Lincoln Teleworkers Connectivity Consulting

Expanding your telecommuter workforce may have a significant effect on network architecture, security/compliance, and company workflows. Progent has 20 years of experience assisting small and mid-size businesses to design, deploy, administer, tune, and debug IT networks that support work-from-home employees. Progent can assist your Lincoln organization to pick the appropriate technologies and follow best practices in building and maintaining a safe virtual office ecosystem for telecommuters that facilitates collaboration and delivers maximum business value. Progent offers support services that go from on demand expertise for getting you past occasional IT roadblocks to comprehensive project management to help you carry out mission-critical initiatives.

Progent can help Lincoln, Nebraska companies to with any facet of creating a high-functioning telecommuting environment by providing network infrastructure configuration services, VoIP PBX expertise, voice/video conferencing integration, collaboration platform customization and training, cloud connectivity, Help Desk outsourcing, security monitoring, backup/restore solutions, and centralized management.

Network Infrastructure for Telecommuters
Configuring the network infrastructure needed for an at-home work environment can be particularly challenging if you have to manage a combination of personal equipment such as desktop computers and laptops, routers, and Wi-Fi appliances from different manufacturers and with a mix of OS software and firmware levels. Progent's experience providing online support for both legacy and modern technologies in virtual office venues allows you to make cost-effective use of your existing network infrastructure and offers fast access to top-tire consultants for implement essential updates. Support services available from Progent to help your company to create a productive telecommuting ecosystem include:

• Virtual Private Network technology allows you to establish a safe connection for authenticated at-home employees to use IT resources situated at your corporate datacenter or in a public cloud. Progent can assist you to deploy and maintain VPN connections between your at-home workforce and your various IT resources by providing online VPN integration support. For organizations with Cisco's ASA security appliances, Progent's Cisco ASA experts can assist your at-home workers to utilize Cisco's AnyConnect client software for safe VPN connections for a wide range of devices including Microsoft Windows, macOS, Apple iOS, Linux, and Google Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure platforms enable a teleworker to see and use a data center PC's desktop. This provides IT managers substantial control over the computing ecosystem of at-home employees and ensures remote users a familiar work experience. Progent's VDI consulting services include Windows Remote Desktop support and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops VDI solutions.
• Routers attach home computer networks to the Internet and typically support VPN tunnels, local wireless connectivity, and firewall services. Progent offers top-tier remote support for integrating routers from a range of vendors. See router configuration services from Cisco-certified experts.
• Home Wi-Fi networks, typically supporting an entire household and guests, are frequently utilized by telecommuters to connect to their Internet router for work. This can cause performance and cybersecurity problems. Progent can assist businesses to resolve these problems by providing expertise that include Aironet configuration expertise, Cisco Meraki WiFi deployment expertise, and Ubiquiti wireless access point setup assistance.
• Internet connectivity methods affect the speed and availability of connections between at-home workers and the corporate network. Vital applications might demand redundant Internet access in case the primary connection breaks. Progent offers guidance for identifying ISPs, choosing appropriate service packages, and setting up fault-tolerant Internet access. See Internet connectivity integration services.

IP Voice Solutions for an At-Home Workforce
Extending the company phone environment to include teleworkers is vital 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 rely on Cisco's modern or legacy products for VoIP management. Progent can assist organizations of all sizes to design or tune a remote IP voice service that delivers the flexibility, transparency and protection needed for at-home workers. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE IP Voice consultants can provide advanced support to assist organizations tune their existing Cisco IP voice systems to support a growing remote workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM or CUCM) extends high-end IP telephony capabilities to devices such as IP phones, media processing products, Voice over IP gateways, and mixed media applications used across the network. Unified Communications Manager manages additional mixed media services such as messaging, video conferencing, and team collaboration networks. For details about Progent's Unified Communications Manager support, visit Cisco Unified CM consultants.
• CallManager is Cisco's earlier call-processing software and has been replaced by CUCM. Progent can assist you to maintain your existing CallManager deployment or migrate efficiently to Cisco's current IP telephony products. To learn about Progent's expertise for CallManager and Cisco's other early VoIP platforms, refer to Cisco CallManager consulting services.
• Cisco IP Gateways provide connectivity with public telephony networks and with clients working beyond the corporate perimeter like telecommuters. Progent can provide expert support for Cisco's earlier generation IP gateways including the UC520, UC540 and UC560 series and for current Cisco SIP gateways. See Cisco SIP gateway integration expertise.
• Additional VoIP Products supported by Progent's consultants include Vonage, Intermedia Unite and 8x8. Progent can help you to enhance your wide area network infrastructure to work with these solutions and provide online configuration and troubleshooting expertise.

