Lexington-Fayette Telecommuters Solutions Consulting Partner

Expanding your remote workforce may have a significant effect on network infrastructure, cybersecurity, and company workflows. Progent has 20 years of experience assisting small and mid-size businesses to plan, deploy, administer, tune, and debug IT environments that support work-from-home employees. Progent can assist your Lexington-Fayette organization to select the right tools and follow leading practices in building and operating a secure virtual ecosystem for teleworkers that facilitates collaboration and delivers maximum value. Progent can provide support services that go from as-needed guidance for getting you past occasional technical bottlenecks to comprehensive project management to help you carry out business-critical tasks.

Progent can assist Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky businesses to with any aspect of building a high-performing work-from-home environment by providing network infrastructure design and configuration services, IP voice troubleshooting, video conferencing support, collaboration platform customization and training, cloud integration, Help Desk augmentation, security monitoring, data protection solutions, and unified management.

Network Infrastructure for Teleworkers
Configuring the network infrastructure required to support an at-home workforce can be particularly complex if you must accommodate a mix of worker-owned hardware such as desktop computers and notebooks, routers, and wireless APs from different vendors and with a variety of OS software and firmware releases. Progent's background providing online help for both outdated and modern technologies in virtual office venues enables you to make efficient use of your existing infrastructure and offers fast access to top-tire consultants for making essential upgrades. Services available from Progent to help your company to implement a high-functioning work-at-home infrastructure include:

• Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology allows you to create a secure connection for authenticated at-home workers to use IT resources situated at your company data center or in a public cloud. Progent's consultants can help you to deploy and maintain VPN connections between your at-home workforce and your various network resources by providing online VPN integration support. For organizations using Cisco's ASA security appliances, Progent's Cisco ASA consultants can help your at-home workers to set up Cisco's popular AnyConnect client software for secure VPN connections for a broad range of endpoint devices including Microsoft Windows, Mac, iOS, Linux, and Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure platforms enable a telecommuter to view and use a data center computer's desktop. This technology provides IT managers significant control over the digital ecosystem of telecommuters and ensures them a consistent and more productive work experience. Progent's virtual desktop services include Windows Remote Desktop support and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops VDI solutions.
• Routers connect at-home computer networks to the Internet and typically support VPN tunnels, local Wi-Fi networks, and firewall services. Progent can provide expert online support for integrating routers from a range of vendors. See router integration support from Cisco-certified consultants.
• Home Wi-Fi networks, often supporting the whole family and guests, are frequently utilized by at-home employees to connect to their router for work. This can create performance as well as security problems. Progent can help you to resolve these problems by delivering services that include Aironet configuration consulting, Cisco Meraki wireless deployment consulting, and Ubiquiti WiFi access point integration assistance.
• Internet connectivity methods impact the speed and availability of connections between telecommuters and the corporate network. Mission-critical applications may require redundant Internet connections in the event the normal connection fails. Progent offers expertise for identifying ISPs, choosing appropriate service offerings, and integrating redundant Internet access. Refer to Internet connectivity integration services.

VoIP Integration for Remote Workers
Expanding the corporate phone environment to accommodate telecommuters is vital to maintaining an effective at-home workforce. A variety of cloud-based VoIP products are used by SMBs to support telecommuters. Many enterprises rely on Cisco's current or older platforms for IP voice management. Progent can help businesses of all sizes to plan or tune a telecommuter VoIP service that provides the versatility, convenience and security needed for teleworkers. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE IP Voice experts can provide high-level support to help businesses tune their current Cisco IP voice systems to handle an expanding at-home workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM or CUCM) extends enterprise telephony features to devices such as VoIP phones, media processing platforms, Voice over IP gateways, and mixed media applications used across the network. Unified Communications Manager supports other mixed media services like unified messaging, video conferencing, and customer interaction networks. For more information about Progent's Cisco Unified CM or CUCM support, see Cisco Unified CM consultants.
• Cisco CallManager is Cisco's legacy call-processing agent and has been superseded by Cisco Unified CM or CUCM. Progent can assist your company to support your existing CallManager deployment or migrate smoothly to Cisco's current IP telephony solutions. For details about Progent's support services for CallManager and Cisco's other older IP voice products, refer to CallManager consulting.
• Cisco IP Gateways provide connectivity with public telephony networks and with clients operating outside the corporate perimeter like at-home workers. Progent offers consulting expertise for Cisco's legacy IP gateways including the UC520, UC540 and UC560 products and for modern Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateways. See Cisco SIP gateway configuration expertise.
• Other VoIP Platforms supported by Progent's consultants include Vonage, Intermedia Unite and 8x8. Progent can assist you to enhance your wide area network architecture to support these solutions and provide as-needed deployment and debugging expertise.

