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When you think about a wide area network (WAN), you likely picture a network covering a large geographic area, connecting smaller local area networks (LANs) at each company location. It follows, then that a software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) would function similarly over an expansive, multilocation enterprise network. And, you’d be right, but not completely.
SD-WAN also delivers its signature reliability, redundancy, security and cost savings to single-site businesses. With SD-WAN, size doesn’t matter; it works wonders for every business network.
All businesses – even those with only one location — require Internet connections because their vital systems are no longer all on-premises, but reside in the cloud, including:
communications with voice or video calling and web collaboration
computing infrastructure like Microsoft Azure, Google Public Cloud or Amazon Web Services for hosting website, e-commerce sites and other applications
storage, backup or file-sharing applications like Dropbox or Datto
software applications like Microsoft Office 365 or Salesforce CRM
That’s where SD-WAN comes in, delivering connections suitable for large enterprises but affordable for agile startups.
SD-WAN offers many benefits to businesses large and small. Here are the top five:
Cost Savings — SD-WAN creates a single network infrastructure that includes many connection types, such as cable, DSL or wireless LTE. This allows your business to replace (or reduce the use of) expensive private MPLS connections with cost-effective public Internet connections. In addition, expensive routing hardware is replaced with software that provisions connectivity from the cloud.
Bandwidth Elasticity – SD-WAN also aggregates connections of any type, from any provider to enable you to boost bandwidth more economically, relieving network congestion or improving response times for applications.
Enhanced Quality of Service (QoS) – Best-of breed SD-WAN provides a software-based overlay on your network to deliver central network management, automation and traffic prioritization. GeoLinks, for example, delivers SD-WAN that ensures optimal application performance with dynamic multipath optimization (DMPO) and routing capabilities, including application-aware packet link steering and on-demand remediation. In other words, GeoLinks’ SD-WAN ensures real-time applications like voice and video during phone calls and web meetings take priority over other less sensitive traffic, such as email.
Business Continuity – Perhaps the single-most important benefit of SD-WAN is preventing network downtime, which can cost businesses thousands of dollars per minute. By using redundant links – often from diverse providers, SD-WAN can provide constant connections. This can be set up for a primary connection to failover to a backup link, such as LTE Wireless, which is an economical option for point-of-sale (PoS) applications in retail locations. For critical real-time traffic, multiple connections can be active at the same time so that if one fails, there’s no data loss. In an active-active scenario, you won’t even be aware an outage has occurred as your connection will never drop and quality of service is guaranteed.
Improved Data Security – Many, but not all, SD-WAN solutions can mitigate security threats. GeoLinks’ solution, for example, includes an integrated firewall that provide comprehensive encryption and micro-segmentation to secure the flow of your data. In this case, site-to-site traffic can be encrypted, lowering the volume of traffic that needs to be inspected, making security easier to manage and more cost-effective.
GeoLinks’ SD-WAN solution also can support security features, such as restricting traffic to and from specific sites. Additionally, each SD-WAN implementation has a centralized orchestrator which will monitor your network activity and alert your business to potential problems.
Just from this short list, it’s clear that SD-WAN delivers benefits that are desirable for any size business that depends on Internet connections. And, it will even work alongside an MPLS-based virtual private network (VPN) links, so you get the best of both worlds.
Not sure what you need? GeoLinks’ SD-WAN specialists can engineer an SD-WAN solution that’s right-sized for your business.
It can happen any time. And these days, it happens too often. Maybe it’s a hurricane tearing down and overloading infrastructure. Or a wildfire. Or the third “thousand-year-flood in a row.” Maybe it’s just a construction crew with a backhoe.
Whatever the cause, your business connectivity flatlines, cutting off your organization from the rest of the world. Your on-site employees can’t access the cloud apps they need to run your operations and serve your customers. But the cost to your business is much higher than that, because the severed connection works in both directions. Suppliers can’t reach your intranet to validate inventory and fill orders, remote employees can’t access databases to do their jobs and customers can’t reach you for help.
All in, the cost of the outage is far greater than direct costs of idle employees. It’s costing you customers and brand reputation, making distributors afraid to recommend you going forward, and leaving you disadvantaged to competitors that are simply open and reachable at a time when your company is suffering an outage.
Fortunately, this hypothetical doesn’t have to be your future. New solutions can deliver affordable business continuity options to keep your operations running and competitors at bay. In fact, since few companies factor inbound continuity into their own business continuity plans, you can be in a stronger position than your competitors when an outage takes down an entire region.
New Tech for a New Age of Business Disruption Threats
The world is several years into meteoric adoption rates for SD-WAN, and there are no signs of uptake slowing down anytime soon. That’s for good reason, since SD-WAN can help businesses on the security, financial, operating and other fronts. Of course, the big “other” in “other fronts” is business continuity, where SD-WAN’s role in failover protection is critical to business continuity planning.
