Virginia Beach Teleworkers Configuration Consultants

Enlarging your remote workforce may have a significant impact on IT infrastructure, security/compliance, and company processes. Progent has two decades of background assisting small and mid-size businesses to plan, deploy, manage, optimize, and debug IT environments that support at-home workers. Progent can assist your Virginia Beach organization to pick the appropriate tools and adhere to leading practices in building and maintaining a secure virtual office solution for teleworkers that promotes collaboration and delivers top value. Progent can provide services that go from as-needed guidance for getting you past occasional technical bottlenecks to full project management to help you successfully complete mission-critical tasks.

Progent can assist Virginia Beach, Virginia companies to with any facet of building a high-performing work-at-home ecosystem by providing infrastructure design and configuration services, VoIP PBX troubleshooting, video conferencing support, collaboration platform customization and training, public cloud integration, Call Desk augmentation, security and compliance, data protection solutions, and unified management.

Network Infrastructure for Telecommuters
Setting up the physical and software infrastructure required for a remote work environment can be particularly challenging if you must accommodate a mix of personal equipment such as desktop computers and laptops, Internet routers, and wireless APs from an assortment of manufacturers and with a mix of operating systems and firmware levels. Progent's background delivering online help for both legacy and current IT products in virtual office venues enables you to make efficient use of your available network infrastructure and provides you with ready access to top-tire consultants for making essential updates. Services offered by Progent to assist you to implement a high-functioning telecommuting infrastructure include:

• Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology makes it possible to establish a secure connection for authenticated at-home workers to access IT assets located at your corporate datacenter or in a public cloud. Progent's consultants can help your company to deploy and manage VPN connections between your at-home workforce and your various network resources by providing online VPN integration support. For organizations with Cisco's ASA security appliances, Progent's Cisco ASA Firewall experts can help your telecommuters to set up Cisco's popular AnyConnect client software to provide safe VPN connections for a wide selection of devices such as Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux, and Google Android.
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) products allow a telecommuter to see and use a remote PC's desktop. This technology gives IT managers significant control over the digital environment of telecommuters and ensures remote users a familiar work experience. Progent's virtual desktop consulting services include Windows Remote Desktop support and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops VDI expertise.
• Routers connect home computer networks to the Internet and support VPN connections, home wireless networks, and firewall services. Progent can provide expert online support for configuring routers from a range of manufacturers. See router integration services from Cisco-certified experts.
• Home Wireless networks, typically supporting families and guests, are frequently utilized by at-home employees to connect to their router for work. This can cause throughput as well as security issues. Progent can assist businesses to mitigate these problems by providing services that include Cisco Aironet configuration expertise, Cisco-certified Meraki wireless installation expertise, and Ubiquiti Unifi wireless AP integration assistance.
• Internet access methods affect the speed and reliability of connections between telecommuters and the company data center. Business-critical applications may require redundant Internet access in the event the normal connection fails. Progent can provide expertise for selecting Internet service providers, choosing appropriate bandwidth and data volume packages, and configuring fault-tolerant Internet connections. See Internet access solutions.

VoIP Integration for Remote Workers
Expanding the company PBX environment to accommodate remote users is vital to supporting an effective at-home workforce. A broad range of cloud-centric IP voice platforms are popular with small and mid-size businesses to server remote users. Many enterprises rely on Cisco's current or older platforms for IP voice solutions. Progent can help businesses of all sizes to design or maintain a telecommuter IP voice environment that provides the versatility, transparency and protection required for remote users. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE IP Voice experts offer high-level support to assist businesses tune their current Cisco VoIP systems to support a growing at-home workforce.

