Lawrence Work from Home Employees Connectivity Consulting Company

Expanding your at-home workforce may have a significant impact on network infrastructure, security, and company culture. Progent has two decades of background assisting small and mid-size businesses to design, deploy, manage, optimize, and troubleshoot IT networks that incorporate at-home workers. Progent can help your Lawrence company to select the appropriate tools and follow leading practices in building and operating a safe virtual office solution for telecommuters that facilitates teamwork and delivers top business value. Progent can provide services that go from as-needed guidance for getting you over challenging IT roadblocks to comprehensive project management or co-management to help you successfully complete business-critical initiatives.

Progent's consultants can assist Lawrence, Massachusetts companies to with any aspect of creating a high-performing telecommuting ecosystem by delivering network infrastructure configuration services, VoIP PBX troubleshooting, voice/video conferencing integration, collaboration platform customization and training, cloud connectivity, Call Desk augmentation, data security, backup/restore solutions, and streamlined management.

Network Infrastructure for Telecommuters
Configuring the network infrastructure needed to support an at-home workforce can be especially complex if you must accommodate a mix of worker-owned equipment like PCs and notebooks, Internet routers, and Wi-Fi APs from various vendors and with a variety of OS software and firmware releases. Progent's background providing online help for both outdated as well as modern technologies in virtual office venues allows you to make efficient use of your existing network infrastructure and provides you with fast access to expertise for making essential updates. Services available from Progent to assist your company to implement a productive telecommuting ecosystem include:

• Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology allows you to establish a safe tunnel for authenticated remote workers to access IT assets situated at your company datacenter or in a public cloud. Progent's consultants can help you to deploy and manage VPN connections between your teleworkers and your various network resources by providing online VPN integration support. For businesses with Cisco's ASA firewalls, Progent's Cisco ASA Firewall experts can help your remote workers to set up Cisco's AnyConnect software to provide secure VPN connections for a broad range of devices such as Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux, and Google Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) products enable a telecommuter to view and interact with a data center computer's desktop. This gives IT managers substantial control over the computing environment of telecommuters and ensures remote users a familiar work experience. Progent's VDI services include Windows Remote Desktop support and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops expertise.
• Routers connect home networks to the Internet and typically support VPN connections, home wireless networks, and firewalls. Progent offers expert remote support for deploying home routers from all major vendors. See router configuration support from Cisco-certified experts.
• Home Wireless networks, typically supporting the whole family and visitors, are commonly used by at-home employees to access their router for work. This can create throughput and cybersecurity issues. Progent can help you to mitigate these problems by providing expertise that include Aironet configuration consulting, Cisco-certified Meraki wireless installation expertise, and Ubiquiti wireless access point integration assistance.
• Internet access solutions affect the speed and reliability of connections between at-home workers and the corporate network. Vital applications might demand redundant Internet connections in case the primary connection fails. Progent offers guidance for selecting ISPs, choosing sensible service offerings, and setting up fault-tolerant Internet connections. Refer to Internet access solutions.

VoIP Solutions for Teleworkers
Expanding the corporate PBX environment to accommodate teleworkers is critical to supporting an effective at-home workforce. A broad range of cloud-centric digital PBX products are used by small and mid-size businesses to server teleworkers. Many larger organizations depend on Cisco's current or legacy platforms for IP voice solutions. Progent can assist businesses of all sizes to plan or tune a telecommuter VoIP environment that delivers the versatility, transparency and protection needed for remote users. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE Voice consultants can provide advanced support to help organizations tune their existing Cisco VoIP environments to handle a growing remote workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) extends high-end IP telephony features to devices like VoIP phones, media processing products, Voice over IP gateways, and multimedia applications deployed throughout the network. Unified Communications Manager supports additional mixed media services like messaging, voice/video conferencing, and team collaboration networks. For more information about Progent's CUCM expertise, see Cisco Unified CM consulting services.
• Cisco CallManager is Cisco's earlier call-processing agent and has been replaced by CUCM. Progent can assist you to support your current CallManager deployment or upgrade efficiently to Cisco's modern IP telephony solutions. For details about Progent's support services for Cisco CallManager and Cisco's other early IP voice products, see Cisco CallManager expertise.
• Cisco IP Gateways provide integration with PSTN networks and with clients working outside the corporate perimeter like telecommuters. Progent offers expert support for Cisco's legacy IP gateways like the UC520, UC540 and UC560 series and for modern Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateways. See Cisco SIP gateway configuration expertise.
• Additional VoIP Platforms supported by Progent's consultants include Vonage, Intermedia Unite and 8x8. Progent can assist you to expand your WAN architecture to work with these solutions and deliver on-demand configuration and troubleshooting services.

