New Edge Names Theiss New Channel Chief

New Edge Networks named Brett Theiss director of channel programs, filling the post vacated by Bruce Barnes in December 2007. Barnes took a non-channel post at Qwest Communications International Inc.

Theiss has been with New Edge Networks for two years as director of product management and training, a post he still holds. Combining the roles, he said, will bring advantages to both tasks. For example, channel feedback will inform product marketing and training needs. Prior to working for New Edge Networks, he was a director or product marketing for AT&T.

Among the first changes to the partner program under Theiss is the addition of a referral program, which offers a single payout of one-, two- or three-times monthly revenue based on the one-, two- or three-year terms, respectively. The traditional program remains the same. In addition, Theiss is overseeing the channel rollout of the company’s new MPLS-over-DSL product, which was announced in mid-January and will be available commercially in April. Theiss called the service an “industry first,” explaining that it fills a gap between DSL and T1 service in terms of speed and price. While a private DSL line is about $100 and a T1 is $500, the MPLS over DSL service is around $250. “It brings MPLS features down market,” Theiss said, noting this enables customers to grow their bandwidth and begin to take advantage of newer capabilities, such as software as a service, without needing to move to a full T1.

The service offers up to five classes of service to tag and prioritize customer applications, such as VoIP ahead of e-mail. Currently, traffic tagging and prioritization with classes of service are available only on T1 lines with MPLS technology. The service is made possible by the installation of SmartEdge 800 gateway switches from Redback Networks Inc. at various regional aggregation points in the company’s network. The service is available across the company’s footprint, which reaches about 90 percent of U.S. business addresses.

While most customers eventually will need to move to T1 speeds, New Edge Networks spokesperson Sal Cinquegrani said the service enables channel partners to have a different dialogue with their customers. Instead of forcing them into a T1 before they are ready, he noted, “They can say, ‘I can help you do more with your current infrastructure.’ It’s a smooth migration from DSL to T1. …You are building customer loyalty instead of forcing a 5X increase in telco spend.”

The service is available to current customers without requiring re-provisioning. They may need a new piece of equipment, Theiss said, but New Edge won’t charge them for the migration. New customers pay the standard install fee of around $200.

New Edge also has a custom installation service that goes beyond the demarc between the telco and customer networks, enabling service to be performed from LAN to WAN.

The installations are done by New Edge staff and certified installers.