74 / 100
FirstLight Fiber, which has helped to make New York
State and New England among the most-wired areas of the
United States, has grown organically and more recently by
acquisition, serving carriers and enterprises. Most recently, it
has formalized its channel partner program, and is placing a
strong emphasis on growing its indirect footprint for 2016.
FirstLight dawned 15 years ago as Tech Valley
Communications – the only locally owned, facilities-based
telecommunications provider headquartered in Upstate New
York’s Tech Valley. Since then, it has put together a robust and
deep fiber network in major metros and regionally, even in
the region’s often rural areas.
FirstLight’s Partner Program provides agents access to
a complete set of customized communications services that
include data connectivity, Internet, data center and voice
services, all backed by locally based service and support. To
the latter point, the company has crafted a focused approach
to serving end users, one that is uniform across its footprint
while retaining a local expertise and customer service approach
that gives it a big differentiation point in the market. FirstLight
has staff and engineers in each area that understand the local
needs of the customers in that specific metro or region.
That’s especially important considering that typically,
the FirstLight service area has a fairly challenging
geography in terms of terrain and weather, which can
change from town to town, valley to valley. It also is
challenged by the packed number of municipalities and
states in the footprint, all with different jurisdictions,
policies and procedures to follow in terms of how the
company builds out its network and goes to market.
Against this backdrop, the company is putting resources
behind building a thoroughly vetted channel partner
program, and is looking for seasoned veterans that know the
area and are well-prepared to meet the demanding needs of
customers. FirstLight is being choosy, and is looking to bring
on board the top partner in any given region or locale.
As a result, it has now brought on a dozen highly
targeted organizations that are a good match with the
region and the types of customers that FirstLight serves,
especially in certain verticals, such as healthcare, K-12
education, government and high tech.
For instance, one of the first participants is One Connect,
a telecommunications and technology consulting firm based
in Clifton Park, N.Y., which has joined FirstLight’s Partner
Program as a VAR. Since signing on as a FirstLight agent a
few months ago, One Connect has partnered with FirstLight
on approximately 20 customer projects.
“One Connect has been an exciting addition to our
Partner Program and have demonstrated they are true
experts in telecommunications with more than a decade of
experience,” said Mark Ayotte, senior director of alternate
channels at FirstLight. “Their strong relationships and
understanding of communications provides a solid platform
for attracting an impressive set of clients seeking high-
performance solutions.”
Maura Mahoney, senior director of marketing and product
management at FirstLight, explained that while the carrier
has had relationships in place with agents on an ad hoc basis
for some time, the company recognized the value that a
formal, well-vetted program could have.
“We recognized that alternate channels often serve the
customers that can benefit the most from our offerings, and
offer access to customers that we wouldn’t otherwise have
access to,” Mahoney said. “So we made the strategic solution
to give partners their own resources and capabilities, so that
they can make the most of our portfolio.”
For 2016, the company will hone those resources,
especially when it comes to training and support. It will be
revamping its agent portal, for one thing, to offer access
to service information, trouble ticketing, commissions and
account information. It’s also implementing regular lunch-and-
learns and training sessions.
On the portfolio side, Mahoney pointed out that as
FirstLight continues to grow, several large marketplace trends
are guiding its decisions on network investment and the
development of its offerings. For one, it has seen a demand
for higher bandwidth, data-centric solutions.
“The need for bandwidth continues to explode,” she said.
“Where a company once needed a 10-megabit connection, they
now need a Gig, or 100Gig. Our fiber-based connectivity is a
big advantage because we can scale as business needs require.
So our partners and agents can package that advantage with
their own solutions for a highly differentiated market offering.”
Enterprise customers are outsourcing more communications
and applications into data centers. FiberLight has five, located
strategically throughout its service footprint.
ROFILE
d
s
anaged
Services
IP
Telephony
IP
Telephony
FirstLight Turns Up
the Channel in New England
By
Tara
Seals
74
Channel
Vision
|
2016 Directory