Manhattan Beach Teleworkers Configuration Consulting

Expanding your remote workforce may have a significant impact on IT infrastructure, security/compliance, and corporate workflows. Progent has 20 years of experience helping businesses of all sizes to design, deploy, manage, tune, and troubleshoot IT environments that incorporate at-home workers. Progent can assist your Manhattan Beach company to pick the appropriate tools and follow leading practices in creating and maintaining a safe virtual office ecosystem for teleworkers that promotes teamwork and returns maximum business value. Progent offers support services ranging from as-needed guidance for helping you past challenging IT bottlenecks to comprehensive project management to help you carry out mission-critical tasks.

Progent can help Manhattan Beach, California businesses to succeed with any aspect of building a high-performing remote work ecosystem by delivering network infrastructure configuration services, IP voice troubleshooting, video conferencing support, collaboration platform selection and deployment, cloud connectivity, helpdesk outsourcing, cybersecurity, data protection solutions, and streamlined management.

Infrastructure for a Remote Workforce
Configuring the physical and software infrastructure needed for an at-home workforce can be especially complicated if you must manage a mix of personal equipment such as desktop computers and notebooks, Internet routers, and wireless appliances from different vendors and with a variety of operating systems and firmware releases. Progent's experience providing online help for both legacy and modern technologies in remote office solutions allows you to make cost-effective use of your existing infrastructure and offers ready access to top-tire consultants for implement essential upgrades. Services offered by Progent to help your company to create a high-functioning telecommuting ecosystem include:

• Virtual Private Network (VPN) connectivity allows you to create a secure tunnel for authenticated remote workers to access IT resources located at your company datacenter or in the cloud. Progent's consultants can help you to deploy and manage VPN access between your teleworkers and your various network resources by providing online VPN configuration consulting. For organizations using Cisco's ASA security appliances, Progent's Cisco ASA consultants can assist your at-home workers to set up Cisco's AnyConnect client software to provide safe VPN connections for a wide selection of devices such as Microsoft Windows, macOS, Apple iOS, Linux, and Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure platforms allow an at-home worker to view and use a remote PC's desktop. This gives network managers substantial control over the computing environment of at-home employees and ensures them a consistent and more productive work experience. Progent's virtual desktop consulting services include Windows Remote Desktop integration and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops expertise.
• Routers attach home networks to the Internet and typically support VPN tunnels, local Wi-Fi connectivity, and firewall services. Progent can provide expert remote support for integrating home routers from a variety of manufacturers. See router configuration support from Cisco-certified experts.
• Home Wireless networks, typically shared by families and guests, are commonly used by telecommuters to access their Internet router for work. This can cause performance as well as cybersecurity issues. Progent can assist businesses to mitigate these issues by providing services that include Aironet integration expertise, Cisco Meraki WiFi installation expertise, and Ubiquiti Unifi wireless AP setup help.
• Internet connectivity solutions affect the speed and availability of connections between telecommuters and the corporate data center. Vital applications may require backup Internet access in the event the primary connection breaks. Progent offers expertise for picking service providers, selecting sensible service bundles, and configuring redundant Internet access. See Internet access solutions.

VoIP Integration for Telecommuters
Extending the business phone environment to accommodate teleworkers is critical to maintaining an effective work-at-home solution. A variety of cloud-centric IP voice platforms are popular with small and mid-size businesses to server teleworkers. Many larger organizations rely on Cisco's modern or older products for VoIP solutions. Progent can assist businesses of all sizes to design or maintain a remote IP voice environment that provides the versatility, convenience and protection needed for remote users. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE IP Voice consultants can provide advanced support to help organizations tune their existing Cisco IP voice environments to handle a growing remote workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) extends advanced telephony features to devices like IP phones, media processing products, 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 collaboration networks. For more information about Progent's Unified Communications Manager support, refer to CUCM expertise.
• CallManager is Cisco's legacy call-processing software and has been replaced by Cisco Unified CM. Progent's consultants can assist you to maintain your current CallManager environment or migrate smoothly to Cisco's modern IP telephony products. To find out about Progent's expertise for Cisco CallManager and Cisco's other early IP voice platforms, refer to CallManager consulting services.
• Cisco IP Gateways provide integration with public telephony networks and with users working beyond the corporate firewall like at-home workers. Progent can provide expert support for Cisco's legacy IP gateways such as the UC520, UC540 and UC560 series and for current Cisco SIP gateways. See Cisco SIP gateway configuration consulting.
• Other VoIP Products supported by Progent include Vonage, Intermedia Unite and 8x8. Progent can help you to expand your wide area network architecture to work with these solutions and provide on-demand integration and debugging services.

