Brooklyn At Home Workers Connectivity Consulting Partner

Enlarging your telecommuter workforce may have a significant effect on IT infrastructure, security, and corporate culture. Progent has 20 years of experience helping SMBs to plan, deploy, manage, tune, and troubleshoot IT networks that support at-home workers. Progent can assist your Brooklyn company to select the right tools and adhere to best practices in creating and operating a safe virtual office solution for telecommuters that promotes collaboration and returns maximum business value. Progent can provide support services that go from as-needed expertise for getting you over challenging technical bottlenecks to comprehensive project management to help you successfully complete mission-critical initiatives.

Progent's consultants can assist Brooklyn, New York businesses to with any facet of creating a high-functioning work-at-home environment by delivering network infrastructure configuration services, IP voice expertise, video conferencing support, collaboration platform selection and deployment, public cloud connectivity, Help Desk outsourcing, security and compliance, backup/restore solutions, and streamlined management.

Infrastructure for Teleworkers
Configuring the physical and software infrastructure needed to support an at-home work environment can be especially complex if you must manage a mix of worker-owned equipment like PCs and notebooks, Internet routers, and wireless APs from various manufacturers and with a variety of operating systems and firmware releases. Progent's background delivering online help for both legacy as well as modern technologies in remote office venues enables you to make cost-effective use of your available network infrastructure and provides you with fast access to top-tire consultants for implement necessary updates. Services offered by Progent to help you to create a high-functioning telecommuting infrastructure include:

• Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology allows you to create a secure connection for authorized remote employees to access IT resources situated at your company data center or in a public cloud. Progent can assist your company to configure and manage VPN connections between your at-home workforce and your various IT resources by providing online VPN configuration consulting. For organizations with Cisco's ASA security appliances, Progent's Cisco-certified ASA consultants can assist your at-home workers to set up Cisco's AnyConnect software to provide secure VPN connections for a wide range of devices such as Windows, macOS, Apple iOS, Linux, and Google Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure products enable a telecommuter to see and interact with a data center computer's desktop. This technology provides network managers substantial control over the digital ecosystem of telecommuters and offers remote users a familiar experience. Progent's virtual desktop services include Windows Remote Desktop support and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops expertise.
• Routers attach home computer networks to the Internet and support VPN connections, home wireless networks, and firewalls. Progent can provide expert online support for integrating home routers from a range of manufacturers. See router integration support from Cisco-certified experts.
• Home Wi-Fi networks, typically shared by families and visitors, are frequently used by at-home employees to access their Internet router for work. This can cause performance and security issues. Progent can assist you to resolve these issues by providing expertise that include Aironet configuration expertise, Cisco-certified Meraki WiFi deployment expertise, and Ubiquiti Unifi wireless access point integration help.
• Internet access solutions affect the performance and availability of connections between at-home workers and the company network. Line-of-business processes might demand redundant Internet connections in the event the primary connection fails. Progent offers guidance for identifying service providers, picking sensible bandwidth and data volume bundles, and configuring high-availability Internet connections. See Internet access solutions.