Video Conferencing for Remote Workers
A wide range of voice/video conferencing platforms from leading technology companies support online discussions, video and voice conferencing, chat, and content sharing for both local users and at-home workers. Many companies utilize a mix of conferencing products to accommodate their various partners and clients. Progent can assist your organization to maintain your existing conferencing environment and optimize the productivity of your at-home workforce.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's leading unified communications product that enables real-time presence, IM, audio and video conferencing as well as the transparent integration of these capabilities within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 productivity software such as PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. Progent offers the expertise of Microsoft-certified consultants who can assist your company to deploy and maintain Skype for Business client software to support your remote employees. For details about Progent's support expertise for Skype for Business, visit Skype for Business consulting experts.
• FaceTime is Apple's multiuser video phone platform for compatible iOS, iPadOS, iPod and macOS computers and smartphones. FaceTime works on Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Current editions of FaceTime allow as many as 32 simultaneous users for voice/video sessions. To learn more about Progent's consulting services for Apple FaceTime, visit Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center supports remote conferencing for virtually all desktop or mobile devices. Offered through Cisco's Webex Cloud, Webex capabilities include sharing specific content or computer screens, presentations that incorporate rich media including Microsoft PowerPoint and Flash videos, session recording, plus revision and playback for future reference and training. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Webex and for additional video conferencing products from Cisco, refer to Progent's Webex Meeting Center support services.
• Teams is Microsoft's follow-up for Skype for Business. Teams acts as a portal for conferencing, contacts, and content with features such as voice/video conferencing, threaded chat, plus data sharing. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft Teams and for additional Microsoft 365 apps, visit Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
• Other Voice/Video Conferencing Platforms supported by Progent include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can provide configuration and debugging services for these conferencing platforms and help you to optimize your WAN infrastructure to run them.

Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Software for At-Home Workers
Microsoft's collaboration products are closely integrated with Microsoft's familiar Office and Microsoft 365 families, offering a rich environment of productivity apps that deliver a consistent user interface for sharing data and ideas throughout multiple sites and on a broad range of endpoints. Progent has provided remote consulting support for SharePoint and Exchange Server since their initial releases and can assist your company to configure these critical collaboration platforms to optimize the productivity 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 with Microsoft 365 and supports third-party cloud services to deliver real-time collaboration. Developed as a replacement for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams can support chat, video meetings with 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 (formerly branded Azure Active Directory) for delivering its complete range of features. For details about Progent's support services for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium, visit planning and configuration expertise for Microsoft Teams.

SharePoint uses web sites to allow collaboration and information delivery by providing policy-based access to data, workflow, and utilities for searching through enterprise-wide information silos. SharePoint allows you to create protected portals that permits at-home workforce to view and update consolidated business intelligence by means of Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social networking sites, and Web Parts. To find out about Progent's SharePoint consulting services, refer to 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 find out about Progent's Exchange support services, see deployment consulting services for Exchange Server.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s collaborative cloud file hosting and synchronization service, similar to GoogleDrive. Remote users can store files to the OneDrive service, and colleagues can access them safely via a web browser. Provided with Office 365, OneDrive enables home employees to jointly author documents. Revisions created offline are synced when you go back online. To find out about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft OneDrive, see Microsoft Onedrive configuration experts.

Cloud Integration Services for At-Home Workers
Progent can provide affordable remote support for enabling organizations to create, maintain and troubleshoot integrated hybrid network models that combine physical data centers, at-home workers, branches, plus public cloud resources. Progent offers top-tier consultant for all types of public cloud service such as Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service. Progent can help at-home workers fix problems with public cloud access, authentication, and cybersecurity.

Microsoft Azure is a leading family of public cloud software and services that allows you to use infrastructure, servers, and key applications hosted on Microsoft's massive cloud. Microsoft Azure includes over 100 cloud-based services such as the ability to host Windows and Linux-based VMs, on-demand cloud storage, messaging, application development with Visual Studio, and backup/restore. Progent can assist you to set up virtual machines on Azure Virtual Machines, configure storage on Azure Storage services, streamline identity control with Azure AD, and design data backup and restore solutions with Azure Backup. Progent's cloud experts can also show you how to create secure access to Azure for teleworkers by setting up and troubleshooting firewalls and VPN IPsec tunnels. For information about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Azure, go to Microsoft Azure consulting services.

Microsoft 365, formerly branded Office 365, is Microsoft's popular suite of client productivity software and cloud services available by subscription. Office apps and cloud services are provided in a variety of plans intended for users ranging from students and households to large corporations. Progent offers fast and affordable online access to consultants familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible clients based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android technology. Progent's experts can help your business to assess the numerous subscription bundles available for Microsoft 365 and configure 365 apps for your telecommuters to achieve maximum business value. For information about Progent's support services for Microsoft 365, see Microsoft 365 integration expertise.

