Charter Communications said it launched a new national ad campaign highlighting the internet, mobile, video and voice services its network provides to business customers.

The theme of the campaign is, “Designed for Business: Built for You.” Commercials show businesses ranging from Fortune 500 companies to local retailers taking advantage of the Charter’s Spectrum Enterprise offerings.

“We understand the many pain points businesses have in developing a digital infrastructure that supports their needs today but also readies them for future growth,” said Bill Archer, executive VP and president, Spectrum Enterprise. “Our advanced Spectrum network is designed to help decision-makers at businesses of all sizes implement effective solutions that will enable them to thrive in today’s fast-paced and competitive environment.” 

Charter began airing its new commercials Monday throughout its service area, including major metro areas such as New York City; Charlotte, North Carolina; Tampa, Florida; Dallas; and Los Angeles. 

Charter also continues to build up its national fiber network for large businesses, with Spectrum Enterprise’s recent launch of Ultra High-Speed Data services, enabling it to offer speeds of 100 Gigabits per second. 

“Whether you need small business WiFi for a retail store on Main Street, or a dedicated, secure fiber network with high-performance data needs at corporate locations in multiple states, our extensive network capabilities can be an asset to any business. That’s at the heart of what ‘Designed for Business; Built for You’ is all about,” Charter executive VP and chief marketing officer Sharon Peters said. ■

Growing up in Little Falls, New York, Joella Wind may not have always dreamed about becoming a telecom executive. But a love of science, a keen analytical mind and parents who encouraged her to follow her interests wherever they might lead took her on a path that placed her in the top echelon of cable telecommunications managers.

Now group VP, sales operations for Charter Communications’s large business telecom unit, Spectrum Enterprise, Wind oversees a 350-member team that encompasses sales operations, sales enablement, sales analytics, sales planning and field marketing. A 25-year veteran of the telecom industry, Wind has routinely broken ground in new territory throughout her career by leveraging her versatility, deep knowledge of complex products and services, data-driven decision making and the ability to motivate teams to bring new products to market. 

But it wasn’t just a love of technology that first set her on her career path. Wind said what drew her first to the University of Rochester — where she received a bachelor of science in optical engineering in 1990 — was the university’s sports teams. 

“I wanted to play field hockey in college and UR had a good field hockey team,” Wind said, adding that it offered an optical engineering major, which also caught her eye. “I always wanted to do something different, something unique, and I was a physics, math, science-oriented person. I thought, this is something different, challenging. I can probably get a job with this without going to graduate school and I get to play field hockey.”

Bitten by the Research Bug

Although she later did go to graduate school (obtaining an MBA in corporate finance from Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business) it was while she was working at UR’s prestigious Laboratory for Laser Energetics as a student that Wind got her first experience with major research. The lab, renowned for its work in high-energy physics, also inadvertently influenced her career path.

“It [research] drove me a little crazy, because of all the starts and stops and I thought, ‘Wow, I’d like to manage this lab, not necessarily do this,’ ” she said.

Wind said her tech background has been invaluable on the management side of the business because it gave her the skills to synthesize information, understand the underlying technology and be inquisitive. 

“I would start new jobs and have tons of questions I would write down in meetings so I could ask someone afterwards,” she said. “I think that bent really helps me because everything, no matter what function you’re in, has some bent to the analytic and the quantitative.”

That inquisitive nature has helped her colleagues as well, said her manager, Spectrum Enterprise senior VP of enterprise sales and marketing Jeff Painting, who praised her for her hard work, dedication and competitive acumen.

“Her competitive orientation is impressive and inspires her team to perform at the highest levels,” Painting said. “There isn’t a challenge she isn’t willing to face with a positive determination to succeed.”

Wind’s career in the telecom business has been a diverse one, with stints at Bell Atlantic (later Verizon Communications); Philips Broadband Networks (where she said she learned the cable business); a Dublin, Ireland-based startup; Time Warner Cable, where she created its Business Services team; and Charter, which purchased TWC in 2016. In her current position, she oversees all the sales operations and enablement functions for the unit. 