The mantra “not all SD-WAN solutions are created equal” has become an almost cliché statement for providers with leading-edge SD-WAN solutions. But that doesn’t make it any less true. SD-WAN flexibility is vital, not just for optimizing current resources and ensuring that your failover solution actually work when you need them to, but in areas that many businesses overlook in their business continuity and disaster recovery planning—inbound failover.
Without inbound continuity, inbound traffic is limited to one connection. This means if the primary circuit drops, external sources can’t reach your site or VPN.
Cloud Dependence is Raising Redundancy Awareness
Every day’s a cloudy day for today’s businesses, and that’s a good thing. Cloud services have revolutionized business operations, delivering redundancy, always-updated solutions, scalability and, of course, the OpEx vs CapEX benefits that finance departments love. Extra attention to business continuity – particularly on the network side – has accompanied that adoption—and for good reason.
Way back in the olden days (you know, like, three years ago), when a company’s Internet connections went down, it was an inconvenience to the operation, but since mission-critical software was run on desktops or from on-premise servers, most company operations could continue. In today’s cloud-centric world, where even your telephone solution is an app, downtime can be devastatingly costly. So, businesses large and small have started to pay attention to terms that only their IT departments and people who wore pocket protectors in school previously cared about (or even knew), like “network redundancy,” “failover” and “business continuity.” It’s true…we’re all nerds now.
Inbound Failover and Business Continuity Matters, Too
But one area that’s often overlooked by today’s businesses—sometimes with catastrophic consequences – is inbound failover. With inbound continuity, static public IPs are provided between the core network and your gateway to support inbound failover for remote users and web traffic.
The right providers, with the right solutions can protect you from the consequences of inbound failure and protect you from costly outages when your company is hosting websites or applications that customers and employees rely on. Examples include:
Wireless connectivity options like GeoLinks ClearFiber™ offer added diversification protection that’s more resistant to construction accidents and natural disaster outages. In fact, many business and government offices rely on fixed-wireless solutions, which are better than today’s traditional fiber solutions, and then back those solutions with 4G LTE failover protection, for reliable, secure connectivity that, when paired with the right SD-WAN solution, can deliver inbound failover as well.
Military-grade encryption, greater redundancy, lower costs and failover for your inbound, not just your outbound, connections all add up to a solution that’s not just best-in-class, but smart business as well. So, when that fire, flood or backhoe takes all your wireline continuity options, your business avoids that connectivity flatline altogether, saving you productivity, reputation and your customers to boot.
Ready to Disaster-Proof Your Connection with Inbound Continuity?
As we continue to navigate our way through the Coronavirus pandemic, we would like to take a moment to connect with you, our customers and partners. While the situation continues to evolve, as does our way of life along with it, one thing remains unchanged — our commitment to keeping you connected.
In March, GeoLinks joined the Federal Communications Commission’s pledge to Keep Americans Connected and we are steadfast in our commitment to do so. This formal pledge is our vow to ensure that our customers remain connected to vital information infrastructure during these uncertain times.
Over the last several weeks, we have worked closely with our partners and clients to honor this commitment. When possible, we have granted temporary speed bumps to residential clients who are working remotely due to the “safer at home” guidelines. We have differed billing for clients experiencing difficulties paying their bill due to the loss of business and steady income. We have been diligent in ensuring that no clients’ service is suspended due to an inability to pay their bill because of economic difficulties caused by the pandemic.
“As a telecommunications company, we have been in the fortunate position of continuing our growth trend during a time when many industries have been hit extremely hard by the economic toll of the pandemic,” said GeoLinks CEO Skyler Ditchfield. “Our customers are the heart of our company and are driving our success. In kind, we are committed to fueling their continued success and their return to economic vitality in a very real way by keeping them connected to the networks that keep their businesses running.”
While many businesses have been forced to make difficult decisions such as closing for indeterminate timeframes, we have continued to see a high demand for connectivity over the last several weeks. “Our country has weathered many challenges over its history, and what has inevitably led us through each one has been the resilience and ingenuity of our entrepreneurial and business communities,” said Ditchfield. “We have seen signs of recovery over these last few weeks as our network has continued to grow, connecting new customers on a daily basis.”
As we move forward, please remember that we’re here to help. Whether you need help with a disruption to your business caused by the pandemic or you’re looking to connect a new business, we’re your partners in connectivity and nothing is going to change that.
Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent nor do they imply endorsement of my personal views or my employer’s views and opinions. They are unique and independent to the individual contributors listed as the statement’s source.
