Summary Bullets:
- Verizon has brought a management team from SIs and IT hardware/software vendors on board to help expedite its transformation to an ICT solutions provider.
- Verizon has refined and enhanced its focus on enterprise cloud, IoT/M2M solutions, enterprise mobility and UcaaS, with security being the core of the network.
Verizon held its annual global analyst event this year in Boston, MA. This blog post summarizes some of the key takeaways and assesses the implications on the industry as well as enterprise buyers.
- To ride the ICT convergence trend effectively, Verizon retained management talent from system integrators and IT vendors to help expedite Verizon’s transformation into an ICT solution provider. Verizon emphasized its commitment to industry-specific solutions and restructured to target specific industry verticals.
- Verizon is bolstering its proposition as a network-centric, secure end-to-end cloud service provider. Verizon offers a self-service management console to deploy and manage workloads in the cloud. Furthermore, it operates a performance-optimized cloud environment, as well as its Private IP (MPLS IP VPN) service paired with a Secure Cloud Interconnect (SCI) feature, to provision high-performance, dynamic WAN connectivity into and between major data centers and cloud environments.
- In enterprise mobility, Verizon has developed solutions to manage multiple form factors and platforms from a single management console. Verizon also offers professional services to help enterprises formulate mobility strategies and blueprints, and can help enterprises address growing BYOD demands.
- Verizon has strengthened its M2M portfolio with solutions for telematics, smart cities, fleet management/transportation, security, asset management and utilities.
- Verizon reiterated its competitive advantage in embedding security in the network, as well as for delivering managed security services and solutions.
- Finally, Verizon has tightened up its provisioning processes with an initiative called Rapid Delivery. This initiative to automate, standardize and improve Verizon’s service provisioning is now one year old and is showing results: the total provisioning time has dropped by about one-third, and Verizon executives described cases of generating price quotes in just 30 minutes rather than taking days.
Implications on the SP Ecosystem and Enterprise ICT Buyers:
- Verizon – Verizon’s ICT solutions are primarily available in the U.S. and Europe. It needs to ramp up efforts to promote its solution portfolio in APAC and MEA, to be seen as an end-to-end solution provider for global MNCs interested in expanding their operations in emerging markets. Furthermore, the company has to articulate its value proposition, specifically for its vertical strategy, to address why enterprises should consider Verizon for their global ICT needs.
- Ecosystem Players – Asia’s regional and local service providers can consider Verizon’s global network and solution capabilities, possibly partnering with Verizon to target Asian headquartered MNCs that are expanding their operations outside Asia. Global providers should articulate their value proposition and competitive differentiation to improve their positioning in competitive bidding situations.
- Enterprises – Global and regional MNCs expanding their business outside Asia can consider Verizon’s network and ICT solution capabilities for cloud, M2M, contact center and unified communications/collaboration against similar offerings from other global and regional service providers. Moreover, MNCs looking for integrated secured connectivity can evaluate Verizon’s ability to knit together IP networking with cloud, security and devices.
IT Connection 