Anchorage Work at Home Employees Connectivity Consulting Partner

Enlarging your telecommuter workforce may have a major effect on network infrastructure, cybersecurity, and corporate culture. Progent has two decades of background helping SMBs to design, configure, manage, optimize, and troubleshoot IT networks that incorporate a remote workforce. Progent can assist your Anchorage organization to pick the appropriate technologies and follow leading practices in building and maintaining a secure virtual ecosystem for telecommuters that promotes collaboration and returns maximum business value. Progent can provide services ranging from on demand expertise for helping you past challenging technical bottlenecks to full project management to help you carry out business-critical tasks.

Progent can assist Anchorage, Alaska organizations to succeed with any facet of creating a high-functioning work-at-home ecosystem by providing network infrastructure design and configuration services, VoIP PBX expertise, voice/video conferencing support, collaboration platform customization and training, cloud connectivity, helpdesk augmentation, endpoint security, data protection solutions, and streamlined management.

Network Infrastructure for Teleworkers
Configuring the physical and software infrastructure required for an at-home workforce can be especially challenging if you must accommodate a combination of worker-owned equipment like PCs and laptops, routers, and Wi-Fi appliances from an assortment of manufacturers and with a mix of OS software and firmware levels. Progent's experience delivering online support for both outdated as well as modern IT products in virtual office solutions allows you to make cost-effective use of your existing infrastructure and provides you with fast access to top-tire consultants for implement essential updates. Services available from Progent to assist your company to implement a high-functioning telecommuting infrastructure include:

• VPN connectivity makes it possible to establish a secure tunnel for authenticated remote workers to access IT resources situated at your corporate data center or in the cloud. Progent's consultants can assist you to deploy and maintain VPN connections between your teleworkers and your key IT resources by providing remote VPN integration consulting. For businesses using Cisco's ASA firewalls, Progent's Cisco ASA experts can assist your telecommuters to set up Cisco's popular AnyConnect software to provide safe VPN tunneling for a broad range of endpoint devices such as Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux, and Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure products enable a teleworker to see and use a data center PC's desktop. This technology gives network managers more control over the digital environment of at-home employees and ensures remote users a consistent and more productive experience. Progent's virtual desktop consulting services include Windows Remote Desktop support and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops VDI expertise.
• Routers connect home computer networks to the Internet and support VPN connections, home wireless networks, and firewall services. Progent offers expert online support for setting up home routers from a variety of manufacturers. See router integration services from Cisco-certified consultants.
• Home Wireless networks, often shared by the whole family and visitors, are frequently utilized by telecommuters to connect to their router for work. This can create throughput as well as cybersecurity issues. Progent can assist you to resolve these issues by delivering services that include Aironet configuration consulting, Cisco-certified Meraki wireless installation expertise, and Ubiquiti wireless access point integration assistance.
• Internet access solutions impact the speed and reliability of connections between telecommuters and the company data center. Vital processes may demand backup Internet access in the event the primary connection breaks. Progent can provide expertise for picking ISPs, picking appropriate bandwidth and data volume offerings, and configuring fault-tolerant Internet access. See Internet access integration services.

