By Bruce Smith – CEO of GEOGRAPH
Each year, I like to look back at what was accomplished throughout the year. That also includes looking at where we may have fallen short as well. Each year at this time, GEOGRAPH starts planning for the upcoming year. To do that, we have to look back at the past year, and 2024 was definitely one to remember.
First off, we spent the year upgrading many of our partners to CrescentLink for ArcGIS Pro. One of our proudest moments was when we committed to launch CrescentLink for ArcGIS Pro in December of 2023, and we held to that. Since then, we have completed eight updates, including many bug fixes and enhancements. To date, we have about 30 percent of our users moved over to CrescentLink for ArcGIS Pro with many more on the way.
This year was also a big year for GEOGRAPH organizationally. In July, we partnered with Abingdon Software Group as an equity partner. The relationship with Abingdon will put GEOGRAPH among a strong group of software company portfolios from around the world. As an equity partner, Abingdon is committed to supporting GEOGRAPH’s growth.
That growth includes regional, technical, and product expansion. As we plan for 2025 and beyond, the mission and commitment remains the same at GEOGRAPH to be a global leader in GIS fiber management while providing superior customer service and support that brings value to our customers, employees, and stakeholders. To do that, we must focus on finding the best talent, aligning with the right partners, and continuing to add value to our products and services.
Regional Growth
Historically, we have focused our attention on the US and North American markets. This past year has opened several opportunities for further expansion globally. Being a Gold Partner with Esri means we are exposed to organizations across the world. Recently, we have met with Esri UK, Esri Finland, and several other Esri distributors about opportunities in their regions. These exciting opportunities mean we must expand our team and abilities and strengthen our expertise across different cultures and continents. We live in a much smaller world now, and GEOGRAPH must be prepared to live in and thrive in that world.
Technical Growth
Since CrescentLink was launched in 2012, our teams have been partnered with Esri. Over the past decade and beyond, Esri continues to evolve and advance. As a Gold Partner, it’s important to us to keep pace with Esri technology. This past year, we spent significant time investing in our team to become experts in not only ArcGIS Pro, but also ArcGIS Enterprise and other key Esri components. We have continued to build and expand our relationships with the Esri teams and have become a trusted partner within their organization. To continue bringing advanced innovation and value to you and your organizations, we must be at the forefront of current technology. Our plans moving forward are to not only be a valued product for your organization, but also to be your trusted Esri advisor and implementation partner. We know that new applications can be exhausting to keep up with, so we want to be prepared to help you. Whether that means hosting your Esri environment through managed services or serving up hosted solutions through our infrastructure. Regardless of your needs, GEOGRAPH is positioning itself as your trusted partner.
Product Expansion
I have always been a big fan of the “Hedge Hog” approach, as detailed in the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. Being able to focus on what you’re good at means you can be an expert. Our team started as Telecom professionals, both on the Operational side and on the Engineering side. We have evolved into a software provider focused on Telecom, but to continue to grow, we must continuously look for ways to improve and bring value to our customers and prospects. The days of being a dedicated product doing only one task are further behind us. Today, organizations want simplicity. They want solutions, not products. This means, here at GEOGRAPH, we must identify ways to enhance our offerings. We demonstrated a prototype collaboration tool at our user conference to show we are thinking more and more out of the box. We have also been building relationships with other partners, such as Calix, EXFO, and Camvio, to help develop best-in-class solutions. Our commitment to bring simplicity and not complication to your organization is driving our technical teams as we plan and move forward into the new year and beyond.
To close, our success is and always has been tied to you. It is my drive to constantly create mutual value between our partners, employees, and stakeholders. We pride ourselves on top-notch customer service and support. We sometimes stay on the bleeding edge of innovations. We do our best to listen to you and find ways to increase your value in us, and for this, we are eternally grateful. This year has been one of the best for me personally, and I look forward to many more.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Bruce Smith is CEO at GEOGRAPH and he began his career building copper and fiber networks over 25 years ago. He has overseen the construction of more than 10,000 miles of network improvements and he has designed, engineered, and managed projects and installations throughout the United States. Since June of 2018, Bruce has been at the helm of GEOGRAPH and has worked to establish a world-class organization focused on customer success. Today GEOGRAPH supports over 160 customers in 38 of the United States and in Canada, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Guam, and Guyana.
