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THE
INCOMPAS SHOW
I OCTOBER 23-25, 2016
www.bekapublishing.comTHE
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