IP Voice Integration for Remote Workers
Expanding the business phone environment to include telecommuters is critical to supporting a productive work-at-home solution. A variety of cloud-based VoIP products are used by small and mid-size businesses to support teleworkers. Many enterprises depend on Cisco's modern or older platforms for VoIP solutions. Progent can help businesses of any size to design or tune a remote IP voice environment that delivers the versatility, transparency and security needed for telecommuters. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE IP Voice consultants offer advanced support to help organizations tune their current Cisco IP voice environments to support a growing at-home workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) extends enterprise telephony capabilities to devices like VoIP phones, media processing platforms, VoIP gateways, and mixed media applications used throughout the network. Unified Communications Manager supports additional mixed media services such as messaging, voice/video conferencing, and team interaction networks. For more information about Progent's Cisco Unified CM or CUCM expertise, see Cisco Unified Communications Manager consulting services.
• CallManager is Cisco's earlier call-processing agent and has been replaced by Cisco Unified CM or CUCM. Progent's consultants can assist you to support your current CallManager deployment or migrate smoothly to Cisco's modern IP telephony products. To find out about Progent's support services for Cisco CallManager and Cisco's other legacy VoIP products, visit CallManager consulting services.
• Cisco IP Gateways provide integration with public telephony networks and with users working outside the corporate firewall such as telecommuters. Progent can provide expert support for Cisco's earlier generation IP gateways such as the UC520, UC540 and UC560 products and for current Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateways. See Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateway configuration expertise.
• Other VoIP Platforms supported by Progent's consultants include Vonage, Intermedia Unite and 8x8. Progent can help you to update your WAN architecture to work with these solutions and deliver on-demand integration and debugging expertise.

Voice/Video Conferencing for an At-Home Workforce
A broad range of video conferencing platforms from leading technology companies support virtual discussions, video conferencing, chat, and screen/content sharing for both local users and teleworkers. Many organizations utilize multiple products to accommodate their various partners and clients. Progent can assist you to maintain your existing conferencing ecosystem and enhance the engagement of your remote employees.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's popular unified communications product that supports real-time presence, instant messaging, audio and video calling and conferencing plus the transparent integration of these functions within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 productivity software including PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. Progent can provide the skills of Microsoft-certified consultants who can help your company to configure and maintain Skype for Business clients to support your remote workforce. For details about Progent's support services for Skype for Business, visit Skype for Business consulting services.
• FaceTime is Apple's group video calling app for compatible iOS, iPadOS, iPod and Mac devices. FaceTime works over Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Newer versions of FaceTime allow as many as 32 simultaneous users for video sessions. To learn more about Progent's support services for FaceTime, see Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center provides online conferencing for virtually all desktop or mobile devices. Offered through Cisco's Webex Cloud, Webex capabilities include sharing specific content or computer screens, presentations that incorporate rich media including Microsoft PowerPoint and Flash videos, network-based capture, plus editing and playback for future reference and training. To learn more about Progent's support services for Webex as well as for other video conferencing solutions from Cisco, see Progent's Webex Meeting Center support services.
• Teams is Microsoft's next-generation replacement for Skype for Business. Teams provides a hub for conferencing, contacts, and content with capabilities that include voice/video conferencing, persistent threaded chat, plus file sharing. For details about Progent's consulting services for Teams as well as for additional Microsoft 365 apps, see Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
• Additional Conferencing Platforms supported by Progent include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can provide configuration and troubleshooting services for these products and help you to tune your network infrastructure to run them.

Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Platforms for Remote and Hybrid Workers
Microsoft's collaboration platforms are closely integrated with Microsoft's popular Office and Microsoft 365 families, providing a rich ecosystem of applications that create a cohesive user experience for exchanging data and ideas across multiple sites and on a broad selection of endpoints. Progent has provided remote consulting support for SharePoint and Exchange Server since their original releases and can help businesses to deploy these critical collaboration products to optimize the productivity 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 on top of Microsoft 365 and supports third-party cloud services to provide real-time collaboration. Designed as a substitute for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium can enable chat, video meetings that include screen sharing, phone calls, cloud voicemail, group email, as well as file and application sharing. Teams is tightly integrated with Microsoft 365 and depends on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Entra (previously called Azure Active Directory) for supporting its complete range of features. To learn more about Progent's support services for Microsoft Teams, visit solution design and configuration consulting for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium.