Voice/Video Conferencing for Telecommuters
A wide range of video conferencing products from leading vendors enable virtual discussions, video conferencing, chat, and screen/content sharing for both onsite workers and telecommuters. Many companies utilize multiple products to meet the needs of their various partners and clients. Progent's communications experts can assist your organization to maintain your current voice/video conferencing ecosystem and optimize the productivity of your remote employees.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's popular communications product that supports real-time presence, instant messaging, audio and video calling and conferencing as well as the seamless integration of these capabilities within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 applications such as PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook. Progent offers the skills of Microsoft-certified consultants who can help your company to configure and maintain Skype for Business clients to support your at-home workforce. To learn more about Progent's consulting expertise for Skype for Business, refer to Skype for Business integration experts.
• FaceTime is Apple's group video phone app for compatible iOS, iPadOS, iPod and Mac computers and smartphones. FaceTime works on Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Current editions of FaceTime support up to 32 simultaneous users for voice/video sessions. To learn more about Progent's consulting services for FaceTime, see Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center supports remote conferencing for virtually all computing devices. Offered via Cisco's Webex Cloud, Webex services include sharing discrete content or screens, presentations that incorporate rich media including Microsoft PowerPoint, network-based recording, plus editing and playback for future reference and training. To learn more about Progent's consulting expertise for Cisco Webex as well as for other IP video solutions from Cisco, refer to 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 information with features such as voice/video calling, persistent threaded chat, plus file sharing. To learn more about Progent's support expertise for Microsoft Teams and for additional Microsoft 365 apps, refer to Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
• Additional Conferencing Apps supported by Progent's conferencing experts include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can provide configuration and troubleshooting expertise for these conferencing platforms and assist you to tune your network architecture to host them.

Microsoft Collaboration Software for Remote and Hybrid Workers
Microsoft's collaboration products are closely integrated with Microsoft's popular Office and Microsoft 365 families, offering a rich environment of productivity apps that deliver a consistent user experience for sharing information throughout multiple sites and on a wide range of endpoint devices. Progent has delivered online consulting services for Microsoft SharePoint and Exchange since their initial releases and can assist businesses to deploy these critical collaboration platforms to maximize the effectiveness of your at-home workers.

Microsoft's collaboration platforms are tightly integrated with Microsoft's popular Office suite, providing a rich ecosystem of applications that deliver a consistent user experience for sharing information across multiple sites and on a wide variety of endpoint devices. Progent has provided remote consulting services for SharePoint and Exchange since their initial releases and can help at-home workers set up and use these flagship collaboration platforms to maximize productivity.

Microsoft Teams works on top of Microsoft 365 and 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, video meetings that include screen sharing, phone calls, cloud voicemail, group email, plus file and app sharing. Teams is tightly integrated with Microsoft 365 and relies on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Entra (formerly branded Azure Active Directory) for supporting its complete range of capabilities. For details about Progent's support services for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium, visit planning and deployment consulting for Microsoft Teams.

SharePoint utilizes web sites to allow collaboration and information sharing by providing policy-based delivery of content, business processes, and tools for searching through enterprise-wide business data. SharePoint permits you to create protected portals that allows at-home workers to view and update aggregated business intelligence via Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social networking web sites, and Web Parts (Widgets). 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. To learn about Progent's Exchange consulting services, go to integration expertise for Exchange Server.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s collaborative cloud-based file hosting and synchronization service, similar to GoogleDrive. Remote users can store files to the OneDrive service, and colleagues anywhere can retrieve them securely via a web browser. Included with Microsoft 365, OneDrive allows remote workers to co-edit documents. Edits created offline are automatically uploaded when you reconnect to the Internet. For information about Progent's consulting expertise for OneDrive, visit Microsoft Onedrive integration experts.

