San Diego Teleworkers Solutions Consulting and Support

Enlarging your telecommuter workforce may have a major effect on IT architecture, security/compliance, and corporate workflows. Progent has 20 years of experience helping SMBs to design, deploy, manage, tune, and troubleshoot IT networks that incorporate a remote workforce. Progent can help your San Diego company to select the right tools and adhere to best practices in creating and maintaining a safe virtual ecosystem for telecommuters that promotes teamwork and returns top business value. Progent offers services that go from as-needed expertise for helping you past occasional technical bottlenecks to comprehensive project management to help you successfully complete mission-critical initiatives.

Progent can help San Diego, California businesses to succeed with any aspect of building a high-functioning remote work ecosystem by providing infrastructure configuration services, VoIP PBX troubleshooting, voice/video conferencing support, collaboration platform selection and deployment, cloud integration, Call Desk augmentation, security monitoring, data protection solutions, and streamlined management.

Network Infrastructure for Teleworkers
Integrating the network infrastructure required to support an at-home work environment can be particularly challenging if you have to manage a combination of personal hardware like PCs and notebooks, routers, and wireless APs from various manufacturers and with a mix of OS software and firmware levels. Progent's experience delivering online support for both outdated as well as current technologies in remote office venues allows you to make cost-effective use of your available network infrastructure and offers ready access to top-tire consultants for making essential updates. Support services available from Progent to assist your company to implement a productive work-at-home infrastructure include:

• Virtual Private Network technology makes it possible to establish a secure tunnel for authorized remote employees to use IT assets located at your company datacenter or in a public cloud. Progent's consultants can assist your company to deploy and maintain VPN connections between your at-home workforce and your key IT resources by providing remote VPN configuration support. For organizations with Cisco's ASA security appliances, Progent's Cisco-certified ASA consultants can help your remote workers to utilize Cisco's popular AnyConnect software for secure VPN tunneling for a broad range of endpoint devices including Microsoft Windows, Mac, Apple iOS, Linux, and Google Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure platforms enable an at-home worker to view and interact with a data center computer's desktop. This technology provides network managers substantial control over the computing ecosystem of at-home employees and ensures them a consistent and more productive experience. Progent's virtual desktop services include Windows Remote Desktop support and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops expertise.
• Routers attach home computer networks to the Internet and support VPN tunnels, local wireless connectivity, and firewall services. Progent can provide expert remote consulting for configuring routers from a variety of manufacturers. See router configuration support from Cisco-certified consultants.
• Home Wireless networks, typically supporting families and visitors, are frequently utilized by telecommuters to access their Internet router for work. This can create throughput as well as cybersecurity issues. Progent can help you to resolve these issues by delivering expertise that include Aironet configuration consulting, Cisco-certified Meraki wireless deployment consulting, and Ubiquiti Unifi wireless AP setup help.
• Internet connectivity methods affect the speed and reliability of connections between telecommuters and the company network. Line-of-business applications may require redundant Internet connections in case the primary connection fails. Progent offers expertise for picking service providers, choosing appropriate bandwidth and data volume offerings, and integrating high-availability Internet access. Refer to Internet access solutions.

IP Voice Solutions for At-Home Workers
Expanding the business PBX system to accommodate telecommuters is critical to maintaining an effective work-at-home solution. A broad range of cloud-based VoIP products are popular with small and mid-size businesses to server telecommuters. Many larger organizations rely on Cisco's current or legacy platforms for IP voice management. Progent can help businesses of all sizes to design or tune a remote VoIP service that provides the flexibility, convenience and protection required for teleworkers. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE Voice consultants can provide advanced support to assist organizations optimize their current Cisco VoIP environments to support a growing at-home workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) delivers advanced telephony capabilities to devices like VoIP phones, media processing products, Voice over IP gateways, and multimedia software used across the network. CUCM supports additional combined media services such as unified messaging, video conferencing, and team interaction networks. For details about Progent's CUCM expertise, visit CUCM consulting services.
• CallManager is Cisco's earlier call-processing software and has been replaced by CUCM. Progent's consultants can help you to maintain your existing CallManager deployment or upgrade smoothly to Cisco's current IP telephony products. To learn about Progent's support services for Cisco CallManager and Cisco's other older IP voice products, refer to CallManager consulting.
• Cisco IP Gateways provide connectivity with PSTN networks and with clients operating outside the corporate firewall such as telecommuters. Progent offers expert support for Cisco's earlier generation IP gateways such as the UC520, UC540 and UC560 products as well as for current Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateways. See Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateway configuration expertise.
• Additional VoIP Platforms supported by Progent include Vonage, RingCentral and 8x8. Progent can assist you to enhance your wide area network architecture to support these solutions and provide online integration and troubleshooting expertise.