VoIP Solutions for At-Home Workers
Expanding the business PBX system to include telecommuters is vital to supporting a productive at-home workforce. A broad range of cloud-centric IP voice products are popular with SMBs to support remote users. Many enterprises depend on Cisco's current or legacy platforms for VoIP management. Progent can help organizations of any size to plan or tune a remote VoIP service that provides the flexibility, convenience and protection needed for telecommuters. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE Voice consultants can provide advanced support to help businesses optimize their existing Cisco IP voice environments to support an expanding at-home workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM) extends high-end telephony features to devices such as IP phones, media processing platforms, Voice over IP gateways, and mixed media apps used across the network. Unified Communications Manager manages other mixed media services such as unified messaging, video conferencing, and customer interaction networks. For details about Progent's CUCM support, refer to Cisco Unified CM expertise.
• Cisco CallManager is Cisco's legacy call-processing software and has been superseded by Cisco Unified CM or CUCM. Progent's consultants can help your company to maintain your existing CallManager environment or migrate smoothly to Cisco's current IP telephony products. To find out about Progent's support services for CallManager and Cisco's other older VoIP products, refer to Cisco CallManager consulting.
• Cisco IP Gateways provide integration with public telephony networks and with users operating beyond the corporate perimeter such as telecommuters. Progent offers consulting expertise for Cisco's legacy IP gateways such as the UC520, UC540 and UC560 series and for modern Cisco SIP gateways. See Cisco SIP gateway integration consulting.
• Additional VoIP Products supported by Progent include Vonage, RingCentral and 8x8. Progent can assist you to expand your wide area network infrastructure to work with these VoIP solutions and deliver as-needed configuration and troubleshooting expertise.

Voice/Video Conferencing for Teleworkers
A wide selection of video conferencing products from major technology companies enable virtual discussions, video conferencing, chat sessions, and screen/content sharing for both onsite users and telecommuters. Many companies utilize a mix of conferencing products to meet the needs of their different partners and customers. Progent's communications experts can assist you to maintain your current voice/video conferencing environment and enhance the productivity of your remote workforce.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's popular unified communications product that enables real-time presence, instant messaging, audio and video calling and conferencing as well as the seamless integration of these functions within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 productivity software including PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook. Progent offers the skills of Microsoft-certified specialists who can assist your company to deploy and manage Skype for Business client software to support your remote employees. To learn more about Progent's support expertise for Skype for Business, visit Skype for Business consulting services.
• FaceTime is Apple's group video phone platform for iOS and Mac computers and smartphones. FaceTime works on Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Later editions of FaceTime support up to 32 concurrent users for video calls. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Apple FaceTime, refer to Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center provides remote conferencing for virtually all computing devices. Offered via Cisco's Webex Cloud platform, Webex services include sharing specific content or screens, presentations that embed rich media including Microsoft PowerPoint, session recording, plus revision and playback for training. To learn more about Progent's consulting expertise for Cisco Webex and for additional video conferencing products from Cisco, visit Progent's Webex Meeting Center support services.
• Teams is Microsoft's follow-up for Skype for Business. Teams provides a hub for conversations, contacts, and content with capabilities such as voice/video conferencing, persistent chat, plus file sharing. To learn more about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft Teams as well as for additional Microsoft 365 apps, see 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 tune your WAN architecture to run them.

Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Platforms for Teleworkers
Microsoft's collaboration platforms are closely integrated with Microsoft's popular Office and Microsoft 365 suites, providing a rich environment of productivity apps that deliver a cohesive user experience for exchanging data and ideas throughout a corporate network and on a broad selection of endpoints. Progent has provided remote consulting services for SharePoint and Exchange Server since their original releases and can help your company to deploy these critical collaboration platforms to maximize the effectiveness of your remote 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 with Microsoft 365 and integrates with third-party cloud services to deliver real-time collaboration and communication. Developed as a substitute for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium can support chat, video meetings that include screen sharing, phone calls, cloud voicemail, group email, as well as file and application sharing. Teams is closely integrated with Microsoft 365 and relies on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Entra (previously branded Azure Active Directory) for delivering its complete range of features. For details about Progent's support services for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium, see solution design and deployment consulting for Microsoft Teams.

SharePoint uses web entities to allow collaboration and knowledge sharing by offering policy-based delivery of content, business processes, and utilities for looking through enterprise-wide business data. SharePoint allows you to build protected web portals that enables at-home workforce to see and update aggregated corporate intelligence by means of Wikis, Blogs, social sites, and Web Parts. For details about Progent's SharePoint support services, visit SharePoint integration 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 support services, see planning and configuration consulting services for Exchange Server.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s shared cloud storage service, similar to GoogleDrive. Remote workers can store files to OneDrive, and co-workers can access them securely via a web browser. Included with Microsoft 365, OneDrive enables home workers to co-author files. Revisions made offline are automatically synced when you reconnect to the Internet. To find out about Progent's expertise for Microsoft OneDrive, refer to Onedrive integration consulting.

