Press Releases

Calix expands security options in SmartBiz to protect small businesses from cyberthreats

August 12, 2023

Posted by: Janmesh Chintankar

Michael Weening of Calix

Calix, Inc., has announced expanded security measures in Calix SmartBiz, a solution designed to empower broadband service providers (BSPs) to serve their small business markets. With 43% of all cyberattacks targeting businesses with fewer than 250 employees, small and medium business owners need affordable cybersecurity solutions tailored to their needs.

The annual global cost of cybercrime is predicted to reach [$8 trillion (€7.30 trillion)] this year and grow to [$10.5 trillion (€9.58 trillion)] by 2025. SmartBiz enables BSPs to address the productivity challenges of the 36.5 million small businesses across the United StatesCanada, and the United Kingdom. New security capabilities like increased network protection with user-specific authentication and content restrictions enable BSPs to further enable small businesses in their communities to thrive.

With SmartBiz, Calix-partnered BSPs can offer the right solutions that small business owners need—from secure connectivity to business productivity applications. Plus, they can leverage the same end-to-end platform they use for residential markets to service their small business subscribers.

As a fully integrated managed service for the Calix broadband platform, SmartBiz enables BSPs to catalyse small business growth in their communities while driving new revenue.

Calix has expanded security options in SmartBiz so BSPs can further support small businesses from industries like retail, hospitality, and professional services that require advanced security features. These security capabilities enable BSPs to:

“We are in a golden age of what we can offer subscribers and how we can deliver the best experience,” says Paul Hauer, president and general manager of DirectLink. “We are a cooperative with 120 years of experience serving our community. Thanks to innovation from Calix, we have never had so many options to deliver new value to our residential and business subscribers. SmartBiz simplifies small business connectivity by enabling us to deliver a comprehensive solution tailored to the needs of all types of small businesses. By leveraging our investment in the Calix broadband platform, we can deliver a broadband experience to small business owners in our community that supports and protects their path to success. Calix continues to iterate on what we can offer subscribers and makes the launch path easy. We can’t wait to see what is next.”

SmartBiz is composed of SmartBizWorx productivity software and the CommandWorx mobile app. CommandWorx is integrated with Calix Wi-Fi systems and Calix Support Cloud to enable self-service access to SmartBiz and its features. As a result, small business owners can monitor and manage SmartBiz from anywhere with one easy-to-use app built for their needs.

“We built the SmartBiz managed service to enable small and medium business subscribers because our customers identified that enterprise solutions do not scale down to meet the needs of this market segment,” says Michael Weening, president and chief executive officer at Calix. “Enterprise solutions are too complex and costly. They frustrate the business owner, who lacks the IT staff to handle the complexity of running them. With SmartBiz, the BSP can provide small and medium businesses with a comprehensive solution that is fully managed while protecting the business, employees, and their customers from cyberthreats. At the same time, the BSP can offer wireless redundancy and an intuitive management experience for the business owner.”

“Additionally, SmartBiz opens opportunities for the broadband provider to securely extend their SmartTown Wi-Fi coverage to downtown. That way, they delight the community with Wi-Fi roaming that enables education, community services, industrial IoT, and mobile roaming. The result? The BSP can align with community leadership. These latest enhancements to SmartBiz are an important step in helping broadband service providers of all sizes expand well beyond a legacy competitor while transforming the communities they serve through the power of the Calix broadband platform and our fully integrated managed services,” adds Weening.

Read the e-book, ‘How Broadband Service Providers Can Become the Catalyst for Small Business Growth’, to learn how BSPs can deliver secure connectivity that helps small businesses in their communities thrive.

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