Video Conferencing for At-Home Workers
A wide range of video conferencing products from leading vendors enable virtual meetings, video and voice conferencing, chat sessions, and content sharing for both local users and telecommuters. Many companies utilize a mix of products to meet the needs of their various partners and clients. Progent can help your organization to maintain your existing voice/video conferencing ecosystem and enhance the engagement of your remote employees.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's leading communications platform that supports real-time 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, Excel and Outlook. Progent offers the expertise of Microsoft-certified consultants who can help you to deploy and manage Skype for Business client software to support your at-home workforce. To learn more about Progent's support expertise for Skype for Business, visit Skype for Business integration experts.
• FaceTime is Apple's group video phone platform for compatible iOS, iPadOS, iPod and Mac devices. FaceTime works over Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Later editions of FaceTime allow up to 32 simultaneous users for video sessions. To learn more about Progent's consulting expertise for Apple FaceTime, refer to Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center supports remote conferencing for virtually all desktop or mobile devices. Delivered via Cisco's Webex Cloud, Webex capabilities include sharing specific content or screens, presentations that embed rich media including Microsoft PowerPoint and Flash videos, session capture, plus revision and playback for future reference. For details about Progent's support services for Webex and for other video conferencing solutions from Cisco, refer to Progent's Webex Meeting Center support services.
• Teams is Microsoft's follow-up for Skype for Business. Teams provides a portal for conversations, contacts, and content with capabilities that include voice/video calling, persistent chat, plus data sharing. To learn more about Progent's support services for Microsoft Teams as well as for other Microsoft 365 products, refer to Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
• Other Voice/Video Conferencing Apps supported by Progent include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can deliver configuration and troubleshooting services for these products and assist you to tune your network architecture to host them.

Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Software for Telecommuters
Microsoft's collaboration platforms are tightly integrated with Microsoft's popular Office and Microsoft 365 suites, offering a rich environment of productivity apps that create a consistent user experience for sharing data and ideas across multiple sites and on a wide range of endpoints. Progent has provided online consulting support for Microsoft SharePoint and Exchange since their original releases and can assist businesses to configure 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 with Microsoft 365 and supports third-party cloud services to provide real-time collaboration and communication. Designed as a replacement for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium can enable chat, video meetings that include screen sharing, calling, cloud voicemail, group email, plus file and application sharing. Teams is closely integrated with Microsoft 365 and depends on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Entra (formerly branded Azure Active Directory) for supporting its full range of features. For additional information about Progent's support services for Microsoft Teams, see solution design and deployment expertise for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium.

SharePoint uses web entities to allow collaboration and information sharing by offering policy-based delivery of data, workflow, and utilities for looking through company-wide information silos. SharePoint permits you to create secure portals that enables at-home workers to view and update aggregated business intelligence via Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social networking web sites, and Web Parts (Widgets). For information about Progent's SharePoint consulting expertise, refer to SharePoint integration and application 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 consulting expertise, go to planning and configuration consulting for Exchange.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s shared cloud-based storage service, comparable to GoogleDrive. Remote users can save files to OneDrive, and colleagues anywhere can retrieve them securely via a browser. Provided with Microsoft 365, OneDrive enables home workers to co-edit documents. Revisions made offline are uploaded when you reconnect to the Internet. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft OneDrive, visit Microsoft Onedrive configuration consulting.

