OREANDA-NEWS. April 19, 2016. In February 2016, Gartner published a report ranking wireline telecoms. The report, “The Gartner Critical Capabilities for Wireline Telecom Services, U.S.*,” provides criteria to help network and sourcing managers choose a service provider. We’re proud to be at the top of the list! But it’s not about us; it’s about setting our customers up for success so that they can be #1.

We bring new technology that reshapes how companies connect and do business. Our customers need to be mobile and connected to stay competitive. They need flexibility to drive a long-term strategy and to maximize short-term opportunities. And we’re in a unique place to help them. We deliver integrated solutions that help our customers around the globe sense and adapt to shifting demands. Our strategy is simple – to be the premier integrated communications company in the world.

We offer innovative and integrated solutions for businesses of all sizes. Here’s a snapshot of some of the exciting things we are doing for our customers.

Virtualization

While others are still trying to figure out their Network Function Virtualization/Software Defined Network (NFV/SDN) strategies, we’re already executing ours. We virtualized 5.7% of our network in 2015 and we’re on our way to 75% by 2020. We’re replacing customized gear like routers, switches and firewalls with sophisticated software running on commodity hardware – servers, essentially. You can add capacity faster and push out upgrades at the speed of the Internet. That’s virtualization. This gives customers more agile network solutions, making their business run more effectively and efficiently.

Faster networks through Ethernet

Ethernet is one of our fastest growing services for business customers.  This is because Ethernet provides a wide area networking capability that is scalable, flexible, and highly reliable.  Our customers are increasingly turning to Ethernet to satisfy their networking needs including connecting sites, access to VPNs, and access to the Internet.  We are using multiple delivery methods, and in particular fiber, to make Ethernet available everywhere. This past year, we’ve more than doubled our local area Ethernet footprint, and we plan to grow another 30 percent by 2020. And our Ethernet is FAST.  We currently offer dedicated Ethernet service in speeds up to 100Gbps and will be soon launching 100Gbps dedicated Internet service over Ethernet.

Gigabit for small businesses

We know that small and medium sized businesses also need to be connected. That’s why we offer AT&T Business Fiber in 180 U.S. cities. AT&T Business Fiber provides blazing-fast Internet service (up to 300Mbps symmetrical, soon to be 1Gbps) to help them better connect with customers, business partners and suppliers.

Flexible networks

Network on Demand was the first software-defined networking solution of its kind in the U.S. It makes network service setup easier than ever before. Businesses can add and change network services in near-real time via an online self-service portal. It uses software to add or change services, rather than modifying, installing or replacing hardware. AT&T Switched Ethernet on Demand is available in more than 170 U.S. cities.  In fall 2015, we launched Managed Internet Service on Demand to streamline Internet setup for our customers. As we grow the Network on Demand platform, we will soon bring our groundbreaking software-centric services to our global customers.

Network reach

And let’s talk about our network expansion. We’ve been aggressively expanding our fiber footprint over the past few years. Since 2012, we’ve expanded our coverage to reach over 1 million incremental business customer locations in the U.S. The expansion helped extend the AT&T U.S. fiber network another 76,000 route miles—bringing the total to nearly 500,000.

Security

Network security options and online backup help protect and virtualize business-critical information. Security is embedded directly into our network to help protect the connections and data that cross our channels. Customers require quick and nimble security measures to respond to growing cyber-threats. We have a multi-layered, integrated approach.  Secure at the device, connectivity, and data application layers. We combine the visibility and control of our network, with threat intelligence and response expertise to help businesses quickly detect threats and minimize their impact.

Agility is how we approach our work every day. It’s about supporting our customers and helping them compete more effectively. While we’re honored to be recognized by Gartner, we are more proud to deliver innovative and integrated solutions to our customers. By bringing the entire scope of the AT&T capabilities to bear, we’re helping our customers turn trade-offs of the past into combination plays of the future. Helping our customers stay connected via our reliable, highly-secure network will help them stay ahead of competitors. Their success is ultimately our success.

*AT&T Use Case Scores:  Overall – 4.33, Large Ent-Unmanaged – 4.36; Large Ent-Managed – 4.27; Midsize Enterprise – 4.32; Hybrid Core WAN Network – 4.36; Branch Office – 4.29