SharePoint utilizes web sites to enable collaboration and information delivery by providing policy-based access to data, business processes, and utilities for searching through company-wide business data. SharePoint allows you to build protected portals that permits remote workforce to see and update aggregated corporate intelligence by means of Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social networking web sites, and Web Parts. For information about Progent's SharePoint support services, see 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 expertise, see integration expertise for Microsoft Exchange Server.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s collaborative cloud storage service, comparable to GoogleDrive. At-home workers can save files to OneDrive, and colleagues can access them safely through a browser. Included with Microsoft 365, OneDrive enables home workers to co-edit files. Revisions created offline are uploaded when you go back online. To find out about Progent's consulting expertise for OneDrive, go to Onedrive configuration consulting.

Cloud Integration Services for Telecommuters
Progent can provide affordable remote assistance for helping businesses to build, manage and troubleshoot integrated network models that include physical data centers, telecommuters, branch offices, and public cloud services. Progent offers expertise for all modes of public cloud service including Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service. Progent can help telecommuters resolve problems with public cloud connectivity, authentication, and security.

Microsoft Azure is a popular platform for public cloud software and services that allows you to use IT infrastructure, virtual servers, and key apps hosted on Microsoft's extensive cloud. Azure features more than 100 services 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, integrate cloud-based storage on Azure Storage services, unify identity control with Azure Active Directory, and design backup and recovery systems with Azure Backup. Progent's cloud experts can also help you create secure connections to Azure for remote workers by setting up and troubleshooting firewalls and VPN IPsec tunnels. For information about Progent's consulting expertise for Azure, go to Azure expertise.

Microsoft 365, formerly called Office 365, is Microsoft's growing family of client productivity applications and cloud-based services available on a subscription basis. Office apps and cloud services are provided in a selection of bundles designed for users ranging from individuals and small offices to large corporations. Progent can provide quick and affordable remote access to experts familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible endpoints running Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent can assist your business to evaluate the numerous subscription bundles available for Microsoft 365 and deploy 365 applications for your at-home workers in a way that delivers top business value. To find out about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft 365, refer to Microsoft 365 consulting expertise.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online is one of the most popular applications in the Microsoft 365 product line. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online provides the advantages of reduced costs for data center infrastructure, simplified management, on-demand scaling, high availability, and additional benefits inherent with public clouds. Microsoft has designed Microsoft 365 Exchange Online to run seamlessly with on-premises Exchange environments, allowing customers to create hybrid networks. Progent's certified Exchange consultants are available for as-needed help to get you through tough IT roadblocks and also offer comprehensive project management services to ensure your remote workers have easy and secure access to your Exchange Online environment. For details Progent's support services for Microsoft 365 Exchange Online, go to Exchange Online configuration and support consulting.

Amazon AWS is a pioneer in the public cloud computing market and is the industry's top source of cloud services. Progent can provide fast and affordable online contact with cloud connectivity consultants who can help your organization to design, implement, manage, and troubleshoot hybrid IT networks that integrate Amazon AWS cloud services with on-premises resources and with other public clouds like Azure. Progent also can provide the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking experts to assist your company to build a high-availability network architecture so your users have a productive computing experience regardless of whether they are working from your headquarters, a branch office, at home, or on the move. To learn about Progent's expertise for Amazon AWS, see Amazon AWS consulting expertise.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a popular set of public cloud services that provides Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service products. Progent's Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco experts can help you to expand your existing IT resources with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's DBA experts can show you how to make your mission-critical applications cloud friendly so your teleworkers can take full advantage of Google Cloud services. Progent can help your business to deploy VMs on GCP Compute Engine, plan an efficient storage solution with GCP Storage, and simplify access management for remote workers with Google Cloud Identity. Progent's experts can also assist your organization to utilize GCP's management technology to control and monitor your GCP environment. For information, refer to Google Cloud Platform consulting support.

Help Desk Support for Remote Workers
An emergency, company-wide switchover to a from-home business model, which might be activated by a pandemic or as part of a business continuity preparedness plan, can overstretch even a high-performing internal Call Center. Progent's Help Desk services make it possible for organizations of any size to outsource or augment their Help Desk Call Center with Progent's online Technical Response Center services.

