ChannelVision Magazine

ICYMI Great Plains Names New CTO Great Plains Communications, the largest privately-owned telecommunications pro - vider in Nebraska, has named Tony Thakur as chief technology officer. In his new role, Thakur will guide the Great Plains Commu - nications technology vision and focus on ex - panding and enhancing the company’s robust regional fiber network. According to the com - pany, he also will introduce new innovative technologies to expand the company product offerings, focus on national geographic net - work expansion opportunities and introduce automation to drive efficiencies. Thakur has more than two decades of experience in C-level and senior executive roles at Unitas Global, TelePacific Commu - nications, Global Capacity, CENX (Carrier Ethernet Exchange) and Time Warner Tele - com. Throughout his career, he has been intimately involved in launching programs and developing services related to technol - ogy infrastructure development, networking and cloud connectivity services. His techni - cal proficiencies include fiber, IP, transport, access, Ethernet, EOC, fixed wireless, SD WAN and virtualization technologies. “We anticipate that the growing adoption of cloud services, SD-WAN, and other future technologies will continue to increase the demand for reliable, scalable networks that are automated to increase accessibility and productivity for our customers while reducing costs,” said Todd Foje, CEO of Great Plains Communications. “Tony will be instrumental in our quest to continually bring innovative new technologies to our clients.”  Captivate has selected GTT Communications managed SD- WAN service to improve network security, increase network uptime and deliver real-time video content to nearly 1,700 premier building lo - cations across North America, an - nounced the two companies. The four-year contract includes multi- phased service deployment to Cap - tivate’s current building locations and allows new building sites to be added as Captivate expands its service footprint. GTT SD-WAN enables Captivate to transmit video content from a centralized platform for a more flex - ible and responsive video service to Captivate clients, including property owners and managers as well as advertisers. GTT SD-WAN is config - ured with broadband connectivity to each building location, coupled with 3G/4G wireless access to deliver optimized network performance and enhanced resiliency. “GTT’s SD-WAN solution is transforming Captivate’s business by supporting real-time data flows between our clients’ buildings, content and advertising partners, and the cloud-based applications involved in display management,” commented Del McPhetridge, vice president of operations at Captivate. “The expansion to real-time, on-de - mand content updates requires 100 percent video broadcast uptime. We selected GTT for the performance capabilities of its SD-WAN service, the reach of its Tier 1 IP network, its premier network operation center support and its proven managed services track record.” Technology advisor and GTT channel partner TechChoice played a facilitating role to secure this client contract for a managed SD-WAN service. “In collaboration with GTT, we have designed the most scalable, agile and diverse network that ad - vances Captivate’s video content platform to a new level of perfor- mance for its clients,” stated Paul Storella, founder of TechChoice. “Connecting people in build - ing elevators and lobbies across North America to view real-time news, information and sponsored content exemplifies GTT’s power - ful purpose,” added Rick Calder, GTT president and CEO. “With this large-scale GTT SD-WAN deploy - ment, we are committed to ensuring Captivate’s continued success as a leading innovator in digital media and advertising.” Captivate Selects GTT SD-WAN for Real-Time Video Transmission Vonage has announced a part - nership with global communications workflow platform company Whispir. Leveraging Vonage’s voice, video and messaging APIs, Whispir’s plat - form enables businesses to rapidly manage, automate and optimize their communication processes to connect more seamlessly with customers, with no software developer or designer skills required. The partnership between Vonage and Whispir offers customers access to Vonage SMS, WhatsApp and video services, via the Whispir platform, enabling more personal and more meaningful interactions between a business and its customers. Von - age and Whispir customers can also significantly reduce client application development times using Whispir’s turnkey drag-and-drop workflow templates, without requiring techni - cal expertise. What might have taken months to build and deliver, the company says, can now be achieved in a few days. Vonage Partners with Communications Workflow Platform Whispir 80 CHANNEL VISION | March - April, 2020