MVS USA in MilSat Magazine

1. MilsatMagazine — December 201666
YEAR In Review: MVS USA
By David Gsell, Chief Operating Officer
he Mobile Satellite (MSS) industry and
the organizations it serves is expanding
with a plethora of new capacity and
high throughput bandwidth options
designed to satisfy the needs of the mobile,
global end-user.
Inmarsat’s Global Xpress has officially and fully debuted
and is commercially available around the world. Iridium is
preparing to begin launching the satellites that will comprise
their new $3 billion Certus offering.
Improvements in hardware size, costs and terrestrial
interoperability combined with the requirement for secure
capacity, reliable, “go anywhere/everywhere” connectivity
within the government market has opened new opportunities
for satellite services to be deployed around the world.
2016 was a step change year for MVS. As a company
that has traditionally been steeped in the traditional MSS
verticals—maritime and land for government users—this
year the company redefined itself in
those vertical markets while at the
same time growing its technology
portfolio and expanding its footprint
across the world with new offices
and in-country management teams.
Because of the priority to provide a
high-quality, secure solutions base
to our end-users, the company has
also increased the focus on Cyber Security to protect the
networks the firm establishes and maintains for customers.
Cyber Security
In the improved network infrastructure built out in 2016 to
2017, along with the existing security measures such as the
MVS firewall, anti-DDoS and anti-spoofing features, MVS
is presenting a Personal Security Center—displaying in a
web portal information about threats coming to end-user
systems, personalized to that specific traffic.
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2. MilsatMagazine — December 2016 67
From the web, portal users will further investigate, mitigate
and block attacks that threaten their infrastructure. In addition,
capabilities are being increased by the company for creating
closed user group networks—grouping terminals together
which are able to communicate only with each other and/or
with central office or data center connected via leased line
or IPSEC VPN.
A closed user group, not being connected to the Internet
in the first place, offers users the secure environment
that most applications require. With these new additions
MVS remains committed to offering customers a secure
networking experience as cybersecurity threat levels
increase world-wide.
Emergency Response
Intheaftermathofanaturaldisaster,satellitecommunications
is often the most reliable, if not the only, communications
option for first responders and government support teams
on the ground.
This past year, MVS USA was once again at the forefront
of supporting relief efforts around the world, providing
communications equipment as well as needed supplies to
places like Ecuador, Haiti and other locations ravaged by
earthquakes or hurricanes.
With global warming and dire predictions of more intense
natural calamities to come, responding to emergency
situations and supporting relief workers will continue to be
an important part of the company’s work. The MVS USA
team will be ready with equipment, supplies and the ability
to provide network support around-the-clock.
Expanding Footprint
International expansion was a significant hallmark of MVS’
year, with MVS Brazil becoming the first Inmarsat partner to
become a GX VAR for Brazil. GX was tested and demonstrated
successfully for broadcasters covering this past summer’s
Olympic Games in Rio. The MVS team in Brazil continues to
leverage this technology and is seeing major interest from
the utility markets throughout the country.
Elsewhere in the region, MVS expanded its commitment to
South American with the opening of a new office in Bogota
to serve both government and commercial customers in
the country. In November, the company dedicated the new
office with a grand opening ceremony that coincided with
the signing of a major contract with the Ministry of Defense.
The company has been active in Columbia for many years
and has grown to the point where a direct physical presence
was needed to capitalize on the many business development
opportunities and to provide the much needed foothold in the
LATAM region sought by many of the company’s customers.
2017 & A Glimpse Into The Future
In 2017, MVS USA will continue its expansion growth plan
both in terms of its management team and its global presence.
After introducing GX in 2016, the Company will continue to
embrace technology and embark on a ‘tech forward’ path.
The company has already hosted Tech Forums for partners
and customers and will continue to do so to bring the brightest
and most innovative minds and ideas into one room.
In terms of geographic presence, MVS USA forecasts
continued expansion with plans for the opening of a west
coast office and a strengthening of the company’s presence
in Washington DC for government customers, both of which
will happen in the early part of the new year.
Among the most significant initiatives for MVS USA in 2017
will be the expansion and enhancement and its network.
The company is in the process of a network re-design and
has made major investments into a new structure that will
migrate to the cloud and ultimately offer secure, seamless
and fully redundant data networking.
Once complete, customers will have access to a private
network within the MVS USA network along with discrete
firewalling, Cyber Security and account management tools.
Security is on everyone’s mind, so the new MVS USA network
will feature enhanced security for the entire data network.
The core of the new network will be housed in a new state-
of-the-art facility in Amsterdam with power and redundant
racks well above ground and safe from nature’s conflicts.
With additional capacity and the new network architecture
in place in Amsterdam, MVS USA expects to tackle a new
vertical in 2017—Disaster Recovery storage. Amsterdam is
one of the most attractive locations in the world for Disaster
Recovery given its political neutrality, absence of government
interference and access to undersea cable and teleports to
every continent on the planet. MVS will be looking to gain
a foothold in their area for US and international customers.
2016 was a year that saw advancements, investments and
the introduction of new technologies in MSS. MVS USA
continued to make its mark across a wide spectrum of
government customers, providing a range of highly mobile
and secure satellite communications solutions wherever they
may be needed on land or at sea.
mvsusa.com
David Gsell has more than 18 years of senior executive
leadership experience across several satellite technology
and service sectors. Gsell joined MVS in October of 2015 as
Chief Operating Officer. In this position, he is responsible
for the management and operation of the global business,
including business development, strategic planning,
M&A, new market development, technology strategy and
government-related activities.
Prior to joining MVS, Gsell held leadership positions in the
M2M sector as the GM for Orbcomm, LLC., and prior to that
he held several senior management positions in
SES Americom.