Columbus At Home Workforce Integration Consulting and Support

Enlarging your at-home workforce may have a significant effect on IT infrastructure, security, and company culture. Progent has two decades of background assisting businesses of all sizes to design, deploy, manage, optimize, and troubleshoot IT environments that incorporate at-home workers. Progent can help your Columbus organization to pick the appropriate tools and adhere to leading practices in creating and operating a safe virtual office ecosystem for telecommuters that facilitates teamwork and delivers top value. Progent can provide support services that go from as-needed guidance for getting you over challenging IT bottlenecks to comprehensive project management to help you carry out mission-critical tasks.

Progent can help Columbus, Ohio organizations to succeed with any facet of creating a high-performing telecommuting environment by providing infrastructure configuration services, VoIP PBX expertise, video conferencing support, collaboration platform selection and deployment, public cloud integration, Call Desk outsourcing, security and compliance, backup/restore solutions, and centralized management.

Infrastructure for Telecommuters
Configuring the physical and software infrastructure needed for an at-home workforce can be particularly complex if you must manage a mix of personal equipment such as desktop computers and laptops, routers, and Wi-Fi appliances from different vendors and with a variety of operating systems and firmware releases. Progent's experience providing online support for both legacy and current IT products in remote office venues enables you to make efficient use of your existing infrastructure and offers ready access to top-tire consultants for implement essential updates. Services available from Progent to assist you to create a high-functioning telecommuting infrastructure include:

• Virtual Private Network (VPN) connectivity allows you to establish a safe connection for authenticated at-home workers to access IT assets located at your company data center or in a public cloud. Progent can assist your company to deploy and maintain VPN access between your at-home workforce and your various IT resources by providing online VPN integration consulting. For businesses using Cisco's ASA firewalls, Progent's Cisco-certified ASA experts can assist your at-home workers to set up Cisco's popular AnyConnect client software for secure VPN connections for a wide selection of endpoint devices such as Windows, macOS, Apple iOS, Linux, and Google Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure platforms allow a telecommuter to see and use a data center PC's desktop. This technology gives IT managers more control over the digital ecosystem of at-home employees and offers them a familiar experience. Progent's virtual desktop consulting services include Windows Remote Desktop integration and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops expertise.
• Routers connect at-home computer networks to the Internet and support VPN tunnels, home Wi-Fi networks, and firewalls. Progent can provide top-tier remote consulting for integrating routers from a range of vendors. See router configuration support from Cisco-certified experts.
• Home Wireless networks, typically supporting an entire household and visitors, are commonly utilized by telecommuters to access their router for work. This can create performance as well as security problems. Progent can assist businesses to mitigate these problems by delivering services that include Cisco Aironet configuration consulting, Cisco-certified Meraki WiFi installation expertise, and Ubiquiti Unifi WiFi access point integration assistance.
• Internet access solutions affect the performance and reliability of connections between telecommuters and the company data center. Vital processes may require redundant Internet connections in the event the primary connection fails. Progent offers guidance for picking ISPs, choosing appropriate service bundles, and configuring redundant Internet access. See Internet access integration services.

VoIP Solutions for Telecommuters
Expanding the business PBX environment to accommodate remote users is vital to maintaining an effective at-home workforce. A variety of cloud-centric digital PBX platforms are used by SMBs to server teleworkers. Many larger organizations rely on Cisco's modern or older products for IP voice solutions. Progent can help organizations of any size to design or tune a telecommuter IP voice service that delivers the flexibility, transparency and protection required for teleworkers. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE Voice consultants offer high-level support to help organizations tune their current Cisco VoIP systems to support an expanding at-home workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM or CUCM) extends advanced IP telephony features to devices such as IP phones, media processing platforms, Voice over IP gateways, and mixed media software deployed throughout the network. Unified Communications Manager manages additional combined media services like unified messaging, video conferencing, and team interaction networks. For more information about Progent's CUCM expertise, refer to CUCM consulting services.
• Cisco CallManager is Cisco's legacy call-processing software and has been superseded by Cisco Unified CM. Progent's consultants can assist you to maintain your existing CallManager deployment or migrate smoothly to Cisco's modern IP telephony solutions. For details about Progent's expertise for CallManager and Cisco's other early IP voice platforms, see CallManager consulting.
• Cisco IP Gateways enable integration with PSTN networks and with clients operating beyond the corporate firewall such as telecommuters. Progent can provide expert support for Cisco's earlier generation IP gateways such as the UC520, UC540 and UC560 products and for current Cisco SIP gateways. See Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateway integration expertise.
• Other VoIP Products supported by Progent include Vonage, Intermedia Unite and 8x8. Progent can help you to update your wide area network infrastructure to support these VoIP solutions and provide online configuration and debugging services.