Video Conferencing for Telecommuters
A wide range of voice/video conferencing platforms from leading technology companies support virtual discussions, video and voice conferencing, chat, and screen sharing for both onsite users and telecommuters. Many organizations use a mix of products to accommodate their different partners and clients. Progent can assist you to maintain your current voice/video conferencing environment and optimize the engagement of your remote employees.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's leading unified communications product that supports presence, instant messaging, voice and video calling and conferencing plus the transparent integration of these capabilities within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 applications including PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. Progent offers the expertise of Microsoft-certified consultants who can help your company to configure and manage Skype for Business client software to support your remote workforce. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Skype for Business, visit Skype for Business integration services.
• FaceTime is Apple's multiuser video calling app for iOS, iPadOS, iPod and Mac computers and smartphones. FaceTime runs on Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Later versions of FaceTime support as many as 32 concurrent users for video sessions. To learn more about Progent's consulting expertise for FaceTime, visit Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center supports online conferencing for virtually all computing devices. Offered through Cisco's Webex Cloud platform, Webex capabilities include sharing discrete content or screens, presentations that incorporate rich media such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Flash videos, network-based recording, plus editing and playback for training. To learn more about Progent's support expertise for Cisco Webex as well as for other IP video 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 features such as voice/video calling, threaded chat, plus file sharing. For details about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Teams as well as for additional Microsoft 365 products, visit Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
• Additional Voice/Video Conferencing Platforms supported by Progent's conferencing experts include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can deliver integration and troubleshooting services for these products and assist you to optimize your network architecture to host them.

Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Software for Remote Workers
Microsoft's collaboration products are tightly integrated with Microsoft's familiar Office and Microsoft 365 families, offering a rich ecosystem of productivity apps that deliver a cohesive user experience for sharing information across a corporate network and on a broad range of endpoint devices. Progent has provided remote consulting services for SharePoint and Exchange since their original publication and can help your company to deploy these flagship collaboration products to maximize 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 with Microsoft 365 and supports third-party cloud services to provide real-time collaboration. Developed as a substitute for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams can support chat, video meetings that include screen sharing, calling, cloud voicemail, group email, as well as file and app sharing. Teams is closely integrated with Microsoft 365 and depends on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Azure Entra (previously branded Azure Active Directory) for supporting its complete range of capabilities. To learn more about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Teams, see solution design and configuration expertise for Microsoft Teams.

SharePoint utilizes web sites to enable collaboration and knowledge delivery by offering policy-driven access to data, workflow, and tools for looking through company-wide information silos. SharePoint enables you to build secure portals that allows remote workers to see and update consolidated business intelligence by means of Wikis, Blogs, social networking sites, and Web Parts (Widgets). To find out about Progent's SharePoint consulting services, visit SharePoint configuration and development expertise.

Exchange and Exchange Online offer secure collaboration features including public folders, shared mailboxes, and shared calendars and contacts. Progent's Microsoft certified Exchange experts can show you how to activate and utilize these features for your at-home workers. To find out about Progent's Exchange consulting expertise, go to integration consulting for Exchange.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s collaborative cloud-based file hosting and synchronization service, comparable to GoogleDrive. Remote users can store files to OneDrive, and co-workers can share them safely via a browser. Provided with Office 365, OneDrive allows remote employees to jointly author documents. Edits made offline are synced when you reconnect to the Internet. To learn about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft OneDrive, go to Onedrive configuration consulting.