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM) extends high-end IP telephony features to devices such as VoIP phones, media processing products, VoIP gateways, and mixed media software deployed across the network. Unified Communications Manager manages other combined media services such as messaging, video conferencing, and customer collaboration networks. For more information about Progent's CUCM support, visit Cisco Unified CM consulting services.
• CallManager is Cisco's earlier call-processing software and has been replaced by Cisco Unified CM. Progent can help you to support your current CallManager deployment or migrate smoothly to Cisco's current IP telephony solutions. To find out about Progent's expertise for CallManager and Cisco's other legacy IP voice platforms, visit CallManager consulting services.
• Cisco IP Gateways provide integration with PSTN networks and with clients working beyond the corporate perimeter such as at-home workers. Progent offers expert support for Cisco's earlier generation IP gateways like the UC520, UC540 and UC560 series as well as for modern Cisco Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateways. See Cisco SIP gateway integration expertise.
• Additional VoIP Products supported by Progent's consultants include Vonage, Intermedia Unite and 8x8. Progent can help you to expand your WAN architecture to support these solutions and provide on-demand configuration and troubleshooting expertise.

Voice/Video Conferencing for Teleworkers
A broad range of voice/video conferencing platforms from leading vendors support virtual meetings, video and voice conferencing, chat, and content sharing for both local workers and telecommuters. Many organizations utilize a mix of conferencing products to meet the needs of their various partners and customers. Progent can help your organization to maintain your current conferencing environment and enhance the experience of your remote workforce.

• Skype for Business is Microsoft's popular unified communications product that supports 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 offers the expertise of Microsoft-certified specialists who can help your company to set up and maintain Skype for Business client software to accommodate your remote employees. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Skype for Business, visit Skype for Business consulting services.
• FaceTime is Apple's multiuser video phone platform for iOS and macOS devices. FaceTime works over Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connections. Newer versions of FaceTime allow up to 32 simultaneous users for video sessions. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for FaceTime, refer to Progent's FaceTime configuration expertise.
• Webex Meeting Center supports remote conferencing for most computing devices. Delivered via Cisco's Webex Cloud, Webex capabilities include sharing discrete content or computer screens, presentations that embed rich media such as Microsoft PowerPoint, session capture, plus editing and playback for training. To learn more about Progent's consulting services for Webex as well as for other video conferencing solutions from Cisco, see 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 voice/video conferencing, persistent chat, plus data sharing. For details about Progent's support services for Microsoft Teams and for additional Microsoft 365 products, visit Progent's Microsoft Teams consulting services.
• Additional Conferencing Platforms supported by Progent's conferencing experts include Google Meet, Amazon Chime, Zoom, and Slack. Progent can deliver configuration and troubleshooting expertise for these products and assist you to tune your network infrastructure to run them.

Microsoft Integrated Collaboration Platforms for At-Home Workers
Microsoft's collaboration products are closely integrated with Microsoft's popular Office families, providing a powerful environment of applications that deliver a consistent user interface for exchanging data and ideas across multiple sites and on a wide range of endpoint computers. Progent has provided remote consulting services for SharePoint and Exchange Server since their first publication and can help your company to tune these flagship collaboration products 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 integrates with third-party cloud services to provide real-time collaboration. Designed as a substitute for Skype for Business Online, Microsoft Teams can support chat, audio/video meetings with screen sharing, calling, cloud voicemail, group email, plus file and app sharing. Teams is tightly integrated with Microsoft 365 and depends on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Azure Entra (previously branded Azure Active Directory) for delivering its full range of features. To learn more about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Teams, visit planning and configuration consulting for Microsoft Teams and Teams Premium.

SharePoint uses web sites to allow collaboration and knowledge sharing by providing policy-based access to data, business processes, and tools for looking through company-wide information silos. SharePoint enables you to create secure web portals that allows remote workforce to view and edit aggregated business intelligence by means of Wikis, Blogs, social web sites, and Web Parts (Widgets). For information about Progent's SharePoint consulting services, go to SharePoint configuration and application 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. For details about Progent's Exchange consulting expertise, visit planning and configuration consulting for Exchange.

OneDrive is Microsoft�s collaborative cloud-based file hosting and synchronization service, similar to GoogleDrive. At-home users can store files to the OneDrive service, and colleagues anywhere can access them safely through a web browser. Included with Office 365, OneDrive allows at-home employees to jointly author documents. Revisions created offline are synced when you reconnect to the Internet. For information about Progent's expertise for Microsoft OneDrive, see Microsoft Onedrive configuration experts.