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From the roll out of new Artificial Intelligence (AI) integrations, to the highly anticipated future of 5G, in 2018 we saw the telecommunications industry generate some pretty innovative trends and thought-provoking headlines. With the new year just around the corner, I thought I’d turn to a variety of diverse industry experts to learn about their 2019 telecom predictions. Here is what they had to say:
There will be a lot of providers deploying 5G, but monetization will prove a challenge
There will be a race to see who can market 5G the quickest and who will have it as standard first. We’re already seeing tests from multiple providers across the world in isolated areas, and the speed and size of rollouts will only increase as providers look to gain the upper hand.
However, this race could be a costly one. Consumer need for 5G isn’t as great as it was for previous generations. 4G can handle most consumer use cases (such as streaming, gaming, browsing etc.) fairly comfortably with reasonable speed.
5G’s main benefit is providing increased capacity, not speed and latency, making it more of a technical development. Being the first 5G standard network will be a marketing coup, but may not come with the consumer kudos and demand it once did.
We’ve seen fixed wireless technology evolve and improve drastically over the last decade, concurrently beginning to debunk “wireless anxiety”. During the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) CAF II Auction in 2018, we saw federal acceptance and adoption through the distribution of significant funding to WISPs, such as GeoLinks. This culminates to my prediction that in 2019 I believe we will see a drastic spike in both businesses and community anchors being connected via fixed wireless. While I do think fiber will still remain top of mind for many key stakeholders, I foresee anchors, rural health care facilities as a specific example, better understanding that EoFW is the most cost effective and time efficient way to get these critical care facilities the speeds they need. Taking guidance from both the FCC and overall industry adoption, on a state level I predict that those governing RFP fund distributions will also be more open to fixed wireless solutions. This will directly result in the United States making substantial strides in closing the digital divide.
Competition in Hosted VoIP market will heat up
Marc Enzor, VoIP Consultant & President, Geeks 2 You
Hosted VoIP phone systems are the hottest thing right now in telecom. Even the SMB and Medium size businesses are starting to become aware of what it is, and to gravitate towards it. In years past, we would spend most of our sales pitch educating customers as to what it is, how it works, and why they should use it. In recent months, customers already are aware and ready to purchase immediately. The sales cycle went from multiple meetings to single meetings now. It has become one of the hottest products we sell.
Going into 2019, it’ll only become even more “standard knowledge”, which means the competition in the hosted VoIP market will heat up. I predict several of the biggest names will start to buy the competition out and a true industry leader will emerge. This will have to happen as the top companies now will start to rely on their current growth models and will need to find ways to replace the lost growth as competition gets bigger.
Only edge computing / edge networking and AI will show true growth
Alan J Weissberger, ScD EE, IEEE Communications Society, techblog.comsoc.org
Only two areas in the telecom/networking space deserve the attention they are getting: 1] edge computing/edge networking and 2] Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Edge computing/edge networking is needed to off load the processing that takes place in cloud resident data center computers and also to reduce latency for critical real time control applications (especially for IoT).
AI and deep learning will be embedded into software-defined architectures in telco networks and the cloud to do analytics, predict failures, and move a lot of the human manual processes into automated operations. The long-term goal is to move from automated elements to closed loop automation and finally to autonomous control of networks. I believe AI will be critically important to progress emerging telecom services and enabling new ones. Examples include: 5G, Industrial IoT, autonomous vehicles, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality, etc. It will be also very useful for more mundane things, like keeping up with WAN and Internet bandwidth demands due to increased video streaming by cord cutters and pay TV customers (like this author) that increasingly stream sporting events (e.g. MLB TV, NBA League Pass, NHL Center Ice, boxing, etc).
All the other new technologies are hyped to the infinity power and headed for a train wreck. That’s especially true of 5G, but also includes “Software Defined” networks (SDN and SD-WAN), Network Function Virtualization (NFV), and LPWANs for the Internet of Things (IoT). All those suffer from the lack of inter-operability which is due to either the lack of standards, too many specs/standards (LPWANs) or proprietary implementations (e.g. SDN from AT&T, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, etc are not interoperable with each other. They each use different specs, with many being proprietary while others are based on open source software). None of them will make much money for any company in the coming year. Perhaps a few SD-WAN start-ups will be acquired and investors in those companies will profit, but that’s about it.
For enterprises, 2019 isn’t a forecast of all doom and gloom. The year will also bring freedom from the persistent “last-mile” telecommunications problem. With the advancements in LTE, the technology will finally reach a point where the physical cables that connect end-users to their Internet Service Providers will no longer be a necessity — or a handcuff to a particular ISP.
The “last-mile” problem has long been the most critical and most costly component of an ISP’s network, as well a speed bottleneck. But now, on the heels of widespread adoption, LTE will allow enterprises to forego the last mile of physical cable for a reliable and robust connection.
