Morgan Hill Work at Home Employees Configuration Consulting Experts

Expanding your remote workforce can have a major effect on IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, and corporate culture. Progent has two decades of background assisting businesses of all sizes to plan, deploy, manage, optimize, and troubleshoot IT environments that support a remote workforce. Progent can help your Morgan Hill organization to pick the right tools and follow leading practices in creating and operating a secure virtual ecosystem for teleworkers that promotes teamwork and delivers top value. Progent offers services that go from as-needed guidance for getting you past occasional IT roadblocks to full project management or co-management to help you carry out business-critical initiatives.

Progent's consultants can assist Morgan Hill, California businesses to with any facet of building a high-functioning work-from-home ecosystem by providing network infrastructure configuration services, VoIP PBX expertise, voice/video conferencing integration, collaboration platform customization and training, public cloud connectivity, Help Desk augmentation, cybersecurity, data protection solutions, and unified management.

Infrastructure for an At-Home Workforce
Integrating the physical and software infrastructure required to support an at-home work environment can be particularly challenging if you must accommodate a combination of personal equipment like PCs and laptops, Internet routers, and Wi-Fi appliances from an assortment of manufacturers and with a mix of operating systems and firmware releases. Progent's experience providing remote help for both legacy and current technologies in remote office venues allows you to make cost-effective use of your existing network infrastructure and provides you with ready access to expertise for making necessary updates. Services offered by Progent to help you to create a productive telecommuting ecosystem include:

• Virtual Private Network (VPN) connectivity allows you to establish a secure connection for authorized at-home workers to use IT resources located at your company data center or in a public cloud. Progent can assist you to deploy and manage VPN access between your teleworkers and your various IT resources by providing remote VPN configuration consulting. For organizations using Cisco's ASA firewalls, Progent's Cisco-certified ASA Firewall consultants can assist your remote workers to set up Cisco's AnyConnect software for secure VPN tunneling for a broad range of devices such as Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux, and Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure products allow an at-home worker to view and use a remote PC's desktop. This technology gives network managers substantial control over the digital ecosystem of at-home employees and ensures remote users a familiar experience. Progent's virtual desktop services include Windows Remote Desktop integration and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops VDI consulting.
• Routers connect home networks to the Internet and support VPN connections, home wireless networks, and firewalls. Progent offers top-tier online consulting for setting up routers from a variety of manufacturers. See router configuration support from Cisco-certified experts.
• Home Wireless networks, typically shared by families and guests, are frequently utilized by at-home employees to connect to their router for work. This can cause throughput and security problems. Progent can help you to mitigate these problems by providing services that include Aironet integration expertise, Cisco-certified Meraki WiFi deployment expertise, and Ubiquiti Unifi WiFi AP integration help.
• Internet access solutions affect the speed and reliability of connections between at-home workers and the company data center. Mission-critical processes may demand redundant Internet connections in case the normal connection breaks. Progent can provide expertise for selecting service providers, choosing appropriate bandwidth and data volume packages, and integrating high-availability Internet access. Refer to Internet access integration services.

VoIP Integration for Telecommuters
Expanding the business PBX environment to accommodate telecommuters is critical to supporting a productive work-at-home solution. A broad range of cloud-centric IP voice products are popular with small and mid-size businesses to support remote users. Many larger organizations rely on Cisco's modern or older platforms for VoIP solutions. Progent can help businesses of all sizes to plan or maintain a telecommuter VoIP environment that provides the flexibility, convenience and protection needed for teleworkers. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE IP Voice consultants can provide advanced support to help businesses optimize their existing Cisco IP voice systems to handle a growing at-home workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) extends enterprise telephony capabilities to devices like VoIP phones, media processing products, Voice over IP gateways, and mixed media software used throughout the network. CUCM manages additional combined media services such as unified messaging, voice/video conferencing, and team collaboration networks. For more information about Progent's CUCM expertise, see Cisco Unified Communications Manager consultants.
• CallManager is Cisco's legacy call-processing software and has been replaced by CUCM. Progent can assist you to maintain your current CallManager deployment or upgrade smoothly to Cisco's current IP telephony products. To find out about Progent's expertise for CallManager and Cisco's other legacy VoIP platforms, visit CallManager expertise.
• Cisco IP Gateways enable integration with public telephony networks and with clients operating beyond the corporate firewall such as at-home workers. Progent can provide consulting expertise for Cisco's legacy IP gateways like the UC520, UC540 and UC560 products and for modern Cisco SIP gateways. See Cisco SIP gateway integration expertise.
• Other VoIP Platforms supported by Progent's consultants include Vonage, Intermedia Unite and 8x8. Progent can assist you to update your wide area network infrastructure to support these solutions and provide as-needed configuration and debugging expertise.

