US Signal's 2023 in Review
Tis the season for decking the halls with boughs of holly, standing in long lines at retail stores, and guessing how the weather will change in the next five minutes. (That’s not just a Midwest thing anymore.)
It’s also the time of year when we review the successes, challenges, and events of the past 12 months at US Signal — and look to what the new year holds in store for us.
Igneo Infrastructure Partners
Perhaps the biggest event of 2023 was the finalization of US Signal’s acquisition by Igneo Infrastructure Partners, a global infrastructure investment company. (Igneo Infrastructure Partners is the direct infrastructure team of the First Sentier Investors Group.) The acquisition marked Igneo’s third global investment in the digital sector, its first in the U.S. telecommunications sector, and its fourth platform asset in North America.
Why did Igneo acquire US Signal, and what does it mean for our company? The thinking behind the organization’s name provides important insights.
“The creation of permanent and solid igneous rock through a transformative process is emblematic of our approach to working with businesses to create investments that have sustainability and permanence. Through crystallizing potential, we will continue to enhance enduring, sustainable businesses that serve their communities and our stakeholders now and in the future.”
With that in mind, expect US Signal’s future to include the continuing expansion of its strengths that captured Igneo’s interest — including in the areas of its fiber network, data centers, and customer service.
Sustainability Focus
While specific strategies and plans are still being developed, US Signal is already aligning itself with one of Igneo’s primary areas of focus: sustainability. In April, US Signal announced its commitment to transition its four Michigan data centers (Detroit Metro, Grand Rapids East, Grand Rapids South, and Southfield) and its Grand Rapids headquarters to run entirely on renewable energy sources by 2026.
US Signal is working with utility providers DTE Energy and Consumers Energy to power the initiative, reduce its carbon emissions, support the growth of the renewable energy sector, and promote a cleaner and more eco-friendly future. The company also has other sustainability projects underway, such as waste reduction initiatives, increased recycling efforts, and more.
Partnership and Products
US Signal continued strengthening its IT security portfolio this year, most notably through a partnership with Cato Networks, a leading global network security company. Among the outcomes was US Signal's Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) launch.
Powered by Cato Networks, SD-WAN delivers unmatched speed and reliability in network connectivity, giving businesses a competitive advantage like never before. The SD-WAN technology seamlessly connects multiple locations and networks, optimizing application performance and reducing congestion. With a centralized management portal, configuration and maintenance are effortless.
The Cato Networks collaboration also provided US Signal with distribution rights for the Cato Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Cloud throughout North America. Launched this fall, this managed SASE solution provides a joint networking and security service that uses a cloud-native approach to securing branch offices, users, and applications.
The managed SASE solution converges both the SD-WAN and SASE functions to simplify network and security stack management, improve agility, and enhance security through a full security stack and unified policies. Its managed platform allows for optimal WAN management, global connectivity, internet security, cloud acceleration, remote access, and more to provide customers with unparalleled overall security.
Farewell to Beers with Engineers
All good things come to an end. After five years and some seventy events, it was time to say goodbye to US Signal’s popular Beers with Engineers event. The final event was among the best, with our panel of experts revisiting some of the topics we've explored over the last few years. Watch the full replay here.
The end of Beers with Engineers doesn’t mean US Signal will no longer be hosting networking and educational get-togethers. In fact, we’re currently planning new ways to support our local IT communities. Watch for details as well as our new events newsletter — Ready. Set. Events!
People Make a Difference
Among US Signal’s greatest differentiators has always been its people. We recruit — and tend to attract — the kind of people who truly believe that working for and with our customers is what makes our company successful and provides each of us with both success and satisfaction.
Over the past year, we’ve tried to bring attention to the importance of our team. (Two good blogs to read on this: The People That Power IT Transformation and The People Side of Tech Support at US Signal.) We plan to strengthen our efforts in the coming year. Make sure to follow us on our social media accounts to understand better why the people at US Signal make a difference in the type of company we are and how they shape our culture.
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New CEO
With US Signal’s acquisition by Igneo Infrastructure Partners, we’ve also seen some personnel changes. Among them is the appointment of Daniel Watts as our chief executive officer. An accomplished industry veteran, he’s successfully executed growth strategies at a number of leading firms. And he appreciates the importance of the people at US Signal as the company moves forward. In his own words: "I am thrilled to join US Signal to lead the next phase of growth. I look forward to working with the team to build on a great legacy of quality service and support as we scale our innovative solutions across the United States," Watts said.
Here's to 2024
The coming year promises to be exciting for our customers, partners, and the entire team at US Signal! If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, let us know.