The Beacon

July 2018

The Beacon

July 2018

 

Welcome to the July 2018 edition of the Calix Beacon!

I am excited to highlight several changes that we have made to the format of the Beacon in response to your feedback. First, we have reduced the length of our email edition by providing a brief summary of the featured articles. Second, we are providing a link to the full content of each story highlighted in the email edition. Each link will bring you directly to the related article that is now available on our new home page for the Beacon. We hope that these changes enable you to quickly and easily locate the content and updates that are most relevant to you and your teams.
 
Like what you see? Have ideas on how we can continue to improve? Please share your thoughts in our survey below. Thank you for you continued support and partnership.

 

- Matt Collins, Chief Marketing Officer

Matt Collins

Chief Marketing Officer

 

From the Bullpen

Announcing Comedian Ryan Hamilton at Calix ConneXions 2018

 

Melani Luedtke-Taylor

Senior Manager, Conference and Events, Calix

We just can’t keep quiet any longer!

Ryan Hamilton, one of “Rolling Stone’s Five Comics to Watch,” will be performing just for ConneXions attendees at the Wynn on Monday evening, October 29. 

 

Ryan recently released his first stand-up special. The one-hour Netflix original Happy Face, follows a wealth of television appearances and a non-stop headlining tour. Armed with the unique perspective of growing up in rural Idaho to become a favorite in the New York stand-up comedy scene, he’s one-of-a-kind. He’s been named one of Rolling Stone’s Five Comics to Watch, and recent appearances include The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan, and opening spots for Jerry Seinfeld as well as Gad Elmelah at Carnegie Hall. Ryan is endearing stand-up lovers, and his future is bright.

 

“One of the most reliably funny regulars at the Comedy Cellar, an observational comic who often riffs on the absurdity of his own wholesomeness.”

The New York Times

 

“It was fresh, poignant, and light-hearted without sacrificing depth.” 

– Forget The Box review of Ryan’s show “Edgy, Boundary-Pushing Comedian” at the 2017 Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival

 

Visit www.calix.com/connexions to see how ConneXions 2017’s promise is now a reality.  Check out sample sessions, learn more about the full agenda, and plan your trip. Register now with our early bird rate to join thousands of other attendees taking advantage of industry and thought leadership sessions, training and education courses, and one-of-a-kind networking opportunities, including the Monday night entertainment with Ryan Hamilton.

We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas!

 

Cloud Spotlight

You Asked. We Delivered.

 

Pam Ferguson

AVP, Subscriber Experience, Calix

A look at how Calix Marketing and Support Cloud’s latest release address customer feedback

The latest updates to Calix Cloud are here! Both Calix Marketing Cloud (CMC) and Calix Support Cloud (CSC) introduced enhancements that were prioritized by our customers to help them streamline the ways they interact with their subscribers. Here’s a glimpse of some critical customer needs we addressed. For a more in-depth look at what’s included, check out the press release

 

Customization options and simplified workflows to streamline marketing efforts

Customers rave about cost and time savings when it comes to segmentation. This recent CMC release allows further fine-tuning of subscriber profiles and reports to focus on what’s most important to the business. It also removes steps to get to pertinent information quickly to spend more time communicating with subscribers in meaningful ways.

 

One-click Wi-Fi optimization across entire subscriber base

The ability to automatically find and fix Wi-Fi issues has been a huge hit with the Self Heal function. Customers saw tremendous success in reducing support calls by enabling it across the entire subscriber base. To date, 65 percent of Self Heal enabled subscribers are seeing improvements in reducing Wi-Fi performance-related support calls and customers are experiencing first hand, the benefits of autonomous networks.

Customers can now turn on Self Heal for all subscribers within their network with a single click. Check out this video to see how easy tackling Wi-Fi issues can be with Self Heal.

 

Feature parity with CC+

There is no debate over the fact that CSC goes leaps and bounds beyond what Consumer Connect + (CC+) delivers. However, many customers voiced the need to port over some of their favorite CC+ features to make the transition to CSC easier for the users. With the latest release, CSC now delivers all CC+ capabilities. See how Triangle Communications is benefiting from moving to CSC.  

 

Day-One subscriber care

According to Nick Colton, director of technical support at ALLO Communications, “Nearly 25 percent of our Wi-Fi related support calls come in within the first 45 days of service, so our ability to support them from day one sets the bar high for our future interactions.” Previously, access to new subscriber data wasn’t available until 24 hours after install, limiting support if a subscriber called in on Day One. With the latest release of CSC, CSRs can now populate subscriber information on-demand, to support the subscriber even before they have experienced the service.

