GTT Communications Inc- Experts & Thought Leaders

The European Space Agency, which provides Europe's gateway to space, has renewed and expanded its agreement with GTT Communications Inc., a global cloud networking provider to multinational clients, to enable ESA's seamless private and public cloud interconnection. The space agency is no stranger to at BizClikMedia, having welcomed keynote speaker, Chief Climate and Sustainability Officer Andrea Vena, at the recent Sustainability LIVE event. The ESA is an intergovernmental organisation that began in 1975. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. GTT hybrid cloud The GTT solution hosts more than 8PB of data collected from ESA’s Multi-Mission satellites ESA shares Earth Observation data from its satellites orbiting Earth with institutional partners, scientists, businesses, and the public. Presently, access to its Multi-Mission data is delivered through the GTT hybrid cloud and includes cybersecurity and professional services from GTT, in support of current and future ESA missions, as well as selected third-party missions. The GTT solution hosts more than 8PB of data collected from ESA’s Multi-Mission satellites, which connect ESA's eight cloud and office locations in Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden. ESA capabilities far beyond any single European country By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.  It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions. Cloud networking services The satellite data we collect and make available through GTT’s cloud networking services" Damiano Guerrucci, Head of Earth Observation Common Services Section at ESA, said, “The satellite data we collect and make available through GTT’s cloud networking services are used in ever more crucial ways for monitoring our planet and in solving today’s climate change and geo-hazard challenges.” “We’ve worked closely with GTT for more than a decade, benefiting from its secure and resilient cloud and connectivity services that support us in evolving how we share and manage our Earth Observation data.” Secure hybrid cloud Tom Homer, President, Europe Division, GTT, added, “We are proud to continue supporting ESA’s Earth Observation mission. When we first began many years ago, we delivered storage to ESA for just 300TB of satellite data.” “Today, GTT delivers a secure hybrid cloud and connectivity platform that supports the scientific, commercial, and public use of more than 25 times that amount of metadata, along with incredible imagery of our evolving planet. It has been a tremendous journey and partnership that we look forward to developing further.” GTT operates a global Tier 1 internet network and serves thousands of businesses with a portfolio that includes SD-WAN and other WAN services, internet, security, and voice services.

GTT Communications has halved its implementation times for customers amid its initiative to streamline operations, according to Jim Delis. Delis officially started work as the service provider’s president of the Americas on 3rd January, 2022. He said GTT has been enhancing its organisational structures and processes to improve its operations. The company will ultimately fine-tune its systems as well, but he said the process began with getting people in the same page. Right job and team “It was about putting people in the right jobs with the right job descriptions and the right teams,” Delis said. “And then having everybody follow the same globally built process. That sounds pretty foundational, yet didn’t look like that at all.” Mergers and acquisitions The deals, combined with organic growth, helped GTT build one of the world’s largest internet backbones He pointed to the plethora of mergers and acquisitions GTT has completed over the last 15 years. The company has acquired more than 40 companies, including Transbeam, Hibernia Networks and Interoute. These deals, combined with organic growth, have helped GTT build one of the world’s largest internet backbones. However, M&A also left GTT leadership with a lot to integrate. 11 network operations Delis said GTT previously ran 11 different network operations centres that ran their own schedules with their own phone numbers. “We’re a global company that ran a whole bunch of disparate types of operational methods. And [chief operating officer] Don McNeil brought that all into one global organisation,” Delis said. Joining the Company Delis’ job puts him in charge of all distribution, which includes the carrier, enterprise and channel practices Delis said CEO Ernie Ortega approached him last year about joining the team. Delis said he joined because GTT’s identity as an “M&A company” was over and it was emphasising operational excellence. Moreover, GTT needed his help with partners. Delis’ job puts him in charge of all distribution, which includes the carrier, enterprise and channel practices. And channel is the smallest of those three, he said. “[Ortega] said, ‘I need you to help me grow the channel.’ Channel is a strong team, but it’s third of three right now. It’s built for growth,” he said. Recommendation for GTT’s channel Delis said he made a recommendation for GTT’s channel team before he even signed on: Ken Bisnoff, a former colleague at TPx Communications, who had been co-running the consultancy EagleTEQ Advisors in 2021. Bisnoff said Delis reached out to him about joining GTT. “There are not many people I take that conversation with, because I’ve built up a brand like Jim has over 25 years. But Jim signed up and was there and I know he was only going pick spots where he could be in a position to be successful and make a difference,” Bisnoff told Channel Futures. Bisnoff said he ultimately came to the same positive conclusion Delis reached about the C-suite’s view of the channel. He also got the clarity he needed that GTT’s recent bankruptcy proceedings didn’t impact partner commissions. Convinced, he signed on as channel chief. “The M&A culture is behind the business,” Bisnoff said. “It’s all about being customer-first at the end of the day.” GTT Operations Those who take care of the customer best is always the company that’s going to do the best Bisnoff, who spoke to Channel Futures at last week’s Channel Partners Conference & Expo, said a long list of vendors are courting channel partners to do business with them. He said customer service will ultimately set the best providers apart. “A lot of similar products and services and technology are wandering around these floors. Those who take care of the customer best is always the company that’s going to do the best and that’s the focus at the C-suite,” he said. Partners have echoed the sentiment that customers will ultimately judge them by the service the vendor provides, rather than by technological bells and whistles. Single and sole decision “My single and sole decision to do business with your firm is predicated on you being there when I need you. You as the vendor being willing to step into the ring with me — what you do when it breaks,” Bridlewood Consulting CEO Scott Levy said in a recent Q&A. GTT brought the 11 disparate NOCs into a unified operations network with a “follow-the-sun mentality,” Delis said. Partner programme Delis and Bisnoff agreed that GTT had already laid a strong foundation in the channel Delis and Bisnoff agreed that GTT had already laid a strong foundation in the channel. They said they are working on new agreements with a couple of technology solutions brokerages (formerly known as master agents), but the majority of contracts had already been signed. “We have agreements with principally every significant [TSB] in the community and have great relationships with them. Jim brings relationships and I bring relationships, but the team is very tenured.” Customer-facing portal In addition, the company offers a customer-facing portal that partners can access to manage the full life cycle. Bisnoff said GTT is looking to streamline the portal experience for partners by doing API pushes into the TSBs, due the fact that partners work with too many suppliers to go into every single supplier portal. Nevertheless, he said partners appreciate using the GTT portal to give larger customers a high-touch experience. Recent improvement Delis said the recent improvement on the operations side stems in part from GTT’s increased emphasis on supporting the channel. GTT provides dedicated channel management and marketing resources as well as a dedicated implementation team. The company also provides a dedicated solution architect and technical support.

GTT Communications Inc. which is a cloud networking provider to multinational clients announced its partnership with Arc Solutions. By partnering with Arc Solutions, which provides integrated network solutions in the Middle East, GTT will be able to consolidate and expand its service reach across the Middle East. What forms the basis of this partnership is the network-to-network interconnect (NNI) between GTT’s global Tier 1 network and Arc Solutions’ Middle East network at the Datamena facility in Dubai. The NNI arrangement with Arc Solutions’ Middle East footprint will improve GTT’s economies of scale in the region. International internet traffic Industry research firm TeleGeography has observed that international internet traffic to the Middle East has increased by three times from 2017 to 2021. The partnership will help improve economies of scale for GTT’s enterprise service offering in the Middle East, which includes internet services and managed SD-WAN. This is accomplished through Arc Solutions’ point-of-presence locations across UAE, Bahrain Oman Saudi Arabia Israel & Pakistan. GTT’s enhanced service footprint helps enterprise customers lower their total cost of ownership with requirements in the region, improve network visibility and realise more consistent performance. Continuously seeking opportunities GTT is continuously seeking opportunities to expand the reach of its global IP network to meet the demand  “We are continuously seeking opportunities to expand the reach of our global IP network to meet demand while we also focus on ways to operate it more efficiently to benefit our customers,” stated Don MacNeil, GTT COO. “Our network and data centre provider partners are an important element of our value proposition and we are pleased to partner with Arc Solutions to strengthen our service offering in the Middle East region, which includes secure internet and software-defined wide area networking solutions.” Expanding Middle East footprint  “We are excited to partner with GTT, combining our expanding Middle East footprint with one of the world’s largest Tier 1 IP networks,” stated Mahesh Jaishankar, CEO at Arc Solutions. “The positive synergy of our global ISP partnerships brings substantial value to customers that are seeking a service provider with strong coverage in the Middle East as well as the rest of the world.”

