For most startups trying to gain traction, balancing the books, building a reliable customer base, and convincing the industry that their solution is valuable and sustainable is a constant challenge.
IMSWorkX, a telecommunications network solutions provider based in Rochester, New York, has successfully navigated these obstacles.
Spun out of the more established networking firm Performance Technologies (PT), IMSWorkX spent nearly five years developing its product portfolio before separating from PT in December 2012. The company went live a month later with an existing customer base already in place.
Led by CEO Shannon Chevier and supported by Keith Abbott, VP of global sales operations for the UK, IMSWorkX offers a range of products and services, including call routing, voice messaging, protections against telemarketing abuse, and a service delivery platform built on a SIP application server.
As Abbott put it, IMSWorkX is a “startup with a head start.”
Beyond its product lineup, the most notable aspect of the company is its focus on helping operators transition from legacy infrastructure to flexible, IP-based networks.
“There is a transition that has to occur, and we’re in the middle of it,” Chevier explained. “The proliferation of LTE and the demand for much higher network densities are putting pressure on traditional legacy networks, which cannot handle the required capacity.
“Operators are recognizing that now is the time to act. Every potential customer we speak with is planning for LTE — it’s been discussed for years, but now plans are being implemented.”
Chevier also noted that the retirement of older equipment from legacy vendors is accelerating the shift.
“A number of traditional network elements are reaching end-of-life and are no longer supported, and that’s pushing operators to make changes,” she said.
IMSWorkX aims to address that need with a fully integrated product suite scheduled for launch at the end of 2013, designed to bridge new technologies while preserving the familiar feature sets operators rely on.
Abbott described the solution as “quite unique,” and elaborated: “This lets you deploy a single platform and a single service application that can deliver services to older telephone networks, newer IP-based telephony networks, and to IMS infrastructures that operators are deploying or planning to deploy.
“It provides legacy support, current support, and future support, making the platform universal and future-proof,” he added.
This approach aligns with the company’s mission “to deliver safe, reliable and comprehensive solutions for every generation of communication networks.”
While IMSWorkX is not alone in pursuing this vision, Chevier pointed out that the company benefits from several practical advantages.
“Startups often face questions about what they bring to the table,” she said. “Being able to demonstrate a mature, stable product that is already deployed and compatible with existing networks reduces many of the concerns that typically plague new entrants.
“That experience gives us a significant head start,” she added.
This article is part of TelecomsTech’s occasional series featuring startups in the telecommunications industry. Read previous profiles in the startups category and learn more about IMSWorkX on the company website.