Manchester Telecommuters Connectivity Support Services

Expanding your telecommuter workforce may have a significant impact on network architecture, cybersecurity, and company processes. Progent has 20 years of experience helping businesses of all sizes to design, deploy, administer, optimize, and debug IT environments that incorporate work-from-home employees. Progent can help your Manchester company to select the appropriate tools and adhere to leading practices in creating and operating a secure virtual office solution for teleworkers that facilitates teamwork and returns top value. Progent offers support services ranging from as-needed expertise for getting you past challenging technical bottlenecks to comprehensive project management or co-management to help you carry out mission-critical tasks.

Progent's consultants can help Manchester, New Hampshire businesses to with any aspect of creating a high-functioning work-from-home ecosystem by providing infrastructure design and configuration services, VoIP PBX troubleshooting, video conferencing integration, collaboration platform customization and training, public cloud integration, helpdesk services, security and compliance, data protection solutions, and streamlined management.

Network Infrastructure for Teleworkers
Configuring the network infrastructure needed to support a remote workforce can be particularly challenging if you have to manage a combination of personal equipment such as PCs and laptops, routers, and Wi-Fi appliances from different vendors and with a mix of operating systems and firmware levels. Progent's experience providing remote support for both outdated and modern IT products in virtual office solutions allows you to make efficient use of your existing network infrastructure and offers fast access to top-tire consultants for implement necessary upgrades. Support services offered by Progent to help you to create a productive work-at-home ecosystem include:

• VPN technology makes it possible to create a secure connection for authenticated remote workers to use IT resources situated at your company datacenter or in the cloud. Progent's consultants can assist your company to configure and maintain VPN access between your at-home workforce and your key network resources by providing remote VPN configuration consulting. For organizations using Cisco's ASA firewalls, Progent's Cisco ASA consultants can assist your remote workers to utilize Cisco's AnyConnect client software for safe VPN tunneling for a broad selection of endpoint devices including Windows, Mac, iOS, Linux, and Google Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure products enable a telecommuter to see and use a data center PC's desktop. This gives IT managers substantial control over the digital environment of telecommuters and offers them a consistent and more productive work experience. Progent's virtual desktop consulting services include Windows Remote Desktop support and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops VDI expertise.
• Routers attach home computer networks to the Internet and support VPN connections, home wireless connectivity, and firewalls. Progent can provide top-tier online support for integrating routers from all major manufacturers. See router integration support from Cisco-certified consultants.
• Home Wireless networks, typically supporting families and guests, are frequently utilized by telecommuters to connect to their Internet router for work. This can create performance and security problems. Progent can assist businesses to resolve these issues by delivering services that include Aironet integration expertise, Cisco Meraki wireless deployment consulting, and Ubiquiti Unifi WiFi access point integration help.
• Internet connectivity solutions affect the performance and reliability of connections between at-home workers and the company data center. Line-of-business processes might require redundant Internet connections in case the normal connection breaks. Progent offers guidance for identifying ISPs, picking sensible service offerings, and integrating redundant Internet connections. Refer to Internet access integration services.

IP Voice Integration for Teleworkers
Extending the business phone system to accommodate remote users is vital to maintaining an effective at-home workforce. A broad range of cloud-based IP voice platforms are popular with SMBs to server remote users. Many larger organizations depend on Cisco's current or legacy products for IP voice solutions. Progent can help businesses of all sizes to plan or tune a remote IP voice service that provides the versatility, transparency and protection needed for remote users. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE IP Voice consultants offer advanced support to help organizations optimize their existing Cisco IP voice systems to support a growing at-home workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM) extends enterprise IP telephony features to devices like IP phones, media processing platforms, VoIP gateways, and multimedia software used across the network. CUCM supports additional mixed media services such as messaging, video conferencing, and customer interaction networks. For details about Progent's Cisco Unified CM or CUCM expertise, refer to CUCM consulting services.
• CallManager is Cisco's earlier call-processing software and has been replaced by Cisco Unified CM or CUCM. Progent can help you to support your current CallManager deployment or migrate smoothly to Cisco's modern IP telephony solutions. To find out about Progent's support services for CallManager and Cisco's other older IP voice platforms, see CallManager expertise.
• Cisco IP Gateways enable connectivity with PSTN networks and with clients working outside the corporate firewall such as at-home workers. Progent can provide expert support for Cisco's earlier generation IP gateways including the UC520, UC540 and UC560 series and for modern Cisco SIP gateways. See Cisco SIP gateway integration consulting.
• Additional VoIP Platforms supported by Progent's consultants include Vonage, Intermedia Unite and 8x8. Progent can assist you to expand your wide area network architecture to support these VoIP solutions and provide on-demand deployment and troubleshooting services.

