GG: What is Global Crossings
mission?
JL: First off, we start with our vision
which is to be the recognized leader in
next-generation global communications.
Our mission, which says how we execute
against that vision, is to grow our
business using direct and indirect distribution
to sell our advanced, secure IP
solutions while providing a superior
customer experience.
As a global IP service provider, we
serve our customers and their reseller
carrier partners with the first-to-market
implementation of a leading edge,
global MPLS-based IP platform.
Combine that with unparalleled levels
of network security, a highly responsive
global customer support and service
model, and increased customer control
with our Intelligent Front Office, and
you have a pretty good 30,000-foot
perspective of what Global Crossing is
all about.
By the way, our industry-leading
customer satisfaction scores, five nines
of network reliability and award-winning
products and services all speak to the
great job our 3,500 employees do
every day to consistently deliver on
our mission.
GG: What is your vision for Global
Crossing and how is the company
positioned in the next-generation
telecom market?
JL: Our vision at Global Crossing is
very clear to be the recognized leader
in next-generation global communications.
Were accomplishing that through
innovation, partnerships, and investment
in IP services, collaboration, and
convergence infrastructure.
Were well positioned as a next-generation
provider of converged communications,
delivering a totally integrated,
interoperable suite of IP services. Our
go-to-market strategy includes partnering
for best-in-class IP solutions,
such as our managed services, converged
IP applications, VoIP, collaboration services,
and IP telephony solutions.
As consolidation plays out in the
industry, we feel our position will only
grow, especially since were one of the
few remaining independent players in
the global IP services niche.
GG: Now that growth and opportunity
are the trends in the VoIP industry,
what possible hurdles do you see that
might upset this momentum?
JL: VoIP has seen tremendous growth
among early adopters and is gaining
steady acceptance in the mainstream
marketplace now. I dont see major
hurdles derailing customer adoption.
However, adoption isnt always easy or
immediate. What I mean is that customers
must derive a business benefit to
convert to VoIP. IP convergence is that
key driver, and as customers converge
voice, video and, data networks into a
combined IP infrastructure, VoIP adoption
should accelerate.
Another issue to note is the globalization
of VoIP services. As a global
provider, were experiencing first hand
the different approaches to VoIP adoption
in different countries. Government
regulation, licensing, service types, and
availability vary significantly. For customers,
the complexity of managing the
VoIP nuances among their different
global offices can pose a convergence
challenge.
So as Global Crossing deploys VoIP
services, were keenly focused on developing
consistent offerings around the
world. As I mentioned earlier, our customer
satisfaction leads the industry
98 percent of our enterprise customers
state that they are satisfied with Global
Crossing and more than two-thirds are
very satisfied. And we wont quit
until every customer is singing our
praises.
Our network was built for IP and
were beginning to reap the benefits.
Today approximately 70 percent of the
voice minutes that traverse our global
network infrastructure are IP. That
translates to more than two billion
minutes per month, and by the end of
the year we expect virtually all of our
voice traffic to run over our VoIP
backbone. In addition, our IP VPN
traffic, which supports converged IP
solutions, grew 300 percent on an
annualized basis during the first three
quarters of 2005.
GG: What are some of the technology
areas where Global Crossing is
increasingly focusing, and why are
these areas important to the future of
your company?
JL: We now put an
increased level of
focus on the services
and applications that
our customers use
IP video, audio, and
Web collaboration,
and a mushrooming
set of advanced voice
applications. These
services are where the real value is
derived from our network, and they
change the way that our customers conduct
business.
In addition, our customers demand
an ever increasing amount of control of
the products and services they purchase.
So we continue to make improvements
to our customer portal, and integrate it
with our back-office systems to create
something we call the Intelligence Front
Office, or IFO. This will allow customers
clear visibility of all their applications across
a converged IP network.
GG: Describe your
view of the future
of the IP telephony
industry.
JL: The world has been waiting to see
what the application would be that
would drive people to consider IP convergence.
Many thought it would be
data or video oriented, but it turns out
that voice and the cost savings of
VoIP are driving increased adoption.
With that in place, businesses can
immediately see the tremendous benefits
of converged IP services, which is where
we come in.
As cited in a recent Harvard Business
Review article, companies that harness
VoIP to achieve business objectives will
find it much more than an undifferentiated
commodity technology. In a converged
network enabled by IP, voice will
be no more than another application
similar to data and video.
Global Crossing has been and always
will be a future-thinking company. We
built the worlds first IP network and
were now starting to realize its tremendous
advantages. Well continue to
invest in and discover new technologies,
allowing our customers to always be
ahead of the curve in their communications.
IT
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