Public Cloud Integration Services for Telecommuters
Progent offers affordable online support for helping organizations to build, manage and troubleshoot integrated hybrid network models that incorporate physical data centers, teleworkers, branch offices, plus public cloud resources. Progent offers top-tier consultant for all modes of cloud service delivery such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service. Progent can help teleworkers resolve issues with public cloud access, identity, and security.

Microsoft Azure is a popular platform for cloud software and services that enables you to use IT infrastructure, virtual servers, and key apps hosted on Microsoft's extensive cloud. Microsoft Azure offers over 100 cloud-based services such as hosting for Windows and Linux-powered VMs, on-demand cloud storage, messaging, application development with Visual Studio, and backup/restore. Progent can help your organization to deploy VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, configure cloud-based storage on Azure Storage services, streamline identity management with Azure Active Directory, and design data backup and recovery solutions with Azure Backup. Progent's cloud experts can also show you how to establish protected connections to Azure for teleworkers by configuring and troubleshooting firewall appliances and VPN IPsec tunnels. For information about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Azure, visit Microsoft Azure consulting.

Microsoft 365, formerly branded Office 365, is Microsoft's popular family of business productivity software and cloud-based services available on a subscription basis. Microsoft apps and services are provided in a selection of plans designed for users ranging from individuals and small offices to large corporations. Progent can provide quick and affordable remote contact with experts knowledgeable about Microsoft 365-compatible devices running Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent can help your business to assess the various subscription plans available for Microsoft 365 and configure 365 applications for your telecommuters in a way that delivers maximum business value. For information about Progent's support services for Microsoft 365, visit Microsoft 365 consulting services.

Exchange Online is one of the most widely used cloud-based applications in Azure-hosted Microsoft 365 product line. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online provides the benefits of lower costs for data center infrastructure, easier management, dynamic scaling, high reliability, and additional advantages associated with public clouds. Microsoft has designed Microsoft 365 Exchange Online to operate transparently with local deployments of Exchange, enabling you to build hybrid information systems. Progent's Exchange experts can provide as-needed assistance to guide you past tough technical bottlenecks and also offer comprehensive project management services to make sure your remote workers have convenient and safe access to your Exchange Online environment. To learn Progent's expertise for Exchange Online, go to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online integration and support consulting.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a trailblazer in the public cloud computing arena and is the industry's top provider of cloud-based services. Progent offers quick and affordable online contact with cloud connectivity experts who can help your business to plan, deploy, maintain, and debug hybrid IT networks that integrate Amazon AWS cloud-based services with local data centers and with other popular cloud platforms such as Azure. Progent also offers access to Cisco-certified CCIE networking experts to assist you to create a high-availability network architecture to make sure your users have a productive computing experience regardless of whether they are working from your headquarters, a remote branch, at home, or on the move. For information about Progent's support services for Amazon AWS, see Amazon AWS integration services.

Google Cloud (GCP) is a leading suite of public cloud services that provides Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service products. Progent's Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can assist your organization to scale your existing IT assets with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's DBA consultants can show you how to make your key apps cloud ready so your teleworkers can take full advantage of Google Cloud Platform services. Progent's consultants can assist you to set up VMs on GCP Compute Engine, plan an efficient storage solution with Google Cloud Storage services, and simplify identity control for teleworkers with GCP Cloud Identity. Progent's experts can also assist your business to use GCP's management technology to administer and track your Google Cloud environment. To learn, visit Google Cloud Platform (GCP) consulting expertise.

Help Desk Call Center Support for Remote Workers
A fast, organization-wide transition to a teleworker business model, which could be driven by a pandemic or as an element of a disaster recovery preparedness plan, can overstretch even a well-staffed in-house Help Desk. Progent's Help Desk Call Center services make it possible for organizations to outsource or expand their Help Desk Call Center with Progent's online Technical Response Center (TRC) services.