Making smart products, IoT devices, is the new product differentiator — today, even ovens have IP addresses. Companies that have been investing in IoT initiatives understand that the IoT gateway layer is the key that unlocks a high return on those IoT investments. IoT gateways manage device connectivity, protocol translation, updating, management, predictive and streaming data analytics, and data flow between devices and the cloud. Improving the security of that high data flow with a Zero Trust security model will drive enterprises to replace VPNs with micro-perimeters. Micro-perimeters remove an IoT device’s network presence eliminating any potential attack surfaces created by using a VPN.
Likewise, many organizations are pursuing a hybrid strategy involving integrated on-premises systems and off-premises cloud/hosted resources. But traditional VPN software solutions are obsolete for the new IT reality of hybrid and multi-cloud. They weren’t designed for them. They’re complex to configure, and they give users a “slice of the network,” creating a lateral network attack surface. A new class of purpose-built security software will emerge to eliminate these issues and disrupt the cloud VPN market. This new security software will enable organizations to build lightweight dynamic micro-perimeters to secure application- and workload-centric connections between on-premises and cloud/hosted environments, with virtually no attack surface.
In terms of widespread internet connectivity, the low-hanging fruit has long been picked. To achieve a complete mesh across the state, and thereby to include all of our communities and lift all boats, private-sector technology companies will need to work more collaboratively with government and nonprofit community organizations to approach an underserved geographic region with a comprehensive strategy that stitches together fiber, fixed wireless, unlicensed spectrum, TV whitespace, and more. We can no longer deploy in a series of one-offs if we are ever to serve some of the hardest to reach places.
The Internet has grown remarkably over the past few years and as a result we now have over four billion people online. The Internet will continue to grow at a remarkable pace to meet the requirements of broadband, mobile, and Internet-of-Things (IoT) growth, and this will only increase pressure on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to deploy the next version of the Internet Protocol (IP version 6, or IPv6) — just as many broadband and mobile providers have already done today. The good news is that the IPv6 transition happens in the “lower layers” of the Internet, so this behind-the-scenes upgrade to the Internet will continue to happen without any noticeable change for Internet users.
Public and Private Clouds will be much more accommodating of each other
Jai Menon, Chief Scientist and IBM Fellow, Cloudistics
[In 2019] only about 5 viable general-purpose public cloud vendors will survive. This is because successful public cloud vendors will need to spend a lot of money, and few can afford to spend as much as the Top 2 — AWS and Microsoft Azure. [Furthermore] Public and private clouds will be much more accommodating of each other. More and more of the services provided by a public cloud vendor, such as their AI services, will become accessible to apps running elsewhere, including on private clouds. At the same time, there will be more and more examples of private cloud capabilities extended to the public cloud — such as VMware Cloud on AWS. Finally, federated orchestration and management of workloads across private and public clouds, all from a single, easy to use, portal will be commonplace.
Political turbulence and possible decrease in network investment
John Windhausen, Executive Director, Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition
2019 could be a turbulent year in the telecom/broadband space. If the FCC approves the proposed Sprint/T-Mobile merger, and if the court allows the AT&T-Time Warner merger, that could encourage even more consolidation in the marketplace. Of course, more consolidation among big players also opens up more opportunities for smaller, more nimble players to increase their market share. But there are increasing signals of an economic slow-down in 2019, which could mean belt-tightening and reduced investment by all players. The tariffs on Chinese-made equipment could mean increased prices for telecom gear, which could also lead to a pause in network investment. These trends may give a boost to the idea of a grand broadband infrastructure spending bill that both the President and Hill Democrats are trying to get in front of (assuming the government shutdown does not ruin the chances of bipartisan agreement forever.) Such legislation would only have a 30% chance of enactment but could be exciting to watch, as there are so many industry players that could benefit from government funding, especially in rural markets. I expect net neutrality to continue to percolate because the court is likely to remand the case to give the FCC another chance to justify its decision. Congress could and should step in, but there is no sign of compromise on the issue and likely will remain gridlocked. For anchor institutions, work will continue to get the E-rate and Rural Health Care programs running smoothly, but I do not anticipate major structural changes.
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Do you agree or disagree with any of the above predictions? If so, feel free to visit the original article here, and leave a comment.
GeoLinks’ ClearFiber™ network offers businesses unlimited bandwidth, real network redundancy, and guaranteed speeds reaching up to 10 Gbps. With the company’s recent network expansion, finding a reliable multi-gigabit wireless connectivity solution became increasingly critical to ensure quality of service. IgniteNet’sMetroLinq platform met this challenge and has been approved for deployment after a series of thorough benchmark tests in the field.