Video Conferencing for Teleworkers
A wide range of video conferencing platforms from leading technology companies support online discussions, video and voice conferencing, chat, and screen/content sharing for both local workers and at-home workers. Many organizations use a mix of products to accommodate their different partners and customers. Progent's communications experts can help you to manage your existing voice/video conferencing ecosystem and enhance the experience of your at-home employees.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's popular unified communications product that supports presence, IM, 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, and Excel. Progent can provide the skills of Microsoft-certified specialists who can help your company to configure and manage Skype for Business client software to support your remote employees. For details about Progent's support services for Skype for Business, see Skype for Business consulting experts.
• FaceTime is Apple's group video phone platform for compatible iOS, iPadOS, iPod and macOS computers and smartphones. FaceTime works on Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Newer editions of FaceTime allow up to 32 concurrent users for voice/video sessions. For details about Progent's support expertise for FaceTime, see Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center supports online conferencing for virtually all computing devices. Delivered through Cisco's Webex Cloud, Webex capabilities include sharing discrete content or computer screens, presentations that incorporate rich media including Microsoft PowerPoint and Flash videos, session recording, plus revision and playback for future reference and training. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Webex and for other 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 provides a portal for conversations, contacts, and content with features such as voice/video calling, threaded chat, plus data sharing. To learn more about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft Teams as well as for other Microsoft 365 apps, refer to Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
• Other Conferencing Platforms supported by Progent's conferencing experts include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can deliver configuration and debugging expertise for these conferencing platforms and help your business to tune your network infrastructure to host them.

Microsoft Collaboration Software for Teleworkers
Microsoft's collaboration products are tightly integrated with Microsoft's popular Office and Microsoft 365 families, offering a powerful ecosystem of productivity apps that create a cohesive user experience for sharing information throughout a corporate network and on a broad range of endpoint devices. Progent has delivered online consulting services for SharePoint and Exchange Server since their first releases and can assist your company to tune these flagship collaboration products to maximize the productivity 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 with Microsoft 365 and integrates with third-party cloud services to deliver real-time collaboration. Developed as a substitute for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium can support chat, audio/video meetings that include screen sharing, phone calls, cloud voicemail, group email, as well as file and app sharing. Teams is closely integrated with Microsoft 365 and relies on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Azure Entra (formerly called Azure Active Directory) for delivering its complete range of capabilities. To learn more about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium, visit planning and configuration expertise for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium.

SharePoint uses web entities to promote collaboration and information sharing by offering policy-driven delivery of data, workflow, and utilities for looking through enterprise-wide information silos. SharePoint allows you to build secure portals that permits remote workforce to see and update consolidated corporate intelligence via Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social networking web sites, and Web Parts. For details about Progent's SharePoint support services, see 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. For information about Progent's Exchange expertise, refer to deployment consulting services for Microsoft Exchange Server.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s shared cloud-based file hosting and synchronization service, comparable to GoogleDrive. Remote workers can store files to the OneDrive service, and co-workers can share them securely via a browser. Included with Microsoft 365, OneDrive enables at-home employees to co-author files. Revisions made offline are synced when you go back online. To find out about Progent's support services for Microsoft OneDrive, see Onedrive integration consulting.

