2019 Directory - ChannelVision Magazine

2019 Directory | Channel Vision 61 PROFILE M any businesses are now looking to embrace the idea of a borderless busi- ness world and expand their opera- tions into rapidly growing global markets, such as Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa. In- ternational expansion brings many unique challenges, though, spe- cifically surrounding connectivity, network performance, security and the cloud. For channel partners, this is a big opportunity to connect customers with telecommunications providers that have the resources and expertise to ensure seamless migrations into key global markets. PCCW Global is one provider that’s earned a reputation as a leader in this space. The company offers an advanced global network that cov- ers more than 150 countries, along with a large portfolio of infrastructure services, provided via its IP, fiber and satellite footprint. In addition, the company offers security solutions, including DDoS protection, advanced threat intelligence monitoring and email protection services. The com- pany’s services portfolio is spread over a diverse global backbone of IP, fiber and satellite infrastructure. This backbone is what gives PCCW Global such extensive reach, explained Margareta Sauger, vice president of sales for Americas En- terprise at PCCW Global. “We are very internationally focused,” said Sauger. “Being the international operations arm to Hong Kong Telecom, for instance, it means our footprint in Asia is quite vast. Our experience there runs very deep and wide. That is definitely our top terri- tory, which is music to many Ameri- can businesses as they continue to expand in the APAC region.” PCCW Global also has a strong presence in Europe and America, “and we do extremely well in Africa and the Middle East,” Sauger added. The company also offers Console Connect, a software-defined intercon- nection platform that provides on-de- mand, private and automated connec- tivity between customer data centers, cloud providers and XaaS plaforms. “The launch of Console Connect enables us to move from a traditional telco into the world of the software- defined environment,” Sauger stated. “It truly is an overlay on top of this vast network that we have, and en- ables us to give automation, flexibili- ty and control back to our customers. “Console Connect aims to build community,” Sauger continued. “En- terprises can go to Console Connect to establish connections between their different data centers or core loca- tions, or to their cloud providers. At the same time, they can create direct, private connections between various cloud providers – which is quite unique – to run a multi-cloud environment.” Paul Gampe, chief technology of- ficer at PCCW Global, elaborated on the challenges that businesses face when trying to establish site-to-site connectivity and how Console Con- nect helps. “Say I want to connect to a gaming company in Taiwan,” Gampe added. “How do I do that? Who do I talk to? I need to find a network engineer and locate their points of presence. I also need to communicate with a network engi- neer that will ultimately accept my connection request.” Console Connect is designed to streamline this complex operation. “You can see new participants join- ing the platform and connect and chat with them,” Gampe stated. “You also have the usual attributes of posts, ar- ticles and likes as a trust mechanism. It also offers a simplified user experi- ence around network orchestration, and a flexible pricing plan.” One of PCCW Global’s fastest- growing verticals right now, it should be noted, is the agent channel. The company, which is headquartered near Washington, D.C. in Herndon, Va., offers competitive commissions which vary depending on the solution being sold. SPIFFs are reviewed and enhanced quarterly, and Console Connect has a “very attractive agent incentive plan,” Sauger added. “It’s literally cash in their pockets for a new sign up,” Sauger said. “We don’t shy away from that at all, and we’ll look at multiple SPIFF payouts if we have a multi-solution type of project that we work on. “We highly encourage our agents to schedule a workshop with us,” said Sauger. “We will be more than happy to show what the world looks like outside of North America, includ- ing changing markets, trends that we are seeing and the technologies that we currently have. Plus, the more time we can spend with our agents, the more we can learn what their customers are asking for. It becomes a two-way street.” By Gerald Baldino PCCW Global: International Gateway for Agents PCCW Global’s Margareta Sauger