Henry D. ("Hank") Levine is a partner in the firm of Levine, Blaszak, Block & Boothby, LLP, where he specializes in the representation of large telecommunications users and companies built on new and emerging technologies. He negotiates communications contracts on behalf of Fortune 100 Companies and the equivalent, including DuPont, the City of New York, IBM, Marriott International, Honeywell, the Securities Industry Association and Goldman Sachs. And he has been heavily involved in settling (or, where necessary, litigating) contract disputes between large users and their carriers.
Hank's writings on telecommunications regulation and transactions include more than 40 articles and chapters in several books. He is a frequent speaker on communications issues before such groups as the United States Senate, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Columbia University's Institute for Tele-Information and the Securities Industry Association, and has chaired numerous conferences on telecommunications issues. He is listed in Chambers Global and Chambers USA, which variously describe him as "thought [by clients and peers] to be one of the most knowledgeable lawyers in the industry," and as the lawyer who “wrote the gospel on telecoms negotiation . . . he’s more than an attorney – he really knows the technology.” He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America.
Hank received his B.A. from Yale in 1972 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1976. He also holds a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He is a member of the bars of New York and the District of Columbia, and is admitted to practice before a variety of courts up to and including the United States Supreme Court.
Someone once said (probably before September 2008) that there are no problems in life, just opportunities masquerading as challenges. To enterprise users, telecom is complex, fast changing, dominated by a few large players, notable for “error-prone” bills, and hard to procure and manage. That has spawned an array of third-party support, most commonly delivered through separate “silos” of negotiation, audit/contract compliance, invoice management and MACD management.
It doesn’t take a genius to see that all of these are part of a single Telecom Supply Chain, and that users would like (or at least loudly and repeatedly say they would like) to get them all from one source, competently delivered, and – of course – at the lowest possible net cost. So are we on the verge of a new era for TEM and its sister disciplines? Or do the failed efforts to achieve integration in the last few years mean that converging the silos is easy to talk about but hard to actually do? Is there a “third way”? This session, from an industry insider who has counseled hundreds of top U.S. and international enterprises on communications procurements, is a “must attend” for forward-thinking managers.
Adam Marsh’s present role involves the strategic planning and operation of CH2M HILL's telephony infrastructure, which includes wireline and wireless voice, unified communications and telecom expense management for 23,000 employees spanning six continents. An active BICSI RCDD and NTS Specialist since 2000, Adam also maintains the CTMS and CTME certifications from AOTMP. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a dual BS in Computer Information Systems and Computer Networking from Regis University and also holds a Masters in Telecommunications from the University of Denver.
Procuring and implementing an enterprise TEM solution takes much more than just releasing a boilerplate RFP, selecting a vendor and getting underway. Your organization can be harboring hidden factors that – if not planned for prior to signing the contract – can add delays to your TEM implementation, preventing you from getting the full value for months or even years afterward. Adam Marsh discovered many of these pitfalls while rolling out TEM for CH2M HILL, an engineering firm with 23,000 employees across six continents.
Take-Home Tool: Jump start your TEM implementation with Adam’s checklist of 10 pre-TEM lessons learned.
As a partner at Levine, Blaszak, Block & Boothby, in Washington, D.C., Justin Castillo has negotiated agreements on behalf of enterprise customers (including clients in the financial services, health care and energy industries) for a variety of voice and data services, including TEM, wireless, interexchange and local exchange services. In addition, he has represented both large and small telecommunications customers in disputes with carriers before the Federal Communications Commission, in federal court and in arbitration proceedings. Prior to joining LB3 in 1997, Justin served as a trial attorney in the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Department of Justice, where he worked in the Civil Fraud Section for three years representing the government in cases involving the False Claims Act. He is a member of the D.C., California and Colorado bars.
You’ve just negotiated a sweet deal with your carrier and now you need a TEM solution to make sure the carrier delivers the savings. But how do you select a TEM vendor (most are privately held, so you can’t peek into their balance sheets) with the staying power to weather today’s economy? And what are the consequences if your TEM provider merges ... is acquired ... files Chapter 11? See for yourself when attorney Justin Castillo lays out the blueprint for a TEM contact that protects you on NDAs, LOAs, SLAs and more.