• Progent's Standard Help Desk Call Center support services utilize Progent's nationwide team of remote IT support experts combined with world-class ticketing and follow-up technology to offer an affordable, advanced Help Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services provide a comprehensive solution that handles all aspects of remote Level 1 desktop technical support from service requests to ticket creation, screen sharing, problem resolution, and incident reporting. A browser-based User's Service Portal enables at-home employees to check or edit their current tickets, add details, and append screen captures and attachments. Support services are delivered at a significant discount off Progent's normal Level 1 desktop service rates, and Progent offers the option of fast escalation to Level 2 and Level 3 IT experts to resolve complex issues. To learn more, refer to Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services for small businesses.
• Progent's Help Desk Call Center Augmentation Service enables your company to augment your current Support Desk organization by splitting delivery of Help Desk Call Center services transparently between your regular IT support staff and Progent's extensive team of PC support engineers and subject matter specialists. Progent's co-managed Help Desk Call Center service uses a collective support solution based on the number one professional services automation platform for handling service requests and trouble tickets, establishing responsibility, tracking progress, and generating reports. For information about how Progent's Help Desk Supplementation Services can help your business to deliver best-in-class technical support to your at-home workforce, see Progent's Help Desk Call Center augmentation Services.

Security for Telecommuters
At-home workers typically use their personal devices and usually operate in a poorly secured physical area. This situation increases their vulnerability to malware threats and requires judicious deployment of corporate firewalls, anti-malware tools, MFA-based identity verification, remote monitoring, thorough user training, and the development of policies based on best practices. Progent's veteran team of data security support experts can help you to plan, deploy and maintain a compliant security solution that guards critical IT resources in environments that include remote workers.

Firewalls allow companies to build a network environment that can be securely utilized by on-premises users as well as by an at-home workforce, mobile workers, vendors, customers, and the public. Modern firewall appliances allow you to configure and control appropriate access rights to different classes of users and to scale your IT network and adjust your security as your company evolves and as cyber threats become more complex. Progent supports both new and older firewall appliances from all leading manufacturers like Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, WatchGuard, Juniper, and Fortinet. To learn more about Progent's firewall integration expertise, visit firewall integration and support expertise.

Online Endpoint Monitoring makes it possible to track the disparate computers used by an at-home workforce and either reject or spot and respond to modern threats like ransomware. With Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint agent is installed on every protected endpoint device, watching all activity and utilizing state-of-the-art AI technology from SentinelOne to detect new threats on arrival. When an attack is discovered, ProSight ASM immediately disconnects the infected device from the corporate network to contain the malware. Because the ProSight Active Security Monitoring agent is self-contained, endpoints remain protected even if they are disconnected from the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. For more information about ProSight ASM, refer to remote endpoint security monitoring for remote workers.

Progent's Duo authentication Managed Services incorporate Cisco's Duo cloud technology to protect against stolen passwords by using two-factor authentication. Duo enables single-tap identity verification with iOS, Google Android, and other out-of-band devices. Using Duo 2FA, when you log into a secured application and give your password you are requested to confirm who you are on a device that only you possess and that is accessed using a separate network channel. A broad range of out-of-band devices can be utilized as this second means of ID validation such as an iPhone or Android or wearable, a hardware/software token, a landline telephone, etc. You may designate multiple validation devices. For details about Duo two-factor identity validation services, refer 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 outside and internal security attacks for an environment that includes telecommuters. Progent can run online, automated security inventory software for rapidly and economically uncovering a wide variety of security weaknesses that can be surfaced over the Internet. Progent's endpoint security audit experts, which can be provided by network security experts with top certifications such as CISA, CISSP, and GIAC, can help you to audit your processes and governance policies and assess your WAN architecture to enable you to design top-level security for your telecommuters.