Seeking Out Supporters

Although she never had a formal “mentor,” Wind says that most of her managers have been exceptionally supportive and helped her during her career. “I do feel when you do really good work, your leaders become supportive of you and what you want to do in your career,” Wind said. “I had that quite a bit.”

And while she occasionally reaches out to past bosses “when I need someone to set me straight,” she also is very active in advising young women through mentoring programs at Spectrum as well as the University of Rochester. Part of that comes from her mother, she said, who was the principal of a vocational school that Wind has periodically visited to talk to female students in the welding and carpentry programs about nontraditional roles. ■

Charter Communications said Thursday that it has promoted Satya Parimi to senior VP, product and strategy for Spectrum Enterprise, which provides enterprise grade internet, networking, voice, video and managed services to Charter’s largest business customers. He will report to Charter executive VP and Spectrum Enterprise president Bill Archer.

Parimi will lead strategy and accelerate the expansion and addition of product solutions and features, including managed network services, wireless connectivity and cybersecurity, for Spectrum Enterprise.

“Satya Parimi has been at the forefront of product development and growth within our company for over 15 years, and his expertise has helped us successfully develop and launch a broad portfolio of technology solutions to help clients meet their business objectives,” Archer said in a press release. “His forward-thinking strategy will further enable us to anticipate and quickly address our customers’ networking and connectivity needs as they continue to evolve.”

Parimi joined Charter in 2016 as group VP, enterprise data products for Spectrum Enterprise, following the Charter-Time Warner Cable merger and has led Spectrum Enterprise’s data products portfolio and managed all stages of the product life cycle. Prior to that he held several leadership roles in product development and strategy at Time Warner Cable, where he served as group VP, VP and senior director in business services, beginning in 2007. ■

Charter Communications’ Spectrum Enterprise unit has delivered a proof of concept at the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) conference in Los Angeles, showing how artificial intelligence, machine learning and internet of things can be combined into a solution that can predict network demand.

The proof of concept depicts a smart sporting venue with an intelligence and autonomous software defined, wide area network (SD-WAN). Using a network analytics engine based on AI and machine learning that continuously ingests data from IoT devices, the network dynamically flexes across dimensions including capacity, performance and software resources.

This flexing of the SD-WAN network ensures that the proper level of WiFi speed, security and application performance are provided to guests.

Technology partners included in Charter’s PoC include Equinix, Nefeli Networks, Nokia and Vitria Technology. The PoC is being delivered at the sixth annual MEF 3.0 Proof of Concept Showcase from Tuesday through Thursday.

“By bringing together capabilities such as intent-based networking, automated service orchestration, AI/ML and IoT, we are able to demonstrate how dynamic network services can be offered to enterprises to solve unique business challenges,” said Satya Parimi, group vice president of enterprise data products for Spectrum Enterprise.

Charter Communications has announced the national launch of managed SD-WAN services through its Spectrum Enterprise unit.

The move comes nearly two years after the Comcast put managed software defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) services into beta. AT&T, which Charter competes with in its footprint, has also been offering these enterprise services for some time.

Charter said its services covers the entire implementation—from solution design and installation to portal-based network visibility, as well as monitoring and support.

The Spectrum Enterprise service is available in a number of configurations, including Layer 3, Layer 2 and Hybrid iterations. An integrated virtual security service is also available for clients who want to enable security internet access with their managed SD-WAN service.

The service leverages technologies from Cisco (services orchestration), Fortinet (virtual security), Netcracker (VNF management) and Nokia’s Nuage Networks (SD-WAN Technology).

“Our new Managed SD-WAN service delivers on our promise of choice and flexibility by enabling enterprises to grow and evolve their networks via our next-generation SDN/NFV platform,” said Greg King, senior VP of product, marketing and strategy for Spectrum Enterprise, in a statement. “Not only does this platform allow clients to securely integrate existing network sites and SD-WAN sites, it also enables us to rapidly deploy new capabilities for additional use cases and future network solutions.”

Charter is already touting an SD-WAN integration it performed in Texas—pretty close to AT&T’s Dallas headquarters—for the public safety office for the Town of Addison.