Take-Home Tool: Get Justin’s exclusive checklist you can use to evaluate TEM fee structures and choose the best for your enterprise.
Control Point Solutions Inc. (A subsidiary of HCL Technologies Ltd)
(A subsidiary of HCL Technologies Ltd)
Christopher Dubanowitz is the director of inventory services for CONTROL POINT SOLUTIONS INC. (A subsidiary of HCL Technologies Ltd). Chris’ background includes years of focused business process optimization consulting, IT solution design and systems development. In his current role, Chris is focused on TEM order and inventory management solutions as well as client process optimization consulting to more efficiently reduce total telecom costs. His work with several large accounts led him to architect specific TEM inventory solutions that integrate voice, wireless and data details into a single system and that streamline the reconciliation of inventory and MACD to billing. Chris’ team also develops key business intelligence reports to measure vendor responsiveness and streamline order management, and drive transparency into individual location inventory for capacity optimization and disaster recovery planning.
Imagine being able to manage your entire TEM inventory in one place. You’d be able to pull a single report that illustrates all of your inventory – wireless and wireline – with a given carrier, and you’d see all of the telecom assets in that are at a specific location, making disaster recovery planning simpler. It’s possible, if your ordering system is “service agnostic.” In this session, you learn the functions your TEM order and inventory system must perform to allow you to merge wireless and wireline, plus the 5 benefits of this approach – including better cost savings, process transparency, vendor SLA management, cost allocation and more!
Take-Home Tool: You’ll get an exclusive checklist of functions your TEM software needs to be able to perform before you can merge wireless and wireline ordering.
As the global telecom director at New York City-based Bloomberg, Arthur Graham presides over a global network that spans more than 35,000 data circuits and 15,000 end points with more than 180 carriers in 70 countries and 50 languages.
Global telecom director Arthur Graham has long relied on his TEM vendor to process bills for his enterprise’s telecom suppliers from 70 countries. Discover how Arthur (the top-rated speaker from the 2008 National Summit!) recently outsourced audit management – including invoice reconciliation and claims follow up – to his TEM vendor, leaving employees free to tackle other responsibilities besides chasing down credits. Plus, learn how Arthur uses 4 centralized “hubs” around the globe to streamline his enterprise’s TEM operations.
Take-Home Tool: Artie shares the 5-step process he used to prioritize locations for the biggest and quickest payback.
Control Point Solutions Inc. (A subsidiary of HCL Technologies Ltd)
After more than 30 years of experience managing or consulting to telecommunications companies, Mark Evans correctly predicted nearly a decade ago that the growing number of telecom services had the potential to make telecom bills impenetrable and telecom expenses unmanageable for corporate clients. To address that emerging need, Mark and co-founder Terry Healy pioneered software and services that would not only give clients visibility into their increasingly complex telecom expenditures, but that would also provide them the technology tools to orchestrate a wholesale business process change to permanently understand and control those expenditures. The 1997 founding of Quickcomm as one of the first successful telecommunications expense management (TEM) companies not only helped give rise to a new class of products, but also shaped the development of a new market. As Quickcomm’s CEO, Mark is responsible for the strategic development of the business.
Prior to establishing Quickcomm, Mark served in senior management for, or as consultant to, a number of telecommunications companies, amassing 11 years' experience as CEO as well as 15 years’ experience in the telecommunications infrastructures and cost models of blue-chip companies. He was also the managing director of ICC Telecommunications, a telecom consulting engineering firm; Asia Pac telecommunications manager for NatWest Markets; senior consultant with Amos Aked Swift Pty Ltd; project manager – NEC Australia; and telecommunications manager with BR Telecommunications UK.
