Modesto Telecommuters Configuration Consulting Company

Expanding your telecommuter workforce may have a major effect on IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, and corporate culture. Progent has two decades of background assisting small and mid-size businesses to design, deploy, manage, tune, and troubleshoot IT networks that support work-from-home employees. Progent can help your Modesto company to select the appropriate technologies and adhere to leading practices in building and operating a secure virtual ecosystem for teleworkers that facilitates teamwork and delivers top business value. Progent offers support services ranging from on demand guidance for getting you past occasional technical roadblocks to comprehensive project management or co-management to help you carry out mission-critical initiatives.

Progent's consultants can assist Modesto, California organizations to succeed with any facet of building a high-performing work-at-home ecosystem by providing network infrastructure design and configuration services, IP voice expertise, video conferencing support, collaboration platform customization and training, public cloud integration, Help Desk services, security monitoring, data protection solutions, and unified management.

Network Infrastructure for Teleworkers
Configuring the physical and software infrastructure required for a remote workforce can be particularly challenging if you must manage a combination of personal hardware such as PCs and laptops, Internet routers, and Wi-Fi APs from various manufacturers and with a mix of operating systems and firmware levels. Progent's experience delivering online support for both legacy and modern IT products in virtual office solutions allows you to make efficient use of your available infrastructure and offers fast access to expertise for implement necessary upgrades. Support services available from Progent to assist your company to implement a high-functioning telecommuting infrastructure include:

• Virtual Private Network technology makes it possible to create a secure connection for authorized at-home workers to use IT resources located at your company datacenter or in the cloud. Progent's consultants can assist you to deploy and maintain VPN access between your at-home workforce and your key IT resources by providing remote VPN configuration support. For businesses using Cisco's ASA firewalls, Progent's Cisco ASA Firewall experts can help your telecommuters to set up Cisco's popular AnyConnect software for secure VPN connections for a wide selection of devices such as Windows, macOS, Apple iOS, Linux, and Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure products enable a teleworker to view and use a data center PC's desktop. This gives network managers substantial control over the digital environment of at-home employees and ensures them a consistent and more productive experience. Progent's VDI services include Windows Remote Desktop support and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops VDI expertise.
• Routers connect home computer networks to the Internet and typically support VPN connections, local Wi-Fi networks, and firewall services. Progent can provide expert remote consulting for setting up home routers from a range of vendors. See router configuration support from Cisco-certified experts.
• Home Wi-Fi networks, typically shared by families and visitors, are commonly utilized by telecommuters to access their Internet router for work. This can create performance as well as cybersecurity problems. Progent can assist you to resolve these issues by delivering expertise like Cisco Aironet configuration expertise, Cisco-certified Meraki WiFi deployment consulting, and Ubiquiti Unifi WiFi AP integration assistance.
• Internet access solutions impact the performance and availability of connections between telecommuters and the corporate data center. Mission-critical processes might require backup Internet connections in case the primary connection fails. Progent can provide guidance for picking Internet service providers, selecting appropriate bandwidth and data volume packages, and integrating fault-tolerant Internet access. See Internet access solutions.