“As we worked with Spectrum Enterprise through the field trial, we appreciated how they incorporated our feedback into their Managed SD-WAN service,” said Hamid Khaleghipour, Interim deputy city manager and executive director of business performance and innovation for the Town of Addison. “We are excited by the availability of a WAN solution that lets us choose an Ethernet service or an SD-WAN with Ethernet stitching capability to build and migrate to next gen services at our own pace.”

Charter’s Spectrum Enterprise division has announced a partnership with video systems integrator Moviebeam to deliver hotels a new in-room guest entertainment service.

The new service will leverage Spectrum Enterprise’s Fiber Connect Plus TV, which features more than 200 HD channels, with proprietary Moviebeam technology to create a customizable platform.

Related: Spectrum Enterprise Beefs Up its TV Offering

Hoteliers can deliver custom content and provide concierge information to guests that features local attractions and services. They can also elevate and promote their brand by customizing the user interface with their hotel logo, colors and property imagery.

Guests, meanwhile, can cast from their personal devices using Chromecast and Airplay, and enjoy video content from streaming apps offered by Moviebeam without having to enter credentials.

“The Spectrum Enterprise partnership with Moviebeam is helping mid- to upper-end hotels and national hotel brands provide an excellent guest experience with interactive and customizable, in-room TV services,” said Peter Agnvall, VP of enterprise TV for Spectrum Enterprise, in a statement. “This partnership demonstrates our commitment to serve the hospitality industry, address their unique needs and invest in in-room entertainment offerings, Internet and data network solutions, managed WiFi and voice services appropriate for the industry.”

Spectrum Enterprise, Charter Communications’s business services arm, said it has broadened its Enterprise TV offering with more channels and support for additional platforms and devices.

Among the enhancements to Enterprise TV, an offering for hotels, hospitals and universities, Spectrum Enterprise said the offering now offers a lineup of more than 200 HDTV channels, including “core bundles” with sports, Latino and international programming, as well as premium add-ons and music channels.

During this week’s Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference, Spectrum Enterprise is also highlighting Fiber Connect Plus TV, an HDTV service delivered over fiber that supports channel insertion. Charter said that offering, which doesn’t require on-premises headend equipment, is tailored for partners that are looking for a TV platform without a converter box or as part of a third-party integrator solution.

Spectrum Enterprise is also using the event to tout a slimmed-down, “set-back” box for hotel guests and hospital patients that delivers HD programming and can be mounted behind the TV.

RELATED: Charter Testing ‘SpectrumU’

Also on show is SpectrumU TV, a new video streaming service from Charter for college partners that supports live TV, with local channels and regional sports networks, VOD and an integrated interactive programming guide. That service is delivered via on-campus wired and wireless networks to iOS and Android apps as well as compatible web browsers. Following field trials with more than 24 clients, SpectrumU TV is slated for general avaialbity later this month in Spectrum Enterprise’s national footprint. 

Spectrum Enterprise, a unit of Charter Communications focuses on the large business services segment, said it will invest more than $1 billion in 2018 to increase the density of its national fiber network.

Charter said this will be the second straight year in which the company has invested in excess of $1 billion exclusively in Spectrum Enterprise, which will be looking to expand on a network of nearly 200,000 fiber-lit buildings.

RELATED: Meeks to Take Business Services Role at Charter

Spectrum Enterprise will absorb the bulk of the upfront costs of fiber construction for most new enterprise clients in its footprint for solutions such as Fiber Internet Access, Ethernet and voice trunks (SIP/PRI).

The investment will also come to add fiber density as wired networks become a significant backhaul channel for a coming wave of 5G-based services and other bandwidth-intensive offerings. 

RELATED: Cable’s Dense Infrastructure Suited for 5G Small Cell Networks: Analyst

"As fiber connectivity has become fundamental to economic growth, we are focused on making our fiber infrastructure more accessible to clients, and reshaping their experience to align with the evolving realities of today’s modern enterprise," Phil Meeks, EVP and president of Spectrum Enterprise, said in a statement. "Advanced video and virtual reality solutions, cloud, IoT and the future of 5G all depend on a reliable and highly-dense fiber network. Our commitment is to ensure that our clients have the most robust fiber network and solutions to grow today and take advantage of future technologies that have immense demands on bandwidth."