Public Cloud Integration Services for At-Home Workers
Progent can provide fast and affordable remote support for helping businesses to create, maintain and troubleshoot cohesive network models that combine internal data centers, remote workers, branch offices, plus cloud resources. Progent can provide top-tier consultant 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 resolve problems with public cloud connectivity, authentication, and cybersecurity.

Microsoft Azure is a popular platform for cloud software and services that enables you to use IT infrastructure, virtual servers, and critical applications running on Microsoft's massive cloud. Azure offers over 100 cloud-based services including the ability to host Windows and Linux-based virtual machines, on-demand cloud storage, email and messaging, app development with Visual Studio, and data protection. Progent can help your organization to set up VMs on Azure Virtual Machines, configure storage on Azure Storage services, unify identity control with Azure Active Directory, and design backup and restore solutions with Azure Backup. Progent can also show you how to create protected connections to Azure services for teleworkers by configuring and troubleshooting firewall appliances and VPN IPsec tunnels. For details about Progent's consulting services for Microsoft Azure, refer to Microsoft Azure expertise.

Microsoft 365, formerly branded Office 365, is Microsoft's popular family of client productivity applications and cloud services available by subscription. Office apps and cloud services are marketed in a variety of plans designed for customers ranging from individuals and small offices to large enterprises. Progent offers quick and affordable remote contact with experts familiar with Microsoft 365-compatible devices running Windows, Mac, iOS, and Google Android operating systems. Progent's experts can help your business to evaluate the various subscription bundles available for Microsoft 365 and deploy 365 applications for your remote workers to achieve top business value. For details about Progent's support services for Microsoft 365, go to Microsoft 365 consulting services.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online is among the most popular cloud-based applications in the Microsoft 365 product suite. Exchange Online offers the benefits of reduced spending for physical infrastructure, simplified management, dynamic scaling, high reliability, and additional benefits associated with cloud computing. Microsoft has designed Microsoft 365 Exchange Online to operate transparently with local deployments of Exchange, allowing customers to build hybrid cloud/onsite networks. Progent's certified Exchange experts can provide as-needed help to get you past challenging IT roadblocks and also offer comprehensive project management services to ensure your telecommuters have easy and secure access to your Exchange Online deployment. To learn Progent's consulting expertise for Exchange Online, refer to Exchange Online configuration and support expertise.

Amazon AWS is a trailblazer in the public cloud computing market and is the world's top source of cloud-based services. Progent can provide fast and affordable online contact with cloud integration consultants who can assist your business to design, implement, maintain, and debug hybrid information networks that integrate Amazon AWS cloud-based services with local data centers and with other public clouds like Azure. Progent also offers access to Cisco-certified CCIE networking experts to assist you to build a high-availability network model to make sure your users have a productive computing experience regardless of whether they are working from your headquarters, a branch office, from home, or on the move. For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Amazon AWS, refer to Amazon AWS consulting expertise.

Google Cloud (GCP) is a leading collection of public cloud services that offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) products. Progent's Microsoft, Linux, and Cisco experts can help you to expand your existing IT resources with the Google Cloud Platform, and Progent's DBA consultants can show you how to make your key applications cloud ready so your at-home workers can take full advantage of Google Cloud Platform services. Progent can help you to deploy VMs on Google Cloud Compute Engine, plan an efficient storage system with Google Cloud Storage services, and simplify identity control for telecommuters with GCP Cloud Identity services. Progent's consultants can also assist you to use GCP's management tools to administer and monitor your Google Cloud ecosystem. To learn, see Google Cloud Platform (GCP) integration services.

Help Desk Services for Remote Workers
An emergency, enterprise-wide switchover to a telecommuter workforce, which might be activated by an epidemic or as part of a disaster recovery/business continuity plan, can overwhelm even the most efficient internal Support Desk. Progent's Call Center services allow businesses of any size to outsource or expand their Help Desk Call Center with Progent's remote Technical Response Center (TRC) team.