VoIP Solutions for Telecommuters
Extending the corporate phone environment to accommodate telecommuters is critical to supporting an effective work-at-home solution. A variety of cloud-based IP voice products are popular with small and mid-size businesses to server telecommuters. Many enterprises rely on Cisco's current or older products for IP voice management. Progent can help organizations of any size to plan or maintain a remote IP voice service that provides the flexibility, convenience and protection needed for at-home workers. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE Voice experts can provide advanced support to assist businesses tune their existing Cisco VoIP environments to handle a growing remote workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM or CUCM) extends enterprise IP telephony features to devices such as VoIP phones, media processing products, Voice over IP gateways, and multimedia apps used across the network. CUCM manages other combined media services like unified messaging, voice/video conferencing, and team interaction networks. For more information about Progent's Cisco Unified CM or CUCM support, visit Cisco Unified Communications Manager expertise.
• Cisco CallManager is Cisco's earlier call-processing agent and has been replaced by Cisco Unified CM or CUCM. Progent's consultants can help your company to maintain your existing CallManager deployment or migrate smoothly to Cisco's modern IP telephony solutions. To learn about Progent's expertise for CallManager and Cisco's other older IP voice products, visit Cisco CallManager consulting.
• Cisco IP Gateways enable connectivity with public telephony networks and with users working outside the corporate perimeter like telecommuters. Progent offers expert support for Cisco's legacy IP gateways like the UC520, UC540 and UC560 products and for current Cisco SIP gateways. See Cisco SIP gateway configuration expertise.
• Other VoIP Products supported by Progent's consultants include Vonage, RingCentral and 8x8. Progent can help you to enhance your wide area network architecture to support these VoIP solutions and provide on-demand configuration and debugging services.

Voice/Video Conferencing for Telecommuters
A wide range of voice/video conferencing platforms from major technology companies support online meetings, video conferencing, chat sessions, and screen sharing for both onsite workers and teleworkers. Many companies use a mix of conferencing products to accommodate their various partners and clients. Progent's communications experts can assist you to maintain your current voice/video conferencing environment and optimize the experience of your at-home employees.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's popular communications platform that enables real-time presence, IM, audio and video conferencing as well as the seamless integration of these functions within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 applications such as PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. Progent offers the expertise of Microsoft-certified consultants who can help your company to deploy and manage Skype for Business client software to support your at-home employees. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Skype for Business, see Skype for Business consulting services.
• FaceTime is Apple's multiuser video phone platform for iOS, iPadOS, iPod and Mac devices. FaceTime works on Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Later versions of FaceTime allow as many as 32 concurrent users for voice/video sessions. To learn more about Progent's support expertise for FaceTime, refer to Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center provides remote conferencing for most desktop or mobile devices. Offered through Cisco's Webex Cloud, Webex capabilities include sharing granular content or screens, presentations that embed rich media such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Flash videos, network-based capture, plus revision and playback for future reference. To learn more about Progent's support services for Webex and for other IP video solutions from Cisco, visit Progent's Webex Meeting Center support services.
• Teams is Microsoft's follow-up for Skype for Business. Teams provides a portal for conferencing, contacts, and content with features that include voice/video calling, threaded chat, plus file sharing. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Teams and for additional Microsoft 365 apps, see Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
• Additional Voice/Video Conferencing Apps supported by Progent's conferencing experts include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can provide configuration and troubleshooting services for these products and assist your business to optimize your network architecture to run them.

Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Software for Remote and Hybrid Workers
Microsoft's collaboration products are closely integrated with Microsoft's familiar Office and Microsoft 365 families, offering a powerful environment of applications that deliver a cohesive user interface for exchanging data and ideas throughout a corporate network and on a broad selection of endpoint computers. Progent has delivered online consulting services for Microsoft SharePoint and Exchange Server since their initial publication and can assist your company to deploy these flagship collaboration platforms to optimize the effectiveness of your at-home workforce.

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

Microsoft Teams works on top of Microsoft 365 and supports third-party cloud services to provide real-time collaboration and communication. Developed as a replacement for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams can enable chat, audio/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 Azure Entra (previously branded Azure Active Directory) for delivering its complete range of features. To learn more about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Teams, visit solution design and deployment consulting for Microsoft Teams.

SharePoint uses web sites to allow collaboration and knowledge sharing by offering policy-driven access to content, workflow, and tools for searching through enterprise-wide business data. SharePoint enables you to build secure web portals that allows at-home workers to view and update consolidated business intelligence via Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social web sites, and Web Parts (Widgets). For details about Progent's SharePoint expertise, see SharePoint configuration and application 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 learn about Progent's Exchange support services, go to integration expertise for Microsoft Exchange Server.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s collaborative cloud-based storage service, similar to GoogleDrive. At-home users can save files to OneDrive, and colleagues can retrieve them securely via a browser. Provided with Microsoft 365, OneDrive enables remote employees to jointly author documents. Revisions created offline are uploaded when you go back online. To learn about Progent's support services for OneDrive, refer to Microsoft Onedrive integration consulting.