• Progent's Standard Help Desk services utilize Progent's extensive team of online technical support experts combined with enterprise-class ticketing and tracking software to provide an economical, advanced Help Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services offer a comprehensive solution that addresses all aspects of remote Level 1 desktop technical support from initial help requests to trouble ticket generation, desktop sharing, issue resolution, and reporting. A browser-based User's Service Portal allows telecommuters to check or update the status of their current trouble tickets, add details, and upload screen captures or attachments. Desktop support services are delivered at a significant price reduction off Progent's ordinary Level 1 technical service charges, and Progent offers optional rapid escalation to Level 2 and Level 3 IT experts to deal with complex problems. To learn more, see Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services for small companies.
• Progent's Call Desk Supplemental Service enables your business to supplement your current Call Center staff by sharing responsibilities for Support Desk services seamlessly between your in-house IT support staff and Progent's extensive pool of PC support engineers and subject matter experts. Progent's co-managed Call Center service uses a collaborative support model based on the number one professional services automation (PSA) tool for handling service requests and trouble tickets, assigning responsibility, tracking progress, and producing reports. For details about how Progent's Call Desk Supplementation Services can enable your company to deliver best-in-class desktop support to your teleworkers, refer to Progent's Call Desk supplementation Services.

Cybersecurity for At-Home Workers
Work-from-Home workers typically use their personal computing devices and often operate in an unsecured physical environment. This multiplies their vulnerability to cyber attacks and calls for careful deployment of corporate firewalls, anti-malware tools, multi-factor authentication, remote monitoring, intensive end-user training, and the creation of security policies built on best practices. Progent's seasoned group of data security support experts can help your business to design, configure and maintain a compliant security solution that protects critical IT assets in networks that incorporate telecommuters.

Firewalls allow you to create a network environment that can be securely utilized by on-premises users as well as by an at-home workforce, mobile users, vendors, clients, and other stakeholders. Modern firewall appliances allow you to configure and control appropriate access rights to different groups of users and to expand your IT network and modify your security profile as your company evolves and as cyber threats grow more complex. Progent works with both current and older firewall devices from all leading vendors like Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, Juniper, SonicWall and Fortinet. To find out more about Progent's firewall integration services, visit firewall configuration and support services.

Remote Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it possible to watch over the disparate computers used by telecommuters and either block or identify and mitigate the latest cyber attacks like ransomware. With Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint software agent is put on every secured endpoint, monitoring all activity and utilizing advanced behavioral threat analysis from SentinelOne to detect zero-day threats at inception. When a cyberattack is discovered, ProSight Active Security Monitoring instantly disconnects the impacted endpoint device from the corporate network to contain the malware. Because the ProSight ASM agent is self-contained, endpoint devices remain secure even when they are not connected to the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. For more information about ProSight Active Security Monitoring, go to remote endpoint security monitoring for remote workers.

Progent's Duo authentication Service Plans utilize Cisco's Duo technology to protect against compromised passwords through the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo enables single-tap identity confirmation with Apple iOS, Google Android, and other out-of-band devices. Using 2FA, whenever you log into a protected online account and enter your password you are requested to confirm who you are on a unit that only you possess and that uses a different ("out-of-band") network channel. A broad range of out-of-band devices can be used for this second means of ID validation such as an iPhone or Android or wearable, a hardware/software token, a landline phone, etc. You can register multiple validation devices. To learn more about Duo identity validation services, go to Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services for at-home workers.

Security Audits can evaluate the exposure of your information system to all classes of external and internal security attacks for an environment that incorporates an at-home workforce. Progent can run remote, automated cybersecurity analysis scanning for rapidly and economically uncovering a broad range of security gaps that can be found over the Internet. Progent's endpoint security audit consulting services, which can be provided by network security professionals with top certifications such as CISA, CISSP, and GIAC, can assist your company to evaluate your operations and governance policies and assess your network infrastructure to allow you to design the highest level of protection for your telecommuters.