Voice/Video Conferencing for Remote Workers
A wide selection of video conferencing products from major technology companies support online discussions, video conferencing, chat, and screen sharing for both local workers and telecommuters. Many organizations utilize multiple conferencing products to meet the needs of their different partners and customers. Progent's communications experts can assist your organization to maintain your existing voice/video conferencing ecosystem and enhance the experience of your at-home employees.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's popular unified communications platform that enables real-time presence, instant messaging, voice and video calling and conferencing as well as the seamless integration of these functions within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 applications including PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. Progent can provide the expertise of Microsoft-certified specialists who can assist your company to deploy and maintain Skype for Business clients to accommodate your at-home employees. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Skype for Business, visit Skype for Business consulting services.
• FaceTime is Apple's group video phone platform for compatible iOS and macOS devices. FaceTime works over Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Newer editions of FaceTime support up to 32 simultaneous users for voice/video calls. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Apple FaceTime, visit Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center supports remote conferencing for virtually all computing devices. Delivered via Cisco's Webex Cloud platform, Webex capabilities include sharing specific content or computer screens, presentations that incorporate rich media including Microsoft PowerPoint and Flash videos, session recording, plus editing and playback for future reference. To learn more about Progent's support expertise for Webex and 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 hub for conversations, contacts, and information with features such as IP voice and video conferencing, threaded chat, plus file sharing. To learn more about Progent's support expertise for Teams and for additional Microsoft 365 apps, see Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
• Other Conferencing Apps supported by Progent's conferencing experts include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can provide integration and debugging services for these products and help you to tune your WAN infrastructure to run them.

Microsoft Collaboration Software for Telecommuters
Microsoft's collaboration products are closely integrated with Microsoft's familiar Office suites, providing a powerful ecosystem of applications that deliver a consistent user interface for sharing data and ideas across a corporate network and on a broad range of endpoint devices. Progent has provided online consulting support for SharePoint and Exchange since their initial releases and can assist 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 deliver real-time collaboration. Designed as a replacement for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams can enable 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 relies on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Entra (previously called Azure Active Directory) for delivering its full range of features. For additional information about Progent's support services for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium, see planning and deployment expertise for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium.

SharePoint utilizes web entities to promote collaboration and knowledge sharing by providing policy-based access to data, workflow, and tools for searching through company-wide business data. SharePoint allows you to build secure portals that enables remote workers to see and update consolidated corporate intelligence via Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social networking sites, and Web Parts (Widgets). For information about Progent's SharePoint expertise, refer to SharePoint integration and development expertise.

Exchange and Exchange Online offer secure collaboration features including public folders, shared mailboxes, and shared calendars and contacts. Progent's Microsoft certified Exchange experts can show you how to activate and utilize these features for your at-home workers. To find out about Progent's Exchange support services, refer to deployment consulting for Microsoft Exchange Server.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s shared cloud file hosting and synchronization service, comparable to GoogleDrive. At-home users can save files to OneDrive, and co-workers anywhere can share them securely through a web browser. Provided with Office 365, OneDrive enables home employees to co-author documents. Edits created offline are synced when you reconnect to the Internet. For details about Progent's support services for Microsoft OneDrive, go to Microsoft Onedrive configuration consulting.