Public Cloud Integration Services for At-Home Workers
Progent offers affordable online assistance for helping businesses to create, manage and optimize cohesive network architectures that include internal data centers, remote workers, branch offices, and public cloud resources. Progent offers expertise for all modes of public cloud service such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Progent can help telecommuters fix problems with public cloud access, authentication, and cybersecurity.

Microsoft Azure is a leading family of public cloud services that enables you to use IT infrastructure, servers, and key applications hosted on Microsoft's massive cloud. Azure features over 100 services services such as the ability to host Windows and Linux-based VMs, scalable cloud storage, messaging, app development with Visual Studio, and data protection. Progent can help you to deploy VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, configure cloud-based storage on Azure Storage services, unify identity management with Azure AD, and plan backup and recovery systems with Azure Backup. Progent's cloud experts can also help you create secure access to Azure services for teleworkers by setting up and troubleshooting firewall appliances and VPN IPsec tunnels. For details about Progent's support services for Azure, go to Azure expertise.

Microsoft 365, previously called Office 365, is Microsoft's popular suite of business productivity software and cloud services available on a subscription basis. Microsoft applications and services are marketed in a selection of plans intended for users ranging from students and households to major corporations. Progent offers quick and easy online contact with experts familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible endpoint devices running Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android technology. Progent can help you to evaluate the numerous subscription bundles offered with Microsoft 365 and deploy 365 applications for your teleworkers to achieve maximum business value. For information about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft 365, refer to Microsoft 365 integration expertise.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online is among the most widely used cloud-based applications in the Microsoft 365 product suite. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online offers the advantages of lower costs for data center infrastructure, easier management, dynamic scaling, high reliability, and other benefits associated with cloud computing. Microsoft has engineered Exchange Online to operate transparently with on-premises Exchange environments, allowing you to create hybrid cloud/onsite networks. Progent's certified Exchange consultants are available for occasional assistance to get you through tough technical roadblocks and also offer comprehensive project management outsourcing to make sure your remote workers have easy and secure access to your Exchange Online deployment. To find out Progent's expertise for Exchange Online, refer to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online integration and troubleshooting consulting.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a pioneer in the public cloud computing market and is the industry's biggest source of cloud services. Progent offers rapid and economical online contact with cloud connectivity experts who can help your business to design, implement, maintain, and debug hybrid information networks that incorporate Amazon AWS cloud services with on-premises data centers and with other popular cloud platforms like Azure. Progent also offers access to Cisco-certified CCIE networking experts to assist you to create a high-uptime network architecture so your employees have a productive computing environment regardless of whether they are working from your headquarters, a branch office, from home, or on the move. For information about Progent's consulting expertise for Amazon AWS, visit Amazon AWS integration support.

Google Cloud is a popular suite of public cloud services that provides Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) products. Progent's certified Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco experts can assist your organization to scale your existing IT assets with the Google Cloud, and Progent's database experts can show you how to make your critical applications cloud friendly so your remote workers can benefit fully from Google Cloud Platform services. Progent can help your organization to deploy VMs on GCP Compute Engine, plan a cost-effective storage system with GCP Storage services, and simplify identity management for telecommuters with GCP Cloud Identity services. Progent's consultants can also help your business to use GCP's management technology to administer and track your GCP ecosystem. For information, see Google Cloud Platform consulting services.

Help Desk Support for Teleworkers
An emergency, enterprise-wide changeover to a telecommuter workforce, which could be the result of an epidemic or as part of a disaster recovery plan, can overwhelm even a well-staffed internal Call Desk. Progent's Help Desk services make it possible for organizations to outsource or augment their Help Desk with Progent's remote Technical Response Center (TRC) services.