“We first learned about IgniteNet’s exciting product line a couple years ago,” said GeoLinks’ CEO Skyler Ditchfield. “We’ve been engaging with their technical and executive teams ever since. We officially began alpha testing with them well over a year ago and have seen great direction in their new product sets in the millimeter and microwave bands. We’re excited to continue working together on new products moving forward that will provide even greater range and bandwidth than the current offerings they have today.”
“We are really happy to be working with GeoLinks to power their highest-capacity ClearFiber™ network. MetroLinq products are a perfect solution for serving business customers not only because of high capacity, but also because it is license and noise free. In addition, the 60 GHz mmwave band is ideal for secure, low latency last mile dedicated access applications allowing service providers to offer fiber like connectivity at a much lower cost. The MetroLinq 10G Omnialso provide access on 3 different bands (60GHz, 5GHz, and 2.4GHz), enabling customers to build universal networks capable to of providing backhaul, last mile connectivity, and Wi-Fi access from the same, compact device, greatly simplifying the deployment saving space and cost.” – says Harold Bledsoe, President of IgniteNet.
Headquartered in Southern California, GeoLinks is a leading telecommunications company and competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) public utility, nationally recognized for its innovative Internet and Hosted Voice solutions. Ranked the No. 1 Fastest Growing WISP in America by Inc. Magazine, GeoLinks delivers Enterprise-Grade Internet, Layer 2 Transport, Hosted Voice, and both Public and Private Turnkey Network Construction expertly tailored for businesses and Anchor Institutions nationwide.
GeoLinks’ accelerated success is largely due to its flagship product, ClearFiber™, which offers dedicated business-class Internet with unlimited bandwidth, true network redundancy, and guaranteed speeds reaching up to 10 Gbps. Named “Most Disruptive Technology” in the 2018 Central Coast Innovation Awards, GeoLinks’ ClearFiber™ network is backed by a carrier-grade Service Level Agreement boasting 99.999% uptime and 24/7 in-house customer support. With an average installation period of 4 to 7 days, GeoLinks is proud to offer the most resilient and scalable fixed wireless network on the market.
Headquartered in Irvine, CA, IgniteNet is a wholly owned subsidiary of SMC Networks, Inc. IgniteNet has a proven track record of producing powerful, reliable, easy to deploy, and innovative cloud managed wireless solutions and the industry’s lowest cost 60 GHz wireless technology through channel partners worldwide, focusing on Enterprises and Service Providers. For more information, please visit http://www.ignitenet.com.
When the first two fires broke out in Southern California’s Upper Ojai hills, Ryan Adams, President of GeoLinks, and his team stayed up all night to monitor the developing situation. GeoLinks, a California-based wireless ISP, knew that they were directly responsible for the connections of thousands of people in the Southland who could potentially lose their homes. With the foresight to mount cameras on all of their communications towers, Adams and his team were directly connected to the encroaching fires.
And then the unimaginable happened. One by one, the feeds went out. Twelve towers in total. And as all of this unfolded, the calls began. Within minutes, the GeoLinks team was calling and texting hundreds of customers, checking on their safety, informing them of the outages and communicating next steps.
Understanding that natural disasters often happen when you least expect them, GeoLinks’ disaster recovery plan, practiced many times over, proved critical when the moment came. With customers relying on them to access information, GeoLinks knew they had to be highly prepared.
“It was our duty to get our customers up and running,” said Adams. “It’s our responsibility as a telecommunications company to make sure that people have the ability to communicate with one another.”
With a clear understanding of which towers were down and which customers needed help, around 40 GeoLinks employees headed into the fire-ravaged area. They quickly established direct communication with fire, police, and National Guard to ensure a recovery plan that would allow them to proceed safely, not putting any strain on the already vexed first responders. They first restored emergency connectivity, and then proceed zone by zone to restore customers.
“I couldn’t ask for a better team,” said Adams. “Our employees were literally putting out fires as they went to restore service,” said Adams. “We operate under the mantra of safety first, but when they saw a small hotspot, they used the extinguishers on the vans and just put them out.”
As GeoLinks ventured into the fire zone, Mimosa was right there with them. GeoLinks has long preferred Mimosa for its network deployments, installing Mimosa’s wireless broadband equipment across all of its towers. “Mimosa products are optimal for extremely challenging installations,” said Adams. “They are low-power so they can run on solar backup, they’re light-weight and easy to install, and they use unlicensed spectrum which is best for fastest response times.”
The teams started by installing temporary towers and connecting replacement Mimosa backhaul and access networking equipment, powered entirely with solar panels. In most instances, they had the towers up and running before customers had their power restored—many customers didn’t even notice the outages. “We always rely on Mimosa for our day-to-day operations, but in a crisis, Mimosa really shines,” said Adams.