Cloud Integration Services for At-Home Workers
Progent offers affordable remote assistance for helping organizations to build, maintain and repair integrated hybrid network architectures that incorporate physical data centers, teleworkers, branch offices, plus public cloud services. Progent can provide expertise for all types of cloud service including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service. Progent can help remote workers fix issues with cloud access, authentication, and security.

Azure is a popular family of cloud software and services that allows you to utilize infrastructure, virtual servers, and key apps running on Microsoft's massive cloud. Azure offers over one hundred services services including the ability to host Windows and Linux-powered virtual machines, scalable cloud storage, email and messaging, application development with Visual Studio, and data backup. Progent can help your organization to deploy virtual machines on Azure Virtual Machines, integrate cloud-based storage on Azure Storage services, unify identity control with Azure AD, and plan data backup and restore systems with Azure Backup. Progent can also show you how to create protected connections to Azure services for telecommuters by configuring and troubleshooting firewalls and VPN IPsec tunnels. For information about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Azure, see Azure expertise.

Microsoft 365, formerly branded Office 365, is Microsoft's popular family of business productivity applications and cloud-based services available on a subscription basis. Microsoft apps and services are marketed in a selection of plans designed for users ranging from individuals and households to large corporations. Progent can provide fast and affordable remote contact with experts familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible devices based on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent's experts can assist your business to assess the various subscription plans available for Microsoft 365 and configure 365 apps for your at-home workers in a way that delivers top business value. For information about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft 365, go to Microsoft 365 consulting support.

Exchange Online is among the most popular cloud-based applications in the Microsoft 365 product line. Exchange Online offers the advantages of reduced costs for physical infrastructure, easier management, dynamic scaling, high reliability, and additional benefits associated with public clouds. Microsoft has engineered Microsoft 365 Exchange Online to run transparently with local deployments of Exchange, allowing customers to build hybrid networks. Progent's certified Exchange experts can provide occasional assistance to get you past challenging technical bottlenecks and also offer end-to-end project management services to ensure your remote workers have convenient and secure access to your Exchange Online deployment. For details Progent's consulting expertise for Exchange Online, visit Microsoft 365 Exchange Online configuration and support expertise.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a trailblazer in the public cloud market and is the world's biggest source of cloud-based services. Progent can provide fast and affordable online contact with cloud connectivity consultants who can assist your business to plan, implement, maintain, and debug hybrid information networks that incorporate Amazon AWS cloud services with on-premises data centers and with other popular cloud platforms such as Azure. Progent also offers the skills of Cisco-certified CCIE networking experts to help you to create a high-uptime network architecture to make sure your employees have a productive computing environment whether they are working from your headquarters, a branch office, at home, or on the move. For information about Progent's consulting services for Amazon AWS, see Amazon AWS integration expertise.

Google Cloud Platform is a leading suite of cloud services that provides Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) products. Progent's certified Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco experts can assist your business to extend your existing IT assets with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's DBA experts can help you make your key applications cloud ready so your remote workers can benefit fully from Google Cloud Platform services. Progent's consultants can assist you to deploy VMs on Google Cloud Compute Engine, plan an efficient storage solution with Google Cloud Storage services, and streamline identity control for at-home workers with GCP Cloud Identity services. Progent's consultants can also help your business to utilize GCP's unified management tools to administer and track your Google Cloud environment. For information, see Google Cloud Platform consulting services.

Help Desk Support for Remote Workers
A fast, enterprise-wide changeover to a telecommuter business model, which could be motivated by an epidemic or as a component of a disaster recovery/business continuity plan, can overstretch even the most efficient internal Support Desk. Progent's Help Desk Call Center services allow organizations to outsource or augment their Help Desk by using Progent's online Technical Response Center (TRC) team.

