and restore systems with Azure Backup. Progent's cloud experts can also show you how to create protected connections to Azure services for teleworkers by configuring and debugging firewalls and VPN tunnels. For information about Progent's expertise for Microsoft Azure, see Azure consulting.

Microsoft 365, formerly called Office 365, is Microsoft's growing family of client productivity software and cloud services offered by subscription. Office apps and cloud services are provided in a selection of plans intended for customers ranging from individuals and small offices to major corporations. Progent offers quick and affordable online access to experts knowledgeable about Microsoft 365-compatible client devices running Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android technology. Progent's experts can assist you to assess the various subscription bundles available for Microsoft 365 and deploy 365 apps for your telecommuters to achieve maximum business value. To learn about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft 365, go to Microsoft 365 integration support.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online is one of the most popular applications in Azure-hosted Microsoft 365 product suite. Exchange Online provides the benefits of lower costs for physical infrastructure, easier management, dynamic scaling, high reliability, and other benefits inherent with public clouds. Microsoft has designed Exchange Online to run seamlessly with local Exchange environments, allowing you to create hybrid cloud/onsite information systems. Progent's Exchange experts can provide occasional assistance to get you past tough technical roadblocks and can also provide comprehensive project management services to ensure your at-home workers have convenient and safe access to your Exchange Online environment. For details Progent's consulting services for Exchange Online, see Exchange Online integration and support expertise.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a pioneer in the public cloud arena and is the world's biggest provider of cloud services. Progent offers rapid and affordable online access to cloud connectivity experts who can help your business to design, implement, manage, and debug hybrid information networks that integrate Amazon AWS cloud services with on-premises resources and with other popular cloud platforms such as Azure. Progent also can provide the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking consultants to assist you to build a high-uptime network model to make sure your users have a productive computing environment whether they are working from your headquarters, a branch office, at home, or on the road. To find out about Progent's consulting services for Amazon AWS, go to Amazon AWS consulting services.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a leading suite of cloud services that offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) products. Progent's certified Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can assist you to expand your current IT resources with the Google Cloud, and Progent's DBA consultants can show you how to make your mission-critical applications cloud ready so your teleworkers can take full advantage of Google Cloud services. Progent's consultants can help your business to set up VMs on Google Cloud Compute Engine, plan an efficient storage system with Google Cloud Storage, and streamline access management for teleworkers with GCP Cloud Identity services. Progent's experts can also assist your organization to use GCP's management technology to administer and monitor your Google Cloud environment. To find out, refer to Google Cloud Platform consulting expertise.

Help Desk Support for Telecommuters
An emergency, enterprise-wide transition to a from-home business model, which might be the result of an epidemic or as an element of a business continuity process, can overwhelm even a high-performing in-house Call Center. Progent's Call Center services make it possible for businesses to outsource or augment their Call Desk by using Progent's remote Technical Response Center services.

• Progent's Standard Call Center services leverage Progent's nationwide team of remote technical support specialists along with enterprise-class trouble ticketing and tracking software to offer an economical, state-of-the-art Call Center. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services offer an end-to-end solution that addresses all aspects of remote Level 1 PC technical support from service requests through trouble ticket generation, screen sharing, problem resolution, and incident reporting. A browser-based User's Service Portal allows at-home employees to track or edit their active tickets, enter details, and append screenshots or attachments. Desktop support services are provided at a substantial price reduction off Progent's normal Level 1 technical support charges, and Progent offers optional rapid escalation to Level 2 and Level 3 support experts to resolve complex problems. For details, visit Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services for small and mid-size companies.
• Progent's Call Desk Supplemental Service allows your business to expand your existing Call Center organization by splitting responsibilities for Call Desk services transparently between your in-house IT support personnel and Progent's nationwide team of PC support engineers and subject matter specialists. Progent's shared Call Center service is based on a collaborative support solution utilizing the leading PSA tool for managing service requests and ticketing, assigning responsibility, tracking progress, and generating reports. For details about how Progent's Help Desk Call Center Supplementation Services can help your company to deliver best-in-class IT support to your teleworkers, go to Progent's Help Desk Call Center supplementation Services.

Cybersecurity for Telecommuters
Work-from-Home (WFH) workers typically utilize their personal computing devices and usually work in an unsecured physical space. This multiplies their vulnerability to cyber threats and calls for judicious configuration of corporate firewalls, AV tools, multi-factor authentication, remote endpoint monitoring, extensive user education, and the creation of policies based on best practices. Progent's veteran group of data security support consultants can assist you to design, deploy and maintain a compliant cybersecurity solution that guards vital IT assets in networks that include an at-home workforce.

Firewalls allow companies to build a network that can be securely accessed by on-premises users as well as by telecommuters, mobile employees, vendors, clients, and other stakeholders. Modern firewall appliances allow you to assign and control appropriate permissions to different classes of users and to expand your network and adjust your cybersecurity posture as your business evolves and as cyber threats grow increasingly complex. Progent works with both current and older firewall appliances from all leading manufacturers including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, Juniper, SonicWall and Fortinet. For details about Progent's firewall integration expertise, visit firewall configuration and support services.

Remote Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it easy to watch over the disparate devices utilized by telecommuters and either block or identify and mitigate modern cyber attacks like ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint agent is put on each protected endpoint device, watching all activity and using advanced behavioral threat analysis from SentinelOne to identify zero-day attacks on arrival. When an attack is discovered, ProSight ASM immediately disconnects the infected device from the corporate network to quarantine the malware. Since the ProSight Active Security Monitoring agent is self-contained, 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, refer to remote endpoint monitoring for teleworkers.