Video Conferencing for Telecommuters
A broad range of voice/video conferencing platforms from leading vendors enable online meetings, video conferencing, chat sessions, and screen sharing for both onsite workers and telecommuters. Many organizations use a mix of conferencing products to accommodate their different partners and customers. Progent can help your organization to maintain your current voice/video conferencing ecosystem and optimize the productivity of your at-home workforce.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's leading communications platform that supports presence, IM, audio and video calling and conferencing plus the transparent integration of these functions within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 applications such as PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook. Progent offers the skills of Microsoft-certified specialists who can assist your company to configure and maintain Skype for Business clients to support your at-home workforce. To learn more about Progent's support expertise for Skype for Business, refer to Skype for Business integration services.
• FaceTime is Apple's group video calling app for compatible iOS and Mac computers and smartphones. 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 services for Apple FaceTime, visit Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center provides remote conferencing for most desktop or mobile devices. Delivered through Cisco's Webex Cloud platform, Webex services include sharing discrete content or screens, presentations that embed rich media including Microsoft PowerPoint and Flash videos, network-based recording, plus editing and playback for future reference and training. For details about Progent's support expertise for Cisco Webex as well as for additional video conferencing products from Cisco, visit Progent's Webex Meeting Center support services.
• Teams is Microsoft's next-generation replacement for Skype for Business. Teams acts as a portal for conversations, contacts, and information with features such as video calling, persistent threaded chat, plus file sharing. To learn more about Progent's support expertise for Microsoft Teams as well as for other Microsoft 365 apps, visit Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
• Additional Voice/Video Conferencing Platforms supported by Progent include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can provide integration and troubleshooting expertise for these products and help your business to tune your network infrastructure to run them.

Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Platforms for Teleworkers
Microsoft's collaboration products are tightly integrated with Microsoft's popular Office families, offering a powerful ecosystem of productivity apps that create a cohesive user interface for sharing information across multiple sites and on a broad selection of endpoints. Progent has provided remote consulting support for SharePoint and Exchange since their initial publication and can help businesses to configure these critical collaboration platforms 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 provide real-time collaboration and communication. Developed as a substitute for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium can support chat, audio/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 relies on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Azure Entra (previously branded Azure Active Directory) for supporting its full range of capabilities. To learn more about Progent's support services for Microsoft Teams, visit planning and deployment consulting for Microsoft Teams.

SharePoint uses web sites to promote collaboration and information sharing by offering policy-based delivery of data, workflow, and tools for looking through enterprise-wide business data. SharePoint allows you to create secure web portals that allows remote workers to see and edit aggregated business intelligence by means of Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social sites, and Web Parts. For details about Progent's SharePoint support services, visit SharePoint configuration 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 consulting services, refer to planning and configuration consulting for Microsoft Exchange.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s shared cloud-based file hosting and synchronization service, comparable to GoogleDrive. Remote users can save files to OneDrive, and co-workers anywhere can access them securely via a browser. Provided with Microsoft 365, OneDrive allows remote employees to jointly author documents. Edits created offline are automatically synced when you go back online. To learn about Progent's support services for Microsoft OneDrive, visit Microsoft Onedrive integration experts.