Mark Logan, president and CEO of Rivermine, has more than 20 years of extensive sales and management experience and a proven track record of building successful companies in the enterprise software industry. Prior to joining Rivermine, he served as the vice president and general manager for PeopleSoft’s CRM Business Unit, helping to establish PeopleSoft as a leading CRM software provider.Mark joined PeopleSoft from its acquisition of JD Edwards where, as a vice president and general manager, he led the company’s aggressive entry into the CRM market. As a senior executive of YOUcentric Inc., a start-up software application firm, he successfully grew the company’s CRM sales operations, ultimately resulting in a favorable acquisition by JD Edwards in 2001.
Larry Foster serves as VP and general manager responsible for leading PAETEC Software Corp. Larry manages the teams responsible for product development, consulting services, marketing and customer support for the PINNACLE Communication Management Suite. Larry started his career as an Army Officer. After leaving the military, Larry started his technology career as researcher and electrical engineering instructor for Southern Illinois University where he taught network and computer design courses. In the early 1990s, he moved over to IT management where he was responsible for designing, implementing and supporting the university’s communication infrastructure and enterprise services. After leaving academia, Larry became a business consultant helping government agencies, higher education, health care and F1000 corporations improve operational effectiveness and efficiencies as it relates to business service management (BSM) operations. His topics of expertise include automating the lifecycle of managing IT service support and service delivery operations, business intelligence related to BSM operations, and performance management related to managing telecommunication operations and telecom expense management (TEM). Larry is a founding member of and holds a board position in TEMIA (Telecom Expense Management Industry Association). TEMIA’s mission is to enable industry growth, promote TEM best practices and educate the industry on the value of implementing TEM best practices and automated solutions.Andreas Schenck is responsible for the leadership and management of the company, guiding ProfitLine on its client- and service-oriented course of business. The combination of his deep telecom domain and BPO experience allows him to lead ProfitLine in its quest to solve the complex needs of clients today and in the future. Andreas’ hands-on experience in wireless billing, IP content and value-added billing and service management, and his work in the voice, wireless and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) industries are applicable background to competently serve clients in today’s rapidly changing telecom landscape. A true client advocate with a dedication to client satisfaction, Andreas is passionate about challenging ProfitLine to deliver even more value and strategic insights to its clients.
Andreas has more than 20 years of management experience in various roles including CIO and general manager. Prior to joining ProfitLine, Andreas served as chief divisional officer at VoIP carrier Nobel LLC, where he was responsible for leading the sales growth of its global business units. He also served as general manager of the Americas for Digiquant/Intec, an Internet services and VoIP billing company, where he was responsible for starting and leading the Americas business unit. Additionally, he managed the North American division of LHS Group, a wireless billing software vendor, and led the build out of LHS’ South American business unit; he served as the chief information officer of Delphi-PES, a multi-billion dollar pan-European manufacturing company, and was a divisional manager for Electronic Data Systems (EDS), responsible for business across Europe.
David Spofford has 20 years of telecom, management consulting and business ownership experience. In 2000, he co-founded Invoice Insight with its CTO Robert Smith. David was named president of TEMIA (the Telecom Expense Management Industry Association) in 2007. He has successfully led Invoice Insight to three consecutive top rankings by Gartner Group and in 2006 and 2007 to Deloitte’s Fast 50 list recognizing the fastest growing companies in Virginia. In 2005, he was recognized as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist for the Greater Washington Area. An entrepreneur his entire professional life, David was a founder or co-founder of three other businesses, including Island Style Adventures (Oahu, Hawaii, action tour company) and ProWeek (leveraging his professional soccer background with a unique soccer training business). A telecommunications technology visionary and Internet pioneer, in 1984 Al Subbloie co-founded and served as CEO of Information Management Associates (IMA). Al was among the first to develop and market both call center voice and data solutions for integrated sales, marketing, telemarketing and customer service activities. He guided the growth of the company to more than $50 million in sales and 300 customers in seven offices worldwide. In 1997, Al co-founded Buyersedge.com, an Internet company in the field of reverse auction, and is credited with one of the patents for reverse auction theory, the leading Internet paradigm in most shopping sites today. Al has served as chairman of the Connecticut Technology Council (CTC) and now serves as a board member. As president and CEO of Tangoe, Al has led the vision of the company to become the leading provider in fixed and mobile telecom expense management (TEM) services and solutions. Telecom expense management solutions that truly succeed move beyond the narrow “telecom silo” and become an integral link in the communications supply chain. Discover how CEOs at leading TEM vendors see their firms’ role in the maturation of TEM as part of enterprises’ overall procurement and payment processes. This panel discussion, moderated by Voice Report Managing Editor Jessica Gdowski, promises to be one of the liveliest, most popular and most interactive sessions at this year’s National Summit on TEM.