Video Conferencing for Telecommuters
A wide range of video conferencing products from major vendors support online discussions, video conferencing, chat, and screen/content sharing for both onsite workers and at-home workers. Many organizations utilize multiple products to meet the needs of their different partners and clients. Progent's communications experts can assist your organization to manage your current conferencing ecosystem and enhance the productivity of your at-home employees.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's leading unified communications platform that supports presence, IM, voice and video conferencing as well as the transparent integration of these functions within Office desktop and Microsoft 365 productivity software such as PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook. Progent offers the skills of Microsoft-certified specialists who can assist you 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, refer to Skype for Business consulting services.
• FaceTime is Apple's group video phone platform for compatible iOS, iPadOS, iPod and macOS computers and smartphones. FaceTime runs on Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Current versions of FaceTime support as many as 32 simultaneous users for video sessions. For details about Progent's consulting services for Apple FaceTime, refer to Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center provides remote conferencing for virtually all desktop or mobile devices. Offered via Cisco's Webex Cloud, Webex capabilities include sharing granular content or computer screens, presentations that incorporate rich media including Microsoft PowerPoint, network-based recording, plus revision and playback for future reference and training. For details about Progent's consulting services for Cisco 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 capabilities such as voice/video calling, persistent threaded chat, plus file sharing. To learn more about Progent's support services for Teams and for other 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 expertise for these products and assist you to tune your network architecture to run them.

Microsoft Collaboration Platforms for an At-Home Workforce
Microsoft's collaboration platforms are closely integrated with Microsoft's popular Office and Microsoft 365 suites, offering a powerful environment of productivity apps that deliver a cohesive user interface for sharing data and ideas across a corporate network and on a wide selection of endpoint computers. Progent has provided online consulting services for Microsoft SharePoint and Exchange since their first releases and can assist businesses to configure these critical collaboration products to optimize the effectiveness of your remote workforce.

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

Microsoft Teams works on top of Microsoft 365 and supports third-party cloud services to deliver real-time collaboration and communication. Developed as a substitute for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams can enable chat, video meetings that include screen sharing, calling, cloud voicemail, group email, as well as file and app sharing. Teams is tightly integrated with Microsoft 365 and relies on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Entra (formerly branded Azure Active Directory) for delivering its complete range of features. To learn more about Progent's support services for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium, see planning and configuration consulting for Microsoft Teams.

SharePoint utilizes web sites to facilitate collaboration and information delivery by providing policy-driven delivery of data, business processes, and utilities for searching through enterprise-wide business data. SharePoint enables you to build secure portals that permits at-home workers to view and update consolidated business intelligence by means of Intranets (Wikis), Blogs, social sites, and Web Parts. To learn about Progent's SharePoint support services, refer to 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 expertise, visit integration consulting services for Exchange.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s shared cloud-based storage service, similar to GoogleDrive. Remote users can save files to OneDrive, and colleagues anywhere can share them safely through a web browser. Included with Office 365, OneDrive enables at-home workers to co-edit documents. Edits created offline are automatically synced when you reconnect to the Internet. For details about Progent's expertise for OneDrive, refer to Onedrive integration consulting.