Public Cloud Integration for Remote Workers
Progent can provide advanced remote support for enabling businesses to build, maintain and repair cohesive network models that incorporate physical data centers, remote workers, branches, plus cloud resources. Progent can provide expertise for all modes of public cloud service including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service. Progent can help at-home workers resolve problems with public cloud access, authentication, and security.

Microsoft Azure is a leading family of cloud software and services that enables you to utilize infrastructure, virtual servers, and critical applications running on Microsoft's extensive cloud. Microsoft Azure includes more than one hundred cloud-based services such as the ability to host Windows and Linux-based VMs, on-demand cloud storage, email and messaging, app development with Visual Studio, and data backup. Progent can assist you to set up virtual machines on Azure Virtual Machines, configure cloud-based storage on Azure Storage services, streamline identity control with Azure AD, and design backup and restore systems with Azure Backup. Progent can also show you how to establish protected access to Azure for remote workers by configuring and troubleshooting firewall appliances and VPN IPsec tunnels. For information about Progent's consulting services for Azure, visit Microsoft Azure consulting.

Microsoft 365, formerly branded Office 365, is Microsoft's popular suite of client productivity applications and cloud-based services offered by subscription. Office apps and services are provided in a variety of bundles intended for users ranging from students and small offices to major enterprises. Progent offers fast and easy online access to consultants 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 numerous subscription bundles offered with Microsoft 365 and configure 365 applications for your teleworkers in a way that delivers top business value. For details about Progent's support services for Microsoft 365, go to Microsoft 365 consulting support.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online is among the most popular cloud-based applications in the Microsoft 365 product line. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online offers the advantages of lower costs for data center infrastructure, easier management, dynamic scaling, high reliability, and other advantages associated with public clouds. Microsoft has designed Exchange Online to run smoothly with on-premises deployments of Exchange, enabling customers to create hybrid networks. Progent's certified Exchange consultants are available for occasional help to guide you through tough IT roadblocks and also offer comprehensive project management outsourcing to ensure your teleworkers have convenient and safe access to your Exchange Online deployment. For details Progent's support services for Exchange Online, see Exchange Online integration and troubleshooting consulting.

Amazon AWS is a trailblazer in the public cloud computing arena and is the industry's leading source of cloud services. Progent can provide rapid and economical online access to cloud connectivity consultants who can assist your organization to plan, deploy, maintain, and troubleshoot 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 can provide access to Cisco-certified CCIE networking experts to assist your company to build a high-availability network architecture to make sure your employees have a consistent computing environment whether they are working from your main office, a remote branch, from home, or on the move. For details about Progent's consulting services for Amazon AWS, see Amazon AWS integration services.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a popular set of cloud computing services that offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service products. Progent's certified Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can assist you to extend your existing IT resources with the Google Cloud, and Progent's DBA consultants can help you make your mission-critical applications cloud friendly so your remote workers can benefit fully from Google Cloud Platform services. Progent's consultants can assist you to set up virtual machines on Google Cloud Compute Engine, plan a cost-effective storage solution with Google Cloud Storage, and streamline identity control for remote workers with GCP Cloud Identity. Progent's consultants can also assist your business to use GCP's unified management tools to administer and track your Google Cloud environment. To learn, refer to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) consulting expertise.

Help Desk Support for At-Home Workers
A rapid, enterprise-wide switchover to a telecommuter workforce, which might be driven by a pandemic or as an element of a disaster recovery/business continuity preparedness plan, can overstretch even the most efficient internal Call Desk. Progent's Call Center services allow businesses of any size to outsource or supplement their Call Center by using Progent's online Technical Response Center (TRC) services.