from a Cost Center to a Profit Center
Managing Director – Telecom Expense Management Industry Association (TEMIA)
Joe Basili is president and research director of Network Trends Now and he also serves as managing director for the Telecom Expense Management Industry Association (TEMIA). He is a recognized thought leader who has conducted research and developed benchmarks, writing extensively on topics that include telecom expense management (TEM), wireless mobility management, unified communications and network performance management. Joe is a keynote speaker at conferences and a contributor to publications for IT, finance and procurement professionals. His recent work includes business case analysis, research, professional service consulting, analysis of business process outsourcing, hosted and licensed software for TEM, invoice management, billing and e-media, SAS 70 Type II processes, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and payment automation.
Joe’s areas of focus for TEMIA include program management, recruiting new members, and advocacy of the association’s positions with the media and carriers. TEMIA programs focus on promoting industry knowledge through regular webcasts and research to develop and promote unbiased industry best practices for enterprises and suppliers. His carrier advocacy work seeks to establish TEMIA at the forefront of industry changes that include service order automation, standardization of billing media, international TEM and wireless mobility management.
Joe holds a B.A. with a double major in Economics and Political Science from Vanderbilt University. He is a runner, swimmer, technology enthusiast and music fanatic with more than 9,300 songs on his iPod. Joe lives, with his wife and two children, in the village of South Orange, N.J., an easy commute to New York City.
Most enterprises report that their TEM programs are viewed by executives as cost centers. In today’s economic environment, cost centers suffer because it is hard to translate results to bottom-line profit … and it’s the first place managers look to cut. Only a select group of TEM programs are viewed as profit centers, where additional investments will contribute to revenue or savings in excess to the expenses. Learn from case studies and research, and discover the areas where profit centers focus their resources.
Take-Home Tool: Get Joe’s step-by-step guide to transform your program from a cost center to a profit center.
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| Blair | Lanzillo |
Tellabs Inc., a worldwide solutions provider for telecom service companies, needed a way to manage employee usage of its 1,500 mobile devices, including cell phones, PDAs, calling cards and pagers. Learn how The Northridge Group developed a solution that not only handles invoices but also integrates with Tellabs’ Active Directory and HR systems to attribute individual costs back to the correct departments and provide management with enhanced visibility to individual employee and departmental usage.
Audrey Blair is manager of global communications at Tellabs Inc., with responsibility for data and voice networks, enterprise monitoring and telecom expense management. Audrey joined Tellabs in 2007 and brings more than 15 years’ experience in the telecommunications industry in operations and business development roles. While at Tellabs, Audrey has been able to capture $1.2 million in hard telecom savings.Prior to her current role at Tellabs, she worked as a business development manager at CTE where she was responsible for development of Internet services. Audrey spent more than 6 years at RCN cable in various management and leadership capacities. Audrey was recognized for achieving success and driving process improvements within organizations.
Audrey holds a bachelor of science in mathematics from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She is a member of the Chicago Urban League.