Cloud Integration Services for Teleworkers
Progent can provide affordable remote assistance for helping businesses to create, maintain and repair integrated hybrid network models that combine physical data centers, teleworkers, branch offices, plus public cloud services. Progent can provide expertise for all modes of cloud service delivery such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service. Progent can help telecommuters resolve issues with cloud access, identity, and cybersecurity.

Azure is a popular family of public cloud services that enables you to utilize infrastructure, virtual servers, and key applications hosted on Microsoft's massive cloud. Microsoft Azure includes over 100 services services including the ability to host Windows and Linux-based VMs, on-demand cloud storage, messaging, app development with Visual Studio, and data backup. Progent can help you to set up VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, configure storage on Azure Storage services, unify identity management with Azure Active Directory, and plan data backup and recovery systems with Azure Backup. Progent can also help you establish secure access to Azure services for remote workers by setting up and debugging firewall appliances and VPN IPsec tunnels. For details about Progent's consulting services for Azure, see Microsoft Azure expertise.

Microsoft 365, previously called Office 365, is Microsoft's growing suite of business productivity software and cloud-based services available on a subscription basis. Microsoft apps and cloud services are marketed in a variety of plans designed for customers ranging from students and households to major enterprises. Progent can provide fast and affordable online access to consultants familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible devices based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android technology. Progent can help your business to assess the various subscription plans offered with Microsoft 365 and configure 365 applications for your at-home workers in a way that delivers maximum business value. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft 365, go to Microsoft 365 consulting services.

Exchange Online is one of the most widely used applications in Azure-hosted Microsoft 365 product suite. Exchange Online provides the advantages of lower spending for data center infrastructure, easier management, on-demand scaling, high reliability, and additional benefits associated with cloud computing. Microsoft has designed Exchange Online to operate seamlessly with local Exchange environments, enabling customers to create hybrid cloud/onsite information systems. Progent's Exchange experts can provide occasional assistance to guide you past challenging IT roadblocks and also offer comprehensive project management outsourcing to make sure your remote workers have easy and safe access to your Microsoft 365 Exchange Online environment. For details Progent's consulting services for Microsoft 365 Exchange Online, refer to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online configuration and support consulting.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a pioneer in the public cloud arena and is the industry's leading source of cloud-based services. Progent can provide quick and economical online access to cloud integration experts who can assist your business to plan, implement, manage, and troubleshoot hybrid IT networks that incorporate Amazon AWS cloud services with on-premises data centers and with other popular cloud platforms such as Azure. Progent also offers the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking experts to help your company to build a high-availability network architecture so your users have a consistent computing environment whether they are working from your headquarters, a branch office, from home, or on the move. To find out about Progent's consulting expertise for Amazon AWS, refer to Amazon AWS integration expertise.

Google Cloud Platform is a leading collection of cloud 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 your business to scale your current IT assets with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's database experts can help you make your key apps cloud ready so your remote workers can benefit fully from Google Cloud services. Progent's consultants can assist you to deploy virtual machines on Google Cloud Compute Engine, design a cost-effective storage system with GCP Storage services, and simplify identity control for at-home workers with Google Cloud Identity services. Progent's experts can also help your business to utilize GCP's management tools to control and track your Google Cloud environment. For information, see Google Cloud Platform (GCP) integration expertise.

Help Desk Call Center Services for Teleworkers
A rapid, company-wide transition to a from-home business model, which could be activated by a pandemic or as an element of a disaster recovery/business continuity preparedness plan, can overstretch even a high-performing internal Help Desk. Progent's Call Center services allow organizations to outsource or augment their Help Desk with Progent's remote Technical Response Center (TRC) team.