Exchange Online is among the most popular cloud-based applications in the Microsoft 365 product line. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online provides the advantages of reduced costs for data center infrastructure, easier management, dynamic scaling, high reliability, and other benefits associated with cloud computing. Microsoft has designed Microsoft 365 Exchange Online to run smoothly with on-premises deployments of Exchange, allowing customers to build hybrid cloud/onsite information systems. Progent's certified Exchange experts are available for as-needed assistance to guide you through tough IT roadblocks and also offer comprehensive project management services to ensure your telecommuters have easy and secure access to your Exchange Online deployment. To learn Progent's consulting services for Exchange Online, go to Exchange Online integration and troubleshooting consulting.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a trailblazer in the public cloud computing arena and is the industry's biggest source of cloud services. Progent can provide rapid and affordable online contact with cloud integration consultants who can assist your organization to design, deploy, manage, and troubleshoot hybrid IT networks that integrate Amazon AWS cloud-based services with local resources and with other public clouds such as Microsoft Azure. Progent also can provide the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking consultants to assist you to create a high-uptime network model to make sure your employees have a productive computing experience regardless of whether they are working from your main office, a branch office, at home, or on the move. For details about Progent's expertise for Amazon AWS, see Amazon AWS consulting expertise.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a popular set of cloud services that offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) products. Progent's Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco experts can help your organization to expand your current IT resources with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's DBA experts can help you make your mission-critical applications cloud friendly so your remote workers can benefit fully from Google Cloud Platform services. Progent can help your business to set up VMs on GCP Compute Engine, design a cost-effective storage solution with Google Cloud Storage, and simplify access management for remote workers with Google Cloud Identity services. Progent's experts can also help your organization to utilize GCP's unified management technology to administer and track your GCP ecosystem. For details, see Google Cloud Platform (GCP) integration services.

Help Desk Call Center Services for At-Home Workers
A fast, organization-wide switchover to a from-home workforce, which might be activated by a pandemic or as an element of a disaster recovery/business continuity process, can overstretch even a high-performing internal Call Desk. Progent's Help Desk services make it possible for businesses to outsource or augment their Support Desk by using Progent's remote Technical Response Center team.

• Progent's Standard Help Desk Call Center services leverage Progent's nationwide network of remote technical support experts combined with enterprise-class ticketing and follow-up software to provide an affordable, advanced Call Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services provide an end-to-end solution that handles all aspects of remote Level 1 PC technical support from initial service requests through ticket creation, screen sharing, issue resolution, and reporting. A web-based User's Service Portal enables telecommuters to monitor or edit the status of their active tickets, add details, and upload screen captures or attachments. Desktop support services are provided at a substantial price reduction off Progent's normal Level 1 technical support charges, and Progent offers optional rapid escalation to Level 2 and Level 3 support experts to deal with advanced issues. To find out more, go to Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services for small companies.
• Progent's Call Center Supplemental Service allows you to expand your existing Call Desk organization by sharing delivery of Call Desk services transparently between your in-house support staff and Progent's nationwide roster of desktop support technicians and subject matter experts. Progent's shared Call Desk service is based on a co-sourcing support model based on the leading professional services automation (PSA) platform for handling service requests and ticketing, assigning ownership, tracking progress, and generating management reports. To learn how Progent's Support Desk Supplementation Services can help your business to provide best-in-class desktop support to your at-home workforce, refer to Progent's Support Desk supplementation Services.

Security and Compliance for Teleworkers
At-home workers typically utilize their own computers and often operate in an unsecured physical area. This increases their vulnerability to malware attacks and requires careful configuration of firewalls, AV tools, MFA-based identity verification, remote monitoring, intensive user training, and the creation of policies based on leading practices. Progent's veteran team of data security support experts can help your business to plan, configure and manage a compliant security solution that protects vital information resources in environments that incorporate an at-home workforce.

Firewalls enable companies to build a network that can be securely accessed by on-premises users and by an at-home workforce, mobile users, vendors, clients, and the public. Next-generation firewall devices permit you to assign and manage different permissions to different groups of users and to scale your IT network and modify your security as your company evolves and as network attacks grow increasingly complex. Progent supports both new and older security devices from all leading vendors including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, Juniper, and Fortinet. To find out more about Progent's firewall configuration services, see firewall integration and support services.

Online Endpoint Monitoring makes it easy to track the various devices used by an at-home workforce and either reject or spot and respond to the latest threats such as ransomware. With Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) services, a lightweight software agent is put on every secured endpoint, watching all activity and using state-of-the-art machine learning and full execution context from SentinelOne to detect zero-day threats on arrival. When a cyberattack is discovered, ProSight Active Security Monitoring immediately isolates the infected device from the network to quarantine the malware. Since the ProSight ASM software agent is autonomous, endpoints remain protected even if they are disconnected from the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. To find out more about ProSight Active Security Monitoring, see remote endpoint security monitoring for teleworkers.