This past year has seen multiple changes to how a business operates, especially the way we work. Lockdowns have triggered a mass shift to remote work and now businesses are setting their sights on hybrid working models as the world opens up again. However, there's a growing issue to contend with this new hybrid workforce model – the ever-growing threat of cyberattacks as new security risks and cyberattacks are by no means slowing down. Cybercrime, which includes everything from theft and extortion to data breaches, has increased by 600% since the start of the global pandemic. So, how can IT ensure they have security measures in place to not only protect enterprise networks, but the information and data within them? It’s imperative organisations ensure they’re supporting employees in the best way possible from their remote locations. This means IT managers must consider how they can manage and protect the enterprise network. In doing so, IT teams can keep their enterprise networks and the information within them safe. What does a typical home environment network look like? Unsurprisingly, with many employees still working from home, large organisations are reliant on secure remote access to corporate Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). To drive productivity, employees must be able to access enterprise networks with ease and go about their day-to-day work uninterrupted by network-related incidents. The harsh reality is cybercriminals are getting more sophisticated and employees working remotely are no longer protected in the same way as they would be in a typical office LAN environment. As a result, cybercriminals are taking full advantage of the situation. A typical home working environment is often a localised, mixed-use network connecting corporate devices, that can include personal devices and shared accounts as well as vulnerable IoT applications. This type of network environment broadens the “attack surface,” thus making it an easier target for cybercriminals. The top priority for IT leaders then, is to make sure the organisation is protected and employees can work securely from their remote locations.Regardless of whether employees opt for a trip to the office or decide to work remotely, protecting them from cyberattacks come first Tactics to consider when protecting remote employees Firstly, employees’ awareness of safe remote working practices is critical to a secure working environment and maintaining data confidentiality. For example, IT teams should consider sharing a handbook containing best practices, such as enabling two-factor authentication and requiring VPN login to applications and programs containing sensitive information. They should also consider defining an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), so employees understand cybersecurity best practices, to avoid succumbing to potential threats. If remote working cannot be restricted to a VPN, then there’s the risk of opening services directly to the internet for hackers to exploit. Any new internet-facing application needs to be planned, understood, tested and secured before and during use. Enterprises should always strive to balance the need for cybersecurity against the requirement for a more accessible internet-based and cloud-centric application environment. Consider how remote users can locally access their key applications and data with minimal latency impact using a global secure remote access platform. Flexibility in augmenting additional remote users as the need arises via a simple per-user seat commercial model should also be a consideration going forward. Don’t forget the remote end-user So, regardless of whether employees opt for a trip to the office or decide to work remotely, protecting them from cyberattacks come first. As hybrid working becomes a full-time practice, there needs to be flexibility in connecting to their enterprise networks. By adopting a “zero trust” approach, enterprise ICT teams can make securing network infrastructure a top priority. With a “zero trust” approach, businesses can plan their shift to the cloud, allowing employees to access their data, regardless of where they are. Technologies such as Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTNA) technology help employees by opening access to corporate resources based on end-user and device identity, security posture and their agreed privileges. In turn, this allows for effective access security while also giving employees their choice of devices, including Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). To take a step further, organisations must implement Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) core network and end-user security functions with Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN) capabilities. This helps to spot sensitive data which needs protection or any malicious malware, whilst simultaneously decrypting content in real-time. These capabilities are delivered and distributed through the cloud, meaning remote employees can access them from anywhere. With SASE, end users can quickly access what they need no matter where they are.  What’s more, IT leaders can simultaneously maintain a zero-trust approach across their entire network. Overall, with the added support of a managed service provider, employees can be protected and work efficiently whether they’re at home, in the office or in a nearby café.