Leo Lanzillo began his career as a software engineer before moving to IBM and AT&T where he held senior management positions in both finance and operations. He then went on to serve as client services director for a start-up company rolling out nationwide WiFi hotspots. In 2004, Leo joined The Northridge Group as the practice lead for telecommunications support services, and in 2008 he was named principal of The Northridge Group. Leo’s background in telecom services, financial planning, pricing and analysis has brought focus and depth to the client services practice area of The Northridge Group. Today, as a member of the senior management team, Leo is instrumental in the design of Northridge tools and services that allow our clients to understand their wireline and mobile communications spend, and he is also responsible for our innovative approach to developing a comprehensive location-level inventory. Leo oversees the quality of client deliverables and evolving service offerings and ensures customer satisfaction in the wireless and wireline sectors. Leo holds a BA in computer science from Harvard University and an MBA in finance and accounting from the University of Chicago. Larry Foster serves as VP and general manager responsible for leading PAETEC Software Corp. Larry manages the teams responsible for product development, consulting services, marketing and customer support for the PINNACLE Communication Management Suite. Larry started his career as an Army Officer. After leaving the military, Larry started his technology career as researcher and electrical engineering instructor for Southern Illinois University where he taught network and computer design courses. In the early 1990s, he moved over to IT management where he was responsible for designing, implementing and supporting the university’s communication infrastructure and enterprise services. After leaving academia, Larry became a business consultant helping government agencies, higher education, health care and F1000 corporations improve operational effectiveness and efficiencies as it relates to business service management (BSM) operations. His topics of expertise include automating the lifecycle of managing IT service support and service delivery operations, business intelligence related to BSM operations, and performance management related to managing telecommunication operations and telecom expense management (TEM). Larry is a founding member of and holds a board position in TEMIA (Telecom Expense Management Industry Association). TEMIA’s mission is to enable industry growth, promote TEM best practices and educate the industry on the value of implementing TEM best practices and automated solutions.
The most significant measurable and sustainable ROI related to implementing TEM is achieved by establishing a seamless and automated integration to the enterprise’s management systems that directly affect financial ownership. Integrating to financial systems can automate every aspect of the management lifecycle from procurement through provisioning, payment and cost allocation. Larry’s 3-step framework will explain how to alleviate manual intervention, streamline operations and guarantee the referential integrity of the critical corporate financial data.
Take-Home Tool: Larry will share his blueprint for integrating TEM into the DNA of the IT financial infrastructure to enable business-to-business (B2B) automation with the enterprise GL, AP and HR systems.
Control Point Solutions Inc. (A subsidiary of HCL Technologies Ltd)
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| Blair | Graham | Marsh |
New this year – here by popular demand! Pose your questions to a panel of your peers … enterprise telecom pros just like you who have wrestled with the same TEM questions you’re facing. Get their lessons learned, do’s and don’t’s, and words of wisdom when you build on your National Summit experience with this informal Q&A session.
Audrey Blair is manager of global communications at Tellabs Inc., with responsibility for data and voice networks, enterprise monitoring and telecom expense management. Audrey joined Tellabs in 2007 and brings more than 15 years’ experience in the telecommunications industry in operations and business development roles. While at Tellabs, Audrey has been able to capture $1.2 million in hard telecom savings.Prior to her current role at Tellabs, she worked as a business development manager at CTE where she was responsible for development of Internet services. Audrey spent more than 6 years at RCN cable in various management and leadership capacities. Audrey was recognized for achieving success and driving process improvements within organizations.
Audrey holds a bachelor of science in mathematics from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She is a member of the Chicago Urban League.
As the global telecom director at New York City-based Bloomberg, Arthur Graham presides over a global network that spans more than 35,000 data circuits and 15,000 end points with more than 180 carriers in 70 countries and 50 languages.Adam Marsh’s present role involves the strategic planning and operation of CH2M HILL's telephony infrastructure, which includes wireline and wireless voice, unified communications and telecom expense management for 23,000 employees spanning six continents. An active BICSI RCDD and NTS Specialist since 2000, Adam also maintains the CTMS and CTME certifications from AOTMP. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a dual BS in Computer Information Systems and Computer Networking from Regis University and also holds a Masters in Telecommunications from the University of Denver.BONUS! Negotiating Communications Services Contracts:
Bedrock to Your TEM Success
The best TEM solutions are hamstrung by poorly negotiated contracts. But base your TEM operations on a rock-solid contract and you’ve got a recipe for dynamite savings. Cement favorable rates, terms and conditions in your contract from the get-go (and learn how your traffic and equipment inventory affects RFP development and benchmarking) with the help of Hank Levine and a select group of seasoned Levine, Blaszak, Block & Boothby attorneys and TechCaliber consultants. In this special National Summit bonus afternoon session, you’ll master the critical links in the communications supply chain, including contract and commitment management.