• Progent's Standard Help Desk Call Center services utilize Progent's nationwide team of remote IT support specialists combined with enterprise-class ticketing and tracking technology to provide an economical, modern Help Desk Call Center. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services provide an end-to-end solution that addresses all aspects of online Level 1 PC technical support from initial service requests through trouble ticket generation, screen sharing, problem resolution, and reporting. A web-based User's Service Portal enables from-home workers to check or revise their active trouble tickets, add information, and upload screenshots and attachments. Desktop support services are delivered at a significant price reduction off Progent's ordinary Level 1 technical support charges, and Progent offers optional fast hand-off to Level 2 and Level 3 support experts to deal with advanced issues. To find out more, visit Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services outsourcing for small and mid-size companies.
• Progent's Support Desk Supplemental Service enables your company to augment your existing Help Desk team by sharing delivery of Support Desk support services seamlessly between your regular IT support personnel and Progent's extensive pool of desktop support technicians and subject matter experts. Progent's shared Call Desk service uses a co-sourcing support model based on the number one PSA platform for managing service requests and ticketing, establishing ownership, monitoring progress, and generating management reports. To learn how Progent's Call Center Augmentation Services can help your company to deliver best-in-class IT support to your from-home workers, go to Progent's Help Desk Call Center supplementation Services.

Security and Compliance for Remote Workers
Work-from-Home workers typically use their own computing devices and often operate in a poorly secured physical area. This increases their susceptibility to malware attacks and requires careful configuration of firewalls, AV tools, multi-factor authentication, remote monitoring, intensive end-user education, and the creation of policies based on best practices. Progent's veteran group of data security solutions consultants can assist your business to design, configure and maintain an effective cybersecurity solution that protects critical IT assets in networks that incorporate telecommuters.

Firewalls allow companies to create a network that can be securely utilized by local users as well as by telecommuters, mobile employees, vendors, customers, and the public. Modern firewall devices permit you to configure and manage appropriate access rights to various groups of users and to expand your IT network and adjust your cybersecurity posture as your business evolves and as cyber threats grow increasingly complex. Progent works with both current and older firewall appliances from all leading manufacturers including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, Juniper, SonicWall and Fortinet. To find out more about Progent's firewall integration services, go to firewall integration and support expertise.

Online Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it possible to track the various devices utilized by teleworkers and either reject or spot and respond to modern threats such as ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint agent is installed on each protected endpoint, monitoring all activity and using state-of-the-art machine learning from SentinelOne to detect zero-day threats before they can spread. When a cyberattack is discovered, ProSight ASM instantly isolates the infected endpoint device from the corporate network to contain the malware. Since the ProSight Active Security Monitoring agent is self-contained, endpoint devices remain secure even if they are not connected to the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. To learn more about ProSight ASM, visit remote endpoint monitoring for at-home workers.

Progent's Duo MFA Managed Services utilize Cisco's Duo cloud technology to defend against compromised passwords by using two-factor authentication. Duo enables one-tap identity confirmation with Apple iOS, Google Android, and other out-of-band devices. With 2FA, when you sign into a protected application and enter your password you are requested to confirm your identity via a unit that only you have and that uses a separate network channel. A broad selection of devices can be utilized as this added means of ID validation such as a smartphone or wearable, a hardware/software token, a landline telephone, etc. You can designate multiple verification devices. For more information about ProSight Duo identity authentication services, go to Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services for telecommuters.

Security Audits can assess the vulnerability of your network to all types of outside and local security threats for an environment that incorporates at-home workers. Progent can run online, automated cybersecurity inventory software for quickly and affordably uncovering a wide variety of security weaknesses that can be found via the Internet. Progent's endpoint security assessment experts, which can be provided by security professionals with advanced credentials such as CISA, ISSAP, and GIAC, can help your business to audit your processes and governance policies and assess your WAN architecture to allow you to design the highest level of protection for your remote workers.