If you’re already a Calix Cloud Customer, visit our online community and participate in active discussions with your peers and Calix Cloud Specialists to maximize your investment in Calix Cloud. If you are new to Calix Cloud and curious how you too can differentiate your business and improve your subscriber interactions, register for our upcoming webinar

Premises Spotlight

Software update for GigaCenter and 804Mesh

 

Greg Owens

Senior Director, Premises Marketing, Calix

The Calix 804Mesh satellite unit is one of the most popular products that Calix has ever launched. Thousands of devices have been deployed in homes across North America over the past several months. During this time, we have been collecting your feedback and have made some improvements and enhancements.

Please visit the Calix Software Center to download the latest version of the software— Release 12.2.8.1 for the GigaCenter and Release 2.0.1 for the 804Mesh. My Calix users should then click ‘Browse by Premises Products’, then either “844E GigaCenters” or “804Mesh Satellites. Calix customers who are not currently My Calix users will need to register for a My Calix account.

 

The ultimate in-home Wi-Fi performance

To date, we’ve heard some great stories about how deploying a single 804Mesh satellite significantly enhances Wi-Fi coverage throughout consumer homes – and beyond:

  • ITS told us about a customer that was looking for better coverage for the backyard pool deck;
  • WRT told us that providing the best Wi-Fi service possible is essential for keeping subscribers satisfied;
  • We’ve also heard from HBC about wanting extended Wi-Fi coverage for its subscribers, some of whom like to watch TV and surf the Internet in unusual places; and
  • There have been some great anecdotes about subscribers that were displeased with their Wi-Fi coverage before the 804Mesh, that are very happy campers now.

For more information, please visit the 804Mesh web page, which includes links to recent press releases, webinar replays, and the 804Mesh ‘out-of-the-box’ video. 

 

Everything you need for deploying a managed, whole home Wi-Fi experience

Need help in preparing your network and premises infrastructure and getting your operations and support teams ready to deliver a carrier-class whole home Wi-Fi solution? Our Professional Services team can help streamline and simplify the process of bringing these services to market with an access and premise software audit and optimization service, as well as field and support team on-site readiness workshops. For more information, visit the Calix Professional Services web page.

 

Want to brainstorm how best to market a Whole Home Wi-Fi solution? We can help!

Looking for ways to provide your subscribers with a better Wi-Fi experience and reduce your technical support costs? We’re here to help. If you’d like to discuss the business case for Whole Home Wi-Fi, get in touch today and schedule a free consultation with a Calix executive or product expert.

 

Perspectives Spotlight

Are you the catalyst for innovation in your company?

 

Alan DiCicco

Solutions Marketing Senior Director, Calix

Start with opportunities in the home

Innovation is all around us, impacting every aspect of our personal and professional lives. Are you looking for the insights that inspire epic transformations? Are you curious to learn what other innovators see when they look at the world?

Visit our new Perspectives page to learn from distinguished service providers, systems suppliers, analysts, educators — and some Calix employees — as they share the ideas and inspiration that could inspire the transformation of your business. The site features six main areas: 

  • Service providers of the future: Meet the visionaries and pioneers that create new business models and reinvent how they serve their device-enabled subscribers.

  • Smart home opportunities: Learn how service providers plan to enable the smart home and office to provide an exceptional subscriber experience. 

  • Software Defined Access: Software platforms are the innovation engine behind every new digital service and application, transforming the business of broadband. 

  • Regulatory Updates: Highlights and insights from inside the beltway. Learn how regulatory changes will impact service provider operations and investment strategies. 

  • The Calix Blog: Every day we wake up thinking about how to catalyze your innovation, transformation, and success. See our daily thought topics that will help you thrive.

  • “Meet the Millers” videos: Meet the Millers – a family beset by everyday broadband issues in their “not-so-smart” home. Learn how their service provider solved these problems. 

Smart home opportunities: Stake a claim in the future

To kick things off, one of the first sections populated with new content is ‘Smart home opportunities’, which features two new blogs and a video. All three pieces provide interesting insights into the future of the smart home, including how service providers need to prepare for the newest wave of competitors, what steps should be followed on the journey to the smart home, and how a leading service provider has established a strategic point of presence in the home that they plan to leverage into a smart home play. 