Pat Gilpatrick has spent a total of 27 years in the telecommunications industry, including 19 at AT&T. Pat has extensive experience in field sales and technical support roles for all major telecommunications service technologies. As an offer manager supporting the financial sector in New York, she supported some of AT&T’s largest corporate clients, providing strategic pricing and service bundling for both domestic and international service offerings. A TechCaliber Consulting consultant since 2000, Pat has managed the procurement strategies and contract negotiations for several Fortune 100 companies. Recent projects have included procurement of managed MPLS networks, evaluation of VoIP technologies, and large enterprise RFPs for global voice and data network services. Pat holds a BS in BA from the University of Tennessee and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.
Don’t underestimate the role that accurate traffic and equipment inventories play in securing top-rate telecom service contracts. Go in to your negotiation with a quick back-of-the-envelope estimate and you cede the upper hand to your vendor. But if you learn how to baseline your traffic and spend data, you can set annual revenue commitments that leave “shadow spend” you can use to maximize your leverage.
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| Brown | Gilpatrick | McDonald |
Zero in on the key terms and conditions that save you money when you know how to write them into your contract – or cost you big bucks if you overlook them. Critical matters like rate stability, spend commitments, surcharges, install waivers, and shortfall and termination charges can come back to bite hard unless you plan ahead. See why the vendor boilerplate has to go – and get a prescription for creating your own rock-solid contracts.
Andrew Brown is a partner in Levine, Blaszak, Block & Boothby, LLP (“LB3”). His practice focuses on the representation of medium and large companies in both their strategic planning and contract negotiations for telecommunications products and services and related technologies. He has been involved in some of the largest enterprise communications deals negotiated on behalf of clients such as Merrill Lynch, General Motors, United Air Lines, DuPont and Aetna. On behalf of LB3’s clients, Andrew regularly negotiates agreements with the major telecommunications providers for global voice and data services, which often include VPNs and MPLS-based data network services, managed services (including hosting), encryption technology and other security services, global remote access services and related software license agreements. He has also negotiated numerous enterprise agreements for local and wireless services, as well as agreements for the provision of air-to-ground communications for the commercial airline industry.
Laura McDonald is a partner in the firm of Levine, Blaszak, Block & Boothby, LLP. Laura represents large enterprise users in a variety of telecom-related matters, including the negotiation of custom network service agreements involving local, intra- and interstate voice and data services, and helps them navigate the contractual and regulatory issues that arise as they migrate networks to Ethernet, MPSL, VoIP and other new technologies. She has worked with enterprise users in many industries, including financial and professional services, insurance, retail and hospitality services. Laura also assists users in resolving disputes with carriers and, where necessary, arbitrating and mediating disputes before the FCC and other forums.
Control Point Solutions Inc. (A subsidiary of HCL Technologies Ltd)
Theresa Knutson has more than 20 years of telecommunications and finance industry experience. She has led global telecommunications procurements and has managed complex contractual arrangements, delivering millions of dollars in savings through global RFP sourcing and pricing negotiations, contract compliance/SLA management, provisioning management, rate reviews, bill audits and fee/tax refunds. Additionally, she has in-depth experience with IT outsourcing as well as IT hardware and software contract negotiations and management. Theresa’s past experience includes leadership positions at KPMG Peat Marwick in Atlanta and as leader of Gateway Computer’s global telecommunications group. Theresa received her accounting degree from the University of North Dakota and is a CPA.
Service level guarantees, account team support and management reports will fall through the cracks after your deal is inked unless you nail them down before you sign on the dotted line. Ensure that you get everything you bargained for from your service providers with TC2’s list of must-have protections to bake into your next contract.