Spectrum Enterprise, a unit of Charter Communications, has expanded the availability of Spectrum Enterprise Hosted Voice to in 14 states, with planned availability across its national footprint by year-end.

The hosted voice product is a managed, cloud-based business solution that, the unit said, provides unified communications and serves as a replacement to on-premises Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems using “virtual environments” that are accessed through a dedicated and secure fiber connection.

Guardian Logistics Solutions, which operates a 95,000 square-foot distribution facility in Durham, N.C., is among a group of business customers that use Spectrum Enterprise’s hosted voice product.

“Reliable communications are the foundation of every business and essential for ensuring client satisfaction and loyalty,” Joseph DeLotto, VP, voice and unified communications products at Spectrum Enterprise, said in a statement. “Spectrum Enterprise Hosted Voice gives multi-location businesses a full-featured, unified communications solution that helps to create a flexible work environment, boosts collaboration and enables employees to connect anytime from any location.”

Business services remain a key growth segment for cable operators. Charter’s Enterprise unit pulled down $548 million in revenues in Q2 2017, up 9.3% year-on-year, while total commercial revenues reached $1.47 billion, up 9.5%. 

Spectrum Enterprise, the unit of Charter Communications focused on larger business customers, has announced it will provide managed WiFi, fiber connectivity and hosted voice services/technologies to Orlando City Stadium.

The venue, which can hold about 25,000 fans, is the home of Orlando City SC of Major League Soccer (MLS), Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and Orlando City B of the United Soccer League (USL).

In addition to providing WiFi connectivity to fans, the managed system will also support a ticketless entry system that links up with smartphones and other devices. Spectrum Enterprise will also provide connectivity to the LionNation fan loyalty mobile app, which enables live check-ins and a point system that fans can use toward tickets, concessions and memorabilia sold at the stadium.

“Across all major sports and every geography, fans demand a more connected experience, wanting to be present in the moment, while, at the same time, maintaining access to the digital world,” Satya Parimi, group VP, data and cloud products for Spectrum Enterprise, said in a statement. “Orlando City Stadium will serve as a model for other arenas where high capacity fiber internet and an end to end managed Wi-Fi infrastructure can eliminate bandwidth and connectivity issues previously associated with game day.”

Charter, which acquired Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks last year, pulled in $1.41 billion in commercial services revenue in Q4 2016, including $526 million from its Enterprise unit and $891 million via services for small and mid-sized businesses.

Amid a rebranding effort occurring on the residential side of the house, Charter Communications on Monday announced that Charter Business has been recast as Spectrum Business, a unit that offers a range of broadband, voice and video services to commercial customers.

Last month during the MSO’s fourth quarter earnings call, Charter president and CEO Tom Rutledge noted that the company was in the process of separating its business services operations into two groups – one focused on small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), and another that targets larger enterprise customers. That operational resembles shares similarities with that of Cablevision Systems, which relies on its Lightpath unit to server enterprise customers via its fiber-based Ethernet platform, and Optimum Business to serve SMBs over the MSO’s HFC network.  

A Charter official confirmed that the SMB-focused portion of Spectrum Business unit will report into cable operations that’s led by Charter COO John Bickham, while Don Detampel, Charter’s EVP and president of commercial services, leads up the side concentrating on larger businesses and carrier customers that require fiber and more complex services.

Charter announced that new operational model internally last November, according to a memo obtained by Multichannel News.

“Charter Business has experienced strong growth over the past four years, yet the commercial revenue opportunity remains largely under penetrated across all customer segments,” the memo explained, noting that the commercial operations will be separated into two units – Spectrum Business and Spectrum Enterprise. “Today we are announcing a new commercial operating model that we believe will help accelerate our commercial growth and more aggressively drive market penetration. This new organizational structure will help define the organizational structure in the ‘New Charter’ post transaction." 

Charter pulled in $262 million in business services revenues in the fourth quarter of 2014, a 16.1% increase versus the year-earlier quarter.