Cloud Integration for Teleworkers
Progent offers fast and affordable remote assistance for enabling organizations to create, maintain and troubleshoot cohesive network architectures that combine internal data centers, at-home workers, branch offices, plus public cloud resources. Progent offers top-tier consultant for all modes of cloud service including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service. Progent can help telecommuters resolve issues with public cloud connectivity, authentication, and cybersecurity.

Azure is a leading platform for public cloud services that enables you to use IT infrastructure, virtual servers, and critical apps running on Microsoft's massive cloud. Azure includes over one hundred cloud-based services including hosting for Windows and Linux-based virtual machines, scalable cloud storage, email and messaging, application development with Visual Studio, and data protection. Progent can help your organization to deploy virtual machines on Azure Virtual Machines, integrate storage on Azure Storage services, unify identity control with Azure AD, and design data backup and restore systems with Azure Backup. Progent's cloud experts can also help you create protected connections to Azure for teleworkers by setting up and debugging firewalls and VPN tunnels. For details about Progent's consulting services for Azure, visit Microsoft Azure expertise.

Microsoft 365, formerly branded Office 365, is Microsoft's growing family of business productivity applications and cloud-based services available by subscription. Microsoft apps and cloud services are marketed in a variety of bundles designed for users ranging from individuals and households to major enterprises. Progent offers fast and easy online access to consultants familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible endpoints based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android technology. Progent's experts can assist you to evaluate the numerous subscription bundles available for Microsoft 365 and deploy 365 apps for your teleworkers to achieve maximum business value. For information about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft 365, see Microsoft 365 integration support.

Exchange Online is among the most widely used applications in Azure-hosted Microsoft 365 product suite. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online provides the advantages of lower costs for data center infrastructure, simplified management, on-demand scaling, high reliability, and other benefits inherent with public clouds. Microsoft has designed Exchange Online to run transparently with local deployments of Exchange, enabling you to create hybrid cloud/onsite information systems. Progent's Exchange experts are available for occasional help to guide you through challenging IT roadblocks and also offer end-to-end project management services to make sure your teleworkers have convenient and safe access to your Exchange Online deployment. For information Progent's consulting services for Microsoft 365 Exchange Online, see Exchange Online integration and troubleshooting consulting.

Amazon AWS is a trailblazer in the public cloud computing market and is the world's biggest source of cloud services. Progent can provide fast and economical online access to cloud integration consultants who can assist your organization to design, implement, maintain, and debug hybrid IT networks that incorporate Amazon AWS cloud-based services with on-premises data centers and with other public clouds like Azure. Progent also can provide the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking consultants to assist your company to create a high-uptime network architecture so your users have a productive computing environment whether they are working from your headquarters, a branch office, at home, or on the move. For information about Progent's expertise for Amazon AWS, see Amazon AWS integration support.

Google Cloud is a leading set of public cloud services that provides Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service products. Progent's Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco experts can assist your organization to scale your existing IT resources with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's database experts can show you how to make your critical applications cloud ready so your remote workers can take full advantage of Google Cloud services. Progent's consultants can help your business to deploy VMs on GCP Compute Engine, design an efficient storage solution with Google Cloud Storage services, and simplify access control for at-home workers with GCP Cloud Identity. Progent's experts can also assist you to utilize GCP's management tools to control and track your Google Cloud environment. For information, visit Google Cloud Platform (GCP) integration support.

Help Desk Call Center Support for Teleworkers
A rapid, enterprise-wide changeover to a telecommuter workforce, which could be activated by a pandemic or as a component of a disaster recovery preparedness plan, can overstretch even the most efficient internal Call Desk. Progent's Help Desk services make it possible for businesses to outsource or augment their Call Center with Progent's online Technical Response Center (TRC) services.