• Progent's Standard Help Desk services leverage Progent's extensive team of online IT support experts combined with world-class trouble ticketing and tracking technology to offer an economical, advanced Call Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services offer an end-to-end solution that handles all aspects of remote Level 1 desktop technical support from initial service requests to trouble ticket creation, desktop sharing, problem resolution, and reporting. A web-based User's Service Portal enables teleworkers to check or edit the status of their current trouble tickets, enter information, and upload screen captures and attachments. Support services are provided at a substantial price reduction off Progent's normal Level 1 technical support charges, and Progent offers optional rapid hand-off to Level 2 and Level 3 support experts to deal with advanced issues. For more information, refer to Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services outsourcing for small and mid-size businesses.
• Progent's Call Desk Supplemental Service enables your business to augment your existing Call Center staff by splitting responsibilities for Call Desk support transparently between your regular support organization and Progent's nationwide pool of desktop support technicians and subject matter specialists. Progent's co-managed Help Desk Call Center service uses a collaborative support model based on the number one PSA tool for handling service requests and ticketing, establishing ownership, tracking progress, and producing reports. For details about how Progent's Help Desk Call Center Supplementation Services can help your business to provide world-class IT support to your at-home workforce, see Progent's Help Desk Call Center supplementation Services.

Security and Compliance for Teleworkers
Work-from-Home employees commonly use their personal computing devices and often work in an unsecured physical environment. This situation multiplies their susceptibility to malware attacks and calls for careful deployment of corporate firewalls, anti-malware tools, MFA-based identity verification, remote endpoint monitoring, extensive end-user education, and the development of policies built on leading practices. Progent's seasoned roster of data security support consultants can help your business to plan, deploy and manage a compliant security solution that guards vital IT assets in networks that incorporate telecommuters.

Firewalls enable you to create a network that can be securely accessed by on-premises users and by an at-home workforce, mobile users, suppliers, customers, and the public. Next-generation firewall appliances permit you to assign and manage appropriate access rights to different groups of users and to scale your IT network and adjust your cybersecurity posture as your business evolves and as cyber threats grow increasingly sophisticated. Progent works with both new and legacy firewall appliances from all major manufacturers including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, Juniper, and Fortinet. For more information about Progent's firewall integration services, visit firewall support expertise.

Online Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it possible to watch over the disparate computers utilized by telecommuters and either reject or spot and respond to the latest threats like ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a lightweight agent is installed on every protected endpoint, watching all activity and using state-of-the-art machine learning from SentinelOne to detect zero-day threats at inception. When an attack is discovered, ProSight ASM instantly isolates the infected device from the network to quarantine the threat. Since the ProSight ASM agent is autonomous, endpoints stay secure even if they are not connected to the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. To find out more about ProSight ASM, visit remote endpoint security monitoring for remote workers.

Progent's Duo MFA Service Plans incorporate Cisco's Duo technology to defend against stolen passwords through the use of two-factor authentication. Duo supports one-tap identity verification with iOS, Google Android, and other out-of-band devices. Using 2FA, whenever you log into a protected online account and give your password you are asked to confirm your identity via a unit that only you possess and that is accessed using a different network channel. A broad selection of devices can be utilized as this added form of authentication such as a smartphone or wearable, a hardware token, a landline telephone, etc. You may designate several validation devices. To find out more about Duo two-factor identity validation services, see Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services for teleworkers.

Security Audits can evaluate the exposure of your network to all types of outside and internal security attacks for a network that includes teleworkers. Progent can run remote, automated security inventory scanning for rapidly and economically uncovering a wide variety of security gaps that can be surfaced over the Internet. Progent's endpoint security assessment consulting services, which can be provided by data security experts with advanced credentials including CISM, ISSAP, and GIAC, can help your company to audit your processes and governance policies and review your WAN architecture to allow you to implement the highest level of protection for your at-home workers.