Public Cloud Integration Services for Remote Workers
Progent offers advanced online assistance for helping organizations to create, manage and troubleshoot cohesive hybrid network models that include physical data centers, teleworkers, branch offices, and public cloud resources. Progent can provide expertise for all types of cloud service such as Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service. Progent can help remote workers resolve problems with cloud connectivity, identity, and cybersecurity.

Microsoft Azure is a leading platform for cloud software and services that allows you to utilize infrastructure, virtual servers, and key apps running on Microsoft's extensive cloud. Azure offers more than one hundred cloud-based services such as the ability to host Windows and Linux-powered VMs, scalable cloud storage, messaging, app development with Visual Studio, and backup/restore. Progent can help you to deploy virtual machines on Azure Virtual Machines, configure cloud-based storage on Azure Storage services, unify identity control with Azure Active Directory, and plan backup and restore systems with Azure Backup. Progent's cloud experts can also show you how to create secure connections to Azure services for telecommuters by configuring and troubleshooting firewall appliances and VPN IPsec tunnels. For details about Progent's consulting services for Azure, visit Microsoft Azure consulting services.

Microsoft 365, formerly called Office 365, is Microsoft's growing suite of business productivity applications and cloud-based services available by subscription. Office applications and cloud services are marketed in a variety of plans intended for users ranging from individuals and households to large corporations. Progent offers fast and easy online contact with experts familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible endpoints based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent's experts can assist your business to assess the numerous subscription bundles offered with Microsoft 365 and deploy 365 applications for your telecommuters in a way that delivers top business value. To learn about Progent's expertise for Microsoft 365, go to Microsoft 365 integration expertise.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online is among the most popular applications in Azure-hosted Microsoft 365 product suite. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online offers the benefits of reduced spending for data center infrastructure, easier management, dynamic scaling, high availability, and other benefits associated with public clouds. Microsoft has engineered Exchange Online to operate smoothly with on-premises deployments of Exchange, allowing customers to build hybrid networks. Progent's certified Exchange experts can provide as-needed assistance to guide you through tough IT bottlenecks and also offer comprehensive project management services to make sure your teleworkers have easy and safe access to your Microsoft 365 Exchange Online deployment. For details Progent's support services for Exchange Online, go to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online configuration and troubleshooting expertise.

Amazon AWS is a trailblazer in the public cloud computing arena and is the world's top provider of cloud services. Progent can provide quick and economical online access to cloud integration consultants who can assist your organization to design, implement, manage, and debug hybrid information networks that integrate Amazon AWS cloud-based services with local data centers and with other popular cloud platforms such as Azure. Progent also can provide access to Cisco-certified CCIE networking consultants to help you to create a high-availability network architecture so your employees have a productive computing experience whether they are working from your main office, a branch office, from home, or on the road. For information about Progent's consulting expertise for Amazon AWS, see Amazon AWS integration expertise.

Google Cloud (GCP) is a popular set of public cloud services that offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service products. Progent's Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco consulting experts can assist your organization to extend your current IT resources with the Google Cloud, and Progent's DBA experts can help you make your mission-critical apps cloud ready so your teleworkers can benefit fully from Google Cloud Platform services. Progent's consultants can assist you to deploy VMs on GCP Compute Engine, design an efficient storage system with Google Cloud Storage, and simplify access control for telecommuters with GCP Cloud Identity. Progent's experts can also assist you to use GCP's management technology to administer and monitor your GCP environment. To learn, see Google Cloud Platform (GCP) integration services.

Help Desk Services for At-Home Workers
A rapid, enterprise-wide switchover to a from-home workforce, which could be driven by a pandemic or as an element of a disaster recovery plan, can overstretch even the most efficient in-house Help Desk. Progent's Help Desk Call Center services make it possible for organizations to outsource or expand their Help Desk by using Progent's online Technical Response Center (TRC) team.