Calix wants to spark your imagination

At Calix, we have always been inspired by transformation and innovation. They inspire us and we think that these unique and diverse perspectives will inspire you as well. So, if you want to be the catalyst for innovation in your company, you've come to the right place. 

 

AXOS Spotlight

GPON Deployments Get a Facelift

 

Teresa McGaughey

Senior Director, AXOS Marketing, Calix

No, that doesn’t mean GPON has changed

GPON as you’ve known it for years continues to be a leading technology to deliver broadband over fiber networks. But how GPON networks are architected is changing. 

 

The access network architecture is based on technology that was introduced some 30 years ago. Yes, it’s been that long since analog modems were mainstream, and nearly 25 years since the first ADSL modems. When the access network was defined in standards like Broadband Forum’s TR101, functions like subscriber management, IP address management, and security were all placed closer to the core of the network. Centralizing these functions into large routers and broadband network gateways (BNGs) was required so the cost could be factored across many subscribers. However, this resulted in complex processes, as turning up a new subscriber or adding a new type of service meant the router, BNG, OLT, and likely even routers aggregating the subscribers, all needed to be touched. This required plenty of coordination and operational overhead, while increasing the potential for error.

 

Fast forward 30 years to today where you can buy a small business router for under $100 and it fits in a space the size of a shoe box. Just think what can be done in the space of an access system like the E9-2 Intelligent Edge System. Whether you have an existing network or are building a new network, there is an opportunity in front of you. The cost and size of technology isn’t limiting the network architecture. Therefore, it makes sense to consolidate the functions of OLT, subscriber management, IP address management, and even the aggregation router into a single network element. This consolidates all the functions related to the provisioning and management of subscribers and subscriber services and removes the need to coordinate new service creation across multiple network elements, and likely vendors. Not only does this simplify operations by having a single point in the network to manage all subscriber related activities, but it increases network security by moving layer 3 routing closer to the edge where the subscribers are located. 

 

This is the vision behind AXOS and the E9-2 Intelligent Edge System which now supports GPON. If you’d like to learn more about the E9-2 Intelligent Edge System and the upcoming GP1611 GPON line card, contact your sales team or click here. Please join us for the AXOS Tech Talk Series where you can learn more about AXOS and the AXOS E-Series Portfolio.

Join us for our monthly AXOS Tech Talk

Join Calix on the third Wednesday of every month for our AXOS Tech Talk Series. Each Tech Talk webinar will go into topics to help you further understand AXOS and how it can benefit your business. The sessions will enable you to ask questions about capabilities within AXOS of Calix experts as well as service providers deploying AXOS. You can register below for notification of future webinars topics as they are announced.

Services Spotlight

Are You Ready to Redefine Your Support Services?

 

Tom Schroer

Senior Director, Services Marketing, Calix

Your operational success and customer satisfaction often depends on the quality of your support, and at Calix Services we recognize that. We’re excited to tell you about the new Calix Support Program that is replacing the existing Calix Advantage Program (CAP). Calix has combined comprehensive support capabilities with advanced monitoring and management and proactive network and service advisory expertise to give service providers a clear pathway to success. 

The expanded Calix Support Program helps service providers:

  • Improve and optimize performance and operational efficiency with their Calix solution
  • Reduce risk and deliver higher levels of service availability
  • Resolve problems more quickly and proactively with access to industry leading technical support 

In the new Support Program, customers currently under the standard CAP program will, upon renewal, be automatically eligible for the Essential support tier. You will continue to be able to take advantage of the 7x24 coverage for critical software issues and access to software updates, as well some extra features that come with the Essential tier in the new program.

If minimizing downtime and optimizing user experience are important to you, the Vantage tier in the new program will help you maximize the value of your access network investment. 

The Vantage tier is designed to help service providers scale their operations team without adding headcount and solve problems faster with features that include:

  • Real-time remote alarm monitoring and management
  • Proactive network health assessments
  • Software update guidance
  • Vantage Service Director – a named expert assigned to your team to help improve network performance and reliability

We’re excited about the new expanded program because it lets us provide additional support options and value-added features our customers have been requesting. Find out more about the new program by visiting the Calix Support Program web page. We will also be hosting a webinar to go over the new program on Wednesday, August 8. Register here.

 

Join us at ConneXions 2018

Calix ConneXions is where pioneers and thought leaders come to debate, collaborate and learn about the latest innovations that winning service providers are using to evolve their business models. At ConneXions we celebrate our customers’ successes, announce new products and services, and build community. But more than that, with new and ongoing partnerships and ecosystems, this shared experience will enable you to take your business to the next level.