Horizon3.ai's NodeZero Pentest Platform is a breakthrough penetration test (pentest) product family that can deliver autonomous testing of your at-home connectivity solution as well as your internal and perimeter networks to help you identify, prioritize, remediate, and verify cybersecurity vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can take advantage of them. Progent can help you to deploy NodeZero to perform thorough penetration tests of your perimeter and your internal IT infrastructure so you can determine your current security profile. Progent can also help you to harden your network security and can assist you to plan and implement a unified cybersecurity ecosystem that simplifies management and delivers maximum cyber defense for on-prem, cloud-based, remote, and perimeter IT resources. To find out additional information about Progent's vulnerability analysis solutions based on on NodeZero's pentest products, refer to Consulting Services for NodeZero's Pentest Platform.

Download White Paper: Securing a Work-From-Home Network
To read or download a white paper describing critical things to focus on for securing a network that incorporates work-from-home staff, click:
Protecting a Work-From-Home Environment White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)

Data Protection Solutions for Teleworkers
The field of Data Protection covers backing up and restoring vital information so as to avoid data loss and minimize recovery time in the event of storage system failures due to hardware breakdowns, software hiccups, operator mistakes, malware, or other causes. Reliable data protection solutions can be particularly challenging to design and manage in hybrid environments that combine in-house data centers, public clouds, and an at-home workforce.

• Backup/Restore solutions for an at-home workforce must address multiple kinds of user-owned endpoints. Progent can provide quick remote access to consultants knowledgeable about a broad array of products for protection Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac and Linux/UNIX servers and desktops as well as notebooks, iOS and Android tablets and handhelds. Popular backup/recovery solutions maintained by Progent's data protection experts include Barracuda Backup, Microsoft Azure Backup, Symantec Backup Exec, Acronis Backup and Recovery, Mozy, and Time Machine. To protect data spread throughout a hybrid network, Progent can provide ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a backup/recovery service that uses cloud storage and features granular restore and unified management capabilities.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity plans often anticipate scenarios that require a temporary changeover to an at-home workforce. Progent's expert disaster recovery planning experts and business continuity planning consultants can help you to develop, document and validate a DR/BC strategy that includes the logistics of moving to telecommuting.

Unified Management for Teleworkers
Microsoft has renamed and reshuffled its endpoint management platforms under the title Endpoint Manager, which includes Intune for cloud management of mobile and remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing local endpoints. Endpoint Manager offers a centralized environment for protecting corporate data by managing on-premises, mobile, and at-home endpoints.

Microsoft Intune
Intune is a component of Microsoft's Endpoint Management family that also features Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud service for managing and protecting remote devices and software. Managed endpoint computers can be personally owned or business owned. IT admins managing the endpoint devices of telecommuters can utilize Intune to deploy and authenticate apps on managed devices, push updates and certificates, set up policies for accessing information and resources, set passwords, create VPN connections, determine how telecommuters share information, establish threat defense, ensure security compliance, and delete sensitive information from lost, stolen or deactivated endpoint devices. Microsoft Intune can be used with Apple iOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS endpoints. To learn about Intune and to find out how Progent can help you to use this platform to administer the endpoint devices of your at-home workforce, visit Intune telecommuter device management expertise.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced unified Mobile Device Management (MDM) product that allows network managers to keep off-premises endpoints up to date and protected. Workspace ONE incorporates VMware AirWatch technology for centralized endpoint management plus VMware's Horizon virtual application delivery platform for authorization control, application management, and configuration management of endpoints. Workspace ONE operates with devices based on Windows 10, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, or leading distributions of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is offered by subscription as a cloud-based service or as an on-premises deployment via a perpetual license. Top capabilities of Workspace ONE include rapid over-the-air deployment of out-of-the-box laptops, immediate onboarding of new employees, policy setting and enforcement for all classes of devices, aggregated management reporting and performance analytics, an email encryption gateway, and seamless integration with Microsoft apps and cloud-based services. To find out about Progent's expertise for VMware Workspace ONE, see VMware Workspace ONE mobile endpoint management consultants.

Contact Progent for At-Home Worker Expertise
To get in touch with Progent about creating and maintaining an efficient telecommuter environment for your San Diego, California company, call 1-800-993-9400 or go to Contact Progent.