Tom Flak

Broadband Development Group (BDG) was formed to serve pent up demand for affordable broadband Internet access. Our initial market focus is on residential and business subscribers in multi-tenant buildings. We have designed a network architecture and business model that leverages commodity WiFI/LAN networking and recent advances in unlicensed wireless backhaul to offer superior price/performance with instant activation and no hassles - no waiting, no modem, and no contract. My responsibilities include business modeling, product qualification, network management systems, network architecture, design, deployment, and operation.

Responsible for product management of RedSeal's Network Infrastructure Security Management platform, which analyzes networks and host vulnerability data to prevent cyber attacks for some of the largest networks in the world. Responsibilities included: managing product management staff, planning future product releases, competitive analysis, authoring product requirements and working with engineering to finalize functional specifications, running beta programs and capturing early customer feedback, making feature/schedule tradeoffs, supporting marketing with messaging/positioning/features, white papers, pricing, educating sales and channels, supporting sales with customer calls and visits, RFP responses, product demos, and partner integrations.

SOMA India was created as a spinout company to leverage SOMA’s technical expertise in broadband wireless to build a new business offering wireless broadband service in India. As an entrepreneurial initiative, the essential work at SSE was to develop a new business model and conduct selling and political lobbying activities. The role of product management was to determine the services roadmap for consumer, enterprise, and government market sectors, including service definitions and pricing, positioning, competitive analysis, and geographical target segments for network build-outs based on demographics, and also to build a comprehensive business plan. I reported to and supported the CEO with business analysis, strategic and business planning, white papers, presentations, and financial spreadsheets. Successful business development efforts resulted in the allocation of wireless spectrum by the Indian parliament, and approval of a new franchise-based business model in partnership with India’s largest telecommunications firm – BSNL. We rolled out pilot networks and conducted successful trials in three markets, and SSE was awarded franchises in four of India’s most affluent states covering 250 million people.

SOMA was a pioneer in broadband wireless systems, targeting the “digital divide” in emerging markets and rural areas in advanced markets. I joined SOMA to run product management and later added responsibility for marketing, then R&D and Operations as VP, Products. As head of product management, my responsibilities included creation of product life cycle process, development of the product roadmap, detailed product requirements, competitive analysis, sales and marketing support, including RFP responses, positioning and messaging. I led the successful launch of the industry’s first non-line-of-sight broadband IP voice and data system, followed by three subsequent generations of systems spanning modem chips, base stations, CPE devices, core network servers, and management functions. With these systems, SOMA won multiple industry awards and captured over a dozen carrier account wins in U.S. Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. With the fourth generation, we shipped a certified 802.16e broadband wireless system comprised of both in-house development and globally sourced components to create an end-to-end system. I managed strategic partner relationships with key development and component suppliers in China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, UK, and France.

Verilink was a NASDAQ-listed firm (VRLK) with over 200 employees and over $50M annual sales, a leader in multiplexing and transmission systems for carriers and enterprises. Major customers included Qualcomm, Nortel, MCI, and Worldcom. I joined Verilink to run product management and later added responsibility for product marketing. I was responsible for the product life cycle process, product roadmap, marketing programs for lead generation, production of the annual report, and was the primary external spokesperson with press and analysts. During my tenure at Verilink, we launched multiple new products and sustained our top line despite shrinking demand for Verlink’s product category. I was instrumental in making the case for an aggressive M&A strategy, resulting in a merger with TxPort in 1999 to gain greater scale. At the time of my departure, new IP-based products, and higher-end multi-function products were ready to launch, enabling Verilink to participate in higher growth market segments.

N.E.T. was an NYSE-listed firm (NWK) with over 1000 employees and revenues exceeding $200M per year. N.E.T. was a market leader in private network solutions for Fortune 500 firms and for the U.S. government, spanning a broad range of network technologies, including ATM, SONET, Frame Relay, IP, and VoIP. As Carrier Product Manager, I was responsible for our ATM access product, its positioning, market research, messaging, white papers, articles, collateral, product launches, analyst & press briefings for all ATM products. Prior to this role, I worked in the St. Louis sales office initially as a sales engineer and then as an account manager, where I met quota for selling WAN backbone networks to large enterprises.

First job out of college. I worked in the enterprise sales department, where I provided technical engineering and sales support to the largest enterprise accounts. (The company was called Southwestern Bell Telephone during my tenure, but later became SBC and then AT&T following acquisitions.)