Enlarging your remote workforce can have a significant impact on IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, and company workflows. Progent has 20 years of background helping businesses of all sizes to plan, deploy, administer, tune, and debug IT networks that support at-home workers. Progent can assist your Manchester company to select the appropriate tools and adhere to leading practices in building and operating a secure virtual solution for telecommuters that facilitates collaboration and delivers maximum value. Progent offers support services ranging from as-needed guidance for getting you over challenging technical roadblocks to comprehensive project management or co-management to help you successfully complete business-critical initiatives.

Progent can assist Manchester, New Hampshire businesses to succeed with any aspect of creating a high-functioning work-at-home ecosystem by delivering infrastructure configuration services, VoIP PBX expertise, video conferencing support, collaboration platform customization and training, cloud connectivity, Call Desk services, security and compliance, backup/restore solutions, and centralized management.

Infrastructure for Teleworkers
Configuring the physical and software infrastructure required for an at-home work environment can be especially challenging if you have to manage a mix of worker-owned equipment like desktop computers and notebooks, Internet routers, and Wi-Fi APs from different vendors and with a variety of OS software and firmware releases. Progent's background providing remote help for both outdated as well as modern technologies in virtual office venues allows you to make efficient use of your available network infrastructure and offers ready access to expertise for making essential updates. Services offered by Progent to assist you to implement a productive work-at-home infrastructure include:

  • Virtual Private Network technology allows you to create a safe connection for authorized at-home employees to use IT resources located at your corporate data center or in the cloud. Progent can help your company to deploy and maintain VPN access between your at-home workforce and your various IT resources by providing remote VPN configuration consulting. For organizations using Cisco's ASA security appliances, Progent's Cisco-certified ASA experts can help your telecommuters to set up Cisco's popular AnyConnect client software for secure VPN tunneling for a wide selection of endpoint devices such as Windows, macOS, Apple iOS, Linux, and Google Android.
  • Virtual Desktop Infrastructure products enable a telecommuter to see and interact with a remote PC's desktop. This provides IT managers substantial control over the digital environment of at-home employees and offers them a familiar experience. Progent's virtual desktop services include Windows Remote Desktop integration and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops VDI expertise.
  • Routers connect at-home computer networks to the Internet and support VPN connections, home wireless connectivity, and firewalls. Progent offers top-tier online support for deploying routers from a range of vendors. See router integration services from Cisco-certified experts.
  • Home Wi-Fi networks, often supporting the whole family and visitors, are commonly utilized by telecommuters to access their Internet router for work. This can create throughput and security issues. Progent can assist businesses to resolve these issues by delivering services that include Aironet configuration expertise, Cisco Meraki wireless installation consulting, and Ubiquiti Unifi wireless access point integration help.
  • Internet connectivity solutions affect the speed and availability of connections between at-home workers and the corporate data center. Line-of-business applications may require backup Internet access in case the normal connection fails. Progent can provide expertise for picking service providers, choosing appropriate bandwidth and data volume bundles, and setting up high-availability Internet access. Refer to Internet access integration services.

VoIP Integration for At-Home Workers
Expanding the business phone environment to accommodate teleworkers is critical to maintaining a productive work-at-home solution. A variety of cloud-based VoIP platforms are used by small and mid-size businesses to server telecommuters. Many larger organizations rely on Cisco's current or older products for IP voice management. Progent can help businesses of any size to design or tune a remote IP voice environment that provides the flexibility, convenience and protection needed for teleworkers. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE IP Voice experts can provide high-level support to help organizations tune their existing Cisco IP voice environments to handle a growing remote workforce.

  • Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM or CUCM) delivers enterprise telephony features to devices such as IP phones, media processing products, Voice over IP gateways, and multimedia software used throughout the network. CUCM supports other mixed media services such as unified messaging, voice/video conferencing, and team interaction networks. For more information about Progent's Unified Communications Manager support, visit CUCM consultants.
  • Cisco CallManager is Cisco's legacy call-processing software and has been replaced by Cisco Unified CM. Progent's consultants can assist your company to maintain your current CallManager deployment or migrate smoothly to Cisco's current IP telephony solutions. To learn about Progent's expertise for CallManager and Cisco's other legacy IP voice products, refer to Cisco CallManager expertise.
  • Cisco IP Gateways enable connectivity with public telephony networks and with clients operating outside the corporate firewall like at-home workers. Progent can provide consulting expertise for Cisco's earlier generation IP gateways like the UC520, UC540 and UC560 products and for current Cisco SIP gateways. See Cisco SIP gateway configuration consulting.
  • Additional VoIP Platforms supported by Progent's consultants include Vonage, RingCentral and 8x8. Progent can assist you to update your wide area network infrastructure to support these solutions and provide as-needed configuration and debugging services.

Video Conferencing for an At-Home Workforce
A wide range of voice/video conferencing platforms from leading technology companies support online meetings, video conferencing, chat, 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 clients. Progent can assist your organization to manage your current conferencing ecosystem and enhance the experience of your remote employees.

  • Skype for Business is Microsoft's leading communications platform that supports presence, instant messaging, voice and video calling and conferencing plus the seamless integration of these capabilities within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 productivity software such as PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. Progent can provide the expertise of Microsoft-certified specialists who can assist your company to configure and maintain Skype for Business clients to support your at-home workforce. To learn more about Progent's consulting services for Skype for Business, see Skype for Business consulting experts.
  • FaceTime is Apple's multiuser video phone app for compatible iOS, iPadOS, iPod and macOS devices. FaceTime runs over Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Later editions of FaceTime allow as many as 32 concurrent users for video sessions. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for FaceTime, refer to Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
  • Webex Meeting Center provides online conferencing for most desktop or mobile devices. Offered through Cisco's Webex Cloud, Webex services include sharing discrete content or screens, presentations that incorporate rich media such as Microsoft PowerPoint, session recording, plus editing and playback for training. To learn more about Progent's consulting services for Cisco Webex and for additional video conferencing 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 hub for conversations, contacts, and information with capabilities that include voice/video calling, persistent chat, plus file sharing. For details about Progent's support expertise for Teams as well as for additional Microsoft 365 products, see Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
  • Additional Voice/Video Conferencing Apps supported by Progent's conferencing experts include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can deliver configuration and debugging services for these conferencing platforms and assist your business to tune your WAN architecture to run them.

Microsoft Collaboration Software for Teleworkers
Microsoft's collaboration products are tightly integrated with Microsoft's familiar Office and Microsoft 365 suites, providing a powerful environment of applications that create a consistent user experience for sharing information throughout a corporate network and on a broad selection of endpoint devices. Progent has delivered online consulting support for Microsoft SharePoint and Exchange since their original publication and can help your company to tune these flagship collaboration products to maximize the effectiveness 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 Integration Consultants for At-Home WorkersMicrosoft Teams works on top of Microsoft 365 and integrates with third-party cloud services to deliver real-time collaboration and communication. Developed as a replacement for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium can support chat, video meetings that include screen sharing, calling, cloud voicemail, group email, as well as file and application sharing. Teams is closely integrated with Microsoft 365 and depends on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Azure Entra (formerly branded Azure Active Directory) for supporting its full range of features. For details about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Teams, see planning and configuration consulting for Microsoft Teams.

SharePoint Server Deployment Consultants for Remote WorkersSharePoint utilizes web sites to allow collaboration and knowledge delivery by offering policy-based delivery of data, business processes, and utilities for searching through company-wide business data. SharePoint permits you to create protected web portals that allows remote workers to view and update consolidated corporate intelligence by means of Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social networking web sites, and Web Parts. For details about Progent's SharePoint consulting services, visit SharePoint configuration and development consulting.

Exchange Deployment Experts for At-Home WorkersExchange 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 learn about Progent's Exchange support services, go to deployment expertise for Exchange Server.

Microsoft Onedrive Deployment Experts for At-Home WorkersOneDrive is Microsoft�s collaborative cloud-based file hosting and synchronization service, similar to GoogleDrive. At-home users can store files to OneDrive, and co-workers anywhere can share them securely through a browser. Included with Microsoft 365, OneDrive enables at-home workers to co-author files. Edits created offline are synced when you go back online. To learn about Progent's expertise for OneDrive, visit Microsoft Onedrive integration experts.