Progent's Duo MFA Managed Services incorporate Cisco's Duo technology to protect against compromised 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 Duo 2FA, whenever you sign into a protected online account and enter your password you are requested to verify your identity via a unit that only you have and that uses a different network channel. A wide range of devices can be used for this added means of ID validation such as a smartphone or wearable, a hardware/software token, a landline phone, etc. You may register several verification devices. To find out more about Duo identity validation services, go to Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services for remote workers.

Security Audits can assess the vulnerability of your network to all types of external and internal security threats for a network that includes teleworkers. Progent can deploy remote, automated cybersecurity inventory scanning for quickly and economically uncovering a wide variety of security weaknesses that can be found via the Internet. Progent's endpoint security assessment experts, which can be managed by security experts with top credentials including CISM, CISSP, and GIAC, can help your company to evaluate your workflows and governance policies and assess your network infrastructure to allow you to implement the highest level of protection for your an at-home workforce.

Horizon3.ai's NodeZero Pentest Platform is a leading-edge penetration test (pentest) product family that can deliver autonomous testing of your at-home connectivity solution and your internal and perimeter networks so you can identify, rank, fix, and verify cybersecurity weaknesses before malicious hackers can take advantage of them. Progent can assist you to deploy NodeZero to carry out thorough pentests of your network perimeter and your internal IT infrastructure in order to evaluate your current security profile. Progent's NodeZero experts can also assist you to strengthen your existing network security and can assist you to plan and deploy a cohesive cybersecurity ecosystem that simplifies management and delivers optimum cyber defense for on-prem, cloud-based, remote, and perimeter IT assets. To find out more details about Progent's vulnerability analysis services powered by on NodeZero's PEN test platform, refer to Consulting Support for NodeZero's Pentest Products.

Download White Paper: Protecting a Work-From-Home (WFH) Network
To read or download a white paper describing critical things to concentrate on for protecting an IT environment that incorporates telecommuters, 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 information in order to prevent data loss and reduce restoration time and effort in case of storage system failures resulting from equipment issues, programming hiccups, operator mistakes, cyber attack, or any other reason. Dependable data protection solutions can be particularly difficult to architect and maintain in hybrid networks that combine private data centers, public clouds, and at-home workers.

• Backup/Restore strategies for teleworkers must cover diverse kinds of user-owned endpoints. Progent can provide quick online help from experts knowledgeable about a wide array of platforms for backing up Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac and Linux/UNIX servers and desktops as well as laptops, iOS and Android tablets and handhelds. Leading backup/recovery solutions maintained by Progent's backup/recovery consultants include Barracuda Backup, Azure Backup, Symantec Backup Exec, CrashPlan, Mozy, and Time Machine. To back up data spread across a hybrid network, Progent can provide ProSight Data Protection Services, a backup/recovery subscription service that utilizes cloud storage and features granular restore and unified management.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity strategies commonly anticipate scenarios that require a quick switch to telecommuting. Progent's senior disaster recovery preparedness experts and business continuity planning consultants can help you to create, document and validate a DR/BC plan that includes the logistics of moving to an at-home workforce.

Unified Management for Teleworkers
Microsoft has rebranded and rebundled its endpoint management platforms under the title Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which encompasses Intune for cloud management of remote devices and Configuration Manager for managing onsite computers. Endpoint Manager provides a centralized solution for protecting critical data by controlling local, mobile, and at-home endpoints.

Microsoft Intune
Intune is part of Microsoft's Endpoint Management family that also features Microsoft Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud-based service for managing and securing remote devices and applications. Remote endpoint devices can be user owned or business owned. IT administrators managing the enrolled endpoint devices of at-home workers can use Intune to deploy and validate applications on devices, push updates and certificates, set up policies for permission to access information and networks, set passwords, create VPN tunnels, control how home-based workers share data, set up threat protection, verify security compliance, and erase corporate information from missing, stolen or decommissioned devices. Intune runs with Apple iOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS/OS X computers. To learn about Microsoft Intune and how Progent can help your company to use Microsoft's Endpoint Management to manage the endpoint devices of your at-home workers, see Intune teleworker device management consultants.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is a feature-rich unified MDM platform that allows network managers to keep remote endpoint devices current and secure. Workspace ONE uses VMware AirWatch technology for unified endpoint administration along with VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery platform for authorization control, app 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 available by subscription as a cloud-based service or as an on-premises product via a perpetual license. Key capabilities of VMware 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 devices, aggregated reporting and performance analytics, email encryption, and seamless integration with Microsoft applications and cloud products. To learn about Progent's expertise for VMware Workspace ONE, refer to VMware Workspace ONE remote device management consultants.

Contact Progent for At-Home Worker Support Services
To contact Progent about building and maintaining a productive work-from-home environment for your Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky business, phone 1-800-993-9400 or refer to Contact Progent.