• Progent's Standard Support Desk support services leverage Progent's extensive network of online IT support specialists combined with world-class trouble ticketing and follow-up technology to offer an economical, advanced Call Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services offer a comprehensive solution that addresses all facets of online Level 1 desktop support from initial help requests to ticket creation, desktop sharing, problem resolution, and reporting. A web-based User's Service Portal allows teleworkers to monitor or update their active trouble tickets, enter information, and upload screen captures or attachments. Desktop support services are delivered at a substantial price reduction off Progent's ordinary Level 1 desktop support charges, and Progent offers optional fast hand-off to Level 2 and Level 3 support specialists to deal with complex problems. To find out more, refer to Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services outsourcing for small and mid-size companies.
• Progent's Call Center Augmentation Service allows you to augment your existing Help Desk organization by sharing delivery of Call Desk support transparently between your regular IT support organization and Progent's extensive roster of desktop support technicians and subject matter specialists. Progent's shared Help Desk Call Center service uses a co-sourcing support solution based on the leading professional services automation tool for handling service requests and trouble tickets, establishing ownership, monitoring progress, and producing reports. To learn how Progent's Help Desk Augmentation Services can enable your company to provide world-class desktop support to your teleworkers, see Progent's Call Desk supplementation Services.

Security and Compliance for At-Home Workers
At-home employees typically utilize their personal devices and often operate in a poorly secured physical environment. This multiplies their susceptibility to malware attacks and requires careful configuration of firewalls, anti-malware tools, multi-factor authentication, remote monitoring, thorough end-user training, and the development of policies built on leading practices. Progent's veteran group of data security solutions consultants can help your business to plan, implement and maintain a compliant cybersecurity solution that protects vital IT resources in networks that incorporate remote workers.

Firewalls enable companies to build a network environment that can be safely utilized by local users and by at-home workers, mobile workers, suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders. Next-generation firewall devices allow you to configure and manage appropriate permissions to various groups of users and to scale your IT network and modify your security profile as your company evolves and as network attacks become more sophisticated. Progent works with both current and legacy firewall appliances from all leading manufacturers including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, WatchGuard, Juniper, and Fortinet. For details about Progent's firewall support expertise, refer to firewall integration and support services.

Remote Endpoint Monitoring makes it possible to track the disparate devices utilized by remote workers and either reject or identify and mitigate modern cyber attacks like ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint software agent is installed on every secured endpoint, monitoring all activity and using advanced machine learning and full execution context from SentinelOne to identify new attacks before they can spread. When an attack is spotted, ProSight ASM immediately disconnects the targeted device from the network to contain the malware. Because the ProSight ASM software agent is autonomous, endpoints remain secure even if they are offline. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. To find out more about ProSight ASM, go to remote endpoint security monitoring for an at-home workforce.

Progent's Duo authentication Services utilize Cisco's Duo technology to defend against compromised passwords by using two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo supports single-tap identity confirmation with iOS, Android, and other personal devices. With 2FA, whenever you log into a protected online account and enter your password you are requested to confirm your identity on a unit that only you possess and that uses a different ("out-of-band") network channel. A broad selection of devices can be utilized for this second form of authentication including a smartphone or wearable, a hardware/software token, a landline phone, etc. You can register multiple verification devices. To learn more about ProSight Duo identity authentication services, visit Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for at-home workers.