• Progent's Standard Call Desk support services utilize Progent's extensive team of online technical support experts along with world-class trouble ticketing and follow-up software to offer an economical, advanced Call Desk. Progent's Standard Help Desk Services offer an end-to-end solution that handles all aspects of online Level 1 desktop support from help requests through trouble ticket creation, desktop sharing, problem resolution, and incident reporting. A browser-based User's Service Portal enables teleworkers to track or edit the status of their active trouble tickets, add information, and append screen captures and attachments. Support services are delivered at a significant price reduction off Progent's normal Level 1 technical service rates, and Progent offers the option of rapid hand-off to Level 2 and Level 3 support experts to resolve advanced issues. To learn more, visit Progent's Standard Helpdesk Services for small businesses.
• Progent's Help Desk Call Center Augmentation Service enables your business to supplement your existing Help Desk team by sharing delivery of Call Center services seamlessly between your in-house support personnel and Progent's nationwide pool of desktop support technicians and subject matter experts. Progent's co-managed Help Desk Call Center service uses a collaborative support solution based on the number one professional services automation (PSA) tool for handling service requests and trouble tickets, assigning ownership, monitoring progress, and producing management reports. For information about how Progent's Help Desk Supplementation Services can help your business to deliver world-class desktop support to your telecommuters, visit Progent's Call Center supplementation Services.

Cybersecurity for At-Home Workers
Work-from-Home workers typically use their personal devices and often work in an unsecured physical area. This situation increases their vulnerability to cyber threats and calls for judicious configuration of firewalls, anti-malware tools, MFA-based identity verification, remote monitoring, intensive user training, and the creation of security policies based on leading practices. Progent's veteran team of cybersecurity solutions experts can assist you to plan, deploy and manage an effective cybersecurity solution that protects vital information resources in environments that include at-home workers.

Firewalls allow companies to create a network that can be safely utilized by on-premises users and by at-home workers, mobile employees, suppliers, customers, and the public. Next-generation firewall devices allow you to configure and manage appropriate permissions to various groups of users and to scale your network and adjust your security as your company evolves and as cyber threats become increasingly complex. Progent supports both new and legacy firewall devices from all major vendors including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Check Point, Juniper, SonicWall and Fortinet. For more information about Progent's firewall integration expertise, see firewall integration and support expertise.

Online Endpoint Security Monitoring makes it possible to track the disparate computers used by telecommuters and either block or identify and mitigate the latest cyber attacks such as ransomware. With Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) services, a small-footprint software agent is put on each protected endpoint device, monitoring all activity and utilizing advanced AI technology from SentinelOne to detect zero-day attacks at inception. When an attack is spotted, ProSight ASM instantly disconnects the infected endpoint from the corporate network to contain the threat. Since the ProSight Active Security Monitoring software agent is self-contained, endpoints stay protected even when they are disconnected from the Internet. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. For details about ProSight ASM, refer to remote endpoint security monitoring for an at-home workforce.

Progent's Duo MFA Services utilize Cisco's Duo cloud technology to protect against stolen passwords by using two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo enables single-tap identity verification on Apple iOS, Android, and other personal devices. Using 2FA, when you log into a protected online account and give your password you are asked to confirm who you are on a device that only you possess and that is accessed using a different ("out-of-band") network channel. A wide range of devices can be utilized for this added means of ID validation such as an iPhone or Android or wearable, a hardware/software token, a landline telephone, etc. You may designate several validation devices. To find out more about ProSight Duo identity validation services, go to Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for remote workers.

Security Audits can evaluate the exposure of your network to all classes of outside and local security threats for a network that incorporates teleworkers. Progent can deploy remote, automated cybersecurity inventory software for rapidly and economically uncovering a wide variety of security gaps that can be surfaced over the Internet. Progent's endpoint security audit experts, which can be managed by security experts with advanced certifications including CISA, CISSP, and GIAC, can help your business to evaluate your processes and policies and assess your IT infrastructure to enable you to implement top-level protection for your teleworkers.

