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DAY

1

DAY

1

«

6

»

THE

INCOMPAS SHOW

I OCTOBER 23-25, 2016

www.bekapublishing.com

THE

INCOMPAS

SHOW

of the global economy,” Calder said in an

interview prior to the show. “This increased

requirement for enterprise connectivity creates

a significant amount of opportunity for both

enterprises and service providers, but can also

present some challenges, such as the impact

of these services on network infrastructure.”

Citing a Cisco study from this year, Calder

pointed out that “global cloud IP traffic is

projected to account for more than four-fifths of

data center traffic by 2019. Service providers

need to determine how we can scale our

networks and our clients’ networks to help them

take advantage of new services and applica-

tions and drive improved productivity across

their organizations.”

Impressive Resume

Calder brings more than two decades of

experience to the table. He was appointed to

his position by GTT’s Board of Directors in May

2007. But his résumé is impressive. He was

president and COO of InPhonic, and prior to

that, he served as president of Business Enter-

prise & Carrier Markets at Broadwing Commu-

nications. He’s also held senior manage-

ment positions at Winstar Communications;

co-founded GO Communications; and in his

early career held positions at MCI Communica-

tions and Tellabs Inc.

Earning a degree in electrical engineering

from Yale, Calder first entered the telecommu-

nications space at Tellabs, where he worked in

an application-specific integrated circuit group

learning the business from the ground up. As his

career developed, he expanded his experience

from technical roles into marketing, business

development and management.

His work at GTT hasn’t gone unnoticed. In

June, he received the EY Entrepreneur of the

Year 2016 Mid-Atlantic award. Calder won for

the Technology Services category and became

eligible for consideration in the EY Entrepreneur

of the Year National Program.

He shares the honor with GTT’s team.

Great Growth

“When I joined GTT in 2007, the company’s

revenue was approximately $50 million. Since

that time, we have grown revenue to over $500

million, increased our employee base from 60

to 650 and expanded our service portfolio, infra-

structure and capabilities,” Calder noted. “This

rapid evolution of our company has allowed us

to bring greater value to our client base and to

become a truly disruptive force in the industry.”

This growth, Calder said, can be attributed

to a corporate strategy of expanding cloud

networking services to

multinational clients;

extending secure

network connectivity

to any location in the

world and any appli-

cation in the cloud;

and delivering “an

outstanding” client

experience by living

up to the compa-

ny’s core values of

simplicity, speed and

agility. “These differentiators have established us

as a better way for our clients to reach the cloud,

connecting them to the applications, services,

customers and partners they require to do busi-

ness, anywhere in the world,” he added.

Positioning the Future

Perhaps it has been because of his past

experiences that he so deftly created such a

successful present for GTT, while positioning it

for a promising future.

“I was employed by several telecom compa-

nies, including MCI, before the Telecommunica-

tions Act took effect in 1996,” he recalled. “This

experience gave me perspective on how the

act created opportunities for new and smaller

providers to enter the market and compete with

traditional telco monopolies.

“We have also witnessed a transition in the

scale and scope of the telecom industry, which

aligns with the global expansion of our clients’

businesses,” Calder continued. “Most of our

clients today have offices and requirements

that extend far beyond the United States. GTT

continues to grow our capabilities and infrastruc-

ture to meet the needs of our clients as they

expand their organizations worldwide.”

Calder said, “We see ourselves as a chal-

lenger brand; one that has the infrastructure and

services to define us as a global leader, but with

a superior, personalized service experience that

differentiates us in the market.”

Peering into the future, Calder said, “We

see many new trends, such as software-

defined networking and the movement of

enterprise IT applications to cloud service

providers, which are driving large increases in

bandwidth requirements.

“Multinational businesses are increasingly

turning to the cloud as a core organizational

strategy, using cloud-based services and

applications as a way to increase collaboration

across their workforces and reduce costs,”

he said.

Calder, referring to a Gartner study from this

year, said the public cloud market is projected to

grow 16.5 percent this year to $204 billion.

Pressing Issues

With progress, however, arises other issues.

“Security is a growing concern that continues to

be top of mind for executives across all indus-

tries,” Calder cautioned. “IT leaders need to

consider security offerings that provide compre-

hensive protection from rapidly evolving threats,

and compliance capabilities to help them meet

regulatory requirements.”

He said effective security is critical to an

organization, because a data breach can

be devastating from both a financial and a

branding perspective.

“The cost of cybercrime to businesses is

projected to reach $2 trillion by 2019,” said

Calder, quoting a 2016

Forbes

report.

“As a provider with an established history in

managed security, GTT realizes the importance

of investing in security solutions that protect

against complex threats,” Calder said. “We take

a multilayered approach to security, providing

both cloud and premises-based capabilities, to

effectively mitigate attacks.

“We also offer secure remote access services

and work with our clients to develop customized

compliance plans to meet regulatory require-

ments,” he added.

Calder is optimistic about the future of the

industry because of a policy environment that

promotes competition.

“The communications industry will remain a

competitive one, with new entrants and mergers

and acquisitions continuing to shape the land-

scape,” Calder said. “As a company with a

strong history of M&A activity, GTT views the

competitive landscape as an opportunity to stra-

tegically expand our business to better serve the

needs of our clients.”

p

(Keynote, continued from page 1)

Calder

“The communications

industry will remain

a competitive one,

with new entrants

and mergers and

acquisitions

continuing to shape

the landscape.”

– Rick D. Calder Jr., GTT