Security Audits can evaluate the vulnerability of your information system to all classes of outside and local security threats for an environment that incorporates telecommuters. Progent can deploy remote, automated cybersecurity inventory scanning for rapidly and economically uncovering a broad range of security holes that can be found over the Internet. Progent's endpoint security audit consulting services, which can be managed by data security experts with advanced credentials including CISA, ISSAP, and GIAC, can assist your business to evaluate your procedures and policies and review your WAN architecture to allow you to implement the highest level of security 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 work-from-home connectivity solution and your internal and perimeter networks to help you expose, prioritize, fix, and confirm security vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can take advantage of them. Progent can help you to use NodeZero to carry out thorough penetration tests of your perimeter and your internal IT infrastructure in order to determine your current security profile. Progent's NodeZero experts can also help you to strengthen your existing network security and can help you to design and deploy a unified cybersecurity strategy that streamlines management and delivers optimum cyber defense for on-prem, multi-cloud, at-home, and perimeter IT assets. To learn additional details about Progent's vulnerability assessment solutions based on on NodeZero's PEN test platform, see Consulting Support for NodeZero's PEN Test Products.

Download White Paper: Securing a Work-From-Home Environment
To read or download a white paper describing critical things to concentrate on for securing a network that incorporates work-from-home staff, click:
Protecting a Work-From-Home Network White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)

Data Protection Solutions for Telecommuters
Data Protection covers backing up and restoring critical data in order to avoid data loss and reduce recovery time in the event of storage system problems due to hardware breakdowns, programming glitches, operator mistakes, cyber attack, or any other reason. Dependable data protection strategies can be particularly challenging to architect and maintain in hybrid environments that incorporate private data centers, public clouds, and an at-home workforce.

• Backup/Restore solutions for remote workers must address diverse types of personally owned endpoint devices. Progent can provide quick online access to experts familiar with a wide range of products for backing up Windows, Apple and Linux/UNIX powered servers and desktop computers as well as notebooks, iOS and Android tablets and smartphones. Leading backup/restore products supported by Progent's data protection experts include Barracuda Backup, Azure Backup, Symantec Backup Exec, Acronis Backup and Recovery, Retrospect, and Time Machine. To protect resources spread across a wide area network, Progent can provide ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a managed backup/recovery service that uses cloud storage and features granular recovery and centralized management capabilities.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity plans often anticipate scenarios that require a rapid switch to telecommuting. Progent's senior disaster recovery preparedness consultants and business continuity planning consultants can assist your business to develop, document and test a DR/BC plan that addresses the process of switching to telecommuting.

Unified Management for Teleworkers
Microsoft has renamed and reshuffled its endpoint management products under the title Endpoint Manager, which includes Intune for cloud management of mobile and remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing local computers. Microsoft Endpoint Manager offers a centralized platform for safeguarding critical data by controlling on-premises, mobile, and home-based endpoints.

Intune
Intune is a component of Microsoft's Endpoint Management family that also includes Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud service for managing and protecting mobile computers and software. Remote endpoint computers can be user owned or company owned. IT administrators managing the endpoint computers of telecommuters can utilize Intune to provision and authenticate apps on devices, push updates and certificates, configure rules for accessing data and networks, set passwords, establish VPN connections, control how teleworkers share information, set up threat protection, ensure security compliance, and delete sensitive data from missing, stolen or decommissioned devices. Microsoft Intune can be used with Apple iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS/OS X endpoints. To learn about Microsoft Intune and to find out how Progent can help your company to use Microsoft's Endpoint Management to manage the endpoint devices of your telecommuters, go to Intune telecommuter endpoint management consultants.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced unified Mobile Device Management platform that allows network administrators to keep remote endpoint devices current and secure. Workspace ONE incorporates VMware AirWatch technology for unified endpoint management combined with VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery platform for access control, app management, and configuration management of endpoint devices. Workspace ONE operates with endpoints based on Windows 10, macOS, Apple 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 VMware Workspace ONE include rapid over-the-air deployment of new laptops, quick onboarding of new employees, policy set up and enforcement for all classes of endpoints, unifies management reporting and analytics, email encryption, and seamless integration with Microsoft applications and cloud-based products. To find out about Progent's support for VMware Workspace ONE, see VMware Workspace ONE mobile endpoint management expertise.

Contact Progent for Telecommuter Expertise
To contact Progent about building and managing a productive work-from-home solution for your Brooklyn, New York company, call 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.