Cloud Integration Services for Telecommuters
Progent offers fast and affordable online assistance for helping businesses to create, maintain and repair cohesive hybrid network models that include physical data centers, telecommuters, branches, plus cloud services. Progent can provide top-tier consultant for all modes of cloud service including Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service. Progent can help remote workers resolve problems with public cloud access, authentication, and cybersecurity.

Microsoft Azure Integration for TelecommutersMicrosoft Azure is a leading platform for cloud services that allows you to utilize IT infrastructure, virtual servers, and critical apps running on Microsoft's massive cloud. Azure features over one hundred services services including the ability to host Windows and Linux-based virtual machines, on-demand cloud storage, messaging, application development with Visual Studio, and data protection. Progent can help your organization to deploy VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, configure storage on Azure Storage services, unify identity management with Azure Active Directory, and design backup and recovery solutions with Azure Backup. Progent's cloud experts can also show you how to create protected access to Azure for telecommuters by setting up and debugging firewalls and VPN tunnels. To find out about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft Azure, refer to Microsoft Azure expertise.

Microsoft 365 Integration for TelecommutersMicrosoft 365, formerly branded Office 365, is Microsoft's growing suite of business productivity software and cloud services offered by subscription. Microsoft apps and services are marketed in a selection of bundles designed for customers ranging from students and small offices to large enterprises. Progent offers fast and affordable remote contact with experts familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible clients running Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android technology. Progent can help you to assess the numerous subscription plans offered with Microsoft 365 and configure 365 apps for your remote workers to achieve maximum business value. For information about Progent's support services for Microsoft 365, see Microsoft 365 integration support.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online Integration for TeleworkersExchange Online is one of the most widely used cloud-based applications in the Microsoft 365 product line. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online offers the advantages of reduced costs for data center infrastructure, simplified management, on-demand scaling, high reliability, and other benefits inherent with cloud computing. Microsoft has designed Microsoft 365 Exchange Online to run smoothly with on-premises Exchange environments, enabling customers to create hybrid cloud/onsite information systems. Progent's Exchange consultants are available for occasional assistance to get you through challenging technical bottlenecks and can also provide end-to-end project management services to ensure your at-home workers have convenient and safe access to your Microsoft 365 Exchange Online deployment. To find out Progent's support services for Exchange Online, go to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online configuration and support consulting.

Amazon AWS Integration for Remote WorkersAmazon Web Services (AWS) is a trailblazer in the public cloud computing arena and is the industry's biggest provider of cloud-based services. Progent offers rapid and affordable online contact with cloud integration consultants who can assist your organization to plan, deploy, manage, and debug hybrid information networks that incorporate Amazon AWS cloud services with local resources and with other public clouds such as Azure. Progent also can provide the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking experts to assist your company to create a high-availability network architecture to make sure your users have a productive computing environment whether they are working from your main office, a remote branch, from home, or on the road. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Amazon AWS, go to Amazon AWS consulting support.

Google Cloud Integration Services for Remote WorkersGoogle Cloud is a leading collection of cloud services that provides Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service products. Progent's certified Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can help your organization to extend your existing IT assets with the Google Cloud, and Progent's database consultants can help you make your key applications cloud ready so your remote workers can benefit fully from Google Cloud services. Progent can help you to deploy VMs on Google Cloud Compute Engine, plan a cost-effective storage solution with Google Cloud Storage services, and streamline access control for telecommuters with Google Cloud Identity services. Progent can also help your organization to use GCP's management tools to administer and track your GCP ecosystem. To learn, see Google Cloud Platform (GCP) consulting support.

Help Desk Services for Telecommuters
A rapid, enterprise-wide changeover to a telecommuter workforce, which could be activated by an epidemic or as part of a disaster recovery preparedness plan, can overwhelm even a well-staffed internal Call Center. Progent's Call Center services allow organizations of any size to outsource or augment their Help Desk with Progent's remote Technical Response Center (TRC) team.