• Progent's Standard Help Desk Call Center services leverage Progent's nationwide network of online IT support specialists along with enterprise-class trouble ticketing and follow-up technology to provide an affordable, advanced Call Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services provide a comprehensive solution that handles all aspects of remote Level 1 PC support from initial help requests to trouble ticket creation, screen sharing, issue resolution, and reporting. A browser-based User's Service Portal allows teleworkers to check or update the status of their current trouble tickets, enter details, and upload screenshots or relevant files. Technical support services are delivered at a significant price reduction off Progent's ordinary Level 1 technical service rates, and Progent makes available the option of rapid hand-off to Level 2 and Level 3 support specialists to resolve advanced problems. For more information, visit Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services for small businesses.
• Progent's Help Desk Call Center Augmentation Service enables your company to expand your existing Call Center staff by sharing delivery of Call Desk services seamlessly between your in-house IT support organization and Progent's extensive pool of PC support engineers and subject matter specialists. Progent's co-managed Help Desk Call Center service is based on a collective support model utilizing the number one PSA platform for handling help requests and trouble tickets, establishing responsibility, monitoring progress, and producing management reports. To find out how Progent's Support Desk Augmentation Services can help your business to provide best-in-class IT support to your from-home workers, visit Progent's Help Desk Call Center supplementation Services.

Security for Teleworkers
Work-from-Home staff members typically utilize their personal computing devices and usually operate in an unsecured physical area. This situation multiplies their susceptibility to malware attacks and calls for careful deployment of corporate firewalls, anti-malware tools, multi-factor authentication, remote endpoint monitoring, intensive user education, and the development of policies built on best practices. Progent's seasoned roster of IT security support experts can assist your business to plan, deploy and maintain an effective cybersecurity solution that protects vital information resources in networks that include an at-home workforce.

Firewalls allow you to create a network that can be securely accessed by local users as well as by an at-home workforce, mobile users, suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders. Next-generation firewall appliances permit you to configure and control appropriate access rights to different groups of users and to scale your IT network and adjust your security profile as your business evolves and as cyber threats become more complex. Progent works with both new and older security devices from all major manufacturers like Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, WatchGuard, Juniper, and Fortinet. For more information about Progent's firewall configuration services, refer to firewall support services.

Remote Endpoint Monitoring makes it possible to track the disparate devices used by remote workers and either reject or identify and mitigate modern threats such as ransomware. With Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring services, a small-footprint software agent is put on each secured endpoint device, monitoring all activity and utilizing advanced behavioral threat analysis from SentinelOne to identify new threats on arrival. When an attack is spotted, ProSight ASM instantly isolates the targeted device from the network to contain the malware. Because the ProSight ASM agent is autonomous, endpoints stay protected even if they are not connected to the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. To find out more about ProSight ASM, refer to remote endpoint monitoring for at-home workers.

Progent's Duo MFA Managed Services incorporate Cisco's Duo technology to defend against password theft through the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo supports single-tap identity confirmation on iOS, Google Android, and other personal devices. Using 2FA, when you log into a secured application and give your password you are requested to verify who you are via a device that only you have and that is accessed using a different ("out-of-band") network channel. A wide selection of devices can be used for this added means of authentication including a smartphone or watch, a hardware/software token, a landline phone, etc. You may register several verification devices. For more information about ProSight Duo identity authentication services, visit Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services for remote workers.

Security Audits can evaluate the vulnerability of your network to all classes of outside and internal security threats for a network that includes telecommuters. Progent can run online, automated cybersecurity analysis software for rapidly and economically detecting a wide variety of security weaknesses that can be found via the Internet. Progent's endpoint security assessment consulting services, which can be managed by data security professionals with advanced certifications such as CISM, ISSAP, and GIAC, can assist you to evaluate your procedures and governance policies and assess your IT infrastructure to allow you to implement top-level protection for your telecommuters.