Public Cloud Integration for At-Home Workers
Progent offers advanced online support for helping businesses to create, maintain and troubleshoot integrated network architectures that incorporate physical data centers, teleworkers, branch offices, plus cloud resources. Progent can provide top-tier consultant for all types of cloud service including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service. Progent can help at-home workers resolve issues with public cloud connectivity, identity, and cybersecurity.

Microsoft Azure is a popular platform for public cloud software and services that enables you to use IT infrastructure, servers, and key apps hosted on Microsoft's massive cloud. Azure offers over one hundred cloud-based services including the ability to host Windows and Linux-based VMs, scalable cloud storage, messaging, application development with Visual Studio, and data backup. Progent can assist your organization to set up VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, configure storage on Azure Storage services, streamline identity management with Azure AD, and plan backup and restore solutions with Azure Backup. Progent's cloud experts can also help you create protected access to Azure services for teleworkers by setting up and debugging firewall appliances and VPN IPsec tunnels. To find out about Progent's expertise for Azure, refer to Microsoft Azure consulting.

Microsoft 365, previously called Office 365, is Microsoft's growing suite of client productivity software and cloud services available on a subscription basis. Office applications and services are provided in a selection of bundles intended for customers ranging from students and households to major enterprises. Progent can provide quick and affordable online access to experts familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible clients based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent can assist your business to evaluate the various subscription bundles available for Microsoft 365 and configure 365 applications for your telecommuters to achieve top business value. For information about Progent's expertise for Microsoft 365, refer to Microsoft 365 integration support.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online is one of the most popular applications in the Microsoft 365 product suite. Exchange Online provides the benefits of reduced costs for physical infrastructure, simplified management, on-demand scaling, high availability, and other advantages associated with public clouds. Microsoft has engineered Exchange Online to operate smoothly with on-premises Exchange environments, enabling you to build hybrid cloud/onsite networks. Progent's certified Exchange experts are available for occasional help to get you past challenging IT roadblocks and can also provide end-to-end project management outsourcing to ensure your teleworkers have convenient and secure access to your Exchange Online deployment. For details Progent's support services for Microsoft 365 Exchange Online, see Exchange Online integration and troubleshooting expertise.

Amazon AWS is a pioneer in the public cloud computing market and is the industry's top source of cloud services. Progent offers rapid and affordable online contact with cloud integration experts who can assist your business to design, deploy, manage, and troubleshoot hybrid IT networks that integrate Amazon AWS cloud-based services with local data centers and with other popular cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure. Progent also can provide the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking experts to assist you to build a high-uptime network model so your users have a consistent computing experience whether they are working from your headquarters, a branch office, from home, or on the move. For details about Progent's support services for Amazon AWS, visit Amazon AWS consulting expertise.

Google Cloud is a popular suite of cloud services that provides Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service products. Progent's certified Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco experts can help you to expand your current IT assets with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's database experts can show you how to make your key applications cloud friendly so your remote workers can take full advantage of Google Cloud Platform services. Progent's consultants can assist your organization to deploy virtual machines on GCP Compute Engine, design a cost-effective storage solution with GCP Storage services, and simplify access control for remote workers with Google Cloud Identity services. Progent's experts can also assist you to use GCP's management technology to control and monitor your GCP ecosystem. For information, go to Google Cloud Platform integration expertise.

Help Desk Support for At-Home Workers
A rapid, enterprise-wide switchover to a telecommuter business model, which might be driven by an epidemic or as an element of a disaster recovery preparedness plan, can overstretch even the most efficient internal Call Desk. Progent's Help Desk Call Center services allow organizations of any size to outsource or augment their Help Desk Call Center with Progent's remote Technical Response Center (TRC) team.