Progent's Duo MFA Services utilize Cisco's Duo cloud technology to protect against compromised passwords through the use of two-factor authentication. Duo supports one-tap identity verification on iOS, Google Android, and other personal devices. With 2FA, when you sign into a secured online account and give your password you are requested to confirm your identity via a unit that only you possess and that is accessed using a different network channel. A wide selection of devices can be used for this added form of ID validation including an iPhone or Android or watch, a hardware token, a landline telephone, etc. You can register multiple verification devices. To find out more about ProSight Duo two-factor identity authentication services, go to Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for remote workers.

Security Audits can evaluate the vulnerability of your network to all classes of outside and local security threats for a network that incorporates telecommuters. Progent can run online, automated cybersecurity analysis software for rapidly and economically uncovering a wide variety of security gaps that can be found via the Internet. Progent's endpoint security audit consulting services, which can be managed by data security professionals with advanced credentials such as CISM, CISSP, and GIAC, can assist your company to audit your workflows and policies and assess your network infrastructure to enable you to design top-level protection for your an at-home workforce.

Horizon3.ai's NodeZero Penetration Testing Platform is a breakthrough penetration test (pentest) product family that supports autonomous threat assessment of your work-from-home connectivity solution and your internal and perimeter networks so you can uncover, rank, fix, and verify cybersecurity weaknesses before threat actors can exploit them. Progent's pentest experts can help you to deploy NodeZero to carry out thorough penetration tests of your network perimeter and your internal IT infrastructure in order to determine your present security posture. Progent's NodeZero experts can also assist you to strengthen your network security and can assist you to design and implement a unified cybersecurity strategy that simplifies management and delivers optimum cyber defense for on-prem, multi-cloud, remote, and perimeter IT assets. To find out additional details about Progent's threat assessment services based on on NodeZero's PEN test products, see Consulting Support for NodeZero's Pentest Platform.

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

Data Protection for Telecommuters
The field of Data Protection involves backing up and recovering critical information in order to prevent data loss and reduce recovery time in case of storage problems resulting from equipment issues, programming glitches, user mistakes, malware, or other causes. Dependable data protection strategies can be particularly difficult to design and manage in hybrid environments that combine private data centers, cloud resources, and an at-home workforce.

• Backup/Restore solutions for teleworkers must address diverse types of user-owned endpoint devices. Progent offers fast online help from experts knowledgeable about a wide range of platforms for protection Microsoft Windows, Apple and Linux/UNIX servers and desktop computers as well as notebooks, iPads and smartphones. Leading backup/restore solutions maintained by Progent's data protection experts include Barracuda Backup, Azure Backup, Symantec Backup Exec, Acronis Backup and Recovery, Retrospect, and Time Machine. To protect data spread throughout a hybrid network, Progent can provide ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a backup/recovery subscription service that uses cloud storage and features fine-grained restore and centralized management.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity strategies commonly envision circumstances that require a quick switch to telecommuting. Progent's expert disaster recovery planning experts and business continuity consultants can help your business to develop, document and validate a DR/BC plan that addresses the process of moving to an at-home workforce.

Unified Management for an At-Home Workforce
Microsoft has renamed and reshuffled its endpoint management platforms under the title Endpoint Manager, which includes Intune for cloud-based management of mobile and remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing onsite endpoints. Microsoft Endpoint Manager provides a centralized platform for protecting corporate data by controlling on-premises, mobile, and at-home endpoint devices.

Intune
Intune is part of Microsoft's Endpoint Management suite that also includes Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud service for managing and protecting off-premises computers and software. Managed endpoint devices can be personally owned or company owned. IT administrators managing the enrolled endpoint devices of telecommuters can use Intune to deploy and authenticate applications on managed devices, push patches and certificates, configure policies for permission to access information and networks, manage passwords, establish VPN connections, control how home-based workers share information, establish threat defense, verify security compliance, and erase sensitive data from missing, stolen or deactivated devices. Microsoft Intune runs with Apple iOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS devices. To find out about Intune and to find out how Progent can assist you to use Microsoft's Endpoint Management to manage the devices of your at-home workforce, visit Intune teleworker device management expertise.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced unified Mobile Device Management product that helps network administrators to keep off-premises endpoints current and secure. Workspace ONE incorporates VMware AirWatch for centralized endpoint management combined with VMware's Horizon virtual application delivery technology for access control, application management, and setup management of endpoint devices. Workspace ONE operates with devices powered by Windows 10, macOS, iOS, Google Android, Chrome OS, or popular distros of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is offered by subscription as a cloud-based service or as an on-premises product via a one-time purchase. Key features of Workspace ONE include rapid over-the-air deployment of new laptops, quick onboarding of new users, policy setting and enforcement for all classes of endpoints, aggregated reporting and performance analytics, an email encryption gateway, and integration with Microsoft applications and cloud-based services. For information about Progent's support for VMware Workspace ONE, visit VMware Workspace ONE mobile endpoint management expertise.

Contact Progent for At-Home Worker Support Services
To contact Progent about creating and maintaining a productive telecommuter environment for your Brooklyn, New York company, call 1-800-993-9400 or refer to Contact Progent.