In the end, GeoLinks was able to stabilize their network and join their community in the hard work of rebuilding. “We are a part of this community and are ready to be there again, if needed,” said Adams. “I am very satisfied that thanks to our preparation and the unique benefits of Mimosa’s equipment and technology, our handling of this crisis exceeded expectations for both us and for our customers.”
It has been a big year for GeoLinks, the No. 2 firm on the Business Journal’s 2017 list of the Valley area’s Fastest Growing Private Companies.
Besides updating its moniker to reflect its long-term ambitions – the business-to-business internet service provider changed its name in June from California Internet to GeoLinks, which it described as being better aligned with its goal of expanding its services nationwide – the company also settled into its new, 38,000 square-foot Camarillo headquarters and hired its 50th employee. Finally, GeoLinks made the 2017 Inc. 5000, ranking No. 5 in the telecommunications category and coming in No. 604 overall.
“For a lot of people, what sets us apart is how we’re different from the big guys,” Ryan Adams, GeoLinks president, said. “We decided that we’re going to do what we thought was in the best interest of our clients, first and foremost.”
So far, that mindset appears to be working. Geolinks has managed to more than double its revenue year over year since 2014, when it saw $2.2 million in revenue. It generated $8.8 million last year, according to the firm, and is on track to outperform itself yet again in 2017.
“Telecommunications doesn’t necessarily have to be an ugly word,” Adams said. “For us, it’s really about enhancing the customer experience and evolving with our clients as well. That’s where the big guys have a hard time.”
GeoLinks envisions itself as one day being the premiere provider of high-speed internet to rural communities throughout California and beyond. While just 10 percent of all U.S. citizens lacked access to high-speed internet in 2016, the figure climbed to roughly 40 percent for those living in rural areas, according to the Federal Communications Commission.
“It’s not just a buzz-term that we use, it’s our passion: Bridging the digital divide, which means bringing high-speed internet to everybody no matter what geography,” Adams said. “Studies have shown that people who have access to high-speed internet are more inclined to make more money and better education. These things are very important to us.”
Rural boom
New state legislation that establishes funds for the deployment of broadband projects in rural areas puts GeoLinks on track to expand its California business substantially. Chief Executive Skyler Ditchfield, who founded GeoLinks in 2011 with his cousin and Chief Techonology Officer Ryan Hauf, was one of the lobbyists behind the September passage of AB1665, or the “Internet for All Act.” Ditchfield has been working with the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives and other organizations to establish contracts with public institutions.
The company was awarded more construction grants than any other internet service provider for California public schools and libraries for 2016 and 2017. Earlier this year, it received a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the California Public Utilities Commission, enabling it to form strategic partnerships with federal agencies such the Department of Education.
“Right now we’re working with all different types of organizations – private and public – to spread the GeoLinks name,” Adams said.
GeoLinks’ rapid growth is linked to three components, Adams added: an exceptional primary product, strong customer relations and a knack for recruiting and retaining top talent. From land procurement to equipment installation, GeoLinks performs every step of the process behind setting up a broadband network in-house, affording finer control over timetables as well as its relationships with clients. The company is able to send workers to sites more quickly than companies that contract with third-party suppliers for equipment-related services.
“People are used to a certain kind of relationship with their internet or telecommunications provider,” Adams said. “Whatever the big guys were doing, we were going to do the exact opposite, starting with our speed of deployment.”
To catch and keep exceptional employees who are fully invested in the company’s progress, GeoLinks has outfitted its headquarters with Silicon Valley-style amenities, such as an in-house gym, basketball court and full-service kitchen. Workers also have access to a personal chef and a wellness expert, he added.
“There’s not a day that goes by where I’m not absolutely delighted with the workforce we have here at GeoLinks,” he said. “We are all about not only the client experience, but also the employee experience.”
But material benefits are only one part of the firm’s strategy for building a standout team. GeoLinks’ managers take a “hands off” approach to employee oversight, minimizing micromanagement so that workers have the intellectual freedom to come up with new ideas that can move the company forward, Adams explained.
“We went out of our way to make sure this is a company that creates a culture of respect, without the ego,” Adams said. “We want all of our employees to feel like they have just as much of a stake in the company as anybody else.”
Is it possible to disrupt the “big four” carriers? We say yes. California-based telecom company, GeoLinks, is doing just that, proving that even new players can substantially impact the industry as we know it. In the past six months alone GeoLinks has been asked to sit on an array of national boards, coalitions, and working groups including the Schools, Healthcare & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB), the Broadband Consortium of the Pacific Coast (BCPC), the FCC’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC) Working Group, and WISPA’s FCC Advisory Board.