Horizon3.ai's NodeZero Pentest Platform is a leading-edge penetration test (pentest) product family that can deliver autonomous threat assessment of your at-home connectivity solution as well as your internal and perimeter networks so you can find, rank, fix, and verify security vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can exploit them. Progent can assist you to use NodeZero to carry out thorough penetration tests of your perimeter and your internal network in order to determine your present security profile. Progent's NodeZero experts can also help you to harden your existing network security and can assist you to plan and deploy a cohesive cybersecurity strategy that streamlines management and provides maximum protection for on-prem, multi-cloud, at-home, and perimeter IT resources. To learn additional details about Progent's threat analysis services based on on NodeZero's penetration test products, refer to Consulting Services for NodeZero's Pentest Products.

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

Data Protection for Telecommuters
Data Protection covers backing up and restoring critical information in order to prevent data loss and reduce restoration time in case of storage problems due to equipment issues, programming glitches, operator mistakes, cyber attack, or other causes. Dependable data protection solutions can be especially challenging to architect and maintain in hybrid networks that combine in-house data centers, cloud resources, and an at-home workforce.

• Backup/Restore solutions for an at-home workforce must address multiple kinds of user-owned endpoints. Progent offers fast remote access to consultants familiar with a wide range of products for backing up Windows, Apple Mac and Linux/UNIX servers and desktop computers as well as notebooks, iPads and smartphones. Popular backup/recovery products maintained by Progent's backup/recovery experts include Barracuda Backup, Azure Backup, DoubleTake Software, CrashPlan, Retrospect, and Time Machine. To protect data distributed across a wide area network, Progent can provide ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a managed backup/recovery subscription service that utilizes cloud-based storage and includes fine-grained recovery and centralized management capabilities.
• Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity plans typically envision circumstances that require a temporary switch to an at-home workforce. Progent's expert disaster recovery preparedness consultants and business continuity specialists can assist your business to develop, document and test a DR/BC strategy that addresses the logistics of moving to an at-home workforce.

Unified Management for Remote Workers
Microsoft has renamed and rebundled its endpoint management platforms under the name Endpoint Manager, which encompasses Intune for cloud-based management of remote endpoints and Configuration Manager for managing onsite computers. Endpoint Manager provides a unified solution for protecting corporate information by controlling on-premises, mobile, and home-based endpoint devices.

Microsoft Intune
Intune is part of Microsoft's Endpoint Management family that also features Microsoft Configuration Manager. Intune is a cloud-based service for managing and securing off-premises computers and software. Managed endpoint computers can be user owned or company owned. IT administrators managing the enrolled endpoint devices of teleworkers can utilize Intune to deploy and authenticate apps on managed devices, push patches and certificates, set up policies for permission to access data and resources, set passwords, establish VPN tunnels, control how teleworkers share information, establish threat defense, ensure compliance, and wipe corporate data from missing, stolen or decommissioned endpoint devices. Microsoft Intune works with iOS/iPadOS, Google Android, Windows, and macOS endpoints. To learn about Intune and how Progent can help your company to use Microsoft's Endpoint Management to manage the devices of your at-home workers, refer to Intune remote device management expertise.

VMware Workspace ONE
VMware Workspace ONE is an advanced centralized Mobile Device Management (MDM) platform that allows network administrators to keep offsite endpoint devices up to date and secure. Workspace ONE incorporates VMware AirWatch technology for centralized endpoint management plus VMware's Horizon virtual software delivery platform for authorization control, app management, and configuration management of endpoints. Workspace ONE operates with endpoints based on Windows 10, macOS, iOS, Google Android, Chrome OS, or leading distributions of Linux. VMware Workspace ONE is offered by subscription as a cloud-based service or as an on-site deployment via a one-time purchase. Key capabilities of Workspace ONE include rapid remote provisioning of new laptops, immediate onboarding of new employees, policy setting and enforcement for all classes of devices, unifies management reporting and performance analytics, email encryption, and seamless integration with Microsoft applications and cloud-based services. For details about Progent's support services for VMware Workspace ONE, refer to VMware Workspace ONE remote endpoint management expertise.

Contact Progent for At-Home Worker Expertise
To get in touch with Progent about creating and managing an efficient telecommuter solution for your Virginia Beach, Virginia business, call 1-800-993-9400 or go to Contact Progent.