Services with a Global Twist

As the world gets smaller and global communications become ever more pervasive, more and more enterprises and governments face a myriad of challenges to expand their networks, especially if multiple countries are involved. Connecting offices and people across work environments and countries inevitably means resolving different networking technologies, infrastructures, and regulatory and legal requirements—representing just the top level of issues that can hinder or block any needed expansion.

Rather than trying to design, implement, and run their networks on their own, many progressive organizations now look to an experienced managed services provider, freeing them to focus on running their operations. And if the requirement crosses country or continental borders, the choice needs to factor in the provider’s global experience. Take as examples a hotel chain, a ministry of foreign affairs, or a multi-national bank, with locations all over the world. Even if they’re already working with a network provider in, say, North America, can that provider reliably cover their requirements in Europe, Asia, or Africa?

Service Companies and Strategic Partnerships across the Globe

That’s where Hughes Global Services comes in. Leveraging over 25 years of technology and service leadership internationally, Hughes provides a one-stop, global managed service for any organization’s communications networking, IT, and related support needs—anywhere in the world. Hughes does this by combining the capabilities and reach of its own service companies in North America, Brazil, Europe, China, and India with strategic partnerships across the globe.

Hughes today serves over one million sites on five continents, providing broadband connectivity and solutions to a wide range of customers, from consumers and small businesses, to governments and many of the world’s leading multi-national enterprises. The company’s rapidly growing base of authorized service providers and strategic partners similarly deliver broadband solutions using Hughes technology to their customers throughout the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Russia and the CIS countries.

Strategic partners range from value-added resellers (VARs), to satellite segment providers, to installation, repair and maintenance partners. When there is a requirement for network services in South Africa or Ethiopia, for example, Hughes may work with a regional provider to deliver this service, while all network components are managed from a central Hughes location. Similarly, if remote troubleshooting does not solve a problem on the network, Hughes would dispatch a local service technician.

The beauty of this arrangement is that customers work with a single trusted vendor under one contract to deliver a uniform, high-quality network service at all locations, gaining the advantages of responsive local support while solving the problem of filling the gaps between countries.

End-to-End Networks and Services

Hughes Managed Network Services integrates voice, data, and video applications seamlessly over any broadband transport, whether satellite, DSL, cable, 3G/cellular, MPLS—or any combination. It covers end-to-end requirements from network engineering and day-to-day program management, to installation, proactive monitoring, training, and customer service.

Understanding that one size does not fit all, Hughes builds solutions tailored to meet customer needs. Some customers are looking for voice and videoconferencing solutions, for example. Others require content management and delivery. Still others need a help desk. Working with the customer, Hughes designs a cost-effective solution to fit the customer—and then manages it, end-to-end.

Case Studies in Global Services

Typical global customers are governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and businesses in a range of industries, including finance, retail, healthcare, technology, petroleum, hospitality, and energy.

For example, a large African bank with a presence in more than 20 countries is using Hughes Managed Network Services for voice over IP (VoIP), videoconferencing, bank applications, and broadband Internet access. The entire solution is managed from the Hughes network operations center (NOC) based in Griesheim, Germany. Similarly, a global payments technology company is using Hughes managed services as a backup network in 118 countries, and in some sites as a primary network, to support its banking applications.

In the government space, a ministry of foreign affairs has contracted Hughes to provide a substantial network for voice, video, data, and security observation services at all its embassies and consulates in Saudi Arabia. Hughes has also expanded the provisioning of high-speed satellite Internet access for U.S. troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Available at U.S. military bases, the broadband Internet service is delivered via the company’s operations hub in the U.K., enabling troops to stay in touch with family and friends at home, including sending photos and videos, connecting over social networking sites, and making VoIP telephone calls.

Maritime Broadband Service

But Hughes Global Services are not confined to land-based applications. The company also delivers its Maritime Broadband Service to provide offshore broadband communications to workboats, vessels, and cruise ships in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and the North Sea. A fully managed service, the comprehensive offering includes network monitoring, proactive alerts, position location updates, and monthly reporting.

Meeting the Multi-National Challenge

“Today’s multi-national enterprises, governments, and organizations are looking at their networks from a global perspective and face formidable technological and logistical challenges as they expand operations across borders” said Kamran Givpoor, vice president, Hughes Global Services. “Hughes Global Services brings the resources, the experience, and the relationships to help them solve those problems.”

Hughes believes in acting globally and thinking locally. Partnering with Hughes, today’s businesses and governments can connect all their facilities and readily expand globally, knowing they can rely on a single provider for organization-wide managed services—no matter where in the world they choose to go.