• Progent's Standard Help Desk support services utilize Progent's extensive network of remote IT support specialists along with enterprise-class ticketing and tracking technology to provide an affordable, modern Support Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services provide an end-to-end solution that addresses all aspects of remote Level 1 PC support from help requests through trouble ticket creation, screen sharing, problem resolution, and incident reporting. A web-based User's Service Portal allows teleworkers to track or edit their current trouble tickets, enter information, and upload screen captures and attachments. Desktop support services are delivered at a significant price reduction off Progent's ordinary Level 1 desktop service rates, and Progent offers the option of rapid escalation to Level 2 and Level 3 support experts to resolve complex problems. To learn more, see Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services for small companies.
• Progent's Call Center Augmentation Service enables your company to expand your existing Support Desk team by splitting responsibilities for Help Desk Call Center support transparently between your regular support staff and Progent's nationwide team of desktop support engineers and subject matter experts. Progent's co-managed Help Desk service is based on a collaborative support solution utilizing the number one PSA platform for handling help requests and trouble tickets, establishing responsibility, monitoring progress, and generating management reports. For information about how Progent's Help Desk Call Center Supplementation Services can enable your company to deliver world-class desktop support to your at-home employees, go to Progent's Help Desk augmentation Services.

Security and Compliance for Telecommuters
At-home workers typically utilize their own devices and usually operate in an unsecured physical environment. This situation multiplies their vulnerability to cyber attacks and calls for careful configuration of firewalls, anti-malware tools, MFA-based identity verification, remote monitoring, intensive end-user education, and the development of security policies based on best practices. Progent's veteran group of cybersecurity support consultants can help your business to design, deploy and manage a compliant cybersecurity solution that protects vital IT assets in environments that include remote workers.

Firewalls allow companies to build a network that can be securely utilized by on-premises users as well as by telecommuters, mobile workers, vendors, clients, and other stakeholders. Modern firewall devices permit you to configure and control different permissions to various classes of users and to scale your IT network and adjust your security as your company evolves and as cyber threats become more sophisticated. Progent works with both new and legacy security appliances from all major manufacturers including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, Juniper, and Fortinet. For more information about Progent's firewall support services, refer to firewall configuration and support expertise.

Online Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it possible to watch over the various computers used by telecommuters and either reject or identify and mitigate modern cyber attacks like ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) services, a small-footprint agent is put on every protected endpoint device, monitoring all activity and utilizing state-of-the-art AI technology from SentinelOne to detect new attacks on arrival. When an attack is spotted, ProSight Active Security Monitoring immediately isolates the infected endpoint from the network to contain the threat. Because the ProSight ASM software agent is autonomous, endpoint devices remain secure even if they are offline. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. To learn more about ProSight ASM, refer to remote endpoint monitoring for teleworkers.

Progent's Duo authentication Service Plans incorporate Cisco's Duo technology to defend against password theft through the use of two-factor authentication. Duo enables single-tap identity verification on iOS, Google Android, and other out-of-band devices. Using Duo 2FA, when 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 uses a different ("out-of-band") network channel. A broad range of out-of-band devices can be utilized as this added form of ID validation including an iPhone or Android or watch, a hardware/software token, a landline telephone, etc. You may designate multiple validation devices. For more information about ProSight Duo identity authentication services, refer to Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services for at-home workers.

Security Audits can evaluate the vulnerability of your network to all classes of external and internal security threats for an environment that includes teleworkers. Progent can run online, automated cybersecurity analysis scanning for rapidly and affordably uncovering a broad range of security holes that can be surfaced via the Internet. Progent's endpoint security audit consulting services, which can be managed by data security professionals with advanced certifications including CISA, ISSAP, and GIAC, can help you to audit your operations and governance policies and assess your WAN infrastructure to allow you to design top-level security for your an at-home workforce.