Horizon3.ai's NodeZero Penetration Testing Platform is a breakthrough penetration test (pentest) product family that supports autonomous testing of your at-home environment and your internal and perimeter networks so you can uncover, prioritize, remediate, and verify security weaknesses before threat actors can take advantage of them. Progent can help you to deploy NodeZero to carry out thorough pentests of your perimeter and your internal network in order to determine your present security profile. Progent can also assist you to harden your existing network security and can help you to plan and implement a unified cybersecurity strategy that simplifies management and delivers maximum protection for on-prem, cloud-based, remote, and perimeter IT assets. To learn more information about Progent's vulnerability analysis solutions powered by on NodeZero's pentest platform, refer to Consulting Support for NodeZero's PEN Test Platform.

Download White Paper: Securing a Work-From-Home Network
To view or download a white paper describing key areas to concentrate on for securing an IT environment that includes work-from-home staff, click:
Protecting a Work-From-Home Network White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)

Data Protection for Telecommuters
The field of Data Protection involves backing up and recovering critical information so as to prevent data loss and reduce restoration time and effort in case of storage failures due to equipment breakdowns, programming glitches, operator error, malware, or other causes. Dependable data protection solutions can be particularly difficult to design and manage in hybrid environments that incorporate private data centers, public clouds, and at-home workers.

• Backup/Restore solutions for an at-home workforce must address multiple kinds of user-owned endpoints. Progent offers quick remote access to consultants familiar with a broad array of products for protection Windows, Apple Mac and Linux/UNIX powered servers and desktops as well as notebooks, tablets and handhelds. Popular backup/restore products supported by Progent's data protection experts include Barracuda Backup, Azure Backup, DoubleTake Software, CrashPlan, Retrospect, and Time Machine. To back up data spread throughout a hybrid network, Progent offers ProSight Data Protection Services, a managed backup/recovery subscription service that utilizes cloud-based storage and includes granular recovery and unified management capabilities.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity (DR/BC) strategies typically anticipate circumstances that call for a temporary changeover to an at-home workforce. Progent's senior disaster recovery preparedness consultants and business continuity planning specialists can help you to develop, document and test a DR/BC strategy that includes the process of moving to telecommuting.

Unified Management for Telecommuters
Microsoft has rebranded and reshuffled its endpoint management platforms under the title Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which includes Intune for cloud-based management of mobile and remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing on-premises endpoints. Microsoft Endpoint Manager offers a unified platform for protecting corporate data by controlling onsite, mobile, and home-based endpoint devices.

Intune
Intune is a component of Microsoft's Endpoint Management family 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 administrators managing the endpoint computers of at-home workers can utilize Intune to deploy and validate applications on devices, push patches and certificates, configure policies for permission to access data and resources, manage passwords, establish VPN tunnels, control how teleworkers share information, establish threat defense, ensure compliance, and wipe sensitive data from missing, stolen or decommissioned endpoint devices. Microsoft Intune runs with iOS/iPadOS, Android, Windows, and macOS computers. To learn about Microsoft Intune and to find out how Progent can help your company to use this platform to manage the devices of your teleworkers, see Intune mobile endpoint management expertise.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced unified Mobile Device Management platform that helps network administrators to keep off-premises endpoints current and protected. Workspace ONE incorporates VMware AirWatch for unified endpoint management along with VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery platform for authorization control, application management, and setup management of endpoint computers. Workspace ONE runs with endpoints powered by Windows 10, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, or leading distros of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is offered by subscription as a cloud-based service or as an on-site deployment through a one-time purchase. Top features of Workspace ONE include rapid over-the-air provisioning of new laptops, quick onboarding of new employees, policy setting and enforcement for all classes of devices, unifies management reporting and analytics, an email encryption gateway, and tight integration with Microsoft apps and cloud services. For information about Progent's support services for VMware Workspace ONE, visit VMware Workspace ONE remote endpoint management expertise.

Contact Progent for Remote Workforce Support Services
To get in touch with Progent about building and maintaining a productive work-from-home solution for your Lincoln, Nebraska organization, call 1-800-993-9400 or go to Contact Progent.