Horizon3.ai's NodeZero Pentest Platform is a leading-edge penetration test (pentest) product family that supports automated threat assessment of your work-from-home environment as well as your internal and perimeter networks to help you expose, prioritize, remediate, and confirm cybersecurity vulnerabilities before threat actors can take advantage of them. Progent's pentest experts can assist you to use NodeZero to perform comprehensive penetration tests of your network perimeter and your internal IT infrastructure in order to evaluate your current security profile. Progent can also assist you to strengthen your existing network security and can help you to plan and implement a cohesive cybersecurity strategy that simplifies management and provides maximum cyber defense for on-prem, cloud-based, at-home, and perimeter IT assets. To find out more information about Progent's threat analysis solutions based on on NodeZero's PEN test platform, see 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 things to concentrate on for protecting a network that includes work-from-home staff, click:
Securing a Work-From-Home Environment White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)

Data Protection Solutions for Telecommuters
Data Protection involves saving and recovering critical data in order to prevent data loss and reduce restoration time in case of storage failures resulting from hardware breakdowns, software glitches, human mistakes, cyber attack, or any other reason. Reliable data protection solutions can be especially challenging to architect and manage in hybrid environments that incorporate local data centers, public clouds, and at-home workers.

• Backup/Restore solutions for telecommuters must cover multiple types of user-owned endpoint devices. Progent can provide fast online help from consultants knowledgeable about a broad array of platforms for backing up Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac and Linux/UNIX powered servers and desktop computers as well as notebooks, tablets and smartphones. Leading backup/recovery solutions supported by Progent's data protection consultants include Barracuda Backup, Microsoft Azure Backup, DoubleTake Software, CrashPlan, Mozy, and Time Machine. To protect data spread throughout a wide area network, Progent can provide ProSight Data Protection Services, a backup/recovery subscription service that uses cloud-based storage and features granular recovery and centralized management capabilities.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity (DR/BC) strategies typically anticipate scenarios that require a rapid changeover to an at-home workforce. Progent's senior disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity consultants can assist your business to create, document and test a DR/BC plan that includes the process of moving to telecommuting.

Unified Management for Remote Workers
Microsoft has renamed and reshuffled its endpoint management platforms under the title Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which includes Intune for cloud management of remote devices and Configuration Manager for managing on-premises endpoints. Microsoft Endpoint Manager features a centralized platform for safeguarding critical data by managing onsite, mobile, and home-based endpoints.

Microsoft Intune
Intune is a component of Microsoft's Endpoint Management family that also includes Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud-based service for managing and protecting off-premises computers and applications. Managed endpoint devices can be user owned or company owned. IT admins managing the enrolled endpoint computers of teleworkers can use Intune to provision and validate applications on devices, push patches and certificates, configure policies for accessing information and networks, manage passwords, establish VPN connections, control how teleworkers share data, set up threat defense, ensure security compliance, and delete corporate information from missing, stolen or deactivated endpoint devices. Microsoft Intune works with Apple iOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS devices. For details about Intune and to find out how Progent can help your company to use Microsoft's Endpoint Management to administer the devices of your teleworkers, go to Intune telecommuter endpoint management expertise.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is a feature-rich centralized Mobile Device Management (MDM) platform that allows network managers to keep off-premises endpoints current and secure. Workspace ONE uses VMware AirWatch technology for centralized endpoint management combined with VMware's Horizon virtual application delivery platform for authorization control, app management, and configuration management of endpoint computers. Workspace ONE runs with endpoints powered by Windows 10, macOS, Apple iOS, Android, Chrome OS, or leading distributions of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is offered by subscription as a cloud-based service or as an on-premises deployment via a one-time purchase. Key capabilities of VMware Workspace ONE include rapid over-the-air deployment of out-of-the-box notebooks, quick onboarding of new users, policy set up and enforcement for all categories of endpoints, aggregated management reporting and performance analytics, email encryption, and seamless integration with Microsoft applications and cloud-based products. To learn about Progent's support for VMware Workspace ONE, visit VMware Workspace ONE remote device management consultants.

Contact Progent for Telecommuter Expertise
To contact Progent about creating and managing an efficient work-from-home solution for your Lawrence, Massachusetts business, phone 1-800-993-9400 or go to Contact Progent.