• Progent's Standard Support Desk support services utilize Progent's nationwide team of remote technical support specialists along with world-class ticketing and follow-up technology to offer an economical, state-of-the-art Help Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services provide a comprehensive solution that addresses all aspects of online Level 1 PC support from initial help requests through trouble ticket generation, desktop sharing, issue resolution, and reporting. A browser-based User's Service Portal enables from-home workers to monitor or revise the status of their active tickets, enter details, and append screen captures or attachments. Technical support services are provided at a significant discount off Progent's normal Level 1 technical service rates, and Progent offers optional rapid escalation to Level 2 and Level 3 IT experts to resolve complex problems. For details, see Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services for small and mid-size companies.
• Progent's Support Desk Supplemental Service allows you to augment your current Help Desk Call Center organization by sharing delivery of Call Desk support services transparently between your regular IT support personnel and Progent's extensive pool of PC support technicians and subject matter specialists. Progent's shared Support Desk service is based on a collective support solution utilizing the leading PSA platform for handling service requests and trouble tickets, establishing responsibility, tracking progress, and producing reports. To find out how Progent's Call Desk Supplementation Services can help your company to deliver best-in-class desktop support to your at-home employees, visit Progent's Support Desk supplementation Services.

Cybersecurity for Telecommuters
Work-from-Home staff members commonly use their own computers and often operate in a poorly secured physical environment. This increases their susceptibility to cyber threats and calls for careful deployment of firewalls, AV tools, multi-factor authentication, remote endpoint monitoring, intensive user training, and the development of security policies based on best practices. Progent's veteran group of data security solutions experts can help your business to plan, deploy and maintain an effective security solution that guards vital IT assets in networks that incorporate telecommuters.

Firewalls enable you to create a network environment that can be securely accessed by on-premises users as well as by an at-home workforce, mobile workers, suppliers, customers, and the public. Next-generation firewall appliances allow you to configure and control different access rights to various classes of users and to expand your network and modify your cybersecurity posture as your business evolves and as network attacks grow increasingly sophisticated. Progent works with both current and legacy security devices from all leading vendors like Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, WatchGuard, Juniper, SonicWall and Fortinet. To find out more about Progent's firewall support services, see firewall configuration and support expertise.

Remote Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it easy to watch over the various computers used by telecommuters and either block or spot and mitigate the latest cyber attacks such as ransomware. With Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint agent is installed on each protected endpoint device, monitoring all activity and utilizing advanced machine learning and full execution context from SentinelOne to identify new attacks on arrival. When an attack is discovered, ProSight Active Security Monitoring instantly isolates the impacted endpoint device from the corporate network to contain the threat. Since the ProSight Active Security Monitoring agent is self-contained, endpoint devices stay secure even if they are offline. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. To learn more about ProSight Active Security Monitoring, refer to remote endpoint security monitoring for an at-home workforce.

Progent's Duo MFA Managed Services utilize Cisco's Duo cloud technology to protect against compromised passwords through the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo supports single-tap identity verification on iOS, Google Android, and other personal devices. Using Duo 2FA, whenever you sign into a protected application and give your password you are asked to confirm your identity via a device that only you possess and that is accessed using a separate network channel. A broad range of devices can be utilized for this added means of ID validation such as an iPhone or Android or watch, a hardware/software token, a landline phone, etc. You may designate multiple validation devices. For details about ProSight Duo two-factor identity validation services, see Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services for remote workers.

Security Audits can assess the vulnerability of your information system to all types of external and local security attacks for a network that includes remote workers. Progent can run remote, automated security analysis scanning for rapidly and economically detecting a wide variety of security gaps that can be surfaced via the Internet. Progent's security assessment experts, which can be provided by security experts with top certifications including CISA, ISSAP, and GIAC, can help your business to audit your workflows and governance policies and assess your WAN infrastructure to enable you to implement the highest level of protection for your remote workers.

