eXemplify’s Robert Hayes sat down with Granite Telecommunications’ Kevin Sorgi to talk SD-WAN, the move to software-based systems, and the future of both Granite and telecom.
Fast Facts
Company founded in: 2002
Company headquarters: Quincy, MA
Number of employees: 1700
Launched Channel program: 2002
Number of Channel-dedicated staff: 24
Your name: Kevin Sorgi
Your title: Channel Sales Manager
Years at Granite: 12
One of our most successful partnerships has been with Granite Telecommunications — one of the U.S.’s most well-known providers of communications technology. Granite has helped paved the way for others in telecom, and we spoke with Kevin Sorgi, Channel Sales Manager at the company, to get his take on where the industry is headed and some of the exciting new projects Granite has in store for 2017.
Robert: What are some prominent successes Granite has had over the last year?
Kevin: Last November we surpassed $1.25 billion in annualized revenue, and in 2017 we hope to continue to hit our new goal of $2 billion by the end of the year.
Robert: Are there any emerging technologies you see affecting your business in the years to come?
Kevin: SD-WAN is what we’re having the most conversations about.
Robert: How do you see cloud continuing to change the world of telecom and IT, and how does Granite approach these changes?
Kevin: The services, features, and functionality of the cloud will continue to evolve. This evolution will embrace mobilization and facilitate more direct collaboration with scalability. Granite began planning for these changes four years ago, building our own data network (utilizing the Metaswitch platform). We’ve also expanded our product offering to now include hosted PBX, SIP trunking, and SD-WAN.
Robert: Any trends in telecom you think will take over the next few years?
Kevin: As noted in a recent study by Deloitte, I think that clients will get away from using proprietary, hardware-based network equipment and will instead transition to software-based network functions.
Robert: What makes Granite stand out from its competition?
Kevin: For the past 5 years, the average caller waiting time for our customer service department is 7 seconds. Behind our customer service department we have over 1400 teammates that support our partners and clients.
Robert: What can we expect to see from Granite in 2017?
Kevin: We just released our SD-WAN solution in January 2017, and expect our converged technologies solutions to be a bigger part of our revenue streams in 2017.
Robert: What’s new with Granite’s Channel Partner program?
Kevin: With 24 Channel teammates and growing, we’ve outgrown our current office and are moving to a new building on the Granite campus in March.
Robert: The Vegas Channel Show is coming up. Do you have anything special planned for partners?
Kevin: We are currently trying to get Britney Spears to make an appearance in our booth.
Robert: If you could give Channel Partners one piece of advice to be successful, what would it be?
Kevin: Besides work with Kevin Sorgi at Granite…don’t fall into the trap of selling to your comp plan. Make decisions based on what’s best for your client, not your bank account. Would you prefer the quick hit or a reference-able customer who stays with you throughout your career?
To learn more about SD-WAN, hosted PBX, SIP trunking, and other communications technology, visit Granite online or contact Kevin Sorgi at ksorgi@granitenet.com or call 617.933.7377.
To learn more about voice, data, and cloud technologies for your business, contact eXemplify here.