• Progent's Standard Call Center services utilize Progent's nationwide team of remote IT support specialists combined with world-class trouble ticketing and follow-up technology to offer an economical, advanced Help Desk Call Center. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services provide an end-to-end solution that addresses all aspects of online Level 1 desktop support from initial help requests to trouble ticket generation, desktop sharing, issue resolution, and reporting. A browser-based User's Service Portal allows teleworkers to track or edit their active trouble tickets, enter details, and upload screen captures and attachments. Technical support services are provided at a significant discount off Progent's normal Level 1 desktop service rates, and Progent makes available optional fast escalation to Level 2 and Level 3 IT experts to resolve complex issues. To find out more, visit Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services for small and mid-size businesses.
• Progent's Help Desk Supplemental Service allows you to augment your current Call Desk organization by splitting responsibilities for Call Desk services transparently between your in-house support staff and Progent's extensive pool of desktop support engineers and subject matter experts. Progent's co-managed Call Center service uses a co-sourcing support model utilizing the number one professional services automation (PSA) platform for managing service requests and ticketing, assigning responsibility, monitoring progress, and generating management reports. For information about how Progent's Support Desk Supplementation Services can help your business to provide best-in-class technical support to your telecommuters, refer to Progent's Call Desk supplementation Services.

Security for Teleworkers
Work-from-Home (WFH) staff members commonly use their own computers and often work in a poorly secured physical space. This situation multiplies their susceptibility to cyber attacks and calls for careful deployment of corporate firewalls, anti-malware tools, multi-factor authentication, remote monitoring, extensive user training, and the development of policies based on best practices. Progent's veteran roster of data security support experts can assist your business to design, deploy and manage an effective security solution that guards vital IT assets in networks that incorporate remote workers.

Firewalls allow you to build a network environment that can be safely accessed by on-premises users as well as by an at-home workforce, mobile users, vendors, customers, and other stakeholders. Next-generation firewall appliances permit you to configure and manage appropriate access rights to different groups of users and to expand your network and adjust your security as your business evolves and as network attacks grow increasingly complex. Progent supports both new and older security appliances from all leading manufacturers including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, WatchGuard, Juniper, SonicWall and Fortinet. To learn more about Progent's firewall configuration services, refer to firewall integration and support expertise.

Online Endpoint Monitoring makes it possible to track the various computers used by teleworkers and either reject or spot and mitigate modern threats such as ransomware. With ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint software agent is put on every protected endpoint, monitoring all activity and utilizing state-of-the-art behavioral threat analysis from SentinelOne to identify zero-day threats before they can spread. When a cyberattack is spotted, ProSight ASM immediately disconnects the infected endpoint from the network to contain the threat. Because the ProSight ASM software agent is autonomous, endpoints remain secure even when 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 remote workers.

Progent's Duo MFA Service Plans incorporate Cisco's Duo technology to defend against password theft by using two-factor authentication. Duo supports one-tap identity confirmation with Apple iOS, Google Android, and other out-of-band devices. Using 2FA, whenever you sign into a secured online account and enter your password you are asked to verify your identity via a device that only you have and that is accessed using a separate network channel. A broad range of devices can be utilized for this second form of ID validation including an iPhone or Android or watch, a hardware token, a landline telephone, etc. You can register several validation devices. To find out more about ProSight Duo two-factor identity authentication services, see Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services for at-home workers.

Security Audits can evaluate the vulnerability of your network to all types of external and internal security threats for a network that incorporates remote workers. Progent can deploy online, automated cybersecurity analysis scanning for quickly and affordably uncovering a wide variety of security holes that can be surfaced over the Internet. Progent's endpoint security assessment consulting services, which can be managed by data security professionals with top certifications such as CISA, ISSAP, and GIAC, can assist you to evaluate your processes and governance policies and assess your WAN architecture to allow you to implement the highest level of protection for your an at-home workforce.

