Behind A Name Change: Boston Wireless Now Harbor Networks
Framingham-based Boston Wireless realized over the past few years that it had a problem, though many would consider it a welcome one.
AS CEO Greg Bertschmann explains: The company had nearly doubled its revenues since 2008, largely due to a complete shift in its business.
Four years ago, it began selling and servicing voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) products from California-based ShoreTel, which trades on the NASDAQ. The products allowed Boston Wireless to begin serving larger companies, and have since become a major revenue generator - even surpassing the company's original specialty - wireless business networks.
A second welcome dilemma: The company was capturing more and more customers outside of the Boston area - in most U.S. states and in a number of foreign countries. It recently opened its first offices outside of Massachusetts, in Connecticut and New York.
As a result, the name Boston Wireless, Bertschmann said, no longer properly described his 45-employee firm. So the company took the plunge on April 2, officially changing its name to Harbor Networks Inc.
He said the name reflects the convergence of voice and data products his firm now sells.
"I think it gives us a bigger picture," he said. "It's not restrictive."
Taking A Risk In A Shifting Industry
The data and voice industries have largely converged in recent years, Bertschmann said, and the trend is clear as day at Boston Wireless, which recently opened a communications center at its headquarters. The new facility allows it to proactively monitor its customers' voice and data networks, often fixing problems before customers are even aware of them.
"Integrators like us need to be responsible for all of our customers' networks," he said.
While Bertschmann likes the company's new name, he admits it was a bit scary to think about shedding the brand under which he has done business for the past 17 years.
"I feel confident we'd established a good brand here under Boston Wireless," he said. "We have a lot to gain but a lot to lose with the name change."
But there are no regrets. The company made sure to tell all of its customers about the change. And Bertschmann said he is already seeing the benefits. For one, those pesky calls from people thinking they were calling a cell phone carrier are fading away.
He thinks the word "harbor" is not only memorable, but makes him think of a safe place. It's a good image for a company responsible for data to convey.
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