Founded in 2011, much of GeoLinks’ early success can be attributed to its flagship product, ClearFiber™,which provides customers truly redundant fixed wireless broadband. Boasting ultra-low latency, 99.99% uptime, sub 10ms jitter, and a 4-hour max response time, GeoLinks holds the industry’s best Service Level Agreement backed by in-house U.S. based customer support. GeoLinks’ ability to rapidly deploy Hosted Voice, Temporary and Event Circuits, and both Public and Private Turnkey Network Construction has contributed to the company’s accelerated growth.
So, why all the recent recognition?
2017 has been a monumental year for the innovative Internet and Phone provider. From officially earning its status as a competitive local exchange carrier public utility to launching nationally, to building 37 custom towers—the majority solar and wind-powered—GeoLinks’ dedication to making industry advancements has propelled it to become the country’s second fastest-growing privately-owned Internet Provider.
Amongst its many accolades, GeoLinks was also the largest construction grant winner for California K-12 schools and libraries in both 2016 and 2017 enabling it to successfully connect 21 rural anchor institutions, and counting, with high-speed broadband. GeoLinks’ recognized passion and dedication to closing the digital divide has prompted company CEO, Skyler Ditchfield, to be a featured speaker at many high-caliber events including the upcoming 10th Annual TC3 Summit taking place Nov 1-2 in Silicon Valley.
“I recognize the skepticism and wireless anxiety that people have surrounding fixed wireless technology,” says Ditchfield. “People think that the technology is inherently flawed, when that’s just not the case. It is an ongoing challenge for our company to re-educate the market that the problem doesn’t lie in the technology itself. In fact, the technology has been around since the 60’s and is actively utilized by large companies in the New York Stock Exchange and Militaries around the world. The real problem falls with improper installation. That’s why, at GeoLinks, we decided to bring everything in-house. We’re general contractors, and from land procurement, to building the actual towers, to customizing network configurations, our team ensures that the technology is deployed properly. When deployed correctly, ClearFiber™ is the most effective and superior solution available on the market.
So, you’ve never heard of GeoLinks before? You can be assured that the thriving telecom will be a large player in the country’s evolving national broadband discussion in 2018 and beyond.
GeoLinks Ranks No. 6 on the 2017 Pacific Coast Business Time’s Annual 50 Fastest-Growing Companies List with Revenue Growth Recorded at 340%.
CAMARILLO, CA (PRWEB) OCTOBER 03, 2017
GeoLinks, an industry-leading Internet and Phone provider, earned the No. 6 spot on the Pacific Coast Business Times’ (PCBT) 50 Fastest-Growing Companies list released Friday, September 22, 2017. Proudly serving the Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties, the PCBT’s annual list highlights the 50 fastest growing companies, both public and privately owned, across California’s Central Coast.
Ranked by revenue growth from 2014-2016, this year’s list highlights GeoLinks alongside other nationally recognized companies such as MindBody, Patagonia, Deckers Brands, Procore, and Sonos. While listed as No. 6 overall, GeoLinks took the No. 1 spot for fastest growing telecommunications company in this year’s round-up.
“This has been a monumental year for GeoLinks,” said GeoLinks’ CEO Skyler Ditchfield. “From officially earning our CLEC and public utility status in May, to rebranding and launching nationally in June, to making the Inc. 5000 list and being appointed to the FCC’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee’s Streamlining Federal Siting Working Group in August, I’m excited to say that this is really just the beginning of our projected growth. As a locally founded company, this recognition significantly resonates with the entire GeoLinks’ team. Our first customers were in Ojai and Ventura. The vast majority of our staff lives locally. Our kids go to school throughout the Tri-Counties. Ultimately, we wouldn’t have achieved such accelerated growth without our community’s support. That being said, this is not only a big win for GeoLinks, but it’s a huge shout out to all of those who have believed in us along the way.”
Recording more than 100% growth in annual revenue for the past six consecutive years, and on track for its seventh, GeoLinks’ accelerated success also earned the No. 5 spot on Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Telecommunications Company in America released in August of 2017.
The PCBT’s 50 Fastest-Growing Companies will be honored at an evening gala reception hosted at Santa Barbara’s new Moxi Museum on October 19th from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
For media inquiries or additional information, please contact Lexie Olson at lolson(at)geolinks.com.
About GeoLinks
Headquartered in Southern California, GeoLinks is a leading Internet and Phone provider and competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) public utility, nationally recognized for its innovative Internet and Hosted Voice solutions. Ranked No. 5 by category on Inc. Magazine’s 2017 Inc. 5000 list of Fastest Growing Companies in America, GeoLinks delivers Enterprise-Grade Internet, Layer 2 Transport, Hosted Voice, and both Public and Private Turnkey Network Construction expertly tailored for businesses and Anchor Institutions nationwide.
