Comcast targets Fortune 1000 for managed business services

Comcast Business has raised the competitive stakes for its telco competitors with the creation of an Enterprise Services business unit that will target Fortune 1000 companies and other large enterprises that need to connect multiple locations. The operator will offer such managed services as broadband, Ethernet, voice, router, security, business continuity, and Wi-Fi.

To support the move, Comcast says it has acquired Ohio-based managed services company Contingent Network Services and signed interconnect agreements with other cable operators. Terms of the Contingent acquisition were not disclosed. The company will continue to operate under its own name as a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast Business.

Comcast Business says it already has won contracts from what it termed "large customers from multiple industries" for its new services, which it will brand as "Managed Enterprise Solutions." The customers come from the financial services, banking, hospitality, and retail sectors, the company reveals.

Glenn Katz, formerly the CEO of SpaceNet Inc., will head the new group.

Cable operators generally have targeted small to mid-sized businesses, most of whom only required local connectivity, as they've extended beyond their traditional residential services niche. Comcast clearly believes it now has the national networking horsepower to go toe-to-toe with Verizon, AT&T, CenturyLink, and other large telcos.

"Comcast Business's entry into the enterprise network services market takes its value proposition of competitively priced high-speed, high availability connectivity to a demanding set of customers looking for alternatives to the incumbent national telcos and/or do-it-yourself multiple provider solutions," commented Melanie Posey, research vice president at IDC, via a Comcast Business press release. "With its national network reach and end-to-end service delivery capabilities, Comcast is well positioned to serve the outsourced network management needs of large business that require increasing network capacity to serve expanding multi-site requirements."

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