2020 has been a hard year for all kinds of businesses. Because of the pandemic, organizations have needed to change the way they do business. Connectivity and communications technologies have become crucial as companies transition to a remote workforce.
This year, FirstLight has sought to help our customers meet and triumph over those challenges. We’ve made significant strides by increasing our offerings so we can deliver more network, communications, and cloud capabilities to our customers in the Northeast. We’d like to take this opportunity to review the progress FirstLight has made this year.
Here’s a look at 5 enhancements and additions to our offerings we have made during 2020:
1) Extending our Network
FirstLight has been proud to own and operate an extensive high-performance fiber optic network in the Northeast. In 2020, we continued to extend this network through numerous acquisitions and through our own construction of new fiber into communities that need it. We added over 5,000 miles of fiber to our network, which now totals more than 20,000 miles.
By acquiring KINBER assets, we were able to add significant fiber network in Pennsylvania. Other notable acquisitions included PrimeLink and BestWeb, as well as adding expertise to our monitoring capabilities through the acquisition of TruePath Technologies.
2) Adding Webex Calling
FirstLight has enhanced our portfolio of unified communication solutions (UC) by adding Webex Calling. Webex Calling is a cloud-based UC solution that is part of Webex, the world’s most popular collaboration suite.
Webex Calling is a secure, enterprise and carrier-grade cloud calling solution that operates on proven Cisco-based architecture. Implementation is flexible, allowing for cloud, on-premises, and hybrid deployments.
The solution includes apps, open SIP, Cisco-integrated device support, and fully featured PBX functionality. Webex Calling provides seamless integration with Webex Teams and Webex Meetings.
3) Expanded Contact Center Solutions
During the pandemic, customers are relying on call centers to resolve problems and purchase products and services, so expanding our contact center solutions was timely. FirstLight Cloud Contact Center uses a software-as-a-service model to deliver a customizable, robust, and easy-to-use platform without the need for expensive upfront equipment purchases.
With Cloud Contact Center, you can say goodbye to the need for an in-house call center to manage your direct customer interactions, such as help desk support, bill paying, appointment setting, or fulfillment services. Rich features include automatic call distributor, IVR, preferred agent routing, customized reports, real-time graphical dashboards, speech to text, and live monitor/whisper/barge-in.
Automatic software updates are included at no additional cost, so you’ll always have the latest and most advanced contact center tools and technology at your fingertips. Best of all, you can keep your current PBX handsets. We also provide professional support and training in cloud contact solutions.
4) Expanding Monitoring Solutions and Managed Services
FirstLight added monitoring expertise and a number of monitoring solutions through its acquisition of TruePath Technologies. FirstLight can assess what monitoring software a company needs and configure these solutions to make sure they are implemented correctly and efficiently.
We offer customized monitoring portals and dashboards, as well as the tools, charts, training, and alerts organizations need to monitor their infrastructure. Some of the items we support include:
- Environmental Monitoring
- Detailed Charts & Reports
- Monitoring Software Upgrades & Patching
- Network Monitoring
- Port/Interface Utilization & Graphing
- Application Monitoring
- Custom Dashboards & Maps
- NOC Training for Monitoring
- Multiple Data Center Monitoring
- Alerts (with escalations)
FirstLight is a premier technical support provider and reseller for our partners SolarWinds, Checkmk, OP5, HW group, ntop, and more.
5) Adding Azure Stack for a Northeast-Based Azure Site
FirstLight added a unique service offering around Microsoft Azure Stack technology. Hybrid cloud is a popular cloud model for business because of its flexibility, and Azure Stack enables companies to place Azure-based workloads in the Northeast in a FirstLight data center for improved network performance, disaster recovery capabilities and more.
Wrapping Up 2020
FirstLight’s 2020 illustrates that we follow the principle of “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Despite everything that’s been thrown at us this year, we’ve managed to thrive and offer our customers more solutions and product features than ever before.
FirstLight can help your company meet connectivity, communications, and collaboration challenges during these times of adversity. Our solutions and services are continuously expanding to prepare our customers for next year and beyond.
Want more details on our new solutions and services? Reach out to FirstLight today for more info.