GeoLinks’ accelerated success is largely due to its flagship product, ClearFiber™, which offers customers fixed wireless on the most resilient and scalable network ever built. From land procurement, to construction, to permitting, and more, GeoLinks does everything in-house, expediting installation periods nationwide. Boasting ultra-low latency, 99.99% uptime, sub 10ms jitter, and a 4-hour max response time, GeoLinks prides itself on delivering the industry’s best Service Level Agreement backed by round-the-clock in-house customer support.
Recognized as a thought-leader in closing the digital divide, GeoLinks proudly sits on an array of national boards, coalitions, and working groups including the Schools, Healthcare & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition, the Broadband Consortium of the Pacific Coast(BPPC), and the FCC’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee’s (BDAC) Streamlining Federal Siting Working Group.
Inc. magazine today ranked California Internet L.P. dba GeoLinks NO. 604 on its 36th annual Inc. 5000, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment— its independent small and midsized businesses. Companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Domino’s Pizza, Pandora, Timberland, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees of the Inc. 5000.
Since inception in 2011, GeoLinks has consistently achieved more than 300% growth in yearly annual revenue. While GeoLinks places 604 on the list overall, the company earned 5th place for Fastest Growing Telecommunications Companies, and 2nd place for Internet Service Providers.
GeoLinks Makes Inc.5000
“Myself, and the entire GeoLinks’ team, are thrilled to have achieved this incredible recognition,” said GeoLinks’ CEO Skyler Ditchfield. “It’s crazy to think that I started GeoLinks out of my home in Ojai, California back in 2011. However, even from the beginning, I’ve always known that we’d go big and disrupt the industry. While many have congratulated our success along the way, I’ve always known that the best is yet to come. We’re on track to grow another 100%+ this year, and plan to maintain this trajectory for the next five years, and beyond. I want to thank the entire GeoLinks team for their outstanding contributions in accomplishing this company milestone. Without each and every one of their hard work, dedication, and passion for innovation, we wouldn’t have gotten to where
we’re standing today.”
The 2017 Inc. 5000, unveiled online at Inc.com is the most competitive crop in the list’s history. The average company on the list achieved a mind-boggling three-year average growth of 481%—although, GeoLinks smashed the average with a three-year sales growth of 748%. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue is $206 billion, and the companies on the list collectively generated 619,500 jobs over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.
“The Inc. 5000 is the most persuasive evidence I know that the American Dream is still alive,” says Inc. President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. “The founders and CEOs of the Inc. 5000 tell us they think determination, risk taking, and vision were the keys to their success,
and I believe them.”
The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring all the companies on the list will be held from October 10 through 12, 2017 at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, CA. Speakers include some of the greatest entrepreneurs of this and past generations, such as former Ford president Alan Mullaly, FUBU CEO and founder and “Shark Tank” star Daymond John, Dollar Shave Club founder Michael Dubin, researcher and #1 New York Times bestseller Brené Brown, and Gravity Payments’ founder and CEO Dan Price.
For media inquiries or to schedule an interview with GeoLinks’ CEO Skyler Ditchfield, please contact Lexie Olson at lolson(at)geolinks.com.
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About GeoLinks
Founded in 2011 by CEO, Skyler Ditchfield, and CTO, Ryan Hauf, GeoLinks is the fastest growing B2B fixed wireless ISP in California. Proud to service the largest coverage area of any single fixed wireless provider in the state, GeoLinks expanded its territory in 2017 delivering enterprise-grade internet, layer 2 transport, and turnkey construction expertly tailored for all business and Anchor Institutions nationwide.
With industry leading installation times, GeoLinks’ flagship service, ClearFiber™, offers customers fixed wireless on the most resilient and scalable network ever built. Boasting ultra-low latency, 99.999% uptime, sub 10ms jitter, and a 4-hour max response time, GeoLinks prides itself on consistently delivering the industry’s best Service Level Agreement.
Amongst its many accolades, GeoLinks was the largest construction grant winner for California K-12 schools and libraries in both 2016 and 2017. Servicing thousands of businesses across the country, GeoLinks officially became a CLEC and public utility in 2017.
More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000
Methodology
The 2017 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2013 to 2016. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2013. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2016. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2013 is $100,000; the minimum for 2016 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.’s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.
About Inc. Media:
Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. Winner of the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in both 2014 and 2012. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 18,000,000 today. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.
The Inc. 5000 is a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. Started in 1982, this prestigious list of the nation’s most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success. The Inc. 5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony is an annual event that celebrates their remarkable achievements. The event also offers informative workshops, celebrated keynote speakers, and evening functions.
For more information on Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.
For more information contact:
Inc. Media
Drew Kerr
212-849-8250 [email protected]