Horizon3.ai's NodeZero PEN Testing Platform is a breakthrough penetration test (pentest) product family that supports autonomous testing of your at-home connectivity solution as well as your internal and perimeter networks to help you expose, rank, fix, and confirm cybersecurity vulnerabilities before threat actors can take advantage of them. Progent can assist you to deploy NodeZero to perform comprehensive penetration tests of your perimeter and your internal IT infrastructure in order to determine your current security posture. Progent can also assist you to harden your existing network security and can help you to design and deploy a cohesive cybersecurity strategy that simplifies management and delivers maximum protection for on-premises, multi-cloud, at-home, and perimeter IT assets. To find out more information about Progent's threat assessment solutions based on on NodeZero's penetration test platform, refer to Consulting Services for NodeZero's PEN Test Platform.

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

Data Protection Solutions for Teleworkers
Data Protection involves backing up and restoring vital information in order to prevent data loss and reduce recovery time and effort in case of storage system failures due to hardware issues, software glitches, human mistakes, malware, or other causes. Dependable data protection strategies can be particularly difficult to design and maintain in hybrid networks that incorporate local data centers, public clouds, and at-home workers.

• Backup/Recovery solutions for remote workers must address multiple kinds of user-owned endpoints. Progent offers fast remote access to consultants familiar with a broad array of platforms for protection Windows, Apple and Linux/UNIX powered servers and desktops as well as notebooks, tablets and smartphones. Leading backup/recovery solutions supported by Progent's data protection consultants include Barracuda Backup, Azure Backup, Symantec Backup Exec, CrashPlan, Mozy, and Time Machine. To back up data distributed across a wide area network, Progent offers ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a backup/recovery subscription service that uses cloud-based storage and features fine-grained recovery and unified management capabilities.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity plans commonly envision circumstances that require a quick switch to an at-home workforce. Progent's expert disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity specialists can assist you to produce, document and validate a DR/BC strategy that includes the process of switching to an at-home workforce.

Unified Management for Teleworkers
Microsoft has renamed and rebundled its endpoint management products under the name Endpoint Manager, which includes Intune for cloud management of mobile and remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing on-premises computers. Microsoft Endpoint Manager provides a unified environment for protecting critical data by managing onsite, mobile, and home-based endpoint devices.

Microsoft Intune
Intune is a component of Microsoft's Endpoint Management family that also includes Microsoft Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud-based service for managing and protecting mobile devices and applications. Remote endpoint devices can be personally owned or company owned. IT administrators managing the enrolled endpoint computers of teleworkers can use Intune to deploy and authenticate applications on devices, push updates and certificates, set up rules for accessing information and networks, set passwords, establish VPN tunnels, control how telecommuters share information, establish threat defense, verify security compliance, and delete sensitive information from missing, stolen or decommissioned endpoint devices. Microsoft Intune works with Apple iOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS computers. To learn about Intune and how Progent can assist you to use Microsoft's Endpoint Management to administer the endpoint computers of your at-home workforce, see Intune mobile endpoint management expertise.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced centralized Mobile Device Management platform that helps network administrators to keep offsite endpoints up to date and protected. Workspace ONE incorporates VMware AirWatch technology for unified endpoint administration combined with VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery technology for authorization control, application management, and setup management of endpoint devices. Workspace ONE operates with endpoints powered by Windows 10, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, or leading distributions of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is available by subscription as a cloud service or as an on-site product via a perpetual license. Top capabilities of VMware Workspace ONE include fast remote deployment of new notebooks, quick onboarding of new employees, policy set up and enforcement for all classes of endpoints, unifies management reporting and performance analytics, email encryption, and tight integration with Microsoft applications and cloud-based services. For details about Progent's support services for VMware Workspace ONE, visit VMware Workspace ONE remote device management consultants.

Contact Progent for Remote Workforce Expertise
To contact Progent about building and maintaining an efficient work-from-home solution for your Anchorage, Alaska organization, phone 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.