Public Cloud Integration for Teleworkers
Progent can provide affordable online assistance for helping organizations to create, maintain and optimize integrated network architectures that combine internal data centers, at-home workers, branches, plus public cloud resources. Progent offers top-tier consultant for all modes of cloud service such as Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service (SaaS). Progent can help remote workers resolve issues with cloud connectivity, authentication, and security.

Azure is a popular family of public cloud services that enables you to use IT infrastructure, servers, and critical apps running on Microsoft's extensive cloud. Microsoft Azure features over 100 services services such as the ability to host Windows and Linux-powered virtual machines, scalable cloud storage, messaging, application development with Visual Studio, and backup/restore. Progent can assist you to deploy VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, integrate storage on Azure Storage services, streamline identity control with Azure AD, and plan data backup and recovery systems with Azure Backup. Progent can also show you how to create protected connections to Azure services for remote workers by setting up and debugging firewall appliances and VPN tunnels. To learn about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft Azure, go to Microsoft Azure consulting services.

Microsoft 365, previously branded Office 365, is Microsoft's growing suite of business productivity software and cloud-based services available by subscription. Microsoft applications and services are provided in a variety of bundles intended for customers ranging from individuals and small offices to major corporations. Progent can provide quick and affordable remote contact with experts familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible client devices running Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent can assist you to assess the various subscription bundles available for Microsoft 365 and deploy 365 applications for your remote workers in a way that delivers top business value. For information about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft 365, refer to Microsoft 365 consulting expertise.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online is among the most widely used cloud-based applications in Azure-hosted Microsoft 365 product suite. Microsoft 365 Exchange Online provides the benefits of lower spending for data center infrastructure, easier management, dynamic scaling, high reliability, and additional advantages inherent with public clouds. Microsoft has designed Exchange Online to run transparently with on-premises deployments of Exchange, enabling customers to create hybrid cloud/onsite information systems. Progent's certified Exchange experts can provide occasional help to guide you through challenging IT roadblocks and can also provide end-to-end project management services to make sure your at-home workers have easy and safe access to your Exchange Online environment. To learn Progent's consulting expertise for Exchange Online, refer to Exchange Online configuration and troubleshooting consulting.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a pioneer in the public cloud computing arena and is the world's biggest source of cloud-based services. Progent can provide rapid and affordable online access to cloud integration experts who can help your organization to plan, deploy, manage, and troubleshoot hybrid information networks that integrate Amazon AWS cloud services with local resources and with other popular cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure. Progent also offers access to Cisco-certified CCIE networking consultants to help you to create a high-availability network model so your employees have a consistent computing environment regardless of whether they are working from your headquarters, a branch office, at home, or on the move. To learn about Progent's support services for Amazon AWS, visit Amazon AWS consulting support.

Google Cloud is a leading 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 existing IT assets with the Google Cloud, and Progent's DBA consultants can help you make your mission-critical applications cloud ready so your telecommuters can take full advantage of Google Cloud services. Progent can assist your organization to deploy virtual machines on GCP Compute Engine, plan a cost-effective storage solution with Google Cloud Storage services, and simplify identity control for teleworkers with Google Cloud Identity services. Progent's experts can also help you to use GCP's management technology to administer and monitor your Google Cloud ecosystem. For details, see Google Cloud Platform (GCP) integration expertise.

Help Desk Support for Teleworkers
A sudden, company-wide switchover to a from-home business model, which might be motivated by an epidemic or as a component of a disaster recovery/business continuity process, can overstretch even a high-performing in-house Help Desk. Progent's Call Center services allow organizations of any size to outsource or augment their Help Desk by using Progent's online Technical Response Center team.

