A Yellowknife IT service provider is taking the world by 'storm' after being nominated for an award at a major Avaya international annual conference recently.
Global Storm IT, a Kam Lake-based phone and telecommunications company, attended the Avaya Engage Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Feb. 2 to 5.
The company, which is a partner of Avaya, one of the largest phone manufacturing companies in the world, was nominated for an Avaya service partner of the year with four other companies from across from the international telecommunications community -- some of them very large firms.
Global Storm IT was beaten out by a Colombia-based company called Walter Bridge and also faced tough competition against others, namely Mexican-based telecommunications company Grupo CTE and Latin American company Alpha Systems.
But Kirby Marshall, CEO/President of Global Storm IT Corporation said the recognition should be a seen as a sign to the GNWT and other Northern governments -- where the company gets many of its contracts -- that there is plenty of talent in the technology sector in the North.
photo courtesy of Kirby Marshall
"If there is one take away from the whole situation it is is probably that there is a lot of talent on our doorstep, a lot of skill and capabilities and a lot of knowledge and experience," he said of Northern talent in telecommunications.
"It just goes to show you what is possible and we are almost doing the impossible for a company out of Yellowknife. We are headquartered out of Yellowknife. The core of our staff are based in Yellowknife. Yes we have staff based across North America.
"It all sounds pretty funky, but we are still a small IT company. I'm not talking hundreds of staff, I'm talking dozens."
The company has done quite well to compete for technology-related contracts over its 20 years as a small-to medium-sized business. Last year it was awarded a $275,000 contract for a supply and installation of a communications system -- a nurse duress system -- at the Fort Simpson Health and Social Services Centre and the Long Term Care Centre.
Installations began last week and built off other successes in recent years.
In 2014, the company won a $2.6 million contract to install a new voice over internet protocol (VOIP) system and related hardware to connect GNWT offices in Yellowknife, Hay River, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Norman Wells and Inuvik. This allowed for 3,300 workers to be connected across 33 communities. The installment at the time was only the second pod system in North America and replaced a 50-year old patched phone system.
"Since that time we have installed phone systems for Stanton hospital and supplied the GNWT with the 911 system," he said.
The company today has offices in Kelowna for 14 years and also has an operation in Houston, Texas. He also has clients in Brazil now, he added.