  • Progent's Standard Help Desk support services utilize Progent's nationwide network of online IT support specialists combined with enterprise-class ticketing and tracking software to offer an economical, modern Support Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services provide an end-to-end solution that handles all facets of remote Level 1 PC technical support from initial service requests to ticket generation, desktop sharing, issue resolution, and incident reporting. A web-based User's Service Portal enables from-home workers to track or edit their current tickets, enter information, and upload screenshots and relevant files. Support services are delivered at a significant price reduction off Progent's ordinary Level 1 technical service charges, and Progent makes available optional rapid escalation to Level 2 and Level 3 IT experts to deal with complex problems. For details, visit Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services for small and mid-size businesses.
  • Progent's Help Desk Supplemental Service enables you to supplement your existing Help Desk organization by sharing delivery of Call Center services seamlessly between your regular support personnel and Progent's nationwide pool of PC support engineers and subject matter specialists. Progent's shared Help Desk Call Center service is based on a collaborative support solution utilizing the number one PSA tool for managing service requests and trouble tickets, assigning ownership, tracking progress, and generating reports. To learn how Progent's Help Desk Call Center Augmentation Services can enable your company to provide world-class technical support to your from-home workers, visit Progent's Call Center augmentation Services.

Security for At-Home Workers
Work-from-Home staff members typically use their own computing devices and usually operate in a poorly secured physical area. This situation increases their susceptibility to malware threats and requires judicious configuration of corporate firewalls, anti-malware tools, MFA-based identity verification, remote monitoring, intensive user education, and the creation of policies based on leading practices. Progent's veteran group of IT security solutions experts can help your business to design, deploy and manage a compliant security solution that guards vital information assets in networks that incorporate remote workers.

Firewall Integration Services for At-Home WorkersFirewalls allow you to create a network that can be safely utilized by local users as well as by teleworkers, mobile employees, suppliers, customers, and the public. Next-generation firewall devices allow you to configure and manage appropriate access rights to various groups of users and to expand your network and adjust your cybersecurity posture as your company evolves and as cyber threats become more complex. Progent works with both current and older security devices from all major manufacturers including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, WatchGuard, Juniper, SonicWall and Fortinet. For details about Progent's firewall integration services, see firewall integration and support expertise.

Remote Security Monitoring for At-Home WorkersRemote Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it possible to track the various computers utilized by an at-home workforce and either reject or spot and respond to the latest cyber attacks like ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) services, a lightweight software agent is installed on every protected endpoint, monitoring all activity and using advanced AI technology from SentinelOne to detect new attacks at inception. When an attack is spotted, ProSight Active Security Monitoring instantly disconnects the infected endpoint device from the network to contain the malware. Because the ProSight Active Security Monitoring agent is self-contained, endpoints stay secure even if they are not connected to the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. To find out more about ProSight Active Security Monitoring, go to remote endpoint monitoring for teleworkers.

Two-factor Authentication (2FA) Services for At-Home WorkersProgent's Duo authentication Services incorporate Cisco's Duo cloud technology to protect against password theft by using two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo enables one-tap identity verification on iOS, Google Android, and other personal devices. Using 2FA, whenever you log into a protected application and give your password you are asked to confirm who you are on a unit that only you possess and that is accessed using a separate network channel. A wide range of devices can be utilized for this second means of authentication such as a smartphone or watch, a hardware token, a landline phone, etc. You can register several verification devices. To find out more about ProSight Duo two-factor identity validation services, visit Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services for at-home workers.

Security Audit Services for At-Home WorkersSecurity Audits can assess the exposure of your information system to all classes of external and internal security threats for a network that includes telecommuters. Progent can run online, automated cybersecurity inventory scanning for rapidly and economically uncovering a wide variety of security weaknesses that can be surfaced over the Internet. Progent's security assessment consulting services, which can be provided by network security professionals with advanced credentials including CISM, CISSP, and GIAC, can help you to evaluate your procedures and governance policies and review your IT infrastructure to allow you to implement top-level protection for your teleworkers.