Horizon3.ai's NodeZero Pentest Platform is a cutting-edge penetration test (pentest) product family that can deliver automated testing of your at-home connectivity solution as well as your internal and perimeter networks so you can expose, prioritize, fix, and verify security vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can exploit them. Progent's pentest experts can help you to use NodeZero to carry out comprehensive pentests of your network perimeter and your internal IT infrastructure so you can determine your present security posture. Progent's NodeZero experts can also help you to strengthen your existing network security and can assist you to design and implement a unified cybersecurity ecosystem that simplifies management and delivers maximum cyber defense for on-premises, cloud-based, remote, and perimeter IT assets. To find out additional details about Progent's threat assessment solutions powered by on NodeZero's PEN test platform, refer to Consulting Support for NodeZero's Pentest Products.

Download White Paper: Securing a Work-From-Home Environment
To view or download a white paper describing key things to concentrate on for securing a network that supports work-from-home staff, click:
Securing a Work-From-Home Environment White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)

Data Protection Solutions for At-Home Workers
Data Protection covers backing up and recovering critical information so as to prevent data loss and minimize recovery time and effort in case of storage problems resulting from equipment breakdowns, software hiccups, operator mistakes, cyber attack, or any other reason. Reliable data protection strategies can be particularly challenging to architect and manage in hybrid environments that combine in-house data centers, cloud resources, and an at-home workforce.

• Backup/Restore strategies for teleworkers must cover multiple types of personally owned endpoint devices. Progent can provide quick online help from consultants familiar with a wide array of products for protection Windows, Apple Mac and Linux/UNIX powered servers and desktop computers as well as notebooks, iOS and Android tablets and handhelds. Popular backup/restore solutions supported by Progent's backup/recovery consultants include Barracuda Backup, Microsoft Azure Backup, Symantec Backup Exec, CrashPlan, Retrospect, and Time Machine. To protect resources spread throughout a hybrid network, Progent offers ProSight Data Protection Services, a managed backup/recovery service that uses cloud storage and includes granular recovery and unified management.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity (DR/BC) strategies often envision scenarios that require a temporary changeover to a work-at-home environment. Progent's expert disaster recovery planning experts and business continuity planning consultants can assist you to create, document and validate a DR/BC plan that includes the process of switching to telecommuting.

Unified Management for Remote Workers
Microsoft has renamed and reshuffled its endpoint management products under the title Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which includes Intune for cloud-based management of mobile and remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing local computers. Endpoint Manager provides a centralized platform for safeguarding corporate data by controlling local, mobile, and at-home endpoint devices.

Microsoft Intune
Intune is a component of Microsoft's Endpoint Management suite that also includes Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud service for managing and protecting off-premises computers and applications. Remote endpoint devices can be personally owned or business owned. IT admins managing the endpoint devices of telecommuters can use Intune to deploy and authenticate apps on managed devices, push patches and certificates, configure policies for accessing information and resources, set passwords, establish VPN tunnels, control how telecommuters share data, set up threat protection, ensure compliance, and delete sensitive data from missing, stolen or decommissioned endpoint devices. Intune runs with iOS/iPadOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS/OS X endpoints. For details about Microsoft Intune and how Progent can assist your company to use this platform to administer the endpoint computers of your telecommuters, go to Intune remote device management experts.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced centralized MDM platform that helps network managers to keep offsite endpoints current and protected. Workspace ONE incorporates VMware AirWatch technology for centralized endpoint administration along with VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery technology for access control, app management, and configuration management of endpoint computers. Workspace ONE runs with endpoints powered by Windows 10, macOS, Apple iOS, Google Android, Chrome OS, or leading distributions of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is offered by subscription as a cloud service or as an on-site deployment through a one-time purchase. Top capabilities of VMware Workspace ONE include fast over-the-air deployment of new notebooks, quick onboarding of new users, policy set up and enforcement for all classes of endpoints, unifies reporting and performance analytics, email encryption, and integration with Microsoft applications and cloud services. For information about Progent's expertise for VMware Workspace ONE, visit VMware Workspace ONE remote endpoint management consultants.

Contact Progent for Remote Workforce Support Services
To contact Progent about creating and maintaining a productive work-from-home environment for your Manhattan Beach, California business, call 1-800-993-9400 or refer to Contact Progent.