Horizon3.ai's NodeZero Pentest Platform is a cutting-edge penetration test (pentest) product family that can deliver automated threat assessment of your at-home environment and your internal and perimeter networks so you can find, prioritize, remediate, and verify cybersecurity weaknesses before malicious hackers can take advantage of them. Progent can help you to deploy NodeZero to carry out thorough penetration tests of your network perimeter and your internal network in order to determine your present security posture. Progent can also help you to strengthen your existing network security and can help you to design and deploy a unified cybersecurity ecosystem that simplifies management and delivers maximum cyber defense for on-prem, cloud-based, at-home, and perimeter IT resources. To find out more details about Progent's threat analysis solutions based on on NodeZero's pentest platform, refer to Consulting Services for NodeZero's Penetration Test Platform.

Download White Paper: Securing a Work-From-Home (WFH) Network
To read or download a white paper about key things to focus on for protecting an IT environment that supports telecommuters, click:
Securing a Work-From-Home (WFH) Network White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)

Data Protection Solutions for Teleworkers
The field of Data Protection involves backing up and restoring vital information in order to prevent data loss and reduce recovery time and effort in case of storage system failures due to equipment issues, programming glitches, human error, malware, or any other reason. Reliable data protection strategies can be especially difficult to design and maintain in hybrid environments that combine local data centers, public clouds, and an at-home workforce.

• Backup/Restore strategies for remote workers must address diverse kinds of user-owned endpoints. Progent offers quick remote access to experts familiar with a wide array of products for backing up Microsoft Windows, Apple and Linux/UNIX powered servers and desktops as well as laptops, iPads and smartphones. Leading backup/recovery products supported by Progent's data protection consultants include Barracuda Backup, Microsoft Azure Backup, DoubleTake Software, Acronis Backup and Recovery, Mozy, and Time Machine. To protect data spread throughout a hybrid network, Progent can provide ProSight Data Protection Services, a managed backup/recovery subscription service that uses cloud-based storage and includes granular recovery and unified management capabilities.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity plans typically envision scenarios that require a temporary switch to a work-at-home environment. Progent's senior disaster recovery preparedness consultants and business continuity planning specialists can assist you to produce, document and test a DR/BC strategy that addresses the process of switching to telecommuting.

Unified Management for Remote Workers
Microsoft has renamed and reshuffled its endpoint management platforms under the name Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which includes Intune for cloud-based management of mobile and remote devices and Configuration Manager for managing on-premises endpoints. Microsoft Endpoint Manager offers a unified platform for safeguarding critical information by controlling local, mobile, and home-based endpoints.

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 off-premises devices and applications. Remote endpoint devices can be user owned or business owned. Network administrators managing the enrolled endpoint devices of teleworkers can use Intune to provision and validate apps on devices, push patches and certificates, configure policies for permission to access information and resources, set passwords, create VPN tunnels, control how home-based workers share information, establish threat defense, ensure compliance, and wipe sensitive data from lost, stolen or deactivated endpoint devices. Microsoft Intune works with iOS/iPadOS, Android, Windows, and macOS endpoints. For details about Intune and to find out how Progent can assist you to use this platform to manage the endpoint devices of your telecommuters, visit Intune remote endpoint management experts.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced centralized Mobile Device Management (MDM) product that allows network administrators to keep remote endpoint devices up to date and protected. Workspace ONE uses VMware AirWatch for centralized endpoint administration combined with VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery technology for authorization control, app management, and configuration management of endpoint devices. Workspace ONE operates with devices based on Windows 10, macOS, Apple iOS, Google Android, Chrome OS, or popular distros of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is available by subscription as a cloud-based service or as an on-site deployment through a one-time purchase. Key capabilities of Workspace ONE include rapid over-the-air deployment of new notebooks, quick onboarding of new users, policy setting and enforcement for all categories of devices, unifies reporting and analytics, email encryption, and tight integration with Microsoft applications and cloud products. To learn about Progent's support for VMware Workspace ONE, see VMware Workspace ONE remote endpoint management expertise.

Contact Progent for Telecommuter Support Services
To get in touch with Progent about creating and managing a productive telecommuter environment for your Columbus, Ohio organization, phone 1-800-993-9400 or refer to Contact Progent.