NodeZero Pen Testing for Work-from-Home EnpointsHorizon3.ai's NodeZero Penetration Testing Platform is a cutting-edge penetration test (pentest) product family that can deliver autonomous threat assessment of your at-home connectivity solution and your internal and perimeter networks to help you expose, prioritize, remediate, and confirm security vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can exploit them. Progent can help you to use NodeZero to carry out thorough penetration tests of your perimeter and your internal network so you can evaluate your present security posture. Progent's NodeZero experts can also help you to strengthen your existing network security and can help you to plan and deploy a unified cybersecurity strategy that streamlines management and provides optimum protection for on-prem, cloud-based, at-home, and perimeter IT assets. To find out additional details about Progent's threat analysis services powered by on NodeZero's PEN test products, visit Consulting Support for NodeZero's PEN Test Products.

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

Data Protection for Telecommuters
Data Protection involves backing up and restoring vital data in order to avoid data loss and reduce recovery time in the event of storage failures resulting from hardware issues, software hiccups, user mistakes, cyber attack, or other causes. Dependable data protection solutions can be particularly challenging to design and maintain in hybrid networks that incorporate in-house data centers, public clouds, and at-home workers.

  • Backup/Restore solutions for remote workers must cover multiple kinds of user-owned endpoints. Progent can provide fast online help from consultants knowledgeable about a broad range of products for protection Windows, Apple Mac and Linux/UNIX servers and desktops as well as notebooks, tablets and handhelds. Leading backup/restore products maintained by Progent's data protection experts include Barracuda Backup, Microsoft Azure Backup, Symantec Backup Exec, Acronis Backup and Recovery, Retrospect, and Time Machine. To protect resources distributed across a wide area network, Progent offers ProSight Data Protection Services, a managed backup/recovery subscription service that utilizes cloud storage and includes granular restore and unified management capabilities.
  • Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity (DR/BC) plans commonly envision scenarios that call for a rapid switch to telecommuting. Progent's senior disaster recovery planning experts and business continuity consultants can help your company to develop, document and test a DR/BC plan that addresses the process of moving to telecommuting.

Unified Management for an At-Home Workforce
Microsoft has renamed and rebundled its endpoint management platforms under the title Endpoint Manager, which encompasses Intune for cloud-based management of mobile and remote devices and Configuration Manager for managing onsite computers. Endpoint Manager provides a unified platform for safeguarding critical information by managing on-premises, mobile, and home-based endpoint devices.

Intune
Intune is a component of Microsoft's Endpoint Management suite that also includes Microsoft Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud service for managing and securing remote computers and software. Managed endpoint devices can be user owned or company owned. Network admins managing the endpoint devices of telecommuters can utilize Intune to deploy and validate applications on devices, push patches and certificates, set up rules for accessing data and resources, set passwords, create VPN tunnels, determine how teleworkers share information, set up threat defense, ensure compliance, and delete sensitive information from lost, stolen or deactivated endpoint devices. Microsoft Intune works with iOS/iPadOS, Android, Windows, and macOS/OS X computers. For details about Intune and how Progent can assist you to use this platform to administer the endpoint devices of your at-home workforce, see Intune mobile device management experts.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is a feature-rich unified Mobile Device Management (MDM) product that allows network managers to keep offsite endpoints up to date and protected. Workspace ONE uses VMware AirWatch for unified endpoint management along with VMware's Horizon virtual application delivery platform for access control, application management, and configuration management of endpoint devices. Workspace ONE runs with devices powered by Windows 10, macOS, Apple iOS, Android, Chrome OS, or popular distros of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is offered by subscription as a cloud service or as an on-site product through a one-time purchase. Top capabilities of Workspace ONE include fast over-the-air deployment of new laptops, quick onboarding of new employees, policy set up and enforcement for all classes of endpoints, unifies reporting and performance analytics, an email encryption gateway, and integration with Microsoft apps and cloud services. To learn about Progent's support services for VMware Workspace ONE, see VMware Workspace ONE mobile endpoint management consultants.

Contact Progent for Remote Workforce Expertise
To get in touch with Progent about building and maintaining a productive work-from-home environment for your Manchester, New Hampshire business, phone 1-800-993-9400 or refer to Contact Progent.