 

Calix Community News

Featured Blogs and Resources

Top 5 Recent Blog Posts

Each month, we highlight the top 5 recent Calix Blog posts to make sure you don't miss out on the latest news and insights from Calix experts and industry guests.

And don't forget to follow us and check out other insightful articles.

TAC TV Featured Video

 

How to perform a database backup and restore on AXOS systems

Did You Know?

Did you know you can configure and manage 844E GigaCenter Bandwidth Profiles remotely via Calix Support Cloud or CC+?

 

Calix Academy

Delivering Subscriber Services in an Ethernet Gateway Application

New self-paced course available!

Are you a Network Operations or Central Office technician responsible for provisioning subscriber services using the 844E GigaCenter? Do you use Calix Support Cloud to manage overall subscriber home network experience in an Ethernet Gateway application?

Starting with the detailed overview of Calix Support Cloud and various 844E deployment environments, the Using Calix Support Cloud and the 844E GigaCenter instructor-led course provides hands-on experience with preparing Calix Support Cloud to support the 844E, administer subscribers and troubleshoot subscriber services.

To register for this virtual instructor-led courses, click the Events Calendar and go to July 2018.

 

Upcoming Class:

Using Calix Support Cloud and the 844E GigaCenter

July 27, 2018, 11:00 AM PST 

 

Business Transformation Profile

Nemont Telephone Cooperative

Headquartered in Scobey, Montana, Nemont Telephone Cooperative (Nemont) delivers broadband services across 14,000 square miles in the Northeastern part of the state and into North Dakota, serving varied residential and business subscribers from many small rural communities to growing cities like Williston, ND. With this vast service area, Nemont has turned to Calix Marketing Cloud to better understand the needs and behaviors of its subscribers to drive new revenues and achieve a better return on investment (ROI).

To date, Nemont has seen impressive results across multiple marketing campaigns. First, with its new Broadband “Speed Bump” Campaign, Nemont used Calix Marketing Cloud behavioral analytics to create the ideal subscriber profiles to target, driving a whopping 59 percent take rate for increased Internet speeds. With the speed increase, subscribers instantly received better application performance, while Nemont realized a ROI of 262 percent in just four weeks with a single campaign.

Next, Nemont applied the actionable insights found in Calix Marketing Cloud to an existing campaign, refocusing efforts on a specific segment of subscribers whose behaviors showed they were primed to benefit from its ‘Advanced WiFi’ service. Nemont’s Whole Home Wi-Fi Service Campaign found great success, nearly doubling take rate from earlier Advanced WiFi campaigns and dramatically improving their subscribers’ broadband experience.

Learn more about Nemont’s subscriber experience success with Calix Marketing Cloud in our recent webinar.

Customer Service Agent of the Month

Meet Victor Rojas

Role: Systems Engineer

Location: Petaluma, CA

Years of Service: 2.5

Calix Expertise: Calix Cloud, EXA, AXOS

School: CSU Chico

Favorite Movie: The Sandlot

Recent Software and Support Resources

Customer Operations Team Update

Stephanie Stewart

Mark Teed

Calix is pleased to introduce our newest Customer Operations Team members, Stephanie Stewart and Mark Teed.

Stephanie and Mark will be joining our existing Regional Customer Operations team of Nancy McBrayer and Lauren Clarkson to more quickly address the post-sales requests for our North American domestic customers, including Canada. 

The Customer Operations team is tasked with assisting customers with sales order management and post-order support. As an extension of their sales team, every Calix customer is now supported by a dedicated Customer Operations specialist who is the direct point of contact for:

  • Pricing inquiries

  • Order expedite requests

  • Shipping and logistics questions

  • Order backlog inquiries

  • Serial number transfers

  • Reporting needs

  • General order-related issue resolutions

Your Customer Operations representative's name and contact information can be found on the My Calix portal, in the 'My account team' section. Get to know your Customer Ops representative today!

Note: Please continue to submit new purchase orders to om@calix.com as normal, and not through your Customer Ops representative. However, you are encouraged to reach out to your representative for any pre- or post-order inquiries, or assistance with orders at any stage of the process. Customer Operations is not involved in RMA requests submitted through the Calix Portal and related inquiries should be directed to the RMA team at RMA@calix.com. Thank you.