• Progent's Standard Support Desk support services utilize Progent's extensive team of remote technical support experts combined with enterprise-class trouble ticketing and follow-up technology to offer an affordable, modern Call Center. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services provide a comprehensive solution that handles all aspects of online Level 1 PC technical support from help requests through ticket generation, screen sharing, problem resolution, and incident reporting. A browser-based User's Service Portal allows from-home workers to track or update their active tickets, enter information, and upload screenshots or relevant files. Support services are provided at a significant price reduction off Progent's normal Level 1 technical service charges, and Progent makes available the option of rapid hand-off to Level 2 and Level 3 support specialists to resolve advanced issues. For more information, visit Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services outsourcing for small companies.
• Progent's Support Desk Augmentation Service enables you to supplement your existing Help Desk organization by splitting delivery of Help Desk Call Center support transparently between your regular IT support staff and Progent's nationwide roster of PC support technicians and subject matter experts. Progent's shared Help Desk Call Center service is based on a collaborative support solution based on the number one professional services automation (PSA) tool for handling service requests and trouble tickets, establishing ownership, monitoring progress, and generating reports. For details about how Progent's Call Center Augmentation Services can help your business to provide best-in-class IT support to your at-home employees, visit Progent's Call Center supplementation Services.

Security for Teleworkers
Work-from-Home workers commonly utilize their own computing devices and usually operate in an unsecured physical environment. This multiplies their susceptibility to cyber threats and requires judicious configuration of corporate firewalls, AV tools, MFA-based identity verification, remote endpoint monitoring, extensive user education, and the creation of policies based on leading practices. Progent's veteran group of IT security solutions consultants can help your business to plan, implement and maintain a compliant security solution that guards critical IT assets in environments that incorporate telecommuters.

Firewalls allow companies to create a network environment that can be securely accessed by on-premises users and by teleworkers, mobile employees, suppliers, customers, and the public. Modern firewall devices permit you to assign and manage appropriate permissions to different classes of users and to scale your IT network and adjust your cybersecurity posture as your company evolves and as cyber threats grow increasingly complex. Progent works with both new and legacy security appliances from all major vendors including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, Juniper, SonicWall and Fortinet. For more information about Progent's firewall integration services, refer to firewall integration and support services.

Remote Endpoint Monitoring makes it easy to watch over the disparate devices utilized by an at-home workforce and either block or identify and mitigate the latest threats like ransomware. With Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) services, a lightweight software agent is installed on every secured endpoint device, monitoring all activity and utilizing state-of-the-art machine learning from SentinelOne to identify new attacks on arrival. When a cyberattack is discovered, ProSight Active Security Monitoring immediately isolates the infected device from the corporate network to contain the threat. Since the ProSight ASM software agent is self-contained, endpoints stay secure even if they are disconnected from the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. For details about ProSight Active Security Monitoring, visit remote endpoint monitoring for telecommuters.

Progent's Duo MFA Managed Services utilize Cisco's Duo technology to defend against stolen passwords through the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo enables one-tap identity verification with Apple iOS, Android, and other personal devices. Using Duo 2FA, whenever you sign into a secured online account and enter your password you are asked to confirm your identity on a unit that only you have and that uses a different network channel. A broad range of out-of-band devices can be utilized as this second form of authentication such as a smartphone or watch, a hardware token, a landline phone, etc. You can register several verification devices. For more information about ProSight Duo two-factor identity validation services, go to Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services for an at-home workforce.

Security Audits can assess the exposure of your network to all classes of outside and internal security attacks for a network that includes an at-home workforce. Progent can run remote, automated security inventory scanning for quickly and affordably detecting a wide variety of security holes that can be found over the Internet. Progent's security assessment consulting services, which can be managed by security professionals with top certifications including CISM, ISSAP, and GIAC, can assist you to evaluate your operations and policies and assess your IT architecture to allow you to implement the highest level of protection for your telecommuters.

