Verizon Enterprise Solutions & Verizon Business Markets: 1Q 2017 highlights

Verizon Enterprise Solutions delivers the connected world - simply, securely and reliably. During the first quarter of 2017, we helped global clients provide better customer experiences and produce better business results through services like advanced connectivity, collaboration and managed services. First quarter 2017 highlights include:

Clients and partners

• Verizon entered into new agreements with Block Institute, the State of Connecticut, Georgetown University, HRC ManorCare and Xplor, and welcomed Ampito Group (Matelco and Ampito Europe), Innovax Systems and Rainmakers Limited to the Verizon Partner Program.

Business news

• Verizon announced the completion of the $1.8 billion purchase of XO Communications' fiber-optic network business. The integration of XO's fiber network will help Verizon extend its suite of high-quality network services to its enterprise and wholesale customers. In addition, it will help the company in its plans to densify its cellular network, and to deploy new 5G technologies.
• We launched a new business unit, Verizon Business Markets (VBM), dedicated to serving US-based local businesses, state and local governments, and educational institutions. The unit consolidates multiple teams drawn from the Verizon's small/medium business and enterprise groups serving these customers, plus new XO teams and resources also currently serving these markets. VBM will leverage Verizon's extensive portfolio of products and services to enable these businesses and organizations to better serve their own customers, constituents and local communities. Martin Burvill heads the new group, and says initial VBM services include FiOS (voice, broadband and TV service), IP networking, advanced voice solutions, security and managed IT services. Going forward, VBM will develop services specifically for these markets, designed with a 'digital first: end-to-end' approach that is simple to understand, deploy and use.
• We opened a newly-established Asia-Pacific Threat and Analytics Center at Verizon's Asia-Pacific Advanced Security Operations Center in Canberra, to deliver timely insights into cyber threats for both public and private sector customers. This facility complements Verizon's nine existing Security Operations Centers (SOCs) across the world, which together to monitor more than 60 billion security events annually.

Awards and appointments

• Gartner, Inc. positioned Verizon in both the 2017 Magic Quadrant for Managed Security Services, Worldwide and Magic Quadrant for Network Services, Global. This is the eleventh consecutive time that Verizon has appeared in the Network Services, Global Leaders Quadrant - this year positioned the furthest for Vision and Execution in the Quadrant for the first time - and the fifth consecutive time in the Managed Security Services, Worldwide Leaders Quadrant. Gartner's Network Services, Global report assesses the ability to execute and completeness of vision for enterprise-class networking services worldwide. Gartner's Managed Security Services, Worldwide report 'evaluates services for monitored/managed firewall, and intrusion detection and prevention functions (primarily network-based, but also host-based), as well as log management and analysis, and reporting services, across a variety of sources.'
• Verizon's network was rated No. 1 among U.S.-based wireless companies in overall network performance for the seventh consecutive testing period in RootMetrics' latest RootScore® Report. Verizon swept all performance awards in consecutive national reports, and is undefeated in overall performance in 48 states and 93% of 125 metro markets. Verizon's national sweep included all six network categories for all of 2016, including reliability, data, speed, call, text and overall performance - an industry first since testing began.
• For the 18th consecutive time, Verizon received more awards than any other provider in the J.D. Power Wireless Network Quality Study. According to the latest J.D. Power 2017 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study, Volume 1, Verizon Wireless ranked 'Highest Wireless Network Quality Performance across the Nation,' and performs highest than the industry average in all three quality categories: calling, messaging and data.

Reports

• The second edition of Verizon's Data Breach Digest found that data breaches are becoming more complex. They are also no longer confined to just the IT department, but are now affecting every department within an organization. Each breach leaves a lingering, if not lasting imprint on an enterprise. Humans continue to play a significant role in data breaches and cybersecurity incidents, fulfilling the roles of threat actors, targeted victims and incident response stakeholders. The report invited the reader to take a behind-the-scenes look at cyber investigations, told from the perspective of the various stakeholders involved, such as corporate communications, legal counsel, or the human resources professional.

Network

Internet of Things

• Verizon launched the first nationwide commercial 4G LTE Category M1 (or Cat M1) network, which spans 2.4 million square miles - the first and only Cat M1 network providing scale, coverage and security for customers seeking wireless access solutions for IoT. Verizon's Cat M1 network is built on a virtualized cloud environment which enables rapid and agile IoT solution deployment and nationwide scaling aimed at increasing IoT adoption for developers and businesses with new and more economical IoT data plans.
• Building on its strategy to drive innovation and adoption for IoT services in high-growth markets, Verizon announced that it had purchased Skyward, a private company based in Portland, Oregon. Skyward brings drone operations management to the Verizon IoT portfolio, simplifying drone operations and management for organizations of any size.