Horizon3.ai's NodeZero Penetration Testing Platform is a cutting-edge penetration test (pentest) product family that can deliver autonomous threat assessment of your work-from-home connectivity solution as well as your internal and perimeter networks to help you find, rank, remediate, and verify cybersecurity weaknesses before malicious hackers can exploit them. Progent's pentest experts can help you to use NodeZero to carry out thorough pentests of your perimeter and your internal network in order to determine your current security profile. Progent can also help you to harden your network security and can assist you to plan and deploy a cohesive cybersecurity ecosystem that streamlines management and delivers optimum protection for on-prem, multi-cloud, at-home, and perimeter IT assets. To learn more information about Progent's threat assessment solutions powered by on NodeZero's penetration test platform, see Consulting Services for NodeZero's Penetration Test Platform.

Download White Paper: Protecting a Work-From-Home (WFH) Environment
To read or download a white paper describing key areas to focus on for protecting a network that includes work-from-home staff, click:
Protecting a Work-From-Home (WFH) Network White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)

Data Protection for At-Home Workers
Data Protection involves backing up and restoring critical data in order to avoid data loss and reduce restoration time and effort in case of storage problems resulting from equipment breakdowns, software hiccups, user mistakes, malware, or other causes. Reliable data protection strategies can be particularly challenging to design and maintain in hybrid environments that incorporate in-house data centers, cloud resources, and an at-home workforce.

• Backup/Restore solutions for remote workers must cover diverse kinds of user-owned endpoints. Progent offers quick remote access to experts knowledgeable about a broad range of products for protection Microsoft Windows, Apple and Linux/UNIX servers and desktops as well as notebooks, iPads and smartphones. Leading backup/restore solutions supported by Progent's backup/recovery experts include Barracuda Backup, Azure Backup, Symantec Backup Exec, Acronis Backup and Recovery, Retrospect, and Time Machine. To back up data spread across a hybrid network, Progent offers ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a managed backup/recovery service that uses cloud storage and includes granular restore and centralized management capabilities.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity plans commonly envision scenarios that call for a temporary switch to a work-at-home environment. Progent's expert disaster recovery preparedness experts and business continuity planning consultants can help your company to create, document and validate a DR/BC plan that addresses the logistics of switching to telecommuting.

Unified Management for an At-Home Workforce
Microsoft has renamed and reshuffled its endpoint management platforms under the name Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which includes Intune for cloud management of remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing local endpoints. Microsoft Endpoint Manager offers a centralized solution for safeguarding critical data by controlling on-premises, mobile, and home-based endpoint devices.

Microsoft Intune
Intune is part of Microsoft's Endpoint Management family that also includes Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud-based service for managing and securing remote computers and applications. Remote endpoint computers can be personally owned or company owned. IT admins managing the enrolled endpoint devices of at-home workers can utilize Intune to provision and validate apps on devices, push updates and certificates, set up rules for permission to access data and resources, manage passwords, establish VPN connections, determine how home-based workers share data, establish threat defense, ensure security compliance, and delete corporate information from lost, stolen or decommissioned endpoint devices. Microsoft Intune works with iOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS/OS X devices. For details about Microsoft Intune and to find out how Progent can help you to use this platform to manage the endpoint computers of your teleworkers, visit Intune mobile endpoint management expertise.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced unified MDM platform that allows network administrators to keep off-premises endpoint devices current and protected. Workspace ONE uses VMware AirWatch technology for centralized endpoint administration along with VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery technology for identity control, application management, and configuration management of endpoint devices. Workspace ONE runs with endpoints based on Windows 10, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, or leading distros of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is available by subscription as a cloud service or as an on-site deployment through a perpetual license. Key features of Workspace ONE include fast over-the-air deployment of out-of-the-box notebooks, immediate onboarding of new users, policy set up and enforcement for all categories of endpoints, aggregated reporting and performance analytics, email encryption, and integration with Microsoft apps and cloud services. For details about Progent's expertise for VMware Workspace ONE, go to VMware Workspace ONE mobile device management expertise.

Contact Progent for At-Home Worker Support Services
To contact Progent about building and managing a productive telecommuter environment for your Manchester, New Hampshire business, call 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.