Horizon3.ai's NodeZero PEN Testing Platform is a cutting-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, rank, fix, and confirm security weaknesses before threat actors can take advantage of them. Progent's pentest experts can help you to use NodeZero to perform comprehensive pentests of your network perimeter and your internal IT infrastructure so you can determine your current security posture. Progent can also help you to harden your existing network security and can assist you to plan and implement a unified cybersecurity ecosystem that streamlines management and delivers optimum cyber defense for on-premises, multi-cloud, remote, and perimeter IT assets. To learn more information about Progent's threat assessment services powered by on NodeZero's pentest platform, refer to Consulting Support for NodeZero's Penetration Test Platform.

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

Data Protection Solutions for Teleworkers
Data Protection involves saving and recovering critical data in order to avoid data loss and minimize recovery time and effort in the event of storage system failures resulting from hardware issues, software glitches, user mistakes, cyber attack, or any other reason. Dependable data protection strategies can be especially difficult to architect and maintain in hybrid environments that combine in-house data centers, public clouds, and an at-home workforce.

• Backup/Recovery solutions for teleworkers must address multiple kinds of user-owned endpoints. Progent can provide fast online help from consultants familiar with a broad array of platforms for backing up 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 consultants include Barracuda Backup, Microsoft Azure Backup, DoubleTake Software, CrashPlan, Mozy, and Time Machine. To protect resources spread throughout a wide area network, Progent can provide ProSight Data Protection Services, a managed backup/recovery service that utilizes cloud-based storage and features granular restore and unified management.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity (DR/BC) strategies often envision scenarios that call for a quick switch to an at-home workforce. Progent's senior disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity specialists can help your company to create, document and validate a DR/BC plan that includes the process of switching to an at-home workforce.

Unified Management for Remote Workers
Microsoft has rebranded and reshuffled its endpoint management products under the name Endpoint Manager, which encompasses Intune for cloud management of remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing on-premises endpoints. Endpoint Manager offers a unified environment for safeguarding corporate data by managing local, mobile, and at-home endpoints.

Microsoft Intune
Intune is a component of Microsoft's Endpoint Management suite that also includes Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud-based service for managing and protecting remote computers and applications. Remote endpoint devices can be personally owned or business owned. IT administrators managing the enrolled endpoint computers of teleworkers can use Intune to provision and authenticate applications on managed devices, push updates and certificates, set up rules for permission to access information and networks, set passwords, create VPN connections, control how home-based workers share information, establish threat protection, ensure compliance, and delete corporate information from lost, stolen or decommissioned devices. Microsoft Intune works with Apple iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS computers. To learn about Intune and how Progent can help your company to use Microsoft's Endpoint Management to administer the endpoint computers of your teleworkers, go to Intune telecommuter endpoint management experts.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is a feature-rich centralized Mobile Device Management platform that allows network administrators to keep off-premises endpoint devices current and protected. Workspace ONE uses VMware AirWatch technology for centralized endpoint management plus VMware's Horizon virtual application delivery technology for identity control, app management, and configuration management of endpoint devices. Workspace ONE runs with devices powered by Windows 10, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, or leading distros of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is available by subscription as a cloud-based service or as an on-premises deployment through a one-time purchase. Key features of Workspace ONE include rapid over-the-air provisioning of out-of-the-box laptops, quick onboarding of new employees, policy setting and enforcement for all classes of devices, unifies management reporting and performance analytics, email encryption, and tight integration with Microsoft apps and cloud services. To find out about Progent's support for VMware Workspace ONE, refer to VMware Workspace ONE remote device management expertise.

Contact Progent for At-Home Worker Support Services
To contact Progent about creating and managing a productive telecommuter solution for your Modesto, California organization, phone 1-800-993-9400 or go to Contact Progent.