Horizon3.ai's NodeZero Penetration Testing Platform is a breakthrough penetration test (pentest) product family that can deliver autonomous testing of your work-from-home connectivity solution as well as your internal and perimeter networks so you can find, rank, remediate, and confirm security vulnerabilities before threat actors can exploit them. Progent can help you to use NodeZero to perform thorough pentests of your perimeter and your internal network in order to evaluate your present security posture. Progent's NodeZero experts can also help you to harden your network security and can assist you to plan and implement a unified cybersecurity strategy that streamlines management and delivers maximum protection for on-prem, cloud-based, remote, and perimeter IT assets. To learn additional details about Progent's threat assessment solutions powered by on NodeZero's pentest products, see Consulting Support for NodeZero's Pentest Platform.

Download White Paper: Protecting a Work-From-Home Network
To view or download a white paper describing key things to focus on for securing an IT environment that includes telecommuters, click:
Protecting a Work-From-Home Network White Paper. (PDF - 2.4 MB)

Data Protection for Remote Workers
Data Protection covers saving and recovering critical information in order to prevent data loss and minimize restoration time and effort in the event of storage system problems resulting from hardware breakdowns, software glitches, user mistakes, malware, or other causes. Dependable data protection solutions can be particularly challenging to design and maintain in hybrid environments that combine local data centers, cloud resources, and at-home workers.

• Backup/Restore solutions for teleworkers must cover diverse types of personally owned endpoint devices. Progent offers fast remote help from experts knowledgeable about a wide array of products for protection Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac and Linux/UNIX powered servers and desktops as well as laptops, iPads and handhelds. Leading backup/recovery solutions maintained by Progent's backup/recovery experts include Barracuda Backup, Azure Backup, DoubleTake Software, Acronis Backup and Recovery, Retrospect, and Time Machine. To back up data distributed throughout a wide area network, Progent offers ProSight Data Protection Services, a backup/recovery subscription service that uses cloud-based storage and includes fine-grained recovery and unified management capabilities.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity strategies commonly envision scenarios that require a temporary changeover to an at-home workforce. Progent's senior disaster recovery planning consultants and business continuity planning specialists can help you to develop, document and validate a DR/BC plan that includes the logistics of moving to an at-home workforce.

Unified Management for Telecommuters
Microsoft has rebranded and reshuffled its endpoint management platforms under the title Microsoft Endpoint Manager, which encompasses Intune for cloud management of remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing local endpoints. Endpoint Manager features a centralized environment for safeguarding corporate information by managing local, mobile, and at-home endpoint devices.

Microsoft Intune
Intune is part of Microsoft's Endpoint Management suite that also features Microsoft Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud-based service for managing and securing mobile computers and applications. Remote endpoint computers can be user owned or company owned. IT admins managing the endpoint computers of at-home workers can use Intune to provision and authenticate applications on managed devices, push updates and certificates, configure policies for permission to access data and resources, manage passwords, establish VPN connections, determine how home-based workers share data, establish threat protection, verify compliance, and delete corporate data from missing, stolen or deactivated endpoint devices. Microsoft Intune runs with iOS/iPadOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS computers. To learn about Microsoft Intune and how Progent can assist your company to use Microsoft's Endpoint Management to manage the devices of your at-home workers, refer to Intune remote device management experts.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced centralized Mobile Device Management platform that allows network managers to keep remote endpoint devices up to date and secure. Workspace ONE incorporates VMware AirWatch technology for centralized endpoint administration plus VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery technology for authorization control, application management, and setup management of endpoints. Workspace ONE runs with endpoints powered by Windows 10, macOS, Apple iOS, Android, Chrome OS, or popular distros of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is offered by subscription as a cloud service or as an on-premises deployment through a perpetual license. Top capabilities of Workspace ONE include fast remote provisioning of out-of-the-box notebooks, immediate onboarding of new employees, policy setting and enforcement for all categories of devices, unifies reporting and performance analytics, email encryption, and seamless integration with Microsoft applications and cloud-based services. For details about Progent's support for VMware Workspace ONE, refer to VMware Workspace ONE remote endpoint management expertise.

Contact Progent for Remote Workforce Support Services
To get in touch with Progent about creating and managing an efficient telecommuter solution for your Morgan Hill, California business